The 75 Greatest Management Decisions Ever Made

Drawn from around the world and throughout the ages, The 75 Greatest Management Decisions Ever Made is an eclectic, eccentric, slightly irreverent, and thoroughly entertaining collection of management decisions that changed the world. Some you probably know about, some will surprise you, others are controversial, but all are thought-provoking. You'll discover the answers to questions such as:

• What does Benjamin Franklin have in common with today's executive search professionals (a.k.a. "headhunters")?
• What was Elvis Presley's most savvy career-move?
• What does a slave named Shem (who lived in 1000 BC) have to do with modern advertising?
• Why on earth is the "New Coke" fiasco of 1985 named one of the 75 greatest management decisions ever made?

You'll read about:

Industry Innovation

It's one thing to come up with a great business idea; it's quite another to chnage the face of the business world. Henry Ford, Apple, and Sears Roebuck are among those taking a bow.

The Name Game

Deciding to call your business IBM rather than the Computing Tabulating & Recording Ca. can make the difference between mere success and global acclaim.

Lucky Foresight

Intuitition, gut feeling, instinct. Call it what you will, it plays a huge role in decision making, even though you may not acknowledge it to the rest of the board. Forget analysis; back your gut.

Getting On

Career management is highly fashionable, but what are the decisions that can really inspire career moves? Machiavelli or bust?

Competitive Advantages

There are more ways to leave your lover than to establish genuine competitive advantage. But some decisions have managed to do just that, keeping companies ahead of the game.

The Hall of Infamy

There is always a flip side. For every triumph, there are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of failures. We all fail, but some failures have been more memorable than others. The Hall of Infamy provides a timely reminder.

You will also read about:

Marketing Magic, Leading by Example, Getting On, Bright Ideas, and People Power

• Introduction
• Books on Decision Making
• Acknowledgments
• Industry Inventors: It's one thing to come up with a great business idea; it's quite another to change the face of the business world. Henry Ford, Apple, and Sears Roebuck are among those taking a bow.
• The Name Game: Deciding to call your business IBM rather than the Computing Tabulating & Recording Ca. can make the difference between mere success and global acclaim. Naming the baby is hard; naming the company is often even more problematical.
• Marketing Magic: A single marketing decision can change the shape and fortunes of a business. Witness Coca-Cola's decision to make its drink available to U.S. troops during wartime, or the Grateful Dead's decision to allow fans to tape concerts. Marketing brilliance comes in many shapes and forms.
• Lucky Foresight: Intuition, gut feeling, instinct. Call it what you will, it plays a huge role in decision making, even though you may not acknowledge it to the rest of the board. Forget analysis; back your gut.
• Leading by Example: Great decisions often have an ethical dimension, and they are all the greater for it. Nice guys often make the greatest decisions.
• Supermodels: Decisive moments in business history have frequently produced new and imaginative solutions to age-old organizational challenges. Whether it is the M-form, the virtual organization, or the shamrock, organizational models change the business world and, sometimes, the entire world.
• Getting On: Career management is highly fashionable, but what are the decisions that can really inspire career moves? Machiavelli or bust?
• Competitive Advantages: There are more ways to leave your lover than to establish genuine competitive advantage. But some decisions have managed to do just that, keeping companies ahead of the game.
• Bright Ideas: Innovation is the modern mantra. Amid the gray order of business life, bright ideas are often notable by their absence; but some have succeeded in splashing primary colors onto the gray.
• People Power: It's all about people. Every business is a people business. The trouble is, amid the paperwork, the deadlines, the hubhub, and the corporate politics, people are easily forgotten.
• The Hall of Infamy: There is always a flip side. For every triumph, there are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of failures. We all fail, but some failures have been more memorable than others. The Hall of Infamy provides a timely reminder.

Funny to have as a reference, but not anything more.