China's Leap into the Information Age: Innovation and Organization in the Computer Industry [Hardcover]

Qiwen Lu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0198295375 | ISBN-13: 978-0198295372

This book takes an inside look at the development of four large Chinese domestic computer enterprises from their inception to their establishment as multi-billion dollar businesses. It shows how and why indigenous Chinese high-tech firms gained technology capabilities and modern marketing know-how, and how they were able to compete directly with Western multinationals.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book scores high on both its readability and its strong conceptual underpinning ... the findings of this book are profound, in that the author discovered a unique mode of technology learning and provided strong evidence of indigenous innovative capabilities in Chinese enterprises. Technovation A must read for those who are interested in technological development and accompanying institutional change during China's reform era, as well as those scholars and practitioners of technological advancement in developing countries. The China Quarterly

About the Author

Qiwen Lu was Assistant Professor of Asian Business at the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) in Fontainbleau, France. He died of liver cancer in August 1999, just after submitting the completed manuscript of this book to the publisher. His research, some of which formed the basis for his Ph.D. dissertation at Harvard University, focused on the role of innovative business organizations in China's rapid economic growth. He did much of the fieldwork for this book as a research associate at the Center for Industrial Competitiveness at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Besides his Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University, he held both engineering and law degrees from Chinese universities. He also worked for a number of years in China as a research scientist and R&D project manager in a national industrial laboratory and as a legal consultant for several high-tech firms.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198295375
• ISBN-13: 978-0198295372
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,369,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars brilliant but tragic, December 1, 2000

By 

Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: China's Leap into the Information Age: Innovation and Organization in the Computer Industry (Hardcover)

This book is the product of a remarkably well informed observer, packed full of insights that anyone interested in the Chinese economy and in high technology should know. Qiwen was a real insider in China, Harvard educated and with extraordinary connections in China. Unfortunately, Prof. Lu died just prior to its publication. I believe it was his first book. The loss is incalculable.

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful!, March 15, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: China's Leap into the Information Age: Innovation and Organization in the Computer Industry (Hardcover)

Chinese tech firm is an oxymoron, right? Not at all, according to this intriguing work by the late professor Qiwen Lu. This book, fascinating at times, offers an in-depth look at four successful Chinese tech enterprises. Taking each of the four as a case study, Lu thoroughly illustrates the challenges facing a bureaucracy attempting to break into a fast-changing industry. In spite of its good points, Lu's book isn't perfect. The text is laden with jargon, and at times it's difficult to understand exactly how these enterprises are organized. Still, there's plenty to like about this book. We at getAbstract recommend it to anyone interested in emerging economies, technology or international trade, or to anyone willing to have their expectations overturned.