Book Review: End of The Line
The book and the complete review at Salon are worth the read.
In "End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation," Barry Lynn thinks globalization made America dangerously dependent on foreign companies and that disaster is looming.
The crucial problem is that the modern corporation is only responsible to its shareholders, not to its workers, or society at large.
The heart of "End of the Line" -- and the reason why this book should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding what globalization has wrought -- is Lynn's fascinating explanation of how the flexibility and interconnectedness that are fundamental building blocks of the global economy are actually its Achilles' heel.
Not only are we now in bed with nations who don't share our values and may end up being our enemies (read: China), but our most successful corporations are companies that don't actually make anything, that in fact subtract value from the economy, rather than add to it.
"End of the Line" is a welcome eye-opener. Supposed flexibility is actually rigid due to specialization; interdependence implies vulnerability; and the actions of the best-run corporations can lead to the worst consequences.
In "End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation," Barry Lynn thinks globalization made America dangerously dependent on foreign companies and that disaster is looming.
The crucial problem is that the modern corporation is only responsible to its shareholders, not to its workers, or society at large.
The heart of "End of the Line" -- and the reason why this book should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding what globalization has wrought -- is Lynn's fascinating explanation of how the flexibility and interconnectedness that are fundamental building blocks of the global economy are actually its Achilles' heel.
Not only are we now in bed with nations who don't share our values and may end up being our enemies (read: China), but our most successful corporations are companies that don't actually make anything, that in fact subtract value from the economy, rather than add to it.
"End of the Line" is a welcome eye-opener. Supposed flexibility is actually rigid due to specialization; interdependence implies vulnerability; and the actions of the best-run corporations can lead to the worst consequences.
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