Birds of Prey

Boeing has always been something of an exception in the aerospace industry- a company driven as much by the desire to make steady profits as to build and fly planes. That desire to bring commercial order to the wild barnstorming seat-of-the pants operations that characterized aviation in its infancy was the core around which the company was founded. Since then, Boeing has been dominated by one primary goal- dominance of the global industry it helped to build. In 1975, the strategy for Airbus was to create a family of aircraft that would compete with the Boeing family, and to take 30 percent of the world’s civil aerospace industry. By 1994, that objective had been largely achieved. Now the new direction centers primarily on costs, for Airbus, despite all its marketing and design achievements, is not the most efficient manufacturer. With an objective of no less than 50 percent of the market, and with the explicit desire to "Beat Boeing," the consortium is planning to push the Americans into second place. For Airbus Industries, nothing less than worldwide dominance will do. These are the protagonists and this is the conflict in Birds of Prey-a fast-paced "thriller" of international corporate intrigue. In Birds of Prey, we are treated to a tour de force of 20th century industrial history and are also provided with useful lessons about European business practices, as well as invaluable insights into how Europe’s emergence as a commercial power has pushed economic and trade competition to the top of America’s political agenda. These insights not only reflect the current international situation but are also important harbingers of the future. Birds of Prey is a must read, for it offers a wealth of practical information to any business executive, in any industry, currently operating or planning to operate in the global arena.