Sears and the consensus
By the early 1920s, however, the “buyer for the American farmer” concept had begun to lose its relevance to economic and social realities. With the coming of the automobile and good roads, rural America rapidly became less isolated, and the kinds of merchandise of interest to the farm family came more and more to be the kinds of merchandise of interest to city dwellers as well. In this process, radio advertising also played a significant role. There was no longer a separately definable rural market with its own unique characteristics and needs; that market, and the previously distinct urban market, were homogenizing into a general American mass market.
The then managements of Sears and Ward’s alike failed to grasp the significance of these new developments. They knew that their companies had problems; sales were increasingly difficult to get and profits were slipping.
Sears found the answer first—fortuitously. By bringing General Wood into the company in November of 1924, Julius Rosenwald acquired much more than the higher order of managerial skills he was seeking. He acquired a man who was capable of introducing a new entrepreneurial concept as fully responsive to the needs and opportunities of the times as Rosenwald’s own had been to the needs and opportunities of a quarter-century earlier.
One of Wood’s interesting personal traits was a fascination with census data. This had its origins during his years on the Canal, where good reading material—or, for that matter, any reading material—was scarce. The story is told that once, while confined to the infirmary with a minor ailment, the only thing Wood could find to read was the Statistical Abstract of the United States, which he began perusing simply to pass the time but soon came to study avidly. Whether or not the infirmary story is apocryphal, it is clear that in his Canal experience he acquired a taste for and an understanding of demographic and economic statistics that stayed with him for the rest of his life. During his mature years, there was a widely circulated myth (probably grounded in fact) that the Statistical Abstract was his favorite bedside reading. In any event, his keen grasp of major trends in American life was evident in his business planning and even ordinary conversation.
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role. Rather than control information technology, however, an IS manager should coordinate the architecture and standards of the many applications throughout the organization, as well as provide assistance and coaching in systems development. Unless the numerous applications of information technology inside a company are compatible with each other, many benefits may be lost.
Information technology can help in the strategy implementation process. Reporting systems can track progress toward milestones and success factors. By using information systems, companies can measure their activities more precisely and help motivate managers to implement strategies successfully.
The importance of the information revolution is not in dispute. The question is not whether information technology will have a significant impact on a company’s competitive position; rather the question is when and how this impact will strike. Companies that anticipate the power of information technology will be in control of events. Companies that do not respond will be forced to accept changes that others initiate and will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.
Sears and the consensus
By the early 1920s, however, the “buyer for the American farmer” concept had begun to lose its relevance to economic and social realities. With the coming of the automobile and good roads, rural America rapidly became less isolated, and the kinds of merchandise of interest to the farm family came more and more to be the kinds of merchandise of interest to city dwellers as well. In this process, radio advertising also played a significant role. There was no longer a separately definable rural market with its own unique characteristics and needs; that market, and the previously distinct urban market, were homogenizing into a general American mass market.
The then managements of Sears and Ward’s alike failed to grasp the significance of these new developments. They knew that their companies had problems; sales were increasingly difficult to get and profits were slipping.
Sears found the answer first—fortuitously. By bringing General Wood into the company in November of 1924, Julius Rosenwald acquired much more than the higher order of managerial skills he was seeking. He acquired a man who was capable of introducing a new entrepreneurial concept as fully responsive to the needs and opportunities of the times as Rosenwald’s own had been to the needs and opportunities of a quarter-century earlier.
One of Wood’s interesting personal traits was a fascination with census data. This had its origins during his years on the Canal, where good reading material—or, for that matter, any reading material—was scarce. The story is told that once, while confined to the infirmary with a minor ailment, the only thing Wood could find to read was the Statistical Abstract of the United States, which he began perusing simply to pass the time but soon came to study avidly. Whether or not the infirmary story is apocryphal, it is clear that in his Canal experience he acquired a taste for and an understanding of demographic and economic statistics that stayed with him for the rest of his life. During his mature years, there was a widely circulated myth (probably grounded in fact) that the Statistical Abstract was his favorite bedside reading. In any event, his keen grasp of major trends in American life was evident in his business planning and even ordinary conversation.
Page 13
role. Rather than control information technology, however, an IS manager should coordinate the architecture and standards of the many applications throughout the organization, as well as provide assistance and coaching in systems development. Unless the numerous applications of information technology inside a company are compatible with each other, many benefits may be lost.
Information technology can help in the strategy implementation process. Reporting systems can track progress toward milestones and success factors. By using information systems, companies can measure their activities more precisely and help motivate managers to implement strategies successfully.
The importance of the information revolution is not in dispute. The question is not whether information technology will have a significant impact on a company’s competitive position; rather the question is when and how this impact will strike. Companies that anticipate the power of information technology will be in control of events. Companies that do not respond will be forced to accept changes that others initiate and will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.
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