Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 [Paperback]

AnnaLee Saxenian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0674753402 | ISBN-13: 978-0674753402

Why is it that business in Silicon Valley is again flourishing while along Route 128 in Massachusetts it continues to decline? The answer, Sexanian suggests, has to do with the fact that despite similar histories and technologies, Silicon Valley developed a decentralized but co-operative industrial system while Route 128 came to be dominated by independent, self-sufficient corporations. The result of more than 100 interviews, this analysis highlights the importance of local sources of competitive advantage in a volatile world economy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

AnnaLee Saxenian is Dean of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674753402
• ISBN-13: 978-0674753402
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Structural Analysis, February 21, 2000

By 

Sean Safford (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 (Paperback)

Contrary to one of the other reviewer's comments, the importance of this book is in showing precicely that it is not the "endemic" culture of Silicon Valley, but rather the innovative institutions and networked relationships in Silicon Valley that explains the region's success. A great contribution to the literature on embeddedness and network forms of organization.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great examination of the influences of business-culture, May 12, 1998

By 

Randy Burge (Santa Fe, New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 (Paperback)

This book was recommended to me by a VP at Sun Microsystems to explain why Silicon Valley happened [open-org-networks and strong entrepreneurial initiatives] and how other communities can learn from this success. The answers to why and why-not for a community are found embedded in the local or regional business culture. How close-minded is your town?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, great piece of work, July 20, 2005

By 

Juan E. Vargas "Galactico" (Columbia, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 (Paperback)

The book is written by a person who lived in the Route 128 area and in the Silicon Valley. Besides the great insights and fantastic scholarly work, the book reflects the experience of seeing the development of both regions, not only through the eyes of a scholar, but also through the experiences that can only be gained by "being there."