Giants of Enterprise: Seven Business Innovators and the Empires They Built

From Library Journal
Business historian Tedlow (Harvard Business Sch.) presents seven magnates in a historical context that reflects the growth of the United States as an economic power from the mid-1800s to the latter part of the 20th century. Presenting biographical essays divided chronologically into three sections, he first discusses Andrew Carnegie (U.S. Steel), George Eastman (Kodak), and Henry Ford (automobiles) and their contributions to the emergence of America as an economic force. The founding of IBM by Thomas Watson Sr. in 1924 and Revlon by Charles Revson in 1932 are then used to highlight technological leadership and marketing, respectively. The leadership, management, and determination of Robert Noyce (Intel) and Sam Walton (WalMart) demonstrate the success of entrepreneurs in recent times. Each essay concerns the central figure and his contribution, personal attributes and faults, family, close associates, and a history of the specific industry and American society at the time. Well-documented and very readable, this compendium is a good addition to academic and large public libraries. Steven J. Mayover, Philadelphia Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
In today's market of dot-com dysfunction, maybe it is good to take a look back in history to learn how other businessmen and businesses started and stayed around long enough to succeed. As in his other books, Tedlow takes a penetrating look at the history of business by examining seven leaders--Andrew Carnegie, George Eastman, Henry Ford, Thomas J. Watson Sr., Charles Revson, Sam Walton, and Robert Noyce--who had the power to control business and affect the fates of others. Tedlow explains how they did it and analyzes why they did it, and he examines how they sometimes defied laws and conventions, set trends, created new business philosophies, and pushed forward to succeed. This is an interesting, cautionary tale for those in business, taking the reader through the beginnings of entrepreneurship and the realization of innovative, hard-edged business practices, such as brand marketing and mass production, that have played a role in defining the U.S. as the land of opportunity. Eileen Hardy
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Business Week
One of the top ten business books of 2001


Atlantic Monthly
“From Richard Tedlow’s insightful group portrait of seven American entrepreneurs...a rough formula for titanhood can be educed.”


Darwin magazine
“Tedlow delivers his reearch with a keen sense of style, humor and candor”


Book Description

Witness seven extraordinary men doing what Americans do best: building new businesses. These entrepreneurs broke old rules and made their own, mastering the future by shaping it. They overcame seemingly impossible obstacles to achieve enormous success and, in the process, played a role in the creation of the modern world.

Masterfully combining his understanding of business and American history, Harvard Business School professor Richard S. Tedlow illuminates the professional and personal lives of these nineteenth- and twentieth-century titans, men with penetrating insight whose need to fulfill their destiny outweighed their fear of failure:ANDREW CARNEGIEThe impoverished immigrant who rose to become the richest man In the world

GEORGE EASTMANThe personally shy but professionally assertive tycoon who created a whole new market with his Kodak Brownie camera

HENRY FORDThe gifted mechanic who put America on wheels but outlived his own usefulness

THOMAS J. WATSON SR.The founder of IBM, who knew better than anyone else how to sell

CHARLES REVSONThe founder of Revlon, who made his company domi nant through his mastery of the television revolution

SAM WALTONThe master motivator who started with a tiny shop in small-town Newport, Arkansas, and built Wal-Mart, the twentieth century's retail powerhouse

ROBERT NOYCEThe cofounder of Intel and inventor of the silicon integrated circuit, which gave Silicon Valley its name

Each of these men traveled his own special road to preeminence, a road determined by the complex interactions of his character, his company, and his times. Tedlow critically explores each visionary with compassion and wit, and in so doing sheds new light on issues of urgent importance in the business world today: How do you get a business going? How do you grow it from a one-man show to an institution? How do you develop a value proposition so compelling that your customers can't do without you? How do you maintain your perspective as you rise above your peers? What is the personal price of exceptional business achievement? When is it time to step aside?

FROM OUR EDITORS

Richard S. Tedlow profiles seven leaders -- men like George Eastman, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie -- who successfully used technology to create extremely profitable and durable companies. Readers interested in the history of business will enjoy reading the stories of these legendary figures.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Witness seven extraordinary men doing what Americans do best: building new businesses. These entrepreneurs broke old rules and made their own, mastering the future by shaping it. They overcame seemingly impossible obstacles to achieve enormous success and, in the process, played a role in the creation of the modern world.

Masterfully combining his understanding of business and American history, Harvard Business School professor Richard S. Tedlow illuminates the professional and personal lives of these nineteenth- and twentieth-century titans, men with penetrating insight whose need to fulfill their destiny outweighed their fear of failure:

Andrew Carnegie
The impoverished immigrant who rose to become the richest man In the world

George Eastman
The personally shy but professionally assertive tycoon who created a whole new market with his Kodak Brownie camera

Henry Ford
The gifted mechanic who put America on wheels but outlived his own usefulness

Thomas J. Watson Sr.
The founder of IBM, who knew better than anyone else how to sell

Charles Revson
The founder of Revlon, who made his company dominant through his mastery of the television revolution

Sam Walton
The master motivator who started with a tiny shop in small-town Newport, Arkansas, and built Wal-Mart, the twentieth century's retail powerhouse

Robert Noyce
The cofounder of Intel and inventor of the silicon integrated circuit, which gave Silicon Valley its name

Each of these men traveled his own special road to preeminence, a road determined by the complex interactions of his character, his company, and his times. Tedlow critically explores each visionary with compassion and wit, and in so doing sheds new light on issues of urgent importance in the business world today: How do you get a business going? How do you grow it from a one-man show to an institution? How do you develop a value proposition so compelling that your customers can't do without you? How do you maintain your perspective as you rise above your peers? What is the personal price of exceptional business achievement? When is it time to step aside?

Through its exploration of the triumphs and failures of these seven men, Giants of Enterprise provides us with an unmatched understanding of the challenges of business. These riveting stories contain innumerable lessons that make this book essential reading for anyone interested in entrepreneurial greatness.

SYNOPSIS

With the depth and clarity of a master of the field, Tedlow illuminates the minds, lives and strategies behind the legendary successes of our times:

* George Eastman and his invention of the camera

* Thomas Watson of IBM

* Henry Ford and his automobile

* Charles Revson and his use of television advertising to drive massive sales

* Robert N. Noyce and his revolutionary Intel microprocessor

* Andrew Carnegie and his steel empire

* Sam Walton and his unprecedented retail franchise, Wal-Mart

Each of the seven titans profiled in this book used their technological innovations to build great companies and enduring empires. In Giants of Enterprise, Tedlow explains how each of these men met seemingly impossible business challenges, mastered their innovations and exploited them to stratospheric heights of success.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Business historian Tedlow (Harvard Business Sch.) presents seven magnates in a historical context that reflects the growth of the United States as an economic power from the mid-1800s to the latter part of the 20th century. Presenting biographical essays divided chronologically into three sections, he first discusses Andrew Carnegie (U.S. Steel), George Eastman (Kodak), and Henry Ford (automobiles) and their contributions to the emergence of America as an economic force. The founding of IBM by Thomas Watson Sr. in 1924 and Revlon by Charles Revson in 1932 are then used to highlight technological leadership and marketing, respectively. The leadership, management, and determination of Robert Noyce (Intel) and Sam Walton (WalMart) demonstrate the success of entrepreneurs in recent times. Each essay concerns the central figure and his contribution, personal attributes and faults, family, close associates, and a history of the specific industry and American society at the time. Well-documented and very readable, this compendium is a good addition to academic and large public libraries. Steven J. Mayover, Philadelphia Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AUTHOR DESCRIPTION