Title: A generic value tree for high-technology enterprises

Authors: W. Austin Spivey, J. Michael Munson, Donald R. Spoon

Addresses: Management of Technology Program, College of Business, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 6900 North Loop, 1604 West, San Antonio, TX 78249, US. Department of Marketing, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053, USA. Strategic Solutions, Karta Technologies, Inc, 1892 Grandstand, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA

Abstract: Successful strategic planning determines the ultimate fate of an enterprise. Many high-technology enterprises lack a comprehensive framework that facilitates an integrated approach. Derived from the diverse, extant literature on leadership, technology management, marketing and new product development, a Generic Value Tree offers a solution. This comprehensive schema highlights the linkage between technology and marketplace. It represents an objectives hierarchy that asserts that maximising enterprise equity demands a strategic focus on four branches: pursuing strategic intent; nurturing an intelligent enterprise; designing innovative goods and services; and amassing user preference. Its usefulness is tested in two settings: one relies on secondary data; the other relies on primary data collected in a field setting at an actual strategic planning session. The Generic Value Tree is a valuable diagnostic tool in the search for sustainable competitive advantage.

Keywords: value tree; high-technology enterprise; strategic planning; decision making; technology; equity; sustainable competitive advantage.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2002.003053

International Journal of Technology Management, 2002 Vol.24 No.2/3, pp.219-235

Published online: 10 Jul 2003 *

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