Finding Fertile Ground offers valuable information for entrepreneurs looking to start fresh in the unforgiving world of technology. Although this book focuses on technology start-ups, Shane most values technology that creates something besides a Web page or software—opportunities that exist in biotech, medicine, and energy.
Most of the ten lessons he presents from his own experience as a teacher cover ground-level business basics that sometimes get overlooked, such as understanding the meaning behind diffusion and the s-shaped curve, not fearing opportunities that others have neglected, and looking at lower-tech opportunities. The book also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the first mover and protecting your intellectual property.
Shane is professor of Economics and Entrepreneurship at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. An accompanying CD includes chapter summaries and an interview with Shane.— Sara Grant
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Selecting the Right Industry
Chapter 2: Identifying Valuable Opportunities
Chapter 3: Managing Technological Evolution
Chapter 4: Identifying and Satisfying Real Market Needs
Chapter 5: Understanding Customer Adoption
Chapter 6: Exploiting Established Company Weaknesses
Chapter 7: Managing Intellectual Property
Chapter 8: Appropriating the Returns to Innovation
Chapter 9: Choosing the Right Organizational Form
Chapter 10: Managing Risk and Uncertainty
Conclusions
Index
CD