Managing technological innovation /

The decline in international competitiveness by American industry has received much attention in recent years. The major premise of this book is that US firms must adopt new production technology, such as robotics and computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), in order to survive. In particular, organizations must be modified to adopt and use these new technologies successfully. Davis (Old Dominion University), compiler of this series of papers, wrote the first and last chapters. The other contributors are leaders in research or applications of technological innovations. Papers are presented in three parts. Part 1 provides a theoretical foundation for innovation in organizations; Part 2 reports on empirical studies of innovations; Part 3 identifies the factors related to successful implementation. The book is aimed at three audiences: researchers and scholars, managers of advanced technology systems, and policymakers. Although well written, the scholarly nature of the work suggests that it is more likely to be read by the first group than by the other two. The book is a valuable addition to the literature on advanced manufacturing technology. It complements such works as Wickham Skinner's Manufacturing: The Formidable Competitive Weapon (CH, Nov '85). No overall bibliography, but each chapter contains a good selection of references. Upper-division and graduate collections.-J.S. Tarleton, College of William and Mary