The transformation of the corporate world is one of the most extraordinary events of the 20th century. How and why this transformation happened is the subject of this brilliant social history of business, which provides an intriguing look at how "the company man" has responded to the successive shocks of the past 20 years.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this provocative and incisive social history of the corporation, British journalist Sampson observes that the "organization man" of the 1950s and '60s?a loyal worker confident of annual raises and a growing pension?is virtually extinct. Today's company men and company women face insecurity in offices that seem placeless networks of telecommuters and data banks, with short-term specialists and consultants increasingly replacing lifetime employees. Drawing on an array of writers, including H. G. Wells, G. B. Shaw, Franz Kafka, Sinclair Lewis, Thorstein Veblen, Kurt Vonnegut and John Kenneth Galbraith, Sampson explores the often dehumanizing fabric of corporate life and charts the history of corporations from 17th-century European merchant companies and Rockefeller's Standard Oil to the present, with profiles of IBM, Microsoft, General Motors, Sony, Toyota and Shell, among others. While middle managers and clerical employees are being squeezed and are more vulnerable to layoffs, top bosses have become more powerful and better-paid than ever, and Sampson urges safeguards to protect both shareholders and employees against the lack of corporate accountability.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
With downsizing, home offices, global competition, and other shocks, the traditional white-collar worker is being transported to an alien work environment. British author Sampson (The Essential Anatomy of Britain, Harcourt, 1993) traces here the development of company workers and then examines the forces transforming the workplace. He reviews American companies as well as European and Japanese organizations. The author focuses on some specific examples, such as IBM and Exxon, to demonstrate the changes in corporate structure from early family businesses to corporate bureaucracy to raiders and international conglomerates, emphasizing how this progression has affected company loyalty and job security. Although Sampson constructs an interesting narrative about corporate growth and change, he offers few predictions about the future. A good selection for larger business collections.?Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. System, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent history of corporate culture,
This review is from: Company Man:: The Rise and Fall of Corporate Life (Hardcover)
What would we do without Anthony Sampson! Here is another Sampson book that carefully analyses an important part of western business culture to show us what it's really all about. Sampson always impresses with his grasp of the issues, but what I like most is his humanity. He is keen to show exactly what the changing business culture has done to the people in it, and who the winners and losers are. Sampson is not just another corporate booster, and combines the rigour of an academic with the narrative skills of a professional writer. All in all, this is a balanced book and a good read from one of our most insightful writers on business issues.
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