"Is ABB a model for other organizations?...Indeed, Percy Barnevik does have particular views on this question. In an interview in India, he said: 'More and more companies will see the need to develop this multidomestic combination for global coordination. The big American companies used to have a domestic and an international division. You cannot have an international division. In my company, the word does not exist because if you are foreign, you are foreign everywhere. The whole meaning of being domestic or foreign has lost its meaning. When I am sitting here in India, I am not an Indian citizen, but I represent an Indian company just like I represent a Spanish company when I am in Spain'...Is ABB a model for nations?...Warren Bennis says: 'The ability to align, create, and empower will characterize successful leaders well into tht twenty-first century. But there is another theme that surfaces provocatively in some of the interviews..., most notably in the remarks of Percy Barnevik of ABB. That is the emergence of federation as the structure uniquely suited to balancing the seemingly incompatible drives toward global cooperation and the putting down of deep local roots. This paradox is evident in world politics, where intense ethnic and national identities coexist with the widespread recognition that new economic and political alliances must be forged outside one's borders'...So, what are the lessons that other organizations and managers facing the challenges of globalization can learn from ABB's experience so far? We think that there are many lessons that are both explicit and implicit throughout this book. However, we asked Percy Barnevik for his views. He says: 'I do not believe that you can mechanically copy what another company has done. ABB itself has several variations on its organization and management depending on products and customers...However, there are some general principles to learn from and adapt to your own business: the need to be global-local, big-small, and decentralized-central control' "(from the Introduction).

In this context, Kevin Barham and Claudia Heimer summarize their objectives in writing this book: document the story of the merger, ABB's growth and global expansion; catch more than a glimpse of the real story behind the company's ongoing success; raise some key questions for the future of ABB; highlight some lessons from ABB's experience for managers in other organizations facing international and global challenges. And thus they organize their book into three main parts:

I. The Birth of A Modern Giant - In this part, by telling the story of the two main partners-ASEA of Sweden and BBC of Switzerland, and by outlining Percy Barnevik's concepts regarding the strategy, structure, control mechanisms and people development of the newly merged/emerged company, they describe early days of ABB.

II. Giant Steps to the Globally Connected Corporation - In this part, by defining ABB as a 'globally connected corporation' (global and local, big and small, and radically decentralized with central reporting and control), they show the stages of global expansion.

III. Reaping the Harvest - In this part, they look at the organization a decade after the merger to find out how the masterplan has worked out to date and at how ABB has started to reap the harvest resulting from all the hard work it has put into building its structure and implementing its strategy. And they also focus on CEO Goran Lindahl and his priorities for ABB in the future-innovation in human resources and information technology.

Finally, end of this invaluable study, they list 15 giant steps to a global organization. I briefly summarize these steps as follows:

1. You don't need to have all the answers when trying to achieve change on such grand scale as the ABB merger.

2. Decentralization to profit centres around the world is the key to creating an entrepreneurial mindset.

3. Stay close to customers around the world during a merger to reassure them and not lose market share.

4. Don't delude yourself that you can forecast the future-you can only see breaks in trend lines, and you won't always see those.

5. Understand which parts of the business are more global and which are more local and act accordingly.

6. Multiculturalism is not an ethical issue, it is a practical business need.

7. Set challenging targets, but don't keep changing the formal organization.

8. Communicate, communicate, communicate to 'fire people up'-even at the risk of competitors listening.

9. Globalization requires transparency and connectivity accross time zones and geography.

10. Every manager, including the CEO, should aim to have two to three succession candidates ready at all times.

11. You don't necessarily need lots of global managers-not everybody has to be global-but you do require a pool of cross-culturaly capable people from which you can draw your global managers.

12. Results-oriented learning on the job gives management development credibility and makes line management take responsibility for developing people.

13. Don't assume that all your organizational values are fully applicable across the world.

14. Keep it practical. Concepts are only 5 per cent of the building of a global organization. Execution and the ability to engage people around the world are 95 per cent.

15. Long-term shareholder value is the ultimate measurement of performance in a global company.

Highly recommended.

WELL IM MUST SAY WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE BIBLE JOURNAL IT BLESSED ME SO MUCH.THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS,PRAYER,NOTES IS AWESOME.THE SECTION IN THE BACK IS A TERRFIC TEACHING AND GREAT TO GO BACK TO!!!! THIS IS A MUST HAVE AND HOPE IT WILL HELP AND BLESS YOU LIKE IT HAVE FOR ME.

You won't believe how much information is packed within 290 pages. I am not an actor, but after reading The Book I certainly have no doubts on how to get started, and I would be able to do so with confidence. The Book details how to relocate to Chicago, find trainers, coaches, photographers, write a resume, get an agent, cut a demo tape, join the union, break into theater or improv, and run a small theater company. Tons and tons and even tons of resources!

The writing is enjoyable to read, enthusiastic...and humorous!...

this book is the best..i love kevin and this book made me love him more..i reccomend it to all his fans and fans of baseball in general

This book has gathered together "Masterpieces" from some of the the world's greatest LEGO creators. Builders from the US, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, and Japan have brought you their passions, the theories behind each masterpiece, and detailed building and programming techniques. "LEGO Mindstorms Masterpieces" is truly at the zenith of all related books and I believe it will become a true masterpiece both in name and in reality.

This book began in July of 2002. And, while the the creation, writing and editing was extremely difficult, the authors fought mightily to accomplish our goal: to build LEGO robots both suitable for Master Builders and worthy of this book's title! Amazing PneumADDic II and Synchropillar by Kevin as a computer processor specialist and creator of LPub and LSynth. Splendid Stair-Climber by Doug who is a well known creator of several Omni Drive Vehicles. And, two awesome works - Learning Brick Sorter and The LEGO Turing Machine that were invented by the famous Ferrari brothers - they are co-authors of the best selling "Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms" and have been called the "DaVincis of LEGO". Biped robot expert Miguel created complex SSCT faithfully based on the real robot that was active for life search and explore in WTC, New York. Lastly, a robotic arm driven by 10 motors and feedback system - CyberArm IV that I have created as a series in four years. All of these are the real robots that are backed by real robotics - only the materials are LEGO! We are very pleased that we could explore a new frontier in LEGO Mindstorms, and be able to offer it in book form.

As the one of pioneers of LEGO robots, I have had my experience of the results in the MIT Media Lab fortunately in the middle of the 80s, and the result of my writing of over half year keeping is included in bundle CD-ROM as a over 50 pages bonus chapter. I have tried to write about a lot of topics to explain the world of robots and LEGO Mindstorms - history of LEGO robot or their philosophy of the LEGO Group, precious list and description of early LEGO educational sets for control learning, personal robot boom in the 80s, from a more than 300-year-old Japanese automata (the Karakuri) to the latest state-of-the-art robotics. I believe that my discussion and description about the way of thinking and creation - included building, programming, CAD and even about Art - are useful in particular.

We hope that this book will never lose its value and that it will become loved by people of all generations.

From Tokyo
Hideaki Yabuki
Media Activist

this was kinda a good book but i was doing it for a school report so nothing having to do with school is fun! but i guess if u really dont have a life then u could read this book for no apparent reason

To whom it may concern In chapter 16, after page 366 pages 335 - 366 are printed again. This did not bother the quality of the book. Didn't know if anybody caught it!!

If you are in real estate asset managment, this book is a "must read". Offers a practical guideline on the asset management profession.

This book is both a great read, and an informative one, for anyone interested in human behavior, evolutionary theory, and the links between the two. The area of potential evolutionary bases to human behavior has traditionally been filled with much controversy, some fighting, scattered irresponsible speculations and pronouncements that at times have produced tragic effects, and quite often, more heat than light. Laland and Brown have produced a book that is truly a breath of fresh air. One of the things I liked most about Sense and Nonsense is that Laland and Brown had actually sat down to talk with--and listen to--many of the leading proponents of different "schools" of thought. They work hard in Sense and Nonsense to give a fair presentation of each different approach, before moving on in each chapter to provide their own analysis of the approach presented from their own perspective as working scientists. In the midst of an area in which some researchers have been prone to simply shout louder--often literally--at those they disagree with, Laland and Brown have truly taken the time to listen, reflect, and form considered and thoughtful judgements. This is a service to all of us: After reading their book, I know that I will always look reflect differently on researchers' claims of evolutionary bases of human behavior, whether that's hearing them at a conference, or reading a journal article, or the latest best-selling book or TV interview. If you want to improve your understanding of evolution and human behavior, get a guided tour through the area and its controversies by two thoughtful experts, and come out with a changed perspective that will likely always stay with you, then read Sense and Nonsense. Great book.

As a mixed race Mexican/Anglo myself, I saw my own childhood as well as parts of my adult life in Dean Johnson's writing. While reading like an autobiography, this book is not lacking in scholarship. The numerous and current scholarly references for each chapter provide a wealth of resources for those who desire to learn more about the topics of which Dean Johnson speaks. I am enriched by having read this book.

I am an American born Hispanic, from a large family. Like a great percentage of families in this country, my siblings and children have married non-Hispanic partners, thus we have experienced several of the issues raised by Dean Johnson in his poignant history. This book was begging to be written. It was a treat to read things that have long remained unsaid, or possibly said by those who have not lived its sad truths. Since massacres of innocent multitudes by racially intolerant psychopaths are becoming commonplace, this book should be included in every school library.

As a person of Latino/Anglo heritage, I was quite excited when I saw this book at my favorite bookstore. We do not often hear about us when racially-mixed people are discussed. Johnson's experiences mirrored many of my own and I found myself verbally agreeing with him as I read the book! As a future scholar in the area of multiracial identity, I will certainly utilize this book in my classroom!