New World, New Rules: The Changing Role of the American Corporation [Hardcover]

Marina Von Neumann Whitman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1999

"New World, New Rules" is a compelling chronicle of the American corporation's changing role, as well as a perceptive look at what these changes mean for both business and society.

Throughout much of the twentieth century, the American corporation was looked to as a bedrock of stability and security, a benevolent institution whose power and influence was a trusted force in business and society alike. For better or worse, this corporation no longer exists. Intense competition, globalization, and economic flux have all profoundly altered corporate America's relationship with employees, shareholders, communities, government, and society.

Author Marina Whitman shares both the personal experiences and in-depth research from her distinguished career as a business leader, academic, government advisor, and influential corporate strategist. One of the first women appointed to a major corporate board, a former vice president at General Motors, and a former member of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, Whitman is currently a director of five major multinational corporations and a renowned scholar of economics and public policy. Here is the remarkable account of what she has observed during a period of unprecedented business upheaval.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

New World, New Rules looks at the sweeping changes in the American economy caused by global competition, deregulation, technology, and the rise of power on Wall Street. Author Marina Whitman demonstrates how these developments are radically reshaping the ways big companies deal with their employees and their communities. Whitman, a business professor at the University of Michigan and former chief economist for General Motors Corporation, writes that major companies can no longer be paternalistic pillars of their cities and towns. They must now be lean, global competitors--always eyeing profits, even when it comes to charitable promotions. While America has discovered the upsides of the international economy--more productive workers and more choice and better prices for consumers--the downsides aren't all that comforting: employees can't count on secure jobs and managers are often wracked by short-term thinking. But for American companies and their employees, there's no turning back. After a period of painful downsizing, U.S. corporations are now the most competitive in the world. However, Whitman argues that policymakers and business leaders can mitigate many of the ill effects of America's newfound competitiveness by making health insurance more portable and allocating more tax dollars for job training in new technologies. For students, business leaders, and policy makers. --Dan Ring

Review

"A well-written, comprehensive, and thoughtful book." -- Foreign Affairs, September-October, 1999

"Provides readers with an insightful economic and social perspective on the evolving impact of the American corporation on society....A valuable contribution to the business literature. This well-written, conceptually integrated, and substantively documented book addresses important issues many contemporary business writers overlook." -- Academy of Management Executive, May 1999

"The real punch of this book comes from its historical perspective and what can be extrapolated from it: How tumultuous change has affected the collective workplace." -- Infoworld, May 10, 1999

"This well-written, conceptually integrated, and substantively documented book addresses important issues many contemporary business writers overlook." -- The Academy of Management Executive, Spring 1999

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Press (February 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875848583
• ISBN-13: 978-0875848587
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Thanks, we know the illness -- how about the cure?, January 5, 2005

By 

Al (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New World, New Rules: The Changing Role of the American Corporation (Hardcover)

I don't want to sound critical, but it looks like this book is written for a blue-collar Michael Moore-style person who cannot understand why in the world his town is in shambles, and, well, I don't think this book would convince Michael Moore that this is how it is supposed to be. Marina first tells the evident -- that corporations are not that benevolent now as they used to be (well, if you consider their old state as 'benevolence', which is a completely separate discussion, of course) and then tries to prove that this is how it is supposed to be. Well, let see, if somebody has an illness and it is not cured, the person dies. That's natural. But you can try to cure it, right? Not just state that dying is natural? So, where is the cure? Marina does not have it. Suggestions of portable life insurance and more tax dollars for retraining may be a pain killer at some time -- albeit not very powerful -- but hardly a cure.