Kevin Maney

A Fresh and Important New Way to Understand Why We BuyWhy did the RAZR ultimately ruin Motorola? Why does Wal-Mart dominate rural and suburban areas but falter in large cities? Why did Starbucks stumble just when it seemed unstoppable?The answer lies in the ever-present tension between fidelity (the quality of a consumer’s experience) and convenience (the ease of getting and paying for a product). In Trade-Off, Kevin Maney shows how these conflicting forces determine the success, or failure, of new products and services in the marketplace. He shows that almost every decision we make as consumers involves a trade-off between fidelity and convenience–between the products we love and the products we need. Rock stars sell out concerts because the experience is high in fidelity-–it can’t be replicated in any other way, and because of that, we are willing to suffer inconvenience for the experience. In contrast, a downloaded MP3 of a song is low in fidelity, but consumers buy music online because it’s superconvenient. Products that are at one extreme or the other–those that are high in fidelity or high in convenience–-tend to be successful. The things that fall into the middle-–products or services that have moderate fidelity and convenience-–fail to win an enthusiastic audience. Using examples from Amazon and Disney to People Express and the invention of the ATM, Maney demonstrates that the most successful companies skew their offerings to either one extreme or the other-–fidelity or convenience-–in shaping products and building brands.From the Hardcover edition.

The first complete look at one of America's legendary business leadersThis groundbreaking biography by Kevin Maney, acclaimed technology columnist for USA Today, offers fresh insight and new information on one of the twentieth century's greatest business figures. Over the course of forty-two years, Thomas J. Watson took a failing business called The Computer-Tabulating-Recording Company and transformed it into IBM, the world's first and most famous high-tech company. The Maverick and His Machine is the first modern biography of this business titan. Maney secured exclusive access to hundreds of boxes of Watson's long-forgotten papers, and he has produced the only complete picture of Watson the man and Watson the legendary business leader. These uncovered documents reveal new information about how Watson bet the company in the 1920s on tabulating machines-the forerunners to computers-and how he daringly beat the Great Depression of the 1930s. The documents also lead to new insights concerning the controversy that has followed Watson: his suppos ed coll usion with Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.Maney paints a vivid portrait of Watson, uncovers his motivations, and offers needed context on his mammoth role in the course of modern business history. Jim Collins, author of the bestsellers Good to Great and Built to Last, writes in the Foreword to Maney's book: "Leaders like Watson are like forces of nature-almost terrifying in their release of energy and unpredictable volatility, but underneath they still adhere to certain patterns and principles. The patterns and principles might be hard to see amidst the melee, but they are there nonetheless. It takes a gifted person of insight to highlight those patterns, and that is exactly what Kevin Maney does in this book."The Maverick and His Machine also includes never-before-published photos of Watson from IBM's archives, showing Watson in greater detail than any book ever has before. Essential reading for every businessperson, tech junkie, and IBM follower, the book is also full of the kind of personal detail and reconstructed events that make it a page-turning story for general readers. The Maverick and the Machine is poised to be one of the most important business biographies in years.Kevin Maney is a nationally syndicated, award-winning technology columnist at USA Today, where he has been since 1985. He is a cover story writer whose story about IBM's bet-the-company move gained him national recognition. He was voted best technology columnist by the business journalism publication TJFR. Marketing Computers magazine has four times named him one of the most influential technology columnists. He is the author of Wiley's MEGAMEDIA SHAKEOUT: The Inside Story of the Leaders and the Losers in the Exploding Communications Industry, which was a Business Week Bestseller.Residence: Clifton, VA ."Watson was clearly a genius with a thousand helpers, yet he managed to build an institution that could transcend the genius."-from the Foreword by Jim Collins"Like all great biographers, Kevin Maney gives us an engaging story . . .his fascinating and definitive book about IBM's founder is replete with amazing revelations and character lessons that resonate today."-Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School, bestselling author of Evolve! and When Giants Learn to Dance

One hundred years ago, the company that would become IBM took its first steps into an unknown future. In Making the World Work Better: The Ideas That Shaped a Century and a Company, journalists Kevin Maney, Steve Hamm and Jeffrey M. O’Brien tell a story of progress that illuminates, and transcends, the rich history of a single enterprise.Through extensive research, they explore IBM’s impact on technology, on the evolving role of the modern corporation and on the way our world literally works. Most intriguingly, they uncover a set of compelling ideas whose greatest impact may lie not in the previous century, but in the next one—ideas with the power to shape a surprising future, and to change the way we think.

A captivating journey to the tumultuous 1990s Soviet Union. In "Red Bottom Line," an impetuous American, Jeff Teneson, dives into Moscow's precarious business landscape to try to make his fortune. He winds up caught between ex-KGB agents and ambitious locals Maxim and Natasha. As love complicates chaos, determining who the true heroes and villains are becomes a challenge. Based on the author's firsthand observations during the Soviet Union's dismantling, this novel weaves fiction with true history, depicting a period of uncertainty and deprivation. Thugs rule the economy, Boris Yeltsin leads disastrously, and anything can happen—often in quirky and funny ways. Experience the roller-coaster ride through this unique moment in history, where Jeff's quest for success becomes a wild escapade, blending suspense, romance, and humor against the backdrop of a changing nation. "Red Bottom Line" is a thrilling tale that captures the essence of a nation in transition.

A tale of big ideas . . . big egos . . . and the billions to be won or lost in the exploding communications industry "An exciting, well-written, fast paced book on a fascinating topic. It is down to earth, realistic, and important. Kevin Maney artfully demystifies the explosion of new technologies and businesses that are radically changing the way we live, work, and play."—James C. Collins coauthor of Built to Last "Mandatory reading for all who wish to know the key media players and their future playthings. His personality portraits add the intriguing 'spice' that keeps the pages turning. This is an exceptional examination of who is likely to succeed or fail in the future media landscape."— John S. Hendricks Chairman and Chief Executive Officer The Discovery Channel "Megamedia Shakeout by Kevin Maney is a comprehensive overview on the emerging 'new media'. Some of his conclusions are controversial, but this trenchant analysis from a veteran observer provides a paradigm for both insiders and neophytes. Whether you are in the industry as I am or a technology investor interested in unearthing these new opportunities, this book is a thought-provoking, up-to-the-minute analysis of all the players, large and small, poised to dominate the next media revolution."—Mike Bloomberg President, Bloomberg LP "Kevin is one of the nation's most astute commentators on the mergers and alliances which will shape media in the twenty-first century. 'Megamedia' is exactly the right term to describe the multifaceted behemoths now converging, and Kevin has done a fine job of chronicling that convergence."—Ted Leonsis President, America Online Services Company "From behind the scenes, Kevin Maney provides us with an insightful, entertaining ride on the multimedia roller coaster. Kevin's style provides us with provocative insights of the mega personalities which dominate and formulate the megamedia future. This constitutes a 'must read' for anyone who needs a map to the information highway."—Lucie J. Fjeldstad President, Fjeldstad International Former Vice President, IBM The biggest thing to hit the business world since Henry Ford introduced assembly-line production is the concept of megamedia—the merging of the computer, telephone, software, entertainment, and cable TV industries. The technological convergence of companies from all corners of business has sparked the most sensational corporate shakeouts in history. Now in an engrossing tale of big ideas, big egos, and the billions to be won or lost in the exploding communications industry, USA Today reporter Kevin Maney answers these questions and more. This insightful account Writing in a taut, hard-driving journalistic style, Maney takes us behind the scenes at leading companies for the first inside look at the shakeout in the communications industry. Megamedia Shakeout cuts through the hype to bring us a bold vision of the future and a clear-sighted, practical assessment of the exciting business and investment opportunities being opened up by the communications revolution. Kevin Maney has been chronicling the communications revolution for several years now, and he has interviewed all the key players involved. In this book, he pieces together a coherent picture of where the industry is headed, explains the technologies and technological wonders involved, and offers a highly plausible vision of what the future will look like. "Megamedia is the information superhighway, 500-channel cable systems and interactive TV all rolled into one. It is telephone companies, cable companies, entertainment companies and computer companies. All are part of the same converging industry. All will go through astounding change over the next decade as we witness the dawn of the Communications Age."—Kevin Maney "An exciting, well-written, fast paced book on a fascinating topic. It is down-to-earth, realistic, and important. Kevin Maney artfully demystifies the explosion of new technologies and businesses that are radically changing the way we live, work, and play."—James C. Collins coauthor of Built to Last "Mandatory reading for all who wish to know the key media players and their future playthings. His personality portraits add the intriguing 'spice' that keeps the pages turning. This is an exceptional examination of who is likely to succeed or fail in the future media landscape"—John S. Hendricks Chairman and Chief Executive Office Discovery Communications "Maney's working journalist's access to the key players and facts combined with his writing style provides an excellent perspective on today's newest industry the merger of computers, telecommunications, video and entertainment what he dubs Megamedia."—Alan C. Stanford Computer Consultant, Ernst & Young "Megamedia Shakeout by Kevin Maney is a comprehensive overview on the emerging 'new media'. Some of his conclusions are controversial, but this trenchant analysis from a veteran observer provides a paradigm for both insiders and neophytes. W...

Gần đây, người ta hỏi tôi rằng liệu tôi có sa thải một nhân viên vừa mắc sai lầm gây thiệt hại cho công ty 600.000 đô la hay không. Tôi đã trả lời là không mà thực ra tôi đã chi 600.000 đô la để đào tạo cậu ấy. Vậy thì tại sao tôi lại để cho các công ty khác tận dụng mất kinh nghiệm của cậu ấy cơ chứ?”. Thomas Watson Sr. (Watson Cha), người mà tên tuổi đã gắn liền với 3 chữ cái IBM danh tiếng đã nói như thế. Được coi là người đưa IBM lên bục vinh quang, Watson đã đi cùng IBM tới tận cuối đời mình và để lại rất nhiều bài học quý giá trong phong cách lãnh đạo và kinh doanh của ông.Cuốn sách này là một trong rất ít những cuốn sách hiếm hoi phác họa được đầy đủ con người và sự nghiệp của Watson. Trước khi cùng độc giả khám phá những bước thăng trầm của nhà lãnh đạo tài ba này, chúng tôi xin được khắc họa đôi nét về tập đoàn IBM, con thuyền mà Watson đã từng lèo lái tới đỉnh cao vinh quang.Là một chuyên gia bán hàng kì cựu, Watson luôn chú ý tới khách hàng, nhưng bên cạnh đó vì luôn nhận thức được rằng đội ngũ nhân viên của mình cũng quan trọng không kém nên ông luôn đi đầu trong việc tạo động lực cho họ bằng nhiều cách, trong đó có việc tăng lương - thưởng xứng đáng. Mặc dù bị nhiều người xem là một nhà quản trị khá độc đoán, Watson vẫn luôn được kính phục bởi việc tạo dựng được một nền móng văn hóa công ty nổi tiếng, yếu tố quan trọng đưa IBM tới thành công.Watson được phong là Chủ tịch danh dự của IBM trước khi ông mất năm 1956, trao lại trọng trách điều hành công ty cho Thomas Watson Jr. (Watson Con) (1914 - 1993). Watson Cha được tạp chí Business Week coi là nhà công nghiệp tiên phong trong ngành công nghệ thông tin, là giám đốc điều hành (CEO) lớn đầu tiên trong lịch sử nước Mỹ và là người đã tạo ra một tổ chức với cái tên IBM đã làm thay đổi cả thế giới.Trở thành chủ tịch IBM cuối những năm 1950 nhưng không giống như người cha chỉ tập trung vào hệ thống thẻ điện cơ học chứ không đánh giá cao các máy tính điện tử, Watson Con dẫn dắt công ty theo một hướng khác. Ông tuyển hàng trăm kỹ sư điện tử để thiết kế các máy tính cỡ lớn. Năm 1960, IBM quyết định thực hiện dự án dòng máy tính 360 với ý tưởng tất cả các máy tính cùng dòng có thể sử dụng cùng phần mềm và cùng thiết bị ngoại vị. Quyết định này hàm chứ rủi ro rất lớn đối với IBM bởi dòng máy này không tương thích với các máy tính được sản xuất trước đó.Để giúp bạn đọc yêu thích kinh doanh và thuật lãnh đạo có thêm một bài học quý từ một nhà quản trị kinh doanh kiệt xuất, đã gắn tên tuổi mình với một trong những nhãn hiệu có giá trị nhất trong mọi thời đại, Alpha Books đã chọn xuất bản cuốn sách Thomas Watson Sr. - Con người phi thường và cỗ máy IBM dịch từ nguyên bản tiếng Anh “The Maverick and His machine:

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