Thomas Jefferson said "[E]very generation needs a new revolution." The revolution for the generations in the first half of the 20th century was socialism/communism. For the generations of the second half of the same century, it was the return to capitalism. For the current generation, it seems to be entrepreneurialism. Three insights concerning economic growth have become clear in recent times. Firstly, the key to economic growth is technology (T). Secondly, innovation (I) is the driver of technology growth. Finally, entrepreneurship (E) is a highly powerful but extremely underappreciated contributor to innovation. Yet there persists a paucity of academic books covering the large variety of issues impinging on TIE-exploitation from a contemporary viewpoint. This book is the third and final part of a textbook-trilogy that seeks to fill this gap. The first part (this book) is titled My World, My Nation as it examines TIE interactions from a world-perspective but stressing nation building. Part II: My Firm discusses how an established firm could prosper in the contemporary world of globalized competition and technology. Part III: My Startup discusses issues of particular interest to the growing number of youth pursuing an entrepreneurial career. The origins of this trilogy lie in the class notes compiled by the author while teaching 'Management of Technological Innovation' to undergraduate and graduate students from science, engineering and business departments. The final contents have been influenced strongly by the insights derived by him while living and working in India, the UK, Hong Kong (including extensive travels to mainland China), and the USA. Thus, rather than focusing just on the lessons to be learnt from the experiences of a developed country such as the USA (as most books on the themes examined do), this trilogy empathizes with the biases and concerns of the developing parts of the world as well. Among the topics examined in this book (Part I) are the techno-economic history of the world, the philosophies of science and technology, the industrial revolution, theories of economic growth, economic downturns, and the roles of technology and culture in national development.
About the Author: Patri, K. Venuvinod is a technology-academic with extensive international experience. Educated at College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad, and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Venuvinod has a PhD from University of Manchester Institute and Science and Technology (UMIST), U.K. Subsequently, he was elected as a Fellow of CIRP, Institution of Electrical Engineers (UK), and Hong Kong Institution of Engineers; and Senior Member of Institute of Industrial Engineers. Venuvinod's 37-year teaching career included long stints at Regional Engineering College, Warangal, India; Hong Kong Polytechnic; and City University of Hong Kong. At the last institute, he was the founding Head of the Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management. He also became the university's Chair professor of Manufacturing. During his 25-year stay in Hong Kong he frequently visited mainland China to collaborate on several projects. Venuvinod retired from active service in 2002. However, he continues to be associated with City University of Hong Kong as an Emeritus Professor. In 2004, he co-authored a book on rapid prototyping (published by Kluwer Academic Publishers). In 2001, he founded the International Organization for Developing Universities (IODevUni) which engaged over 22 engineering colleges in Hyderabad, India, in a range of activities promoting the growth of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship (TIE). In 2010 he set up tecinnovent.com to strengthen such activities and publicize TIE-related publications such as this trilogy on TIE of which this book constitutes Part I. Venuvinod welcomes participation in the discussions at tecinnovent.com. There are many ways you can participate, e.g., commenting on TIE-related books including the present one, offering teaching support material (e.g., local case studies), initiating discussions directed towards promoting the growth of Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in your region and workplace.