Since the early 1980s, universities in the United States have greatly expanded their patenting and licensing activities. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee, among other authorities, argued that the increase in university patenting and licensing contributed to the economic boom of the 1990s. Many observers have attributed this trend to the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which facilitated patenting and licensing by universities. This book examines the conventional wisdom by adopting a more holistic point of view, examining the diverse channels within which commercialization has occurred throughout the 20th century and since the passage of the Act. Using quantitative analysis and detailed case studies to assess the effects of the Act, it concludes that universities must maintain their historic commitment to the free flow of knowledge to serve the global public interest and sustain their remarkable scientific and technological achievements of the past century.

For would-be entrepreneurs, innovation managers or just anyone fascinated by the special chemistry and drive that created some of the best technology companies in the world, this book offers both wisdom and engaging insights—straight from the source.

— Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, and author of The Long Tail

"All the best things that I did at Apple came from (a) not having money and (b) not having done it before, ever." —Steve Wozniak, Apple

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Daysis a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days. These people are celebrities now. What was it like when they were just a couple friends with an idea? Founders like Steve Wozniak (Apple), Caterina Fake (Flickr), Mitch Kapor (Lotus), Max Levchin (PayPal), and Sabeer Bhatia (Hotmail) tell you in their own words about their surprising and often very funny discoveries as they learned how to build a company.

Where did they get the ideas that made them rich? How did they convince investors to back them? What went wrong, and how did they recover?

Nearly all technical people have thought of one day starting or working for a startup. For them, this book is the closest you can come to being a fly on the wall at a successful startup, to learn how it's done.

But ultimately these interviews are required reading for anyone who wants to understand business, because startups are business reduced to its essence. The reason their founders become rich is that startups do what businessesdo—create value—more intensively than almost any other part of the economy. How? What are the secrets that make successful startups so insanely productive? Read this book, and let the founders themselves tell you.

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.

This book shows the links among innovation, organizational architecture, executive teams, and managing change. The 41 articles that are included in this book have been carefully chosen from the current literature, with an introductory essay by the authors in which they show how the diagnostic model is applied to the problem of managing innovation. In the introductory essay, the authors highlight themes recurring throughout the book, such as the systems nature of technology, the importance of history and path dependence, the cross-functional nature of innovation management, the paradox between efficiency and adaptability, and the role of executive leadership in managing through turbulence. The introduction provides a helpful road map that offers a coherent rationale for studying innovation management. All modules in the book have editorial introductions that help to reinforce the links among technology, organizational architectures, and executive and managing teams. Introductions are also included for each chapter, explaining the fundamental point each reading raises and how it is integrated within the rest of the book. Managing Strategic Innovation and Change also features readings on topics including technological evolution, technology strategy, globalization, and organizational learning, offering a complete set of readings on the management of innovation.

Since the release of the bestselling title Joel on Software in 2004, requests for a sequel have been relentless. So, we went back to the famed JoelonSoftware.com archives and pulled out a new batch of favorites, many of which have been downloaded over one million times. With Joel’s newest book, More Joel on Software, you’ll get an even better (not to mention updated) feast of Joel’s opinions and impressions on software development, software design, running a software business, and so much more.

This is a new selection of essays from the author’s web site, http://www.joelonsoftware.com.

Joel Spolsky started his web log in March 2000 in order to offer his insights, based on years of experience, on how to improve the world of programming. This web log has become infamous among the programming world, and is linked to more than 600 other web sites and translated into 30+ languages!

Spolsky’s extraordinary writing skills, technical knowledge, and caustic wit have made him a programming guru. With the success of Joel on Software, there has been a strong demand for additional gems and advice, and this book is the answer to those requests.

Containing a collection of all–new articles from the original, More Joel on Software has even more of an edge than the original, and the tips for running a business or managing people have far broader application than the software industry. We feel it is safe to say that this is the most useful book you will buy this year. What you’ll learn The best approaches to managing and hiring extraordinary peopleAdvice for those interested in the software industry as a career and for managers who want to get themJoel’s unique impressions of how to create products and design—good and badAn “in the trenches” look at how to start and run an effective software business (or any business for that matter)A true sense of what it takes to create a differentiated, unique, motivated organization
Who is this book for?

Anyone interested in the software business will truly enjoy this book, but in particular this should be required reading for managers of technical businesses. Related Titles Joel on SoftwareThe Best Software Writing I: Selected and Introduced by Joel SpolskyEric Sink on the Business of SoftwareSoftware Project Secrets: Why Software Projects Fail

The Economics of Information Technology is a concise and accessible review of important economic factors affecting information technology industries. These industries are characterized by high fixed costs and low marginal costs of production, large switching costs for users, and strong network effects. Hal Varian outlines the basic economics of these industries while Joseph Farrell and Carl Shapiro describe the impact of these factors on competition policy. The volume is an ideal introduction for undergraduate and graduate students in economics, business strategy, law and related areas.

Organizations competing in today's rapidly changing technological markets are faced with the challenges of "dualism," that is, operating efficiently in the present while innovating effectively for the future. Managers and leaders within these organizations not only have to focus on current market success and profitability, but must also introduce the next generation to technical advances and product or service attributes that will sustain and even augment their continuing global competitiveness. Designed for courses within business, engineering, and executive education programs, The Human Side of Managing Technological Innovation provides a variety of approaches and perspectives on issues critical to the effective leadership of technical professionals and crossfunctional teams throughout the innovation process. The articles represent the thoughts and ideas of researchers and practitioners seeking a richer understanding of the complex interplay between the specialized knowledge and skills of creative professionals and the realistic pressures and constraints required by successful business organizations. Organized into six sections comprising 17 chapters, this text consists of 15 new and 36 previously published articles that cover topics such as motivating professionals, measuring productivity, organizing and leading crossfunctional development teams, enhancing creativity, developing human resource capabilities, and using technology as a strategic resource. It can be used for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses as well as organizational workshops and seminars that focus primarily on how managers, individual professionals, project teams, and functional groups deal with problems and issues related to the management of technology-based innovation. The collection can also be used as a complementary text for any course that emphasizes product, process, organizational, or technological innovation. The Human Side of Managing Technological Innovation provides a unique collection of articles that not only increases the sensitivity and understanding of individuals who must manage innovation or change process within organizations, but also offers new ideas, tools, and insights for problem-solving both to practicing managers and staff professionals.

For business executives, complexity and uncertainty often characterizes the competitive landscape and strategic choices surrounding technology and innovation. In this fascinating and enjoyable new read, e-business expert Dave Rochlin dispels many of the myths, and outlines the primary factors which determine why some firms thrive while others flop in adopting or introducing new technology. Drawing from his exhaustive research as well as his personal experiences as consultant, executive, and educator, Rochlin delivers practical advice to give readers a thorough understanding of the complex high-tech environment. He also provides numerous examples from other prominent experts in the field, enabling readers to learn from the mistakes and successes of those who have blazed the high-tech trail before them. Offering a holistic view of innovation, technology, and competitive strategy, this unique book blends contemporary and classical research theory, a historical perspective, and the current best practices from industry.

Why has the biotechnology industry failed to perform up to expectations—despite all its promise? In Science Business, Gary P. Pisano answers this question by providing an incisive critique of the industry. Pisano not only reveals the underlying causes of biotech’s problems; he offers the most sophisticated analysis yet on how the industry works. And he provides clear prescriptions for companies, investors, and policymakers seeking ways to improve the industry’s performance.

According to Pisano, the biotech industry’s problems stem from its special character as a science-based business. This character poses three unique business challenges: 1) how to finance highly risky investments under profound uncertainty and long time horizons for R&D, 2) how to learn rapidly enough to keep pace with advances in drug science knowledge, and 3) how to integrate capabilities across a broad spectrum of scientific and technological knowledge bases.

The key to fixing the industry? Business models, organizational structures, and financing arrangements that place greater emphasis on integration and long-term learning over shorter-term “monetization” of intellectual property. Pisano maintains that all industry players—biotech firms, investors, universities, pharmaceutical companies, government regulators—can play a role in righting the industry. The payoff? Valuable improvements in health care, and a shinier future for human well-being.

Over fifty years ago,Vannevar Bush released his enormously influential report, Science, the Endless Frontier, which asserted a dichotomy between basic and applied science. This view was at the core of the compact between government and science that led to the golden age of scientific research after World War II—a compact that is currently under severe stress. In this book, Donald Stokes challenges Bush's view and maintains that we can only rebuild the relationship between government and the scientific community when we understand what is wrong with that view.

Stokes begins with an analysis of the goals of understanding and use in scientific research. He recasts the widely accepted view of the tension between understanding and use, citing as a model case the fundamental yet use-inspired studies by which Louis Pasteur laid the foundations of microbiology a century ago. Pasteur worked in the era of the "second industrial revolution," when the relationship between basic science and technological change assumed its modern form. Over the subsequent decades, technology has been increasingly science-based. But science has been increasingly technology-base—with the choice of problems and the conduct of research often inspired by societal needs. An example is the work of the quantum-effects physicists who are probing the phenomena of semiconductors from the time of the transistor's discovery after World War II.

On this revised, interactive view of science and technology, Stokes builds a convincing case that by recognizign the importance of use-inspired basic research we can frame a new compact between science and government. His conclusions have major implications for both the scientific and policy communities and will be of great interest to those in the broader public who are troubled by the current role of basic science in American democracy.

The economic importance of innovative activity brings with it an active debate on public policy's effect on the innovation process. This annual series, sponsored by the National Bureau of Economic Research, brings the work of leading academic researchers to the broader policy community. Volume 6 considers such topics as the diversity of patent protection and the implications of weak patents for innovation and competition; reforms in U.S. patent policy that will encourage innovation; the multifaceted benefits of the Internet for consumers, including price competition and novel forms of communication; the drug development and approval process; the "offshoring" of research and development; and the advantages of industry-specific studies of the relationship between innovation and competition. The papers highlight the role economic theory and empirical analysis can play in evaluating current and prospective innovation policy alternatives.

First published in 1961, The Management of Innovation is one of the most influential books of organization theory and industrial sociology ever written. The central theme of the book is the relationship between an organization and its environment - particularly technological and market innovations. Based on first-class scholarship and engagingly written, the book presents the authors' now famous and ubiquitous classicifications of "mechanistic" and "organic" systems. For this it has become justly famous, but the book is also a penetrating study of social systems within organizations and organizational dynamics.

When the pharmaceuticals giant Merck reports promising results for a potential "blockbuster" drug, the story makes the evening news. Now, at a time when new product development has become critical to success in so many industries, The Development Factoryproves that process innovation-not just product innovation-can be the key to competitive edge.

In this multi-year study of pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, Gary Pisano explores the dynamics of superior product and process development in a highly competitive industry that lives and dies by its R&D and depends heavily on rapid time to market. His work reveals that behind the success of many new product introductions lies the development of novel process technologies that provide lower costs, higher quality, and increased flexibility.

Pisano challenges the widely held product-process lifecycle view of competition, which suggests that industries tend to emphasize either product innovation or process innovation. He also questions the notion that there is a conflict between pursuit of product innovation and pursuit of lower costs, arguing that product development and process development capabilities are complementary.

Extending the lessons to a wide variety of manufacturing industries, The Development Factorywill guide companies toward unlocking the potential of process development and understand the patterns of organizational behavior and managerial actions that help create and implement new capabilities over time.