CODE Collaborative Ownership and the Digital Economy Leonardo Books
February 28, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
CODE Collaborative Ownership and the Digital Economy Leonardo Books
Open source software is considered by many to be a novelty and the open source movement a revolution. Yet the collaborative creation of knowledge has gone on for as long as humans have been able to communicate. CODE looks at the collaborative model of creativity—with examples ranging from collective ownership in indigenous societies to free software, academic science, and the human genome project—and finds it an alternative to proprietary frameworks for creativity based on strong intellectual property rights.
Intellectual property rights, argues Rishab Ghosh in his introduction, were ostensibly developed to increase creativity; but today, policy decisions that treat knowledge and art as if they were physical forms of property actually threaten to decrease creativity, limit public access to creativity, and discourage collaborative creativity. “Newton should have had to pay a license fee before being allowed even to see how tall the ’shoulders of giants’ were, let alone to stand upon them,” he writes.
The contributors to CODE, from such diverse fields as economics, anthropology, law, and software development, examine collaborative creativity from a variety of perspectives, looking at new and old forms of creative collaboration and the mechanisms emerging to study them. Discussing the philosophically resonant issues of ownership, property, and the commons, they ask if the increasing application of the language of property rights to knowledge and creativity constitutes a second enclosure movement—or if the worldwide acclaim for free software signifies a renaissance of the commons. Two concluding chapters offer concrete possibilities for both alternatives, with one proposing the establishment of “positive intellectual rights” to information and another issuing a warning against the threats to networked knowledge posed by globalization.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars A great antidote to the misperception that the open source movement is about computers
If you think peer-to-peer collaboration is the exclusive province of 21st-century computer nerds, this hefty anthology will open your eyes to its precedents among indigenous cultures and its growing offshoots in pursuits as lofty as genomics and as mundane as proofreading.
Readers accustomed to open software manifestos by programmers like Richard Stallman or Eric Raymond will find much of this volume phrased in the academic lingo of economics or political science rather than geekspeak; the writing in the first section, mostly by anthropologists, can be turgid. But don’t let that deter you, for the book’s first section contains some of the most nuanced perspectives on the concept of the cultural and economic “commons”–in particular, on how its European variant is only a simplistic reflection of its older and more complicated origin among native peoples.
From anthropology the book winds its way through economics, public policy, and the life sciences, ranging from flights of theory to examples grounded in local cultures. (Did you know that copyright is stifling folk singers in Irish pubs, or that the Aboriginal word for “property” is the same as their word for “relative”?)
A particular eye-opener is Yochai Benkler’s “Coase’s Penguin,” which traces commons-based collaboration in such diverse fields as NASA crater identification, encyclopedia writing, and proofreading–noting that the quality of anonymous contributions of online volunteers to such cultural and scientific production is often indistinguishable from that of paid professionals. John Clippinger and David Bollier’s “Renaissance of the Commons,” on the other hand, is a manifesto for open culture grounded in scientific revelations from recent research in neuroscience and behavioral psychology. It’s an essay guaranteed to make copyright maximalists frown and commons advocates jump out of their seat and say, “Yes, I knew it!”
CODE is a circuitous but rewarding examination of open collaboration, a theory and practice poised to revolutionize the fields represented in this book and beyond.
4 Stars Offers depth and detail to oft-debated topics concerning creativity
This book takes off from the common observation that something is
severely broken about our view of creativity and knowledge. The
observation is usually directed to legal policies (”intellectual
property” regimes) but has implications for economic thinking and
culture as well. The book applies research in communities ranging from
indigenous peoples to computer hackers to seek new legal and economic
alternatives to foster creativity.
Each chapter in this book has something to offer, even to readers who
are already following current controversies over music sharing,
reverse engineering of source code, patent reform, etc. The chapters
that cover well-known controversies do so in unusual depth and with
refreshingly bold recommendations.
In addition to these chapters, many others offer interesting
perspectives, such as Paul A. David’s look at the history of the
scientific method, and several anthropologists writing about the
sophistication of views among indigenous peoples on creativity and the
ownership of knowledge. Like Jon Ippolito in his review, I found the
anthropological writings tough to get through, but a second reading
always revealed their key points.
This book contains some important historical documents, some good
exercises to stretch your mind, and some truly promising directions to
explore in order to fix the system that controls and rewards the
dissemination of knowledge.
Nonprofit Mergers The Power of Successful Partnerships Aspens Nonprofit Management Series
February 28, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
Nonprofit Mergers The Power of Successful Partnerships Aspens Nonprofit Management Series
For nonprofits, mergers mean more than leveraging resources and meeting legal requirements. In this book the author guides you through a well executed merger and the real world merger lessons learned by small foundations and large associations.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars NPOs Must Decide While They Have a Choice
Ours is an age of extensive consolidation within and often across specific industries. Regrettably, a majority of corporate mergers and acquisitions do not achieve the desired objectives. In this book, McCormick limits his attention to nonprofits, sharing many valuable lessons he learned from his involvement with various mergers such as divisions of the American Cancer Society. His approach to the subject is not from a legal perspective (”you can get a technical checklist from many competent law firms”); “it is not the contracts that make nonprofit organization (NPO) mergers work, it’s the context. It’s more about how it feels to the participants than how it is legally structured.” (We can only speculate how many more mergers of for-profits would succeed if the focus were on the human context rather than on the legal structure.) McCormick encourages his reader to think about a merger as a strategy to “increase capacity, advance mission, and ensure long-term viability.” He notes that NPOs which merge are beginning to “put pressure on small organizations and gradually out-compete them for volunteers, donors, media attention, advocacy, and impact on their cause.” Moreover, mergers “produce the capital and capacity for inventiveness. Mergers take competition through cooperation to what I call `co-operation.’ a nonprofit corporate structure that competes better just because of the way it is organized.”
The word “mergers” is in the title but the word “partnerships” is in the subtitle and I think much of this book’s substantial value is found in what McCormick has to say about partnerships or, if you prefer, strategic alliances. Great benefit can also be derived from the process of determining whether or not to merge with a given candidate. Due diligence may perhaps reveal more information about your own organization than it does about a given candidate. McCormick organizes his material within nine chapters:
Deciding to Merge
Selecting a Merger Partner
Laying the Groundwork with Staff and Volunteers
Negotiating and Determining Structure
Dissolution vs. Merger
Technical and Legal Aspects
Working with Consultants and Attorneys
Transition to Merge
Evaluation and Stewardship
After his Conclusion, McCormick provides 12 appendices which include relevant case histories, informative sample documents, and practical checklists. Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? Obviously, governing board members as well as senior-level executives in an NPO which is an active merger candidate, either to acquire or be acquired. I also highly recommend this book to governing board members and senior-level executives of all other NPOs which could soon become involved (voluntarily or involuntarily) in merger negotiations or at least in preliminary discussions.
At this point, I presume to offer a suggestion to decision-makers in any NPO: Schedule a 2-3 day off-site workshop and require all participants to read this book in advance. Use its “Table of Contents” for the agenda. The group’s objective is to collaborate on a Game Plan (if an active merger candidate) or a Contingency Plan (”just in case”). Here is how McCormick concludes: “There is an old saying that `ships are safe in port, but that is not why they are built.’ Merger is a time for leadership to set sail and captain the organization to a new land. A land of opportunity is made available by the increased capacity of merger with a dynamic partner.” To which I add, Bon Chance! When appropriate, Bon Voyage!
4 Stars A Serious Book for Serious People
…………………………………………… Mr. McCormick’s excellent treatment of the subject. Nonprofit Mergers is also an excellent work, but very different in style and tone.
This is a serious book on a difficult subject by someone who has been there. The author’s experience and his ability to weave his experience into the narrative was very helpful in establishing his credibility and his “hands-on” as well as his theoretical knowledge of the subject.
I was especially impressed by his assertion, which I share, that nonprofit mergers rarely save any significant money, and should not be advocated or undertaken for economic reasons. There’s an easy 4% or so in savings that can be realized from almost any merger; expecting more usually leads to disappointment. The reasons to merge may be “positive:” enhancing efficiency, effectiveness, community image, fundraising ability, etc.; or the reasons may be “negative:” Mr. McCormick has a good explanation of how factors unrelated to mission can lead to a spiral from liability concerns to viability concerns to survivability concerns.
The merger process is detailed, with cogent explanations of the rationale for each step. There are serious legal, financial, and organizational/administrative issues to be faced all along the way, and tips on selecting and working with competent and experienced counsel are included, along with case studies, tables, forms, and samples.
His caution about using counsel specifically trained in nonprofit mergers is well-take, Many specialists in working with for-profit mergers don’t appreciate the importance of the emotional issues involved in mergers, and how a single volunteer with (seemingly) no “power” can scuttle the entire process. Nonprofit mergers must be a far more open process than their for-profit counterparts’ could ever be.
The book is well-sourced and well-researched, though the attributions sometimes impede the flow of the narrative. Nevertheless, it’s a good “hands-on” sourcebook for serious executives and board members contemplating nonprofit mergers.
Airline Choices for the Future
February 28, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
Airline Choices for the Future
“Airline Choices for the Future: From Alliances to Mergers” offers an up-to-date assessment of the industry as it stands today, delivering a comprehensive insight into how the world of airline alliances is changing, and how the merger phenomenon is likely to fit into the new scenario. The purpose of this book is twofold. Firstly, it outlines the evolution and the reasons behind alliances between international air carriers, the alliances’ track records and the way they have affected airlines and the air transport industry. Secondly, drawing on past and more recent developments in the industry, it examines the experiences airlines involved in cross-border mergers have gone through and the advantages and difficulties they have come across. Alliances and mergers are presented from both the airline and the consumer perspective. The book provides a balanced account of where mergers and alliances have taken the industry to date, bridging the gap between merger theory and implemented practices and strategies. It also identifies the challenges alliances and cross-border mergers have faced and highlights the key forces affecting airline development. Theoretical evidence is supplemented by data collected via surveys and interviews with airline executives, aviation experts, consultants and regulatory bodies.
International Joint Ventures An Interplay of Cooperative and Noncooperative Games Under Incomplete Information
February 28, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
International Joint Ventures (IJVs) combine the resources of local and foreign firms to create independent business entities that are able to avoid the risks of cross-border transactions and to gain access to new markets. Despite these advantages, the failure rate of IJVs is very high. This book takes a theoretical approach to the lifecycles of IJVs. Game theory is used by the author to foresee potential problems that may be caused due to conflicting and co-operating elements in the formation, management and termination processes of IJVs. Using rigorous theoretical tools including bargaining, contract/incentive theory and repeated games, the author suggests solutions to the problems predicted.
Social Partnering in Latin America Lessons Drawn from Collaborations of Businesses and Civil Society Organizations David Rockefeller Center Series on Latin American Studies
February 27, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
“Can businesses collaborate with nonprofit organizations? Drawing lessons from 24 cases of cross-sector partnerships spanning the hemisphere, Social Partnering in Latin America analyzes how businesses and nonprofits are creating partnerships to move beyond traditional corporate philanthropy. An American supermarket and a Mexican food bank, an Argentine newspaper and a solidarity network, and a Chilean pharmacy chain and an elder care home are just a few examples of how businesses are partnering with community organizations in powerful ways throughout Latin America. The authors analyze why and how such social partnering occurs. The book provides a compelling framework for understanding cross-sector collaborations and identifying motivations for partnering and key levers that maximize value creation for participants and society.”
International Marketing Relationships
February 27, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
International Marketing Relationships
The goal of marketing activity has now shifted towards a need to seek and forge long-term and profitable relationships with targeted customers. This new text reflects this growing trend and explains international marketing within this context. Providing a comprehensive review of the issues facing international marketing practitioners, the authors explain the subject from a traditional, relationship and networks perspective. The book contains numerous illustrations, case vignettes and real-world examples, making it the ideal text for today’s marketing student and practitioner.
The Knowledge Link How Firms Compete Through Strategic Alliances
February 27, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
The Knowledge Link How Firms Compete Through Strategic Alliances
In 1971, General Motors bought 34 percent of Isuzu, then a producer of small trucks, marking the beginning of GM’s journey into alliances with a wide range of companies, including Toyota, Suzuki, and Fuji. Why would such a successful company let down its corporate walls, exposing its organization and strategies to competitors? The answer, according to Joseph Badaracco in this pathbreaking study, is that corporations enter into strategic alliances to capitalize on knowledge: migratory knowledge, often technical in nature, which can be transferred easily between people or organizations in a formula or product, and embedded knowledge, which defines how a particular company organizes itself to do business. In today’s business environment, companies need to utilize each type of knowledge to sustain their competitive advantage. The formidable length of time and start-up costs needed to develop new products and enter new markets are forcing companies to enter into these alliances. But Badaracco argues that management should not only use alliances reactively to match a competitor’s products or plug gaps in its own product line. The long-term opportunity created by alliances lies in management’s learning about a partner’s unique manufacturing processes, or other sources of competitive advantage. Absorbing this embedded knowledge offers management a cost-effective way to transform its core operations and strengthen the organization.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Keeper
Yet another fine book out of the HBS stable. Badarraco uses case study and analysis to offer another study on the importance of knowledge in the business landscape. There have long been corporate interdepencies–product, service, etc–and in this information age knowledge sharing and alliances will increasingly be the lifeblood of companies. Companies must sustain and build upon their competitive advantages–read this book to find yet another way.
Joining Forces Making One Plus One Equal Three in Mergers Acquisitions and Alliances The Jossey Bass Business and Management Series
February 27, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
If 750f all mergers fail, what makes the 25ucceed?
Mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances are all the rage in today’s business world. We have seen and will continue to see in the coming years major shifts in computers, electronics, banking/financial services, healthcare, and telecommunications. Large corporations as well as small, entrepreneurial companies are discovering significant strategic advantage when they merge or align business processes. Joining Forces is a guide to making these combinations successful.
From pre-merger planning to post-merger alignment, Mitchell Marks covers the three key components of a successful transition: hardware (organizational structure), software (policies and processes), and people.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Happy with Purchase
We received the book and it was an easy read. We would definitely buy from this vendor again because they kept to their word and we received the book prior to the estimated delivery date.
5 Stars The Real World of Mergers
Marks and Mirvis are veterans of the merger battlefield and report the action extremely well. The book is filled with examples and approaches to resolving some of the most common problems encountered when two firms integrate. The other plus about the book is its heavy emphasis on the people and cultural issues that so often get ignored in most corporate combinations.
4 Stars Clear, concise and on target!
In 1998, Marks/Mirvis and Clemente/Greenspan set the M&A world on its head with two very different yet equally groundbreaking books. The former pair’s pioneering guide focused on preparing for the transition, team building, and identifying psychological barriers, while the latter duo revealed the secrets behind successfully combining cultures, strategies and processes in their timeless classic– Winning at M&A. I’ve read them both many times -before, -during and -after each of my firm’s acquisitions, and while new copy-cats and rip-offs continue to be published, no books as effectively walk the reader through the problems, their detailed solutions, and most importantly — the real-life examples that offer step-by-step guidance on how to succeed. Deals fail all the time and these authors explain why and what they’ve done to turn failure into success. After each read, the information is still fresh, relevant and insightful. Virtually every other book on the subject is either fluff, history, or a cheap imitation. This is the real deal.
4 Stars A Good Read!
Many mergers, acquisitions and alliances fail due to lack of preparation before, lack of care during, or lack of focus after the deal. Joining Forces is a sober, to-the-point manual directed at business leaders who want to provoke successful combinations, as well as managers and employees who have to deal with the burdens, both mental and physical, of combinations. For the past decade, corporate America has embraced M&A – often with mixed results – and the consolidation pace seems to be accelerating. But too few people inside and outside of the companies involved understand what the combination process means or how it should be handled. Organizations must be willing to focus on the psychological impacts of a combination on their employees. Joining Forces provides a rough sketch of how this can be accomplished – minus any unnecessary strategic details or legalese. We [...] recommend this book to executives, managers and employees at every level – all of whom probably will have to face the realities of corporate consolidation some day.
5 Stars Insights into mergers and aligning business processes.
Discusses the strategic advantages of companies merging or aligning business processes. The authors provide guidelines for making these arrangements successful. The book covers factors driving combination activity and delves into the details of the process, from initial planning and cultural due diligence to the integration of structures, policies, and practices. The authors also give guidelines on assisting in the subtle, delicate process of psychological adjustment. Recommended.
Strategic Partnerships An Entrepreneurs Guide to Joint Ventures and Alliances
February 27, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
Strategic Partnerships An Entrepreneurs Guide to Joint Ventures and Alliances
An estimated 20,000 corporate alliances have been formed worldwide over the past two years. Such strategic alliances can provide business owners with long-term security, new revenue channels, and, often, the anchor needed to maintain stability in otherwise turbulent waters.
A successful joint venture can open the door to a world of future partnership opportunities, says renowned entrepreneur Robert Wallace. In Strategic Partnerships: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Joint Ventures and Alliances, he outlines a framework business owners can use to conceive, develop, and execute such relationships between themselves and larger organizations. Based on the author’s 20 years of field research, readers will learn how to:
• Evaluate the suitability of a potential joint venture partner.
• Establish relationship boundaries to define how partnering companies can work together through processes and complications.
• Keep relationships fun, exciting, and profitable.
• Properly and legally bring joint venture arrangements to a close.
Most chapters conclude with a case study of a business illustrating the chapter topic, along with an interview with an executive from a major corporation. The stories and interviews give readers real-life takeaways that they can relate and apply to their own situations, providing them with a specific tool to move forward in their development.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Very good book clear and well reasoned.
From the first I found the book to be filled with good information. Most business books put me to sleep, but this one kept me turning pages, a nice change. Why the change? because it offered great insight and ideas that get my creative mind flowing and showed me what great ventures are easily with in my reach.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my share of host beneficiaries and joint venture deals in the past, but I have never thought them though as the author suggests and outlines. The anthers JV outline is really a great way to work your way though the process from deciding on a partner to the final ending of the deal. All in all a great resource.
My suggestion is that if you have been thinking about getting a few deals going but are waiting to learn more, then wait no more. This book will put you on a solid footing to really go for it. And if you have done deals in the past and are wondering how to get better at the art then again this book is a great resource even for those with some kills under their belt.
On a bottom line note, for me business book boils down to this: Did the book help me to make money? So far it has not but I have only had it a few days. But the points are so clear and understandable that I’m going to look up past Host Ben partners and JV partners just to see if we can get the ball rolling again but this time even better and with even more profit. So yes I can easily predict that this book will help me make more money and profit in my business.
With that stated this book is all in all one of the best real world business books I’ve read in a while. It is a business builder and asset.
One last comment. The book is written with minorities in mind. Don’t let that fool you even if you are Joe Average Every Man. The information will work for any business and any person.
5 Stars Excellent Book for Ambitious Entrepreneurs
This is the best, most relevant book on building strategic alliances for ambitious woman- and minority-owned entrepreneurial companies that I have seen. It is an outstanding resource, being both very specific and highly useful. I have a small, young woman-owned business. Using the books’ guidelines, I am currently in the process of developing a relationship with a very large national company and we are both excited about the opportunities to build success together.
Harvard Business Review on Strategic Alliances
February 27, 2009 by Joint Venture Marketing · Leave a Comment
Harvard Business Review on Strategic Alliances
The Harvard Business Review Paperback Series is designed to bring today’s managers and professionals the fundamental information they need to stay competitive in a fast-moving world. From the preeminent thinkers whose work has defined an entire field to the rising stars who will redefine the way we think about business, here are the leading minds and landmark ideas that have established the Harvard Business Review as required reading for ambitious businesspeople in organizations around the globe.
A first time collection of classics and best new thinking on how to build and manage strategic business relationships, this book features articles by well-known authors such as Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Gary Hamel. This important volume provides a broad and diverse look at strategic alliances, including why and how they provide strategic advantage, the counterintuitive logic behind allying with your competitors, and how to effectively build and maintain cross-border alliances.
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Old school thinking won’t help in today’s market
Basic primer. There are a few traditional strategic alliance tid bits that one can use to set up these financial windfall opportunities, but generally it is not worth the time. Instead, spend your valuable time reading anything by Jay Abraham that is “outside-the-box”, will inspire new thinking, help you intiate strategic alliances and come off like a hero to everyone involved.
