The Invisible Continent: Four Strategic Imperatives of the New Economy

The Invisible Continent: Four Strategic Imperatives of the New Economy

The Invisible Continent offers invaluable insight for individuals and companies seeking success in the twentyfirst century, Kenichi Ohmae, the bestselling author of the groundbreaking book The Borderless World , looks ahead to the future of business in the age of the Internet and sees a rapidly changing landscape-one to which we must adapt or face the consequences. Ohmae unveils this new economy's four basic forces-the visible, invisible, cyber, and high multiple dimensions-and shows how a dramatic and volatile battleground is forming between companies and the countries that try to regulate them. Replacing countries (and their borders), Ohmae anticipates a world where the most powerful forces are "platforms." These invisible platforms are the universal standards that dominate the market. For example, Ohmae shows why English has become the de facto official language of the Internet, giving English-speaking countries an enormous advantage in e-commerce. He explains why investors must seek out and find these emerging platforms and shows what criteria they should look for. Looking at today's hottest industries like e-commerce, banking, and telecommunications, Ohmae distinguishes between the old-world titans, like IBM, GM, and CBS, and the new-world Godzillas, like Dell, Cisco, and Microsoft. It's the Godzilla companies that grow fast, move fast, and devour everything in sight. Together, they will forge the economy of the future. Just as The Borderless World foresaw a globally interlinked economy, The Invisible Continent maps out the coming technological revolutions and the impact they will have on businesses around the world. It is a must read for anyone seeking to attain and keep a competitive advantage in today's markets. Kenichi Ohmae's invisible continent is a moving, unbounded world, consisting of four dimensions: There's what you can see (old economy commerce, like bricks-and-mortar retail); a borderless world in which capital moves around, chasing the best products and the highest investment returns regardless of national origin; the cyber-world, which has changed not only the way we do business but the way we interact on a personal level; and the high multiples awarded to new economy stocks, which are the basis of not only present wealth but what anyone with a retirement plan hopes will be future comfort. By Ohmae's reckoning, the invisible continent was born in 1985. Microsoft released Windows 1.0, CNN launched, Cisco Systems began, the first Gateway 2000 computers were shipped, and companies like Sun Microsystems and Dell were in their infancies. Back then, the economic outlook was gloomy and few saw this embryonic continent forming. Now, of course, it affects virtually every business. Ohmae throws his arms around the entire continent and looks at how decisions are made on the invisible continent (the "platforms," which are created by businesses rather than governments), how money moves around the globe, how old-economy monoliths can become new economy Godzillas, and even how all of it might collapse. (Imagine that the Euro overtakes the dollar as the currency of choice; arbitrageurs "short" American currency; inflation soars; the stock market crashes.) The Invisible Continent is a bold and visionary attempt to not only explain the present, but project the future. (Bill Gates as U.N. secretary-general? It could happen.) The possibilities he raises--good and bad--are equally mind-blowing. More important are the practical questions that arise: Who's running this new continent? To what end? And for whom? We'll have to wait and see what the real answers are. But for now, Ohmae's speculation is nothing short of fascinating. --Lou Schuler In this timely, well-written, and well-organized book, Tokyo-based Ohmae, a well-known corporate strategist and author (The Borderless World) discusses the four dimensions that influence the new economy. The economy is visible because consumers will still have local services delivered; it is borderless because products are made with components that are provided both here and abroad; it is cyber because platforms such as Microsoft Windows and the Internet have influenced both communication and the manner in which business is transacted; and, finally, the soaring stock prices of some e-commerce companies give them the capital to take over and/or merge with other companies (i.e., AOL and Time-Warner) to further economic gains and perpetuate growth in this sector. After explaining in detail the four dimensions, he offers scenarios about their implications, elaborating in areas such as organizational change, deregulation, and information technology. A good consideration for large public and academic libraries.DSteven J. Mayover, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ohmae, Japan's best-known management strategist, was a consultant with McKinsey and Company for nearly a quarter of a century, and he has written nearly 5