Stone (Coaching, Counseling & Mentoring) sets out to discuss the business strategies that have made Oracle, the world's leading database software company, so successful. And occasionally she succeeds. She points out that Oracle has, from the very beginning, made every effort to lock customers into long-term contracts, both to guarantee a continuing revenue stream and as a way to lock out competitors. She also notes that Oracle Founder Larry Ellison started his company because he learned early on that he could not work for anyone else. However, like most who have written about Ellison, Stone too often gets caught up in talking about his elaborate Japanese-inspired houses, countless cars and seemingly endless socializing. And when she does turn to the business side of the company, most of her commentary tends toward platitudes, such as that the company tries to hire people with "intelligence and ambition" and that it tries to sell by understanding its customers' businesses. There's nothing wrong with those assertions, but they can be said about most companies, as can the fact that the business was built "with chutzpah, ceaseless work, unrelenting optimism, and ruthless determination." More in-depth analysis, which could have come about through firsthand reporting instead of relying heavily on previously published books and articles, would have helped a great deal. The true business story of Oracle has yet to be written. (Feb.)
