5/23/2000
Buderi, a former Business Week technology editor and author of The Invention that Changed the World, presents a fascinating look at the evolution of corporate research in the United States, Europe and Japan. Focusing on "the rapidly blurring electronics-computer-telecommunications industries," he takes the reader on a tour of some of the most prestigious and successful research labs in the world. The first section of the book sets the stage, situating modern corporate research in its historical context. Buderi then examines the research operations of three geographically representative giants (IBM, Siemens, and NEC) and compares three pairs of firms—General Electric and Bell Labs; Xerox and Hewlett Packard; and Microsoft and Intel—that share historical connections and, at the same time, are competitors in the global market. It's an optimistic look at the current state and future of corporate research and development told through stories of the old and new pioneers.