Customer Reviews

The Invisible Continent: Four Strategic Imperatives of the New Economy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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This is a very unusual visionary book, because it primarily comes from the perspective of how countries that are lagging can begin to catch up. As a result, this book will be very interesting to those in countries that have done relatively little to embrace the Internet compared to the most advanced countries. The fundamental criticism is that many are trying to embrace the new without abandoning the old (India) while others are not trying to do enough of either one (lesser developed countries).

The key point is summarized as getting rid of the old governmental concepts (protectionism, state-owned industries, and adopting a world competition focus for your industries), and adding the new environment (venture capital, favorable tax environment, electronic infrastructure, expanded information, and high market values). The new is encouraged by globalization, the cyber economy, and extraordinary access to low-cost capital. Those with access to the new will grow at extraordinary rates while those in the old economy will grow at slower or slower rates. The rich will get richer, and the poor will fall behind in relative terms.

The vision of how these factors will come together in the future is purely conceptual, and present no special insight into how the new economy will develop. I was at the EMC Analyst Day today in Boston, and the models presented there were way beyond anything in this book. That raises the question about whether the Godzillas (as defined by Ohmae, strong companies with control over part of the new economy space like Cisco, Oracle, and EMC) may not have significant knowledge advantages that will increase and extend their leads regardless of what lagging governments and the companies that operate in their countries do.

The next 5 years will see the content revolution in the cyber economy. More value will be added during this period of time intellectually, financially, and growthwise than in the rest of human history combined. If countries follow Ohmae's prescription, they will miss the special opportunities of the next 5 years. I think his medicine is too little, too late.

Read this book and see what you think. Being a visionary without explicit models of the irresistible forces driving the new directions can be a disservice. Ohmae mentions that he has tried to develop these new economy models, but with no success.

Although I disagree with the conclusions of this book (they are necessary, but not sufficient), I still rate it as five stars for being the best book I have read from this perspective.

If you live in a country that has done little in the new economy, this will be a valuable book. If you live in the United States, I'm not sure this will help you very much.

Overcome your misconception and disbelief stalls about the new development of the new economy by drawing on the perspectives of the best-in-class companies!

As the author of "Start & Run a Profitable Exporting Business," I had the great honor of receiving Dr. Ohmae's endorsement of my book. I have been an admirer of his since starting a global marketing, consulting and web content providing business in 1985. His first book, "The Borderless World," not only inspired me to focus my entire professional career on global trade, but also changed forever the way in which managers throughout the world viewed their business.

Now, looking forward with great anticipation to this new book, "The Invisible Continent: Four Strategic Imperatives of the New Economy," I wondered how Dr. Ohmae could live up to his pioneering work of the early 80's on "globalism" -- a word he coined that is now in everyday use -- and give us an equally ground-breaking text for the 21st century. I'm delighted to report that I read his book and it is Dr. Ohmae's best work ever. He remains a foremost architect of the future of business on (as he describes it) our cyber-enabled continent.

This is a work of awe-inspiring business genius, offering a boundless wealth of ideas about how to thrive in our new economy. The enormity of Dr. Ohmae's intellect and the clarity of focus with which he seamlessly assembles complex ideas about our "continent without land" make this a text that is at once profound, sophisticated and marvelously easy to understand. Here's a characteristic comment, at once colorful and thought-provoking: "The Internet has made it much easier to become simultaneously global and newly born." Dr. Ohmae compels us to think about the conditions of world business not as they are, but as they will be -- much faster than you think -- and what to do about it. I put down the book asking myself, "What just happened here?" -- it was that provocative.

If you want a forecast of the future of traditional and e-business NOW, then you should secure your copy of "The Invisible Continent: Four Strategic Imperatives of the New Economy" TODAY.

One of what I consider the enlightening books that allow you to gain a new perspective on a seemingly complex subject. In one go the author attempts to explain how recent economic, technological, commercial and societal developments have conspired to create a new world order. Decision-makers would do well to use the lessons of this book to analyze their decisions. I sometimes feel that the people making the decisions, universally, are under-educated and naive and would not even consider the wider ramifications of their decisions.

My only complaint is that Mr. Ohmae tends to ramble on topics that may well be more concise. He also pauses every once in a while to complain against the egregious faults of the Japanese government. I don't blame him but it would be better if he treated it in a seperate book on the subject.

I bought this book on my Father's request. I started to read it while on the plane to meet him. I was very much indulged to Mr. Ohmae's views, visions and thoughts. The book was well organized and would recommend it to anyone looking to understand how the Internet/technology industry came about, how it is moving forward and where it might be going. The section that I found most intriguing was in chapter two, section two, called Principles of Platform. In this section Mr. Ohmae talks about the various platforms that have been created within the Invisible Continent. Dell created the platform for people to enter the Invisible Continent by custom made computers. UPS and FedEx have become logistic platforms which thousands of companies and customers gain access to each other. Mr. Ohmae also talks about how platforms can come together through partnership, how platforms contradict each other and how some platforms are yet to be created. Chapter eight summed the book with the four strategies of the new economy; first, mandate for disclosure of the degree of speculation in the financial industry; second, margin speculation should be controlled through international treaty; third, by bundling currency and; fourth a global ombudsman developed for this new world. I gave this book a four star because I found some predictions were too near future and predictable if you understand the industry. However, The book is a good reference on the key players of the industry, how they conquered and how they need to change to stay alive in this volatile environment. As a management consultant this book is a good guide to the near-future trends (telephone, mobile, internet, broadband, etc.) and how they all fit together within our Global economy and structure.

Making sense of the shape and challenges of the rapidly evolving "new economy" is no small feat. The Invisible Continent is like a lighthouse in a storm - a framework to help journey through today's business environment that is characterized by accelerating speed and complexity.

The framework demonstrates logic and brilliance at the same time. The supporting examples raised throughout are both entertaining and reflective of Ohmae's captivating personality. He is straightforward in critiquing the motivations and performance consequences of the current global economic powerhouses. It is a must read for any person responsible for setting the strategic objectives and priorities of a business, country or region...and an entertaining read for a citizen of the global community.

Make sure to read this book to explore and better integrate this "invisible continent", which is wrapped around all of us.
Kenichi Ohmae is starting his book with following words: "... sudden changes can often be traced to the discovery of new lands-the opening up of contact with a new geographic region with a different way of life. As explorers and settlers have come to new continents, they have shifted their ways of life-not just for themselves, but also for the old worlds they left behind."
"During the past fifteen years... a kind of new continent, existing only in our collective minds, has been discovered-a continent without land" where "people with courage and curiosity have discovered new ways of life."
The author calls this continent " the invisible continent... as palpable and vital, as tangible and solid, as if you could find it on a map." But this metaphor of an "invisible continent" can also be used for the people who do not want to see the changes, even more nowadays after the recent explosion of the "new economy" bubble.
Looking through the glasses of the Kenichi Ohmae becomes surely useful to understand and act in the world we are living in.
Four dimensions are characterising this "invisible continent". They are the visible dimension, the inevitable physical part to deliver goods and services, the borderless dimension, global worldwide markets and operations, the cyber dimension-instant communication and exchanges, the dimension of high multiples allowing huge financial leverage.
The most successful companies in the "new economy" are playing on these four dimensions interactively to thrive at never seen before speed, when in conventional management schools these four dimensions are taught separately, when taught.
The appearance of this new continent, some 18 years ago, was linked to the setting up of platforms, open standards tacitly shared between "new economy" pioneers and consumers, and to the growing role of arbitrage in an increased information fluidity environment to maintain prices down and quality up. If Microsoft Windows is an important platform to communicate in the cyber dimension, English language and dollar currency are two other ones in the borderless dimension, explaining partly the predominance of USA on this new continent. When arbitrage is creating opportunities it creates also uncertainty for long-term commitment and a more unstable environment.
In the new continent the power is shifting from the producers to the consumers with important impact on economical and political decisions.
This is the point where the old and the new have to find answers to questions asked by the introduction in our lives of this new continent.
Kenichi Ohmae's book is becoming our lighthouse in this new territory by presenting the strategies followed by the "new economy" companies but also by exploring the role of politicians to facilitate integration in this "new economy" environment.
Many developed illustrated ideas are real value as: targeting markets with enough consumer power and discretionary income, deregulating crucial economical activities, developing regional entities, setting up the right "new economy" infrastructures etc.
Here are the basics on micro and macro economy to enter in the 21st century.
Reading this book changed my life in making clear the invisible of this new continent. I'm convinced that the Kenichi Ohmae's contribution will be better recognised in coming years and I keep his book at hand to make sure to extract all the richness it contains.

There was a time when land, labor and capital were widely recognized as factors of production and wealth creation. Then came the famous Keynesian theory that explained the need to put purchasing power in the hands of people to create the virtuous cycle of economic growth. But one of the fundamental assumptions of all economic theories is the principle of "other things remaining the same". Now that most factors assumed to be given and constant at the time of these theories have drastically changed and even been eliminated in economies that are borderless and connected by the internet, countries and corporations can no longer base their strategies on old economic theories.

Kenichi Omae describes four dimensions of the new economy - Physical, Borderless, Multiples and Cyber and the need to operate and leverage on all the four in order to be successful in the "new continent". But to travel in a continent, we need a highway, a vehicle and the fuel that runs it. He describes these as platforms for transaction, delivery and payment. Assuming that a company actually does business on all four dimensions using established platforms, it becomes a Godzilla generating high market multiples and further enabling its growth through acquisitions.

Conceptually good reading. Countries like India will certainly benefit by working on these concepts in the new economy, an opportunity to catch-up with what was missed in the last century- an opportunity to move from the "cyber backyard" into the mansion of future wealth.

For Ohmae, the Internet is an "invisible continent", a vast virtual geographic area without government or laws. This invisible continent is marked by continual competition and occasional cooperation. Most importantly, governments are increasingly irrelevant to understanding or controlling it. Ohmae introduces another useful concept, that of "platform." A platform is a complex of standards, including which language should be utilized in common parlance, which financial, technological and cultural values best serve as the base for common action. Increasingly, then, it is not governments or nation states that compete in the international arena, but "platforms".

Ohmae's perspective, like many of those who follow the Internet, is somewhat reductionist: it tends to concentrate upon only one or two factors while trying to explain incredibly complex events and chains of causation. But if you wish to encounter a very learned and uniquely individualistic perspective of a very accomplished author with an extremely broad understanding, you could do far worse than read The Invisible Continent.

For a full review see Interface, Volume 3, Issue 1.

I got the best and the only chart of the New Economy. This is the first and the latest book that reveals the system of the New Economy and where it will go. The author, Ohmae, is the brightest strategist in the world, I'm sure. This book is worth more than a million dollars for people who try to pull out to the world of the New Economy!

I got the best and the only chart of the New Economy. This is the first and the latest book that reveals the system of the New Economy and where it will go. The author, Ohmae, is the brightest strategist in the world, I'm sure. This book is worth more than a million dollars for people who try to pull out to the world of the New Economy!