If you own stock in SAP, perhaps the world’s premier producer of the enterprise software that integrates such
business functions
as finance, distribution and human resources, this year’s been a wild ride. But despite this patch of management problems, earnings pressure and roller-coaster stock price fluctuations, SAP remains one of the largest and most firmly entrenched software companies in the world. Gerd
Meissner attributes much of this success to the
corporate culture established at SAP’s birth by its five German founders, and in more than 200 compelling pages, he proves his point by piercing the veil of this innovative and secretive organization. Meissner traces the history of the company back to its origins in the early 1970s, keeping his finger always on the thread of characteristics that set SAP apart from its competitors - for better or for worse. getabstract strongly recommends this book both as a gripping biography of an industry giant and as an incisive study in employee empowerment, business alliances and corporate innovation. In other words, in reading this book, not only will you learn something about this thriving software company, you’ll probably learn something about your own company as well.