Territories of Profit
Communications, Capitalist Development, and the Innovative Enterprises of G. F. Swift and Dell Computer
Published on 24. November 2003
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-8047-4721-9 (ISBN)
Description
Territories of Profit compares Dell Computer, the dominant computer manufacturer of the late twentieth century, and G. F. Swift, the leading meatpacking firm of the late nineteenth century, to reveal how communications revolutions in different periods enabled businesses to innovate their operations, reorganize the structure of the firm, and reshape the geography of profit-making. By depicting the parallel experiences of Dell and Swift, which both deployed revolutionary communications technologies in their business systems and transformed patterns of development through their innovative advances, the book challenges simplified representations of the contemporary economy as historically unprecedented. Territories of Profit also incorporates information from interview sources within Dell to portray the "Dell Model" in ways never before revealed in existing studies of the PC maker.
Reviews / Votes
"This remarkable book, besides being timely, sophisticated, penetrating, informative, and well researched, also provides significant additional evidence that the hype surrounding the so-called information revolution of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries is just that." - Economic Geography "Territories of Profit is a welcome addition to the literature on learning, innovation and regional development." - Regional Studies "In this interesting and thoughtful book, Gary Fields pursues the analogy with exceptional sophistication and rigor." - The Journal of Economic HistoryMore details
Series
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Palo Alto
United States
Publishing group
Stanford University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Cloth
Illustrations
35 tables, 8 illustrations, 10 maps
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
549 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8047-4721-9 (9780804747219)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Gary Fields is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, San Diego.
Content
Table of Contents for Territories of Profit 1. Introduction: Communications and Innovation, Business Organization and Territory Part 1. Theory 2. From Communications and Innovation to Business Organization and Territory: A Synthesis Part 2. Rails, Telegraphy, and the Business Enterprise of G.F. Swift and Company 3. The Railroad and Telegraph as Commerce System and Market Space 4. Continental Divide: The Business Enterprise of G.F. Swift and Company Part 3. The Internet and the Business Organization of Dell Computer 5. The Internet as Commerce System and Market Space 6. Global Reach: The Business Organization of Dell Computer 7. Conclusion: The Rhyme of History Notes Reference Index