Oliver, Richard W. 1946–

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Oliver, Richard W. 1946–

(Richard Wayne Oliver)

PERSONAL:

Born May 20, 1946, in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. Education: Cornell University, B.Sc.; University of Delaware, M.A.; State University of New York at Buffalo, Ph.D., 1984.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Nashville, TN. Office—Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management, 401 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37203. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

DuPont Co., United States division, sales and marketing development, 1969-71, Canadian division, assistant to chairman for public policy and investor relations, 1973; U.S. Department of Transportation, development of consumer education campaign, 1972; Northern Telecom Inc., manager of global product support through vice president marketing, 1976-92; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, Owen Graduate School of Management, adjunct professor of management, 1985-92, 2000—, professor of management, 1992-2000; Duke University, Durham, NC, Fuqua School of Business, faculty member, 1991-97; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, Johnson School of Management, adjunct professor of management; American Learning Solutions (ALS), CEO; American Graduate School of Management (AGSM), chief executive officer; has also worked as a consultant for numerous companies, including DuPont Co., Berwind Industries, Central Parking, Law & Economics, Dominion Securities, J.C. Bradford, Tetrapak, Inc., BellSouth, NYNEX, Honeywell, Consumers Gas, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Hudson Bay Co., Allied Clinical Labs, and Tennessee Pride. Board member, Applied Innovation, Inc., 1992—, Quality Industries, 1992—, and SymmetriCom, Inc., 1997—; member, Nashville Institute for the Arts, Metropolitan Nashville Public Education Foundation.

WRITINGS:

(With William A. Jenkins) The Eagle and the Monk: Seven Principles of Successful Change, Gates & Bridges (Norwich, CT), 1998.

The Shape of Things to Come: Seven Imperatives for Winning in the New World of Business, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Craig Leipold) Hockey-Tonk: The Amazing Story of the Nashville Predators, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 2000.

The Coming Biotech Age: The Business of Bio-Materials, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2000.

The Biotech Age: The Business of Biotech and How to Profit from It, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2003.

What Is Transparency?, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Tim Leffel) Hip-Hop, Inc.: Success Strategies of the Rap Moguls, Thunder's Mouth Press (New York, NY), 2006.

Columnist, Journal of Business Strategy, 1997-2003, and AMA Management Review, 1999-2000.

SIDELIGHTS:

Richard W. Oliver was born May 20, 1946, in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. He earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University, then went on to complete his education with a master's degree at the University of Delaware and his doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo. An expert in strategic management, electronic commerce, and global marketing issues, he has worked for a number of prestigious companies, both on staff and as a management consultant, including DuPont Company, Berwind Industries, Central Parking, Law & Economics, Dominion Securities, J.C. Bradford, Tetrapak, Inc., BellSouth, NYNEX, Honeywell, Consumers Gas, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Hudson Bay Company, Allied Clinical Labs, and Tennessee Pride. In addition, he has served on the faculties of several prestigious universities, including at the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management, the Duke University Fuqua School of Business, and the Cornell University Johnson School of Management. He has written columns for business publications such as the Journal of Business Strategy and the AMA Management Review, and is the author of a number of books on successful business strategy, marketing, and the ways in which modern technologies continue to affect the business world.

The Shape of Things to Come: Seven Imperatives for Winning in the New World of Business, published in 1999, addresses the rapidly changing world of business and how intelligent individuals may get a jump on what Oliver considers to be the next stage in business achievement: the global village, a state that takes the information age and puts it to work. He discusses ways in which various segments of the business world, once considered isolated industries unto themselves, will intertwine to bring a new sense of unity to business ventures. He looks at how politics, culture, and economics will interrelate in the business world of the future, and uses examples of company structures of the past and present in order to illustrate how things are going to progress. This is the result of both unprecedented ease of access to information instantaneously, and to the general globalization of the business world. According to Oliver, the manipulation of organic matter, such as ecological, agricultural, and environmental concerns, is going to take center stage as the united growth industry of the new millennium. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly expressed doubts regarding some of Oliver's assertions, but concluded that the "greatest contribution here is forcing readers to anticipate how the next waves of change will transform the way they do business." However, Jim Holt noted in the Management Review that "the reason Oliver's scenario is worth taking seriously is that it's already happening." Jeffrey P. Katz, reviewing the work for the Academy of Management Executive, found it "an interesting, well-written examination of the macro factors affecting the competitive landscape of the future. Richard Oliver deftly combines the trends, developments, and competitive behaviors of yesterday and today into a review of important forces that will shape tomorrow's business activity."

The Coming Biotech Age: The Business of Bio-Materials serves as an impassioned follow-up to Oliver's The Shape of Things to Come. In it he reiterates his stance that so called "bioterials" are going to supplant traditional technological advancements, such as improvements in computer and automotive products, and ultimately become the most important focal points of the new age in business. He focuses in particular on technologies that will involve reengineering of the human body, and includes an entire chapter on the ethical questions that such advances will continue to raise, stressing the importance of an understanding of the various issues. David Rouse, in a review for Booklist, pointed out that despite these warnings, "Oliver's concern here is primarily economic."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Academy of Management Executive, May 1, 1999, Jeffrey P. Katz, review of The Shape of Things to Come: Seven Imperatives for Winning in the New World of Business, p. 96.

Booklist, September 1, 1998, David Rouse, review of The Shape of Things to Come, p. 43; March 1, 2000, David Rouse, review of The Coming Biotech Age: The Business of Bio-Materials, p. 1181.

HR Magazine, July 1, 2004, review of What Is Transparency?, p. 52; February 1, 2005, review of What Is Transparency?, p. 20.

Journal of Business Strategy, January 1, 1999, "It's Later Than You Think," p. 6.

Management Review, January 1, 1999, Jim Holt, "A Take on the Future Where Desire and Fulfillment Are as One," p. 15.

Publishers Weekly, September 7, 1998, review of The Shape of Things to Come, p. 79.