Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Author: Peter F. Drucker
List Price: $16.95
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ISBN: 0887306187
Publisher: HarperBusiness (26 May, 1993)
Sales Rank: 9,917
Average Customer Rating: 4.69 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Lessons from the Master of Management Best Practices
Peter Drucker gave us the thought that "the purpose of a business is to create a customer" a thought that can get lost by entrepreneurs pulled in many directions at once. Innovation is also a subject that few have written about knowledgeably. You will find this book to be a good reference for the principles that will always determine whether or not your focus is proper. And no one needs proper focus more than innovators and entrepreneurs. I also think that you would find it helpful to get an overview of all of Peter Drucker's work by reading Jack Beatty's The World According to Peter Drucker. Also, Peter Drucker's newest book, Management Challenges for the 21st Century, is a good companion piece for Innovation and Entrepreneurship by bringing your attention to the primary trends that will be dominant in the early part of the new century. One of the things that I like about all Peter Drucker books is that they are very well written. This is rare in business books, and a great accomplishment when you realize that Peter Drucker's native tongue is German (he was born in Austria).
Rating: 5 out of 5
Forget about that MBA - buy this book and read it!
This is my pick for the best business book of the 20th century. I have read this book three times, have taken extensive notes on it, and still learn a great deal with each re-reading. Peter Drucker has written many excellent business books, but this one shines. Unlike other books with "entrepreneurship" and "innovation" in their titles, this book does not go through the mechanics of setting or running up a business, but instead focuses on the essence of good business planning and practice.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Enjoyable, but with missing pieces
I enjoyed reading this book, especially because it focuses so much on anecdotes. I definitely understood Drucker's point that innovation and entrepreneurship come out of changes in the environment. However, I believe Drucker missed the most important point, which is: What makes someone more able to exploit an opportunity than someone else? For example, he tells a story about how Ray Krok found out about McDonalds, bought it, and made it great. However, I thought he should have focused on why it was Ray Krok, and no one else, who saw the opportunity, rather than how he bought and made McDonalds. It is an entertaining read, but do not expect any lessons on how to be an entrepreneur.
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