Review by Choice Review
The purpose of this well-written, readable book is to learn from organizational failures and from companies and entire industries that have been unsuccessful in responding to a technological discontinuity, i.e., a sharp price-performance improvement over an existing technology that is so significant that older technologies cannot be made competitive with it. Lucas (information systems, Univ. of Maryland) introduces a Survivor Model that includes "the incumbent's dilemma"--how does a firm respond when faced with a technological discontinuity that threatens its survival? He identifies three options, ranging from morphing the business model to accommodate competition, to failure that results in a merger, buyout, or liquidation. The dilemma is complicated by many factors, including denial, resistance to change, and lack of imagination. Most chapters examine companies (e.g., Kodak, the New York Stock Exchange, Blockbuster and Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, UPS, USPS, Apple, Verizon, IBM) and industries (video content, newspapers, book publishing, recorded music, education) in search of survival. These chapters contain a "box score" for the companies or industries based on categories from the Survivor Model, indicating their survivability. In the last chapter, "Strategies for Survival," Lucas offers advice to managers who have to make and execute the tough decisions that may affect their companies' survival chances. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. E. J. Szewczak Canisius College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
