Based on the author’s studies of university spinoffs new companies founded to exploit a piece of intellectual property created in an academic institution from a range of U.S. academic
institutions and his extensive investigation of spinoffs from MIT founded between 1980 and 1996, Shane (economics, Case Western Reserve U., Cleveland, Ohio) describes and explains the formation
of these companies and their role in the commercialization of university technology and wealth creation in the U.S. Coverage includes the historical development of the phenomenon, the four
major factors jointly influencing spinoff activity, the process of spinoff company creation, factors enhancing the performance of spinoffs, and the effects of spinoffs on the institutions that
spawn them. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
