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Welch: An American Icon Paperback – September 6, 2002
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length308 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWiley
- Publication dateSeptember 6, 2002
- Dimensions6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
- ISBN-10047125522X
- ISBN-13978-0471255222
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Editorial Reviews
Review
From the Inside Flap
Welch: An American Icon is a thoroughly researched addition to your business library. No matter how much you have read about Welch, you will certainly learn something new by reading this book.
-George Eckes, Management Consultant and author of The Six Sigma Revolution: How General Electric and Others Turned Process into Profits
Janet Lowe has written a fascinating and rewarding book . . . Welch is more than an icon. Lowe has identified Welch's dynamic, rhythmic, and forward-looking, yet sometimes turbulent legacy, for many generations to come. That legacy sets forth basic principles, structures, and constructs for a twenty-first-century multinational industrial corporation that operates globally to facilitate the rate of change in zero time for shared and equitable prosperity at home and abroad.
-Dr. George Kozmetsky
Executive Associate for Economic Affairs
The University of Texas System
From the Back Cover
"Welch: An American Icon is a thoroughly researched addition to your business library. No matter how much you have read about Welch, you will certainly learn something new by reading this book."
-George Eckes, Management Consultant and author of The Six Sigma Revolution: How General Electric and Others Turned Process into Profits
"Janet Lowe has written a fascinating and rewarding book . . . Welch is more than an icon. Lowe has identified Welch's dynamic, rhythmic, and forward-looking, yet sometimes turbulent legacy, for many generations to come. That legacy sets forth basic principles, structures, and constructs for a twenty-first-century multinational industrial corporation that operates globally to facilitate the rate of change in zero time for shared and equitable prosperity at home and abroad."
-Dr. George Kozmetsky
Executive Associate for Economic Affairs
The University of Texas System
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Wiley; 1st edition (September 6, 2002)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 308 pages
- ISBN-10 : 047125522X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0471255222
- Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Janet Lowe's career as a writer has included everything from freelance feature writer to technical writer, poet, reporter, editor, media spokesperson and author of 18 books and audiotapes.
The "Speaks" series -- small, carefully researched biographies of American leaders including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Jack Welch, Ted Turner, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and the founders of Google -- are her best-known books. Among her full-length biographies is Damn Right: The Story of Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger.
Lowe is a leading authority on the value investing theory. Her books on that subject include Benjamin Graham on Value Investing, Value Investing Made Easy and others.
Her books have been reviewed by USAToday, Newsweek, Barron's, and dozens of other national publications. She has been a guest on Jim Lehrer's News Hour, the PBS Nightly Business Report, CNN, CNBC and many national and local televisions shows.
Lowe's freelance articles have appeared in more than 100 publications including Newsweek, the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, the San Jose Mercury News, San Diego Union-Tribune, Modern Maturity, Planning Magazine and others.
A popular public speaker, Janet has addressed investment seminars in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain. She has appeared before audiences at the University of Nebraska and University of Nevada at Las Vegas business schools. She has been a guest speaker at the New York City Financial Analyst's Society and has been asked to speak to private companies such as Brandes Investment Partners in Del Mar, California.
Lowe grew up in California and Nevada, attended Las Vegas High School and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Economics from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She earned her Master's Degree in Mass Communications from San Diego State University. She completed a Wharton Business School fellowship and has a lifetime teaching certificate in California.
Janet has been a San Diego YMCA Woman of Achievement. She is past president of both the San Diego County Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists. She was named San Diego Press Club's Journalist of the Year in 2000 and again in 2007.
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The book itself was a bit disappointing. It reads like a series of one-page articles from Fortune or Forbes magazine, taking sweeping views of topics and interjecting some quotes and context here and there from Welch, and others in the industry. In fact, a quick glance at the index shows much of the material used in writing this book came from those sources. There are far too few revelations into his character, and why he does what he does. I guess we will have to wait for his memoirs for the real insights.
A couple sections were fascinating though, including the chapters "Dark side of the legacy" and "Welch's place in history". In the "Dark side" chapter the author goes into some detail about some of GE's mistakes, including the Kidder Peabody fraud issues and some of GE's poor track record with environmental pollution. Welch's reactions to such issues can be summarized by his comments regarding mistakes: "I hope you understand that business is a series of trial and error. Its not great science. Mistakes are made. Its just moving the ball forward, and nobody has any great formula". This type of attitude epitomizes his ability to always look for the forward motion and opportunity in every situation. A great business strategy to be sure, but one that is used equally often when the results of the mistakes harm the lives of people, as is outlined in the chapter. The chapter regarding his place in history is a great summary of his style and accomplishments, and how those are viewed by others within the context of American history.
The book closes with some fascinating information in the appendix. Most people have no idea just how large and diverse GE is. There are 13 pages in the appendix describing in one to two sentance bullets the number of companies in GE. Amazing, especially when one considers that a great many of these would be Fortune 500 companies on their own.
Overall, this is a good book, and provides a good overview of Jack Welch's impact on GE, his successes and failures, and is honest enough to highlight some of the negative repercussion's that a "profit first" mentality can have on society. There are many books on GE and Jack Welch, I would recommend this one first, followed by a more specific look at the particular business strategy platforms he instilled and executed. "Get Better or Get Beaten" is one example of a book describing the business strategies he was successful in implementing at GE.
PS: At least is was better than Robert Slaters fauning accounts of GE and Welch.