DHL: From Startup to Global Upstart is the story of a startup that became the first worldwide logistics service organization, fighting regulation, trade restrictions, customs, and many other technical issues to develop processes that have stood the test of time to become the accepted norm in delivery throughout the world. It is a story of using "soft powers," persuasion, and ingenuity, working with, and around, emerging technologies to eliminate barriers to success. This book provides an extraordinary look into how a little startup with grit and perseverance succeeded in the face of overwhelming odds and revolutionized many of what are now accepted transportation and supply chain practices.
Po Chung, DHL International co-founder, and Roger Bowie, former DHL Worldwide Services Director, discuss how DHL paved the way for one day international package delivery and how they have maintained their global leadership position against powerful American titans.
Autorentext
Po Chung, DHL International co-founder; Roger Bowie, former DHL Worldwide Services Director
Inhalt
Chapter 1: Born Global | 1
The Little Company Which was Seen as Illegal in Every Country | 1
Chapter 2: The 70s | 5
Chapter 3: The Start-up Years | 9
Chapter 4: The Start-up Years: Business Innovation | 13
Door to Door, Desk to Desk | 13
Just Like Taking It There Yourself | 14
Still Expensive, However, for a Start-Up ... | 15
... and Increasingly Complex | 16
So, Try and Keep It Simple | 17
So Simple, Almost Too Good to Be True | 18
Proof was Needed, and So Proof was Provided | 19
With the Airlines as Friends (Albeit Fair-Weather) | 20
Chapter 5: Innovation and Its Broader Impact on Business Dynamics | 23
The Infectious Nature of Speed | 23
Size Doesn't Matter, Content Does | 24
Keeping It Dense | 25
But Keeping It Simple | 25
And Everyone Sells | 25
Service Is Not Servitude | 26
Creating a Time-Based Value Proposition | 27
Challenging Traditional Work Habits | 27
And in the Spirit of Partnership | 28
Chapter 6: Cultural Dynamics: What was Going on Here? | 29
Against All Odds | 29
Ahead of its Time | 29
It was also the People | 29
An Emerging Company Culture | 33
The Nature of the Business Helped | 33
But it Wasn't Just the Business | 34
Chapter 7: Barely Legal-Early Regulatory Battles | 35
First, What Kind Of Business Is This? | 36
Ah, You Mean You Carry Mail? | 37
And What About This "Smuggling" Theory? | 41
Airline Schizophrenia | 43
Okay, Understand The Challenges With Post Offices, Customs And Airlines,
But Surely You Were Doing Everything Else By The Book? | 45
Chapter 8: 1970s Vignettes and Bloopers | 47
Strange Bedfellows | 47
Caught Napping | 47
Plenty of Space, and Not So Much | 48
Strange Passengers | 48
Delivery Heroics | 48
It's Tough Being Ahead of Your Time | 49
Chapter 9: Transition | 53
Taken Off, but Not Yet Landed | 53
A Biological Phenomenon | 54
With Intuitive, Instinctive Leadership | 56
Which Attracted and Inspired | 57
Cowboys with Wing | 58
And an Ounce of Luck | 58
Underpinned by Trust | 59
A Common Language | 59
And the Rule of Common Law | 60
But it was Precarious | 60
Chapter 10: The 80s | 63
Economic and Political Turbulence... | 63
Presaging Fundamental Geopolitical Change | 63
Policed by America | 64
With Asia Awakening | 64
Business Models Must Change | 65
A New Age of Consumerism | 65
And Speed to Market | 66
The End of History? | 67
Perhaps a Hybrid Would be the Answer | 68
Chapter 11: The Walden Years-Structure and process | 69
Nascently Global | 69
But Not Sustainable | 71
Structure to Support a Growth Strategy | 72
With A New Confidence | 73
Coming Out | 74
And Cash is the King | 75
Chapter 12: Business Innovation | 77
Getting it There in No Time at All | 77
Tentative Steps to Expand the Offering | 78
If you can get to the internationally remote places, why not just down
the road? | 80
Europe Overnight | 80
And What About a Second Brand? | 82
Early Computerization | 82
What Aided and Abetted Also Threatened | 83
But Also Provided Opportunity | 84
Building a Brand | 85
Ongoing Geographical Expansion | 86
Less than Door-to-door | 87
Early Steps in Logistics | 88
Answer the Phone, Dammit! | 88
Chapter 13: Business Context-What Was Going on Here? | 91
A New Era of Globalization Begins | 91
What was DHL Carrying? | 93
This was an Outbound Phenomena | 93
The Information Age Beckoned, but Expensively | 95
Airports Grew Up | 95
Strategic Disconnect | 97
Chapter 14: Business Context-Competition Explodes | 99
Competition? (What, Really?) | 99
Finally, Strength Through Numbers | 99
But in Context | 100
Those Pesky Airlines Again | 101
The "Empires" Try to Strike Back | 102
But FedEx Strikes First | 102
And Starts to Force the Pace | 103
The Enemy of My Enemy can be my Friend | 103
Chapter 15: Regulatory Battles | 105
Postal Battles Heat Up | 105
Progress with Customs | 110
Tax, Cashflows and Blocked Funds | 112
The Dutch Sandwich | 113
Chapter 16: Cultural Dynamics | 117
Heroism | 117
It Wasn't Just the Cowboys | 117
Growing Up | 118
Some Contextual Frameworks | 122
And Perhaps a Modern Example of Another, More Natural Law, is in Play
Here | 124
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