Introduction
About This Site
About The Textbook
About The Authors
McGraw-Hill Book Website
 
Book Contents
Table of Contents
I
Opportunity and Strategy
II
Creating New Ventures
III
Functional Development
IV
Growth and Financing
  Business Plans (App. A)
  Case Studies (App. B)
Online Sources (App. C)
 
Sample Syllabus
Course Overview
Calendar of Sessions
I
Entrepreneurial Perspective
II
Idea or Opportunity
III
Gathering Resources
IV
Managing Ventures
V
Entrepreneurship and You
 
Additional Resources
Courses Using This Textbook
 

Download Chapter 1 Text [PDF] for evaluation purposes.

Chapter Summary

The entrepreneur provides the creative force capitalism needs to work. In this chapter, we describe the characteristics of the people called entrepreneurs and the process they use to create new enterprises. We describe the four types of entrepreneurship used to respond to opportunity: incremental, innovative, imitative, and rent-seeking. The technology entrepreneur’s role in the improvement of an economy and the role of knowledge in the creation and growth of new enterprises are described. Finally, the firm or organization as the key structure for a new enterprise and the system of innovation used by new ventures are depicted.
 

 
Vinod Khosla and Sun Microsystems
Describes how Vinod Khosla got Sun Microsystems started, and a critical marketing challenge the company faced at the end of the first year. Objective is to illustrate how bold creative thinking can make or break start-ups.
 
Heidi Roizen 1998: Career Strategy
Describes Heidi Roizen's career from graduation at Stanford University in 1980 through her career crossroads upon leaving Apple Computer in 1997. In the summer of 1997, Heidi is assessing different career options that will allow her to play to her strengths, enjoy her work, and achieve work-life balance that has become increasingly important to her as a parent. Heidi must find answers to the following questions: 1)What combination of career opportunities would allow her the greatest personal achievement and at the same time the greatest benefit for her family? 2)How would she leverage her experience in Silicon Valley as she examined her future options? 3)How long would she continue to try out the options before settling on a choice?
 
 
Jeff Hawkins: The Accidental Entrepreneur: Palm History
Hawkins on the development of Palm: I never really wanted to start a company. I consider myself an accidental entrepreneur, I was approached by two Venture Capitalists... I really wanted to build a small product, but I didn't want to build a company. My observation was that people who start companies have miserable lives. They work really hard, most of them end up divorced, and many of them fail and grow really depressed. It didn't look like an attractive thing to do. But I got people to agree to work with me on it...and I committed not to ruining my life by doing it.
 
Vinod Khosla: Bit by the Entrepreneurship Bug
Story of how the entrepreneurship bug grabbed him, Intel as first example of role model.
 
Guy Kawasaki: Passion vs. Money
Whatever you are building, it's about passion, and less about the money. Your goals should be about changing the world, or making the world a better place. There are many people who set out to change the world a better place and didn't make a lot of money. But there are even more who set out to make a lot of money, did not make a lot of money and did not change the world. Kawasaki then talks about his experience growing up and thinnking that money was most important...he advises students to study abroad, to spend as much time learning as possible.
 
   
 
Thomas Byers: Top 10 Enduring Elements of Hi-Tech Entrepreneurship
Professor Tom Byers' top ten list covering the difference between an idea and an opportunity, the need to understand vision, strategy, risk and tactics, the context of the business, market positioning and partnerships, the purpose of the business plan , cash flow, sources of capital, teamwork, skills and ethics.
 
Characteristics of an Entrepreneur
Individuals get too much credit and blame for the fate of new ventures. This article poses the perspective that successful entrepreneurs are those who can develop the right kinds of relationships with others inside and outside their firm and that these intertwined groups should be recognized rather than individuals.
 
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