 Goldratt's book launched in Chennai
 Dr Goldratt, a world renowned business improvement expert known to have made radical developments in thousands of companies and described by Fortune as a ‘Guru to industry’, launched his book 'Necessary But Not sufficient' in Chennai recently.
Lakshmi Narayanan, president & CEO, Cognizant Technology Solutions, released the book. The first copy was received by Gandhi Kannadhasan, president, Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India.
Lakshmi Narayan said, "I come from a technology company and in today's world, it is not necessary and sufficient but absolute to invest in technology, as it is a key parameter that drives growth globally. Technology and different business models are changing the industry and it is necessary to study them."
He pointed how at Dell the application of technology and change in the business model had differentiated them from the others.
Presenting the book, Dr Goldratt said, "This book is a journey of about a year and a quarter into the ERP market through the eyes of a hypothetical company BGSoft and its implementation partner KPI Solutions. Scott, the CEO of BGSoft, is a visionary who delivers business results for his clients through his ERP software. Lenny, the head of development, Gail, his marketing chief, and Maggie of KPI are the other key players in this novel. Like any other technology company, BGSoft faces the uphill task of growing 40 per cent every year if it has to keep the analysts happy and retain its stock price. It is a key player in the ERP market and its customers are primarily Fortune 1000 companies who can afford the investments and fuel the growth that BGSoft is aiming at. Suddenly, Scott realises that most of the big companies have already adopted ERP and their next best bet is to look for mid-size companies. If there are no more deer left in the forest then one has to go after the rabbits. Hunting for rabbits needs the same effort and results in lesser meat per win."
 'Necessary But Not Sufficient', published by ‘Productivity and Quality Publishing Pvt Ltd’, is the fourth in Goldratt’s series of 'Theory of Constraints Business Novels'. As in the other books, Goldratt makes his points through the format of a novel - the reader learns what Goldratt is trying to teach through the discussions and experiences of the characters. As in all of these books, the technique works, because the novel format in both more entertaining and more accessible than a standard business book. At its best, this format encourages the reader to put down the book for a minute, and try to think through to the logical conclusion of whatever problem the main character is currently facing.
Gandhi Kannadhasan pointed out that publications in the vernacular, like in Tamil, were the need of the hour, and readers, particularly in rural areas demanded more books, even if they are translations, on subjects like business and management practices.
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Srinivasamurthy, director, Productivity and Quality Publishing Pvt Ltd., said Dr Goldratt was a world renowned business improvement expert known to have made radical improvements in thousands of companies. He has been described by Fortune as a 'Guru to industry'. Describing Dr Goldratt as an educator, author, scientist, philosopher and business leader, his tactics were company specific and not complicated. Customised to the needs of the organisation after a detailed analysis, these solutions are a sure-shot way to success, Srinivasamurthy added.
In addition to his pioneering work in business management and education, Dr Goldratt holds patents in a number of areas ranging from medical devices to drip irrigation to temperature sensors.
After reading the newspapers and following the sharp oscillations of the stock market, it becomes apparent that hi-tech companies are of a different breed. Never before have the chances of making a fortune been so realistic and never before have large companies been so fragile. What is really going on inside these hi-tech companies? What types of pressures and challenges are they facing? And how do they cope?
Computer software providers, especially the ones that specialise in handling the data needs of organisations, are prime examples of these volatile companies. In the nineties we witnessed their growth from small businesses into multi-billion dollar giants. No wonder investors were attracted.
In 1998, it was easy for such companies to raise as much money as they wanted. But now, investment funds have dried up. Why? And more importantly, is there a way to reverse the trend? This book gives the answers.
R Rangaraj
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