As someone who teaches Technology Management at the MBA level, the
publisher of Scott Shane's "Technology Strategy for Managers and
Entrepreneurs" sent me a free copy in the hope I would adopt it for my
course. I won't be using this text and can't recommend it to others.
Almost any book on technology is out of date by the time it is published, but ones with "strategy" in the title should offer ideas that transcend the dynamic nature of technology. This book doesn't.
It starts in the preface (p. xvii) with "Why Do We Need This Book?" - a question that signals we probably don't need "this" book. His answer is, "... this book ensures that students develop an accurate understanding of the current state of the field" (p. xvii). "Ensure" and "current" are high standards and the author certainly fails to meet the latter. Social media, a pretty "current" theme and arguably the most disruptive technology of this decade, is given less than two pages. Should entrepreneurs be using Twitter, for example, as a component of their search engine optimization strategy? You won't find the answer in "Technology Strategy" - there are only two of almost 400 pages devoted to what the author calls "social networking". Twitter is not in the index; YouTube is mentioned once in a manner unrelated to its strategy. Instead the author shares that "research has shown that information tends to flow between people who are connected to each other ..." (p. 341). Wow. I'm glad I didn't have to pay over $60 for that wisdom.
The best part of the book is the information shared on patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets so that entrepreneurs can benefit from their innovation. But for this price, that alone cannot justify buying this book.
Almost any book on technology is out of date by the time it is published, but ones with "strategy" in the title should offer ideas that transcend the dynamic nature of technology. This book doesn't.
It starts in the preface (p. xvii) with "Why Do We Need This Book?" - a question that signals we probably don't need "this" book. His answer is, "... this book ensures that students develop an accurate understanding of the current state of the field" (p. xvii). "Ensure" and "current" are high standards and the author certainly fails to meet the latter. Social media, a pretty "current" theme and arguably the most disruptive technology of this decade, is given less than two pages. Should entrepreneurs be using Twitter, for example, as a component of their search engine optimization strategy? You won't find the answer in "Technology Strategy" - there are only two of almost 400 pages devoted to what the author calls "social networking". Twitter is not in the index; YouTube is mentioned once in a manner unrelated to its strategy. Instead the author shares that "research has shown that information tends to flow between people who are connected to each other ..." (p. 341). Wow. I'm glad I didn't have to pay over $60 for that wisdom.
The best part of the book is the information shared on patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets so that entrepreneurs can benefit from their innovation. But for this price, that alone cannot justify buying this book.
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