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TODAY MARKETING IS STEPPING INTO "THE AGE OF TOTAL ACCESS," IN WHICH CUSTOMERS CAN FIND OUT ABOUT ANY PRODUCT, AT ANY TIME, FROM ANY PLACE. NOT ONLY THAT, THEY CAN EXPRESS THEIR OPINIONS ABOUT IT AND ASK FOR CUSTOMIZED MODIFICATIONS. sive is from Lockheed Martin, which includes a section telling employees that they're on "thin ethical ice" when they hear sentences such as "No one will ever know" and "Shred that document." The volume is intended as a textbook, but it can serve as a primer for anyone in busi- ness who ever wondered whether he was always doing the right thing. (Houghton Mifflin, $51.96) Modern Marketing In the early days of mass produc- tion, marketing entered "the age of reach," when companies concentrat- ed on informing customers about the availability of their products. In the days of mass communication, marketing entered "the age of push," when companies fought to establish identity and engender in their consumers a desire for their specific brands. Today marketing is stepping into "The Age of Total Access," in which customers can find out about any product, at any time, from any place. Not only that, they can express their opinions about it and ask for customized modifications. Marketers haven't quite caught up with the possibili- ties of technology in this new, com- pletely networked world, but they're going to have to figure out the parameters pretty soon. So says Regis McKenna in Total Access, which looks at how technolo- gy is changing not only the retail experience but the entire process of communicating with customers. While wary of predicting exactly how commerce will change in the next 25 years, Regis believes "that marketing will become increasingly more integrated into the network. As a result, it will turn into a direct dialogue between the consumer and the producer, and the producer will need to respond directly to the competitive demands of the market- place." Com panies must understand how consumers use technology and adapt that technology to satisfy cus- tomer demand. Consumers aren't just connected through the Internet and their PCs. As McKenna says, mobile phones, ATMs, PDAs— even automo- biles—have become devices for connectivity. worker unrest and devise solutions that improve productivity, customer relations, and business strategy. Siedel outlines a four-step Citing the global positioning satel- lites, CD technology, cell phone hookups, and flat screen televisions available in cars today, McKenna says, "the automobile is becoming a new form of medium." If customers can call up information even while they're driving to a vacation destina- tion, and compare it to information available from limitless other sources, how can companies catch and hold their wandering, short attention? It's a fascinating, dizzying look Manager's Legal Plan that can help executives "not only better defend against costly and wasteful litigation but can actually turn your legal resources into competitive advan- tages." The four basic parts are: understand the law; react to legal problems through fight or flight; develop business strategies to pre- vent legal problems; and learn to reframe legal concerns as business concerns. He applies these four components to everything from workers' compensation claims to environmental litigation, dissecting actual and theoretical cases and how a company might benefit from a well- thought-out legal response. The book is writ- into the future of business—not an entirely reassuring view, perhaps, but one full of intriguing possibilities. (Harvard Business Press, $27.50) The Law Is on Your Side Wrongful termination. Sexual harassment. Faulty products. All these and other situations can result in a lawsuit against a company. Managers coping with the everyday problems of running a business sometimes want to take care of the legal problems as quickly and effi- ciently as possible. Instead, argues George J. Siedel in Using the Law for Competitive Advantage, they should analyze what these legal situations say about customer dissatisfaction or ten in a lively, engag- ing style, with touch- es of humor that never detract from the seriousness of the topic. It is part of a management series produced by the University of Michigan Business School, developed after the school analyzed the results of a survey in which managers reported their most pressing business problems. This par- ticular topic is certainly a major one: According to Siedel, "It is estimated that Fortune 500 executives spend 20 percent of their time on litiga- tion-related matters." This book can help them turn that 20 percent of time into a productive way of redefining their businesses. (Jossey- Bass, $25) s z BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2002 59