Review
"In all this stack of books on managing knowledge, intellectual capital, the ecology of information and the like, the single volume most worth reading--and, for many persons having, is INFORMATION RULES." -- David Warsh, The Boston Globe, November 15, 1998
"A substantive guide to the economics of information technology, Information Rules is a commonsense blueprint for pricing, protecting, and planning new versions of information products. While the authors' emphasis is on high-tech and online businesses, their observations are widely applicable." -- Industry Week, October 19, 1998
"Shapiro and Varian's economic analysis doubles as a sort of primer on how to run an Information Age company." -- Fortune, February 15, 1999
"For those considering a plunge into electronic commerce, the book is a necessary prerequisite." -- Computerworld, October 12, 1998
"Recommended reading for the serious high-tech player." -- San Francisco Chronicle, October 24, 1998
"To understand the new economy, we need a new economics. Right? Not so, argue Shapiro and Varian, both professors of economics at UC Berkeley: 'Technology Changes, Economic Laws do not.' Their case studies offer strategies for valuing, pricing, and leveraging the gold of this new era: Information." -- Fast Company, November 1998
"Anyone with a mind to survive in the volatile New Economy would be wise to bust out those highighters and read this book very carefully....Information Rules [earns] a place on the bookshelf next to such strategic classics as The Art of War." -- Business 2.0, November 1998
"...Deftly describes the new information landscape using well-established economic tools.... Anyone with a mind to survive in the volatile New Economy would be wise to bust out those highlighters and read this book very carefully....Information Rules...[earns] a place on the bookshelf next to such strategic classics as The Art of War." -- Business 2.0, November 1998
"This book does an excellent job of providing an analytical framework of the information economy." -- The Louisville Courier-Journal, November 8, 1998
Shapiro and Varian deliver on their title: The book includes many rules that demonstrate how Internet exchanges are still based on universal economic principles.... Readers at times will feel as though they're reading Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos' personal operating manual. And grasping the economic rationale behind winning information-age strategies can be a powerful experience. -- Upside, John Jordan
"If you want to understand how the network economy really functions and why some companies succeed spectacularly [than] others, despite having mould-breaking technology, look no further." -- The Economist, December 12, 1998
From the Publisher
A Business Week Bestseller
From the Back Cover
"An excellent book! Through a combination of clear, jargon-free English, and crisp, specific examples drawn from real life, Information Rules shows how economic principles apply in the age of the Internet."
--Andrew S. Grove, chairman of the board, Intel Corporation "Long after today's fashionable management books have been consigned to the recycling bin, Information Rules will remain on the shelf, well-thumbed and often referenced."
--Paul Saffo, director, Institute for the Future
"Shapiro and Varian offer a superb introduction to the challenging and exciting new world of information technology, as well as the opportunities and problems that accompany it. Information Rules is a wonderful piece of work-both timely and right on the money."
--Robert Pitofsky, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission
"Forget Econ 101. Get a glimpse of Econ 2001--state-of-the-art ideas on how and when the market for information works, and what that means for business. Information Rules is an accessible, real-world, and ultimately practical guide."
--Barry Nalebuff, coauthor of Co-opetition, and the Milton Steinbach Professor of Management, Yale University School of Management
"This book develops excellent frameworks for a systematic analysis of the information economy. Shapiro and Varian explain key concepts such as lock-in, network externalities, and standards with great clarity and bring them to life through many fascinating and current examples. The reader emerges with a thorough understanding of the information economy. Full of powerful tools for strategic decision making, Information Rules is a valuable source for students, researchers, managers, and legislators."
--Philipp Afche, assistant professor of Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
"Information Rules-the indispensable battle manual for those on the front lines of the information revolution."
--Jay M. Tenenbaum, founder and chairman, Veo Systems, and founder and chairman, CommerceNet
"Information Rules is the first book to explain network economics, the new economics of our lives. Shapiro and Varian explain all the crazy things that we see happening everyday in Silicon Valley and other parts of the world. This book is a must-read for every business person in the new millennium."
--Eric Schmidt, CEO, Novell, Inc.
"I have not found a better field guide to the trench warfare of competition in the information age. Information Rules is an excellent asset for high-tech strategists. Skip that 'fog of war' feeling-read this book to find out exactly what your competitors are doing, and how you can make their nights sleepless as you compete for the future."
--Michael Dolbec, Vice President, Business Development, 3Com
About the Author
Carl Shapiro is the Transamerica Professor of Business Strategy, Haas School of Business and Department of Economics, UC Berkeley. From 1995 to 1996, he served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of Economics, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice.
