Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS
by Greg Niemann
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Book Summary Information
Author: Greg NiemannEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-02-26
ISBN: 0787994022
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Book Reviews of Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS
Book Review: Corporate PR with some revealing moments.
Summary: 2 Stars
Being a member of the working class, corporate public relations efforts don't appeal to me; but I'll give this book a couple stars for the revealing moments it contains. Niemann writes of the effort UPS makes to control the thinking of its employees, and says there is "a kind of boot camp, indoctrinating employees with UPS's unique corporate culture and expectations." It reminded me of the many such indoctrination efforts contained in Speechless: The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace (BK Currents), which takes a critical look at totalitarian tendencies in the corporate culture.
"Big Brown" also contains an interesting story about how workers in West Germany were less receptive when UPS introduced its work-like-a-slave attitude. Niemann writes that Germany's "labor climate was institutionalized by German laws that called for extended vacations, much time off, liberal unlimited sick day policies, short work hours and weeks, and other inflexibilities. The hourly employees listened to the stress and pressure to get the job done as if it were Greek."
Sadly, with the expansion of neoliberal policies that limit benefits and increase working hours, the unethical work ethic of places like UPS has been globalized. Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure
While UPS corporate PR can provide some interesting insights, there needs to be a book written on UPS from the point of labor. Giving labor's perspective is considered politically incorrect these days, but it's needed now as much as it ever was.
State of the Unions: How Labor Can Strengthen the Middle Class, Improve Our Economy, and Regain Political Influence
Summary of Big Brown: The Untold Story of UPS
Although its brown vans are on every block and its delivery service reaches more than 200 countries, UPS is among the world's most underestimated and misunderstood companies.For the first time, a UPS "lifer" tells the behind-the-scenes story of how a small messenger service became a business giant. Big Brown reveals the remarkable 100-year history of UPS and the life of its founder Jim Casey-one of the greatest unknown capitalists of the twentieth century. Casey pursued a Spartan business philosophy that emphasized military discipline, drab uniforms, and reliability over flash-a model that is still reflected in UPS culture today.
Big Brown examines all the seeming paradoxes about UPS: from its traditional management style and strict policies coupled with high employee loyalty and strong labor relations; from its historical "anti-marketing" bias (why brown?) to its sterling brand loyalty and reputation for quality.
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