Design Planning - The Power of Modularity (Volume 1)

Author: (USA) Carol S. Baldwin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: A significant trend in international competition in the era of economic globalization is that the expansion of global market share is no longer solely about the flow of products, but has evolved into the expansion of patents and technology standards carried by products. Controlling standards has become a powerful weapon in international competition. Based on their research in economic studies and business practice, the two authors of this book fully demonstrate to us: the creators of design rules are the creators of industry standards! For businesses, mastering design rules means leading industry standards and occupying the high ground of the industry; for countries, the decentralized "module cluster" formed by a group of independent companies connected by design rules is the main force driving industrial upgrading. Cultivating such module clusters means possessing the secret weapon to win international competitiveness.
Where does the information revolution have a particularly important impact on the modern economy and society? It is not merely reflected in the number of laid fiber optic cables, the popularity of mobile phones, or the number of internet users, but rather in how the changes in information exchange and processing technologies are affecting the relationships between people, work, and organizations, thereby fundamentally transforming the entire industrial structure. To understand this change, the fields of economics and management have begun to popularize a key concept—modularity. This book is a systematic study of the phenomenon of modularity. From IBM's pioneering modular design to the rapid upgrading and continuous innovation of the computer industry structure, this book analyzes how design rules based on modularity have driven the birth of new high-tech enterprises in the United States, ultimately creating the "Silicon Valley" miracle. Modularity cultivates module clusters, drives industrial upgrading, and wins international competitiveness—this is the core idea of this book.