Hyperwars: 11 Essential Strategies for Survival and Profit in the Era of On-line Business [Paperback]

Bruce Judson (Author), Kate Kelly (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2000

The effects of the online revolution are being felt far beyond Silicon Valley as consumers and businesses shift buying patterns to take advantage of the convenience and cost savings that are available over the Web. The term "HyperWars" describes the constant battle for survival of the fittest that reflects the reality of business today. Managers who want to stay afloat need practical guidance -- and fast.

Drawing on extensive research and his pioneering experience in e-commerce, industry innovator Bruce Judson outlines eleven strategies for thriving in this hypercompetitive environment. His visionary techniques, from "Create the 'Total Solution' for Your Customer" to "The Magic in 'Free,'" are illustrated with examples of Internet initiatives that real companies, from pool suppliers to major businesses like Chrysler, are implementing today.

HyperWars explains how the Internet can and must be incorporated into all aspects of a business, to do everything from cutting procurement, marketing, and communication costs, to deepening customer relationships. Here are the tools every reader needs to survive and profit in the new competitive era.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With the Net's ability to boost business now apparent even to the most skeptical of observers, books that purport to unveil the commercial secrets of cyberspace will continue to proliferate. Few, though, can present observations and recommendations about e-commerce as well as HyperWars, by Bruce Judson with Kate Kelly. Cofounder of Time Warner's pioneering Pathfinder Web site and author of 1996's bestselling Net Marketing, Judson has already proven that he knows what he's talking about when he talks about online business--and in this book he turns his attention to the tactics that, he believes, start-ups as well as established companies must employ to stay ahead of their competition. After analyzing the general implications of today's increasingly wired corporate infrastructure, Judson elaborates (using a wide variety of examples) on specifics like "Speed Is Everything," "Get Personal," "Market Relentlessly," and "Never Stop Looking Over Your Shoulder." He closes with a "HyperWars Audit"--"designed so that in a quick and handy fashion you can see for yourself how prepared your business is to survive and prosper in the emerging hypercompetitive environment." --Howard Rothman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The Web is changing the business landscape in fundamental ways. Judson (Netmarketing) has seen much of the turmoil at close range, having been a cofounder of Time Warner's Pathfinder, one of the first major corporate Web sites. His report from the front lines adds detail and anecdotes to the general knowledge that most of his readers should already have: that the Web is a virtual marketplace where comparison shopping is almost effortless, geographic boundaries are irrelevant and the pace of activity is faster than anyone could have imagined even five years ago. If the first phase of the commercialization of the Web saw the birth of new types of businesses (like Amazon.com and Yahoo), Judson predicts the second phase will be all about the impact of new online approaches on traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. Supplementing his own experience at Pathfinder with hundreds of interviews, Judson boils down his knowledge to some pithy words of advice presented as 11 "survival strategies." Although such phrases as "Speed Is Everything" and "Market Relentlessly" are generic business strategies, Judson goes beyond them. For example, he points out how Internet technology enables businesses to offer consumers value-laden incentives but also alerts neophytes not to give away the farm. Judson also includes a "Battle Plan" at the end of the discussion of each of his 11 strategies, which should be most useful to those contemplating Web launches. Thoughtful, provocative and honoring common sense, Judson's book may, in fact, end up helping the people it initially scares the most.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Reprint edition (January 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684855658
• ISBN-13: 978-0684855653
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,800,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce Judson is a Senior Faculty Fellow at the Yale School of Management and a New deal 2.0 Blog Braintruster (a project of the Franklin and Eleanore Roosevelt Institute), and the author of the new book, "It Could Happen Here: America on the Brink," which was recently released by HarperCollins.

Judson is a bestselling author, a successful entrepreneur, and one of the nation's leading experts on how technology has transformed the workplace.
His interest in economic inequality, and intense study of its implications, arose from his experience in seeing how the benefits of the technological revolution were being divided within the nation.

Judson holds a JD from the Yale Law School and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He was the Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the "Yale Journal on Regulation" and a Senior Editor of the "Yale Law Journal."

Judson's books have been selected by multiple entities in the "short lists" of the best business books published in the year of their release, and his previous book, Go It Alone!, is believed to be the only non SBA book ever recommended on the learning home page of the Small Business Administration's Web site.

Judson is frequently quoted in the national media,such as "The New York Times," "The Wall Street Journal," and "USA Today." His earlier work on entrepreneurship, and empowering individuals, was the subject of a special profile in "The Wall Street Journal"

Most people develop a point of view and then start to make noise. In writing "It Could Happen Here" Judson took an alternative approach: He spent years researching and writing the book "so that I would have a clear, meaningful perspective" he says. "If you get distracted by writing in response to each new event, you can lose the ability to focus on establishing a deeper understanding of what's happening in the nation, which was my overall goal" he says.

Now that the book is complete, Judson is participating in the important public debate surrounding these issues and has rapidly emerged as a recognized, unique perspective, that places what is happening in our nation today in the context of the nation's longer history. Posts at his blog, www.ItCouldHappenHere, are now regularly syndicated as featured articles on the "Huffington Post," on "The Business Insider", at the New Deal 2.0 Blog, and have been frequently referenced in "Economist's View."

At his blog, Judson describes why he wrote it "It Could Happen Here" and the purpose of his ongoing writing. He wrote:

"Income inequality is at the highest recorded levels in the history of the nation. Despite almost universal predictions that the Gap would decrease in 2008, as a result of the Great Recession, the latest data suggest that it increase. This is scaring and frightening: The nation is now in a self-perpetuating cycle which, as demonstrated by recent experience and history, will continue unless substantial, inevitably controversial reforms are undertaken.

To date, there appears to be no appetite for the kind of wide-ranging reforms that would be necessary to reverse our spiral toward a nation sharply divided between a privileged few and an underclass that struggles from day to day and lacks basic economic security.

America has never been a nation of have's and have not's. One of the great strengths of the nation has always been the self-correcting nature of or democracy. But, our most eminent political theorists have pointed out that there could easily come a time when the political power of the wealthy, who will inevitably fight to protect their prerogatives, may overwhelm our ability to self-correct. There is reason to believe we are rapidly approaching that point.

"It Could Happen Here" was written as a wake-up call. The book explores the dangers of our evolving society, and the impact of a collapsing middle class, combined with the growing distance between rich and poor, on our nation: the health of our economy, our democracy, our social fabric, and even our long-term political stability.

This blog is my ongoing effort to indicate how the issues in today's headlines relate to the central challenge economic inequality poses for America."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HyperWars belongs on the cover of Business Week, March 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: HYPERWARS: 11 STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL AND PROFIT IN THE ERA OF ONLINE BUSINESS (Hardcover)

Bruce Judson and Kate Kelly live in the real world. I have a long commute, so I listen to many audio tapes. HyperWars is the only book I have found that directly confronts the real issues the Internet creates. As far as I can tell, everyone else glosses over what to do when the Internet creates a price war or when manufacturers start to go around retailers direct to the customer. Bruce Judson and Kate Kelly confront the issues head-on with relevant ideas and advice. This book is very different from the other "hot" Internet books. John Hagel's Net Worth is a fascinating discussion of infomediaries--which seems to be the hot topic right now. But, I read a magazine article where Hagel says that no "infomediaries exist today." Net Worth does not help me deal with today's real world issues like HyperWars. A second hot book is Kevin Kelley's New Rules for the New Economy. Kevin Kelley is in the clouds while HyperWars is firmly planted on Earth. Kevin Kelley says success comes from giving eveything away free. Bruce Judson and Kate Kelly provide a much better, relevant discussion of how to use "free" to create a business. Unlike Kevin Kelley, they don't not waive a magic wand and gloss over the difficulties of converting customers from "free" to "paying".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for managers wanting to get their feet wet, August 9, 1999

By 

Craig Childs (Cordova, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HYPERWARS: 11 STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL AND PROFIT IN THE ERA OF ONLINE BUSINESS (Hardcover)

Filled with simple, easy-to-grasp advice, backed up with many real-world examples.

Some readers will be disappointed in this book because it is not a how-to guide to making a website or marketing products on the Net. But it IS a comprehensive strategy guide for managers who want to see if (and how) the Internet can help their business. This book was an invaluable help to me during my own research.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good & practical ideas of how to leverage the Internet, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hyperwars: Eleven Strategies for Survival and Profit in the Era of On-Line Business (Audio Cassette)

I have recommended, and bought, this book for many of my friends. It has very practical and useful ideas of how to leverage the Internet to produce incremental sales and reduce operational costs. Must read if you have, or don't have, an Internet business strategy.