BKARTWRE.RVW   950420
 
"The Art of Ware", Bruce F. Webster, 1995, 1-55828-396-5, U$21.95/C$30.00
%A   Bruce F. Webster bwebster@bix.com
%C   115 West 18th Street, New York, NY   10011-4195
%D   1995
%G   1-55828-396-5
%I   MIS Press/M&T Books/Henry Holt
%O   U$21.95/C$30.00 +1-212-886-9378 fax: +1-212-633-0748, +1-212-807-6654
%O   76712.2644@compuserve.com http://www.mandt.com fburke@fsb.superlink.net
%P   168
%T   "The Art of Ware: Sun Tzu's Classic Work Reinterpreted"
 
I fully expected to be able to write an amusing little review of "The Art of
Ware", since I expected it to be humorous, or at least lighthearted.  After
all, here is the classic joke of business as a type of warfare.  Technical
people have a long history of parody and pastiche, and this seemed to be a very
logical approach to the idea of advice on software development based on a
classic of combat wisdom.  Webster, however, has taken the reinterpretation
quite seriously, and the result fully justifies him in doing so.
 
In fact, the end product is extremely sound business advice in general, and is
not limited to software development.  Webster admits to a difficulty with the
"hostility" of much of the advice: a "scorched market" approach to business is
unlikely to help anyone in the long run.  However, the very dissonance of the
advice and wording is what makes this book so valuable.  Dipping into the text
at random will likely assist with lateral thinking and fresh perspectives on
business problems.
 
Definitely one of the top three business books I've read in the last three
years.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996   BKARTWRE.RVW   950420

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