- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Stanford Business Books; 1 edition (Aug 1 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0804737347
- ISBN-13: 978-0804737340
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 408 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,401,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
“This book is an example of excellent empirical research, deep scholarship, tested and testable hypotheses, all conducted with a substantial cross-disciplinary flavor. Its deep engagement with the subject has provided evidence to support some of my theories, challenged others, and directed me to new grounds for speculation. I think it will do this for anyone prepared to read it closely.”—from the foreward by John Seely Brown
“This is an impressive and useful collection of essays, and certainly one of the best academic treatments of the evolution of Silicon Valley.”—Enterprise & Society
“A unifying introduction by Martin Kenney plus an up-to-date 15-page bibliography make this book an outstanding contribution to the literature on Silicon Valley.”—Business History
Product Description
What has made Silicon Valley so productive of new technologies and new firms? How did its pioneering achievements begin—in computer networking, semiconductors, personal computing, and the Internet—and what forces have propelled its unprecedented growth? This collection of nine chapters by contributors from varied disciplines—business, geography, history, regional planning, and sociology—examines the history, development, and entrepreneurial dynamics of Silicon Valley.
Part I, “History,” provides context for the Valley’s success by exploring its early industrial roots. It traces the development of the electronics industry in Silicon Valley back to the founding of Federal Telegraph in 1908, and discusses the role of defense spending and the relationship with Stanford University in the region’s growth. Part II, “Institutions,” emphasizes the importance of supporting institutions and practices in helping Valley startups succeed. Four chapters explore the role of law firms in facilitating the formation of new companies, the evolution of the venture capital industry and its role in funding new firms, the importance of labor mobility, and the significance of close interfirm relationships in the success of Silicon Valley companies.
Part III, “General Explanations,” presents three different perspectives on the environment that has made Silicon Valley so successful. The first chapter considers Silicon Valley as an ecosystem of interacting institutions, individuals, and a culture that encourages and nurtures entrepreneurship. The second chapter argues that Silicon Valley should not be seen as a region in which relationships are based on civic virtue, but rather one in which trust is based on performance, which makes it uniquely permeable to new ideas and talented individuals. The final chapter contends that institutions specializing in new firm formation are responsible for Silicon Valley's unique ability to foster technological advances.
Part I, “History,” provides context for the Valley’s success by exploring its early industrial roots. It traces the development of the electronics industry in Silicon Valley back to the founding of Federal Telegraph in 1908, and discusses the role of defense spending and the relationship with Stanford University in the region’s growth. Part II, “Institutions,” emphasizes the importance of supporting institutions and practices in helping Valley startups succeed. Four chapters explore the role of law firms in facilitating the formation of new companies, the evolution of the venture capital industry and its role in funding new firms, the importance of labor mobility, and the significance of close interfirm relationships in the success of Silicon Valley companies.
Part III, “General Explanations,” presents three different perspectives on the environment that has made Silicon Valley so successful. The first chapter considers Silicon Valley as an ecosystem of interacting institutions, individuals, and a culture that encourages and nurtures entrepreneurship. The second chapter argues that Silicon Valley should not be seen as a region in which relationships are based on civic virtue, but rather one in which trust is based on performance, which makes it uniquely permeable to new ideas and talented individuals. The final chapter contends that institutions specializing in new firm formation are responsible for Silicon Valley's unique ability to foster technological advances.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
perfect book for the new Silicon valley residents!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Understanding Silicon Valley: The Anatomy of an Entrepreneurial Region (Paperback)
At the center of all questions about the Valley lies the matter of innovation-for the Valley occasionally appears like a perpetual innovation machine. I say "innovation" rather than simply "invention," because innovation, to me, means invention implemented. And I have grudgingly come to realize that invention is often the easy part of innovation. The hard part is usually the implementation. Here I was particularly interested in Stuart Leslie's well-chosen quotation from a letter of Frederick Terman. Terman was the Stanford University dean who played godfather to Hewlett Packard and so many other early start-ups in the Valley. When he left the university to work on radar during World War II, he wrote back to a colleague at Stanford, "I had never before realized the amount of work required to make a device ready for manufacture after one had a good working model." It was a lesson he clearly learned well as he guided young Stanford graduates to innovative success.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
4.0 out of 5 stars
A "Must Have" for anyone interested in Silicon Valley History,
By Tech Historian - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Understanding Silicon Valley: The Anatomy of an Entrepreneurial Region (Paperback)
One of the elements of a successful technical history is how often you refer back to it. Since this a compilation of essays by a series of authors each writing a chapter the quality varies. However it's worth buying just for the essays about the Military History of the Valley by Stuart Leslie and the Origins of Production Networks by AnnaLee Saxenian.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Silicon Valley forever,
By Herve Lebret - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Understanding Silicon Valley: The Anatomy of an Entrepreneurial Region (Paperback)
Each time I need to expalin what technology clusters are about, I quote the authors of one of the chapters: "A Flexible Recycling" by S. Evans and H. Bahrami. They explain that the ingredients of entrepreneurial high-tech regions are.- Universities and research centers of a very high caliber. - An industry of venture capital (i.e. financial institutions and private investors). - Experienced professionals in high tech. - Service providers such as lawyers, head hunters, public relations and marketing specialists, auditors, etc. - Last but not least, an intangible yet critical component: a pioneering spirit which encourages an entrepreneurial culture. The book is full of great data points! 4 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
perfect book for the new Silicon valley residents!,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Understanding Silicon Valley: The Anatomy of an Entrepreneurial Region (Paperback)
At the center of all questions about the Valley lies the matter of innovation-for the Valley occasionally appears like a perpetual innovation machine. I say "innovation" rather than simply "invention," because innovation, to me, means invention implemented. And I have grudgingly come to realize that invention is often the easy part of innovation. The hard part is usually the implementation. Here I was particularly interested in Stuart Leslie's well-chosen quotation from a letter of Frederick Terman. Terman was the Stanford University dean who played godfather to Hewlett Packard and so many other early start-ups in the Valley. When he left the university to work on radar during World War II, he wrote back to a colleague at Stanford, "I had never before realized the amount of work required to make a device ready for manufacture after one had a good working model." It was a lesson he clearly learned well as he guided young Stanford graduates to innovative success.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Business & Investing > Biography & History > Company Profiles
- Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > High-Tech
- Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Industrial
- Books > Business & Investing > Popular Economics
- Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > New Business Enterprises
- Books > Computers & Internet > Business & Culture > Manager's Guides to Computing
- Books > History > Americas > United States
- Books > History > United States
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Business & Finance
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Computer Science & Information Systems
- Books > Professional & Technical > Business Management > Management & Leadership > Industrial
- Books > Science > History & Philosophy > History of Technology
- Books > Science > Technology > Social Aspects
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
