The Vanishing American Corporation

CHAPTER 6NIKEFICATION AND THE RISE OF THE VIRTUAL CORPORATION

THE TAKEOVER WAVE left the largest American corporations much more focused than they were at the start of the 1980s. One-third of the Fortune 500 had disappeared as independent companies, and those who were left had adopted the gospel of focusing on a core competence. Crossing industry boundaries was now suspect, and “conglomerate” had become an epithet. With the birth of the World Wide Web, corporate focus became even narrower. Companies found it easier and cheaper to outsource whole segments of the supply chain, including manufacturing and distribution. Corporations became increasingly virtual, as the parts of production became like plastic bricks that could be snapped together and ...