Ruling the waves: cycles of discovery, chaos, and wealth from compass to the Internet

Debora L. Spar

Harcourt, Aug 4, 2001 - Business & Economics - 403 pages

The high-tech bubble seems to have burst-or has it? Knowing where you are in the business cycle is crucial. Historical perspective helps, and so does keen analysis. Ruling the Waves offers both.

Debora Spar begins the historical context with pirate tales. Jean Lafitte's domination of the seas and Rupert Murdoch's domination of the British airwaves with BskyB have much in common. Tales of the telegraph and radio help you understand the natural evolution of Microsoft, the trials of the codemakers who fought the U.S. government to protect Internet privacy, and the revolutionary rap stars who challenged the record industry. Great stories of quirky pioneers and their roller-coaster rides make this the one book that you need to become an expert on the path of future innovations and the natural development from idea to market in a changing world.

What people are saying

Review: Ruling the Waves: Cycles of Discovery, Chaos, and Wealth, from the Compass to the Internet

User Review  - Tommy Powell - Goodreads

Spar does a wonderful, and concise, job of detailing the cyclical nature of innovative industries. 1. Early entrants build demand 2. More entrants bring chaos in the market (think railroads) 3. A few ...

Review: Ruling the Waves

User Review  - Cahners Business Information.

In an attempt to place the commercialization of the Internet in historical context, Spar argues that advances in communications technology from oceangoing ships to the Internet occur in successive ...

Contents

• PROLOGUE: 1
• CHAPTER I: 23
• CHAPTER 2: 60

About the author

Debora L. Spar is a professor at the Harvard Business School and is the youngest woman in the school's history ever to receive tenure. A political scientist by training, she teaches the politics of international relations there. She lives in Boston with her architect husband and two small sons.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Ruling the waves: cycles of discovery, chaos, and wealth from compass to the Internet
• Author: Debora L. Spar
• Publisher: Harcourt, 2001
• Length: 403 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Corporate & Business History; Business & Economics / E-Commerce / General; Business & Economics / Entrepreneurship; Business & Economics / General; Computers / Information Technology; Computers / Internet / General; Computers / Social Aspects / General; Information technology; Information technology - Economic aspects; Information technology - Social aspects; Information technology/ Social aspects; Internet; Internet - Economic aspects; Internet - Social aspects; Technological innovations; Technological innovations - Economic aspects; Technological innovations - Social aspects; Technological innovations/ Economic aspects; Technological innovations/ Social aspects; Technology & Engineering / General; Technology & Engineering / Industrial Technology; Technology & Engineering / Social Aspects; Technology and state