Rating: 
Summary: THIS IS A WORK OF AWE-INSPIRING BUSINESS GENIUS.
Review: As the author of "Start & Run a Profitable Exporting Business," I had the great honor of receiving Dr. Ohmae's endorsement of my book. I have been an admirer of his since starting a global marketing, consulting and web content providing business in 1985. His first book, "The Borderless World," not only inspired me to focus my entire professional career on global trade, but also changed forever the way in which managers throughout the world viewed their business.Now, looking forward with great anticipation to this new book, "The Invisible Continent: Four Strategic Imperatives of the New Economy," I wondered how Dr. Ohmae could live up to his pioneering work of the early 80's on "globalism" -- a word he coined that is now in everyday use -- and give us an equally ground-breaking text for the 21st century. I'm delighted to report that I read his book and it is Dr. Ohmae's best work ever. He remains a foremost architect of the future of business on (as he describes it) our cyber-enabled continent. This is a work of awe-inspiring business genius, offering a boundless wealth of ideas about how to thrive in our new economy. The enormity of Dr. Ohmae's intellect and the clarity of focus with which he seamlessly assembles complex ideas about our "continent without land" make this a text that is at once profound, sophisticated and marvelously easy to understand. Here's a characteristic comment, at once colorful and thought-provoking: "The Internet has made it much easier to become simultaneously global and newly born." Dr. Ohmae compels us to think about the conditions of world business not as they are, but as they will be -- much faster than you think -- and what to do about it. I put down the book asking myself, "What just happened here?" -- it was that provocative. If you want a forecast of the future of traditional and e-business NOW, then you should secure your copy of "The Invisible Continent: Four Strategic Imperatives of the New Economy" TODAY.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for understanding socio-economic and political forces
Review: Author has covered three interesting areas in this book - a business discussion around the notion of the invisible continent, a political debate encompassing the concept of nation-state and region-state, and a learning from the advancement of the American economy as it relates to the new era. Firstly, invisible continent refers to the operating landscape of the new economy created by recent advancements such as the Internet. The author distinguishes between the winners of the old economy ("Titans") and those of the new economy ("Godzillas"). Godzillas supposedly are more successful in modeling the invisible continent, which the author represents as having four dimensions. They are - the visible dimension, the borderless dimension, the cyber dimension, and the dimension of high multiples. Secondly, nation-state is sited as having inefficiencies which prevent a nation from embracing the new economy. In contrast, region state supposedly creates more wealth and jobs for the economy. Thirdly, the author says that the path to succeeding in the new economy goes through a long tunnel with fundamental changes along the four dimensions mentioned. American (Zebra) economy started that journey at Regan's time. As fas as my critique is concerned, I think this book is an excellent source for getting an understanding of the socio-economic, political, and technological forces that have been influencing the development of the global economy for past several decades. On the flip side, it gets a little theoretical which is not unusual for these macro-economic topics.
Rating:
Summary: great book from great writer.
Review: I am not really a -fan- of OHMAE, but this is definitely an important work. Ohmae is trying to forsee the -future- of the business world. In depth analysis as always, very useful for the people who wants to think about the future, what lies ahead, and what need to be done to -attack- the future. --from the book: The Invisible Continent is hard to see or chart from the old world, because it is perpetually moving-like a ghost ship hovering off the coastline, vibrating in a constant blur of activity.-- This is not an easy read, especially for those who like LIGHTWEIGHT reading (like me) but a very useful book with deep insight.
Rating:
Summary: The four strategies and the near future.
Review: I bought this book on my Father's request. I started to read it while on the plane to meet him. I was very much indulged to Mr. Ohmae's views, visions and thoughts. The book was well organized and would recommend it to anyone looking to understand how the Internet/technology industry came about, how it is moving forward and where it might be going. The section that I found most intriguing was in chapter two, section two, called Principles of Platform. In this section Mr. Ohmae talks about the various platforms that have been created within the Invisible Continent. Dell created the platform for people to enter the Invisible Continent by custom made computers. UPS and FedEx have become logistic platforms which thousands of companies and customers gain access to each other. Mr. Ohmae also talks about how platforms can come together through partnership, how platforms contradict each other and how some platforms are yet to be created. Chapter eight summed the book with the four strategies of the new economy; first, mandate for disclosure of the degree of speculation in the financial industry; second, margin speculation should be controlled through international treaty; third, by bundling currency and; fourth a global ombudsman developed for this new world. I gave this book a four star because I found some predictions were too near future and predictable if you understand the industry. However, The book is a good reference on the key players of the industry, how they conquered and how they need to change to stay alive in this volatile environment. As a management consultant this book is a good guide to the near-future trends (telephone, mobile, internet, broadband, etc.) and how they all fit together within our Global economy and structure.
Rating:
Summary: Virtual Pioneering
Review: I think this is probably the best that Ohmae has written since "The Mind of the Strategist". In this text, Ohmae takes us on an exploration of the brave new world of capitalism, which he dubs the Invisible Continent. I find that a very intriguing metaphor for the new world, and a partial explanation of how companies ... can be profitless, yet have people still flocking to them--they've homesteaded. And in staking that claim, have occupied part of a potential bonanza. With his ideas of Golden Platforms and the New Arbritrage, he gives us a glimpse of the new rules of the game. In doing so, we also begin to get a sense of why some countries, like Ireland, became enormously successful; while others, like New Zealand, only did _most_ of the right things, and therefore have come up short in the global economic sweepstakes. Most interestingly, he also talks about regionalism, and how that creates different economic conditions both within countries, and between regions of different countries, that are able to leverage their skills and abilities into competitive advantage. While this has been covered in many other places, most particularly in Porter's "The Competitive Advantage of Nations", the presentation here is quite excellent. Overall, Ohmae writes with his consistent lucidity taking what might be a very difficult--and academic--topic and making it understandable to people who _don't_ teach business for a living. This will be a required reading for my November MBA class in International Strategic Management.
Rating:
Summary: A book providing wider horizon and longer vision
Review: It talks about how 3 new forces - cyber, economic multiples, globalisation - are reshaping the world's future. Not only in business or economic, bu also in political and social spheres. These 3 forces are not really new and there shall be lot of literature talking about them. Strength of this book is to look at them from a macro perspective; and they interact (together with "real" economy) and affect well-being of mankind. It is not a descriptive book. In fact, the author shares his vision of how we shall deal with these changes - as an individual, a company, a country, a government, and everyone of us as an international citizen. Author exercises powerful imagination of what will happen in future, e.g. a new cold war using the 3 forces. This may seem wild but certainly not empty talking. You may not take this seriously but it can enhance your feel about many future possibilities. Unlike most Japanese, author has his independent opinions and express them critically. It is always sensitive for a foreigner to talk about other countries - e.g. Americans blocking Japan's recovery, Koreans maintaining developing countries mindset, China and Russia disintegration - let us be open minded and respect free speech.
Rating:
Summary: A must read to fully enter the "new economy" continent
Review: Make sure to read this book to explore and better integrate this "invisible continent", which is wrapped around all of us.
Kenichi Ohmae is starting his book with following words: "... sudden changes can often be traced to the discovery of new lands-the opening up of contact with a new geographic region with a different way of life. As explorers and settlers have come to new continents, they have shifted their ways of life-not just for themselves, but also for the old worlds they left behind."
"During the past fifteen years... a kind of new continent, existing only in our collective minds, has been discovered-a continent without land" where "people with courage and curiosity have discovered new ways of life."
The author calls this continent " the invisible continent... as palpable and vital, as tangible and solid, as if you could find it on a map." But this metaphor of an "invisible continent" can also be used for the people who do not want to see the changes, even more nowadays after the recent explosion of the "new economy" bubble.
Looking through the glasses of the Kenichi Ohmae becomes surely useful to understand and act in the world we are living in.
Four dimensions are characterising this "invisible continent". They are the visible dimension, the inevitable physical part to deliver goods and services, the borderless dimension, global worldwide markets and operations, the cyber dimension-instant communication and exchanges, the dimension of high multiples allowing huge financial leverage.
The most successful companies in the "new economy" are playing on these four dimensions interactively to thrive at never seen before speed, when in conventional management schools these four dimensions are taught separately, when taught.
The appearance of this new continent, some 18 years ago, was linked to the setting up of platforms, open standards tacitly shared between "new economy" pioneers and consumers, and to the growing role of arbitrage in an increased information fluidity environment to maintain prices down and quality up. If Microsoft Windows is an important platform to communicate in the cyber dimension, English language and dollar currency are two other ones in the borderless dimension, explaining partly the predominance of USA on this new continent. When arbitrage is creating opportunities it creates also uncertainty for long-term commitment and a more unstable environment.
In the new continent the power is shifting from the producers to the consumers with important impact on economical and political decisions.
This is the point where the old and the new have to find answers to questions asked by the introduction in our lives of this new continent.
Kenichi Ohmae's book is becoming our lighthouse in this new territory by presenting the strategies followed by the "new economy" companies but also by exploring the role of politicians to facilitate integration in this "new economy" environment.
Many developed illustrated ideas are real value as: targeting markets with enough consumer power and discretionary income, deregulating crucial economical activities, developing regional entities, setting up the right "new economy" infrastructures etc.
Here are the basics on micro and macro economy to enter in the 21st century.
Reading this book changed my life in making clear the invisible of this new continent. I'm convinced that the Kenichi Ohmae's contribution will be better recognised in coming years and I keep his book at hand to make sure to extract all the richness it contains.
Rating:
Summary: A must read to fully enter the "new economy" continent
Review: Make sure to read this book to explore and better integrate this "invisible continent", which is wrapped around all of us.
Kenichi Ohmae is starting his book with following words: "... sudden changes can often be traced to the discovery of new lands-the opening up of contact with a new geographic region with a different way of life. As explorers and settlers have come to new continents, they have shifted their ways of life-not just for themselves, but also for the old worlds they left behind."
"During the past fifteen years... a kind of new continent, existing only in our collective minds, has been discovered-a continent without land" where "people with courage and curiosity have discovered new ways of life."
The author calls this continent " the invisible continent... as palpable and vital, as tangible and solid, as if you could find it on a map." But this metaphor of an "invisible continent" can also be used for the people who do not want to see the changes, even more nowadays after the recent explosion of the "new economy" bubble.
Looking through the glasses of the Kenichi Ohmae becomes surely useful to understand and act in the world we are living in.
Four dimensions are characterising this "invisible continent". They are the visible dimension, the inevitable physical part to deliver goods and services, the borderless dimension, global worldwide markets and operations, the cyber dimension-instant communication and exchanges, the dimension of high multiples allowing huge financial leverage.
The most successful companies in the "new economy" are playing on these four dimensions interactively to thrive at never seen before speed, when in conventional management schools these four dimensions are taught separately, when taught.
The appearance of this new continent, some 18 years ago, was linked to the setting up of platforms, open standards tacitly shared between "new economy" pioneers and consumers, and to the growing role of arbitrage in an increased information fluidity environment to maintain prices down and quality up. If Microsoft Windows is an important platform to communicate in the cyber dimension, English language and dollar currency are two other ones in the borderless dimension, explaining partly the predominance of USA on this new continent. When arbitrage is creating opportunities it creates also uncertainty for long-term commitment and a more unstable environment.
In the new continent the power is shifting from the producers to the consumers with important impact on economical and political decisions.
This is the point where the old and the new have to find answers to questions asked by the introduction in our lives of this new continent.
Kenichi Ohmae's book is becoming our lighthouse in this new territory by presenting the strategies followed by the "new economy" companies but also by exploring the role of politicians to facilitate integration in this "new economy" environment.
Many developed illustrated ideas are real value as: targeting markets with enough consumer power and discretionary income, deregulating crucial economical activities, developing regional entities, setting up the right "new economy" infrastructures etc.
Here are the basics on micro and macro economy to enter in the 21st century.
Reading this book changed my life in making clear the invisible of this new continent. I'm convinced that the Kenichi Ohmae's contribution will be better recognised in coming years and I keep his book at hand to make sure to extract all the richness it contains.
Rating:
Summary: consumer power
Review: Ohmae does a nice job of laying out how the control of markets in what he terms "The Invisible Continent" has shifted from suppliers to consumers because of the vast amount of choice and information available to them through the Internet. Companies that don't heed the cry of consumers will falter, he argues. He makes his case in an articulate examination of how consumers define the accepted "platforms," regardless of whether they are necessarily the best in the market(such as VHS's dominance over Betamax).
Rating:
Summary: A fine interpretation of recent economic history
Review: One of what I consider the enlightening books that allow you to gain a new perspective on a seemingly complex subject. In one go the author attempts to explain how recent economic, technological, commercial and societal developments have conspired to create a new world order. Decision-makers would do well to use the lessons of this book to analyze their decisions. I sometimes feel that the people making the decisions, universally, are under-educated and naive and would not even consider the wider ramifications of their decisions. My only complaint is that Mr. Ohmae tends to ramble on topics that may well be more concise. He also pauses every once in a while to complain against the egregious faults of the Japanese government. I don't blame him but it would be better if he treated it in a seperate book on the subject.
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