How a Finnish wood-processing plant became a communications giant.
12/2/2002
Talk about your corporate transformations. In 1865, Nokia was a Finnish wood-processing plant. Today, of course, the company is a worldwide communications giant. And along the way it has made everything from televisions to tires to undersea cables. This book is an adaptation of a three-volume history released in 2002. The author, who teaches at Helsinki University, was given five years' worth of insider access to company executives, records, and meetings. This volume pulls together the strategies and methods behind this company's long-time makeovers. There are a lot of lessons to impart: In its long history Nokia has overcome financial ruin, a bloodbath in consumer electronics, and even the suicide of a charismatic CEO.