Joe Carlen
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780231173049
- eISBN:
- 9780231542814
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231173049.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Business History
A Brief History of Entrepreneurship charts how the pursuit of profit by private individuals has been a prime mover in revolutionizing civilization. Entrepreneurs often butt up against processes, ...
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A Brief History of Entrepreneurship charts how the pursuit of profit by private individuals has been a prime mover in revolutionizing civilization. Entrepreneurs often butt up against processes, technologies, social conventions, and even laws. So they circumvent, innovate, and violate to obtain what they want. This creative destruction has brought about overland and overseas trade, colonization, and a host of revolutionary technologies—from caffeinated beverages to the personal computer—that have transformed society. Consulting rich archival sources, including some that have never before been translated, Carlen maps the course of human history through nine episodes when entrepreneurship reshaped our world. Highlighting the most colorful characters of each era, he discusses Mesopotamian merchants’ creation of the urban market economy; Phoenician merchant-sailors intercontinental trade, which came to connect Africa, Asia, and Europe; Chinese tea traders’ invention of paper money; the colonization of the Americas; and the current “flattening” of the world’s economic playing field. Yet the pursuit of profit hasn’t always moved us forward. From slavery to organized crime, Carlen explores how entrepreneurship can sometimes work at the expense of others. He also discusses the new entrepreneurs who, through the nascent space tourism industry, are leading humanity to a multiplanetary future. By exploring all sides of this legacy, Carlen brings much-needed detail to the role of entrepreneurship in revolutionizing civilization.Less
A Brief History of Entrepreneurship charts how the pursuit of profit by private individuals has been a prime mover in revolutionizing civilization. Entrepreneurs often butt up against processes, technologies, social conventions, and even laws. So they circumvent, innovate, and violate to obtain what they want. This creative destruction has brought about overland and overseas trade, colonization, and a host of revolutionary technologies—from caffeinated beverages to the personal computer—that have transformed society. Consulting rich archival sources, including some that have never before been translated, Carlen maps the course of human history through nine episodes when entrepreneurship reshaped our world. Highlighting the most colorful characters of each era, he discusses Mesopotamian merchants’ creation of the urban market economy; Phoenician merchant-sailors intercontinental trade, which came to connect Africa, Asia, and Europe; Chinese tea traders’ invention of paper money; the colonization of the Americas; and the current “flattening” of the world’s economic playing field. Yet the pursuit of profit hasn’t always moved us forward. From slavery to organized crime, Carlen explores how entrepreneurship can sometimes work at the expense of others. He also discusses the new entrepreneurs who, through the nascent space tourism industry, are leading humanity to a multiplanetary future. By exploring all sides of this legacy, Carlen brings much-needed detail to the role of entrepreneurship in revolutionizing civilization.
Henry Chesbrough
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- December 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198841906
- eISBN:
- 9780191878008
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198841906.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Innovation
Lean Startup is a new and exciting process to discover new business opportunities and new business models. However, the concept must be adapted before it can work effectively inside established ...
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Lean Startup is a new and exciting process to discover new business opportunities and new business models. However, the concept must be adapted before it can work effectively inside established companies. Just as startups are not tiny versions of large companies, so too are large companies not simply large versions of startups. Lean Startup inside large companies requires careful internal negotiations with senior management, as well as getting out of the building to find customers. Open Innovation can complement and extend Lean Startup processes. Both use resources efficiently, while Open Innovation also leverages other people’s resources and shares risk. Telefonica provides a good example of Lean Startup inside a large company. It has reduced costs by 48 percent per project, increased its speed to market by 260 percent, and pursued 45 percent more chances to innovate within the same budget.Less
Lean Startup is a new and exciting process to discover new business opportunities and new business models. However, the concept must be adapted before it can work effectively inside established companies. Just as startups are not tiny versions of large companies, so too are large companies not simply large versions of startups. Lean Startup inside large companies requires careful internal negotiations with senior management, as well as getting out of the building to find customers. Open Innovation can complement and extend Lean Startup processes. Both use resources efficiently, while Open Innovation also leverages other people’s resources and shares risk. Telefonica provides a good example of Lean Startup inside a large company. It has reduced costs by 48 percent per project, increased its speed to market by 260 percent, and pursued 45 percent more chances to innovate within the same budget.
