Review of Bill GatesтАЩs book тАЭBusiness @ the Speed of ThoughtтАЭ

Review of Bill GatesтАЩs book тАЭBusiness @ the Speed of ThoughtтАЭ

тАЬBusiness is going to change more in the next ten years than it has in the last fifty.тАЭ

Bill Gates

This book was written in 1999 by Bill Gates, chairman and Chief Software Architect of the world largest software developing company Microsoft Corporation.

At first look, it might seem to be just an extended advert for Microsoft. But no, there is more to this book. It is penetrating, and entertaining. This book is not just about big business getting bigger, but also about how simple techniques of good information flow management within even the smallest of organizations, can make contented customers keep coming back to you again and again for more commerce.

GateтАЩs Big Idea is that tomorrowтАЩs successful companies will have a "digital nervous system"* тАУ a network which provides a constant flow of accurate, upтАУtoтАУdate and detailed information. He claims that while most of todayтАЩs companies collect enormous quantities of data, they extract very little information from them. He defenses his argument with case studies from Microsoft and other companies (Dell, CocaтАУCola, Boeing, and Siemens) which either understand the need for digital nerves, or have them already in place.

Nothing succeeds in business like success, and Gates has built one of the most profitable companies on the planet. Anyone of selfтАУrespectful businessman would give anything to know his secret.

тАЬBusiness @ the Speed of ThoughtтАЭ is written in the upтАУbeat, bulletтАУpointed style familiar to anyone who has ever attended a management seminars. Each chapter, for example, has an instructive title: "Raise your Corporate IQ"; "Convert Bad News to Good"; "Know Your Numbers"; "Touch Your Customers". And everywhere there are textтАУboxes containing didactic tales of corporate life.

At all this is an excellent book on using the Information Technology (IT) within your company to succeed. This book is not about trends of Information Technology industry but about trends of IT usage. The basics of handling information and how the digital nervous system help out modern businesses achieve maximum out of their means are the key themes explained with convincing precision.

However, this book has a major down side. I purchased this book hoping that it can give me insight of where the high tech industry is headed. Gates did not do a good job of presenting this. Instead I found a book filled with hundreds of examples of how companies integrate computers into their business. It shows how the internet helped big companies move information and expand their customer service, but it does not show what's on тАЬthe road aheadтАЭ.

I found this book rather interesting to read. If you would like to run your own company, or you are just interested in reading about big business, then you will be satisfied with this book. Gates does a great job of citing examples of how technology is impacting business in today's economy. It might even give you a few ideas for making your own business more efficient.

I recommend this book because it can help you make the most out of your company using computers. However, if you are looking for the next killer application, don't expect to find it in this book.

Words used in this text:

case studies тАУ конкретное социологическое исследование (в целях формулировки общих положений)

chairman тАУ председатель

penetrating тАУ проницательный

information flow management тАУ управление потоком информации

commerce тАУ торговля, коммерция

"digital nervous system"* тАУ Влдигитальная нервная системаВ»

to claim тАУ требовать (обыкн. как принадлежащее по праву)

upтАУbeat тАУ избитый (в смысле слишком частого использования)

bulletтАУpointed тАУ в стиле списка

instructive=didactic тАУ поучительный

trend тАУ направление

profitable тАУ прибыльный, выгодный, доходный, рентабельный

citing тАУ ссылающийся, цитирующий

impacting тАУ воздействующий, толкающий

efficient тАУ эффективный, целесообразный; рациональный продуктивный

New words from the book:

to reveal тАУ показывать, обнаруживать; разоблачать

pattern тАУ образец, пример образец, шаблон, форма, модель

CRM (customer relationship management) тАУ менеджмент клиентского обслуживания

marketing тАУ торговля; продажа; сбыт; маркетинг; предмет торговли

data mining тАУ поиск данных

lifeblood тАУ источник жизненной силы, энергии

paperless (office) тАУ безбумажный (о ведении дел в офисе, и используемых информационных носителях)

middleman тАУ посредник

value тАУ ценность, важность, полезность

NASDAQ тАУ Национальная Ассоциация Дилеров Ценных бумаг

boundary тАУ граница; разграничительная линия, предел

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