Power: How J.D. Power III Became the Auto Industry's Adviser, Confessor, and Eyewitness to History

Authors Morgans and Thorness offer an ode to the founder of J.D. Power and Associates, Dave Power, a "regular guy" who became a world-renowned business leader as he developed the internationally recognized standard of excellence in the automotive industry. Dave founded the market research company on the basic idea that "the customer's opinion matters"%E2%80%94a radical thought back in 1968. The authors cover a lot of territory in this book, including how Dave won over each automotive manufacturer: Mazda and Toyota early on, forging on to General Motors, followed by Volvo, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi. One of the most impressive aspects of Dave's career is his ability to patiently and strategically keep his business model current, creatively expanding into the European market, embracing the Internet, and predicting the emergence of the automotive Megastore years before it became reality. The book's appeal is broad%E2%80%94there's something for everyone from car buffs to marketing students, with especially valuable insight as to how Dave positively harnessed the power of media coverage. (Sept.)