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THE INVISIBLE CONTINENT

FOUR STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES OF THE NEW ECONOMY

Kenichi Ohmae

"One of the 'Century's Best Business Thinkers'"
US Journal of Business Strategy

The Invisible Continent offers invaluable insight for individuals and companies seeking success in the twenty-first century. Kenichi Ohmae, the bestselling author of the groundbreaking book The Borderless World, looks ahead to the future of business in the age of the Internet and sees a rapidly changing landscape - one to which we must adapt or face the consequences. Ohmae unveils this new economy's four basic forces - the visible, the invisible, cyber and high multiple dimensions - and shows how a dramatic and volatile battleground is forming between companies and the countries that try to regulate them.

Replacing countries (and their borders), Ohmae anticipates a world where the most powerful forces are 'platforms.' These invisible platforms are the universal standards that dominate the market. For example, Ohmae shows why English has become the de facto official language of the Internet, giving English-speaking countries an enormous advantage in e-commerce. He explains why investors must seek out and find these emerging platforms and shows what criteria they should look for.

Looking at today's hottest industries like e-commerce, banking, and telecommunications, Ohmae distinguishes between the old-world titans, like IBM, GM, and CBS, and the new-world Godzillas, like Dell, Cisco, and Microsoft. It's the Godzilla companies that grow fast, move fast, and devour everything in sight. Together, they will forge the economy of the future.

Just as The Borderless World foresaw a globally interlinked economy, The Invisible Continent maps out the coming technological revolutions and the impact they will have on businesses around the world. It is a must read for anyone seeking to attain and keep their competitive advantage in today's world markets.

"He has plenty of stimulating and even radical ideas."
Financial Times

"Anything by the former director of McKinsey Japan, and the only serious management guru to emerge out of south east Asia, is never going to be comfortable reading, but this is a must."
Unlimited

"The Invisible Continent shows how a dramatic and volatile battleground is forming between companies and the countries that try to regulate them, and provides invaluable insights for the new economy. It is a must-read for anyone looking to achieve - and maintain - a competitive advantage in tomorrow¼s market."
Eurobusiness

Kenichi Ohmae is a corporate strategist and adviser to governments around the world. He is the former director of McKinsey & Company in Japan and the chairman of its Asia Pacific operations. He writes frequently for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Newsweek, and is the author of The Borderless World. He lives in Tokyo.