Revolution at the Checkout Counter: The Explosion of the Bar Code (Wertheim Publications in Industrial Relations) [Hardcover]

Stephen A. Brown (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wertheim Publications in Industrial Relations | Publication Date: September 15, 1997

The Universal Product Code (U.P.C.)--a small rectangle of black and white bars--adorns virtually every retail item we purchase. Yet twenty-five years ago, the U.P.C. was a mere kernel of an idea shared by a small cadre of manufacturing and chain store executives. Here Stephen Brown, the legal counsel of those pioneering executives, traces its origin and evolution.

The development of the U.P.C. illustrates the process of setting industry standards without government intervention and shows how systems of complementary technologies evolve. The economic consequences of the U.P.C. are investigated in an introduction by Professor John T. Dunlop and Jan Rivkin.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Revolution at the Checkout Counter is an absolute must for both business and food watchers. It deserves to be a classic. Stephen A. Brown, a Virginia attorney, was himself part of the plot, legally advising the pioneering grocery executives, many of whom he sketches. The tale he tells is riveting. He plots the people and companies who believed 30 years ago that there might be a value in having a universal product code to help data processing in the food trade...This is a wonderful book, telling an astonishing story clearly. With the bar code, informatics came of age. Even the introduction by two Harvard Business School academics is a gem.
--Tim Lang (Times Higher Education Supplement )

The Universal Product Code--the familiar bar code in consumer products--is one of the most pervasive technologies of the late twentieth century. This excellent book is the first substantial history of this important innovation...The implementation of the bar code across the grocery manufacturing and retail industry was a phenomenal achievement of co-ordination and promotion. The project faced the network externalities that all technological systems have to overcome, from Edison's electric light to the World Wide Web...This book is a very welcome addition to the literature of business history and the history of computing.
--Martin Campbell-Kelly (Business History (UK) )

[A] comprehensive insider's account of the Universal Product Code.
--Smithsonian

The Universal Product Code—the familiar bar code on consumer products—is one of the most pervasive technologies of the late twentieth century. This excellent book is the first substantial book of this important innovation...and is a very welcome addition to the literature of business history and the history of computing.
--Martin Campbell-Kelly (Business History )

About the Author

Stephen A. Brown is an attorney in Alexandria, Virginia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Wertheim Committee (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674767209
• ISBN-13: 978-0674767201
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,248,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Informative But Slow And Not Entertaining, April 20, 2001

By 

Le Kang (Le Monde) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revolution at the Checkout Counter: The Explosion of the Bar Code (Wertheim Publications in Industrial Relations) (Hardcover)

Naturally, one wouldn't expect a book on the history of the bar-code to be particularly entertaining. This doesn't even manage to fulfill my lowest expectations. Still, the content is valuable for an understanding of how standards come about, and also some tidbits on the future applications of barcodes. I read this for a class I took on information technology and policy, and there are a host of far more interesting books on similar subjects that I would recommend before this. I suppose this is supposed to be an exclusively academic read, so perhaps I'm being too harsh. Then again, the content and writing was too simple and accessible to be very esoteric--so maybe I'm not. Whatever. Regardless, don't buy this book unless you're wildly interested in the history of the bar code. If you are, see a shrink too.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serves a Purpose, March 2, 2004

By 

Vincent A. Petraglia (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revolution at the Checkout Counter: The Explosion of the Bar Code (Wertheim Publications in Industrial Relations) (Hardcover)

This book is Academic. Don't expect to read it in one night, because its full of facts and can cause your mind to wonder. It is not "Lord of the Rings", but a Business book to learn.
It is factual and a must for those who need/want to understand the collection of consumer information, stats, cost control, and inventory control. Great for Accountants, retailers, and businessman.