DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. According to Francis Bacon, \"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds,\" What does this have to do with technology and innovation? What does it have to do with competitive advantage? 2. What examples of technological innovation can you identify? What forces led to the commercialization of the science behind those technologies? Did the capability exist before the market demand, or was the demand there before the technology was available? 3' Thomas Edison once said that most innovations are 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration How does this match what you know about technology life cycles? 4' Why would a company choose to follow rather than lead technological innovations? Is the potential advantage of technological leadership greater when innovations are occurring rapidly, or is it better in this case to follow? 5' If you were in the grocery business, whom would you benchmark for technological innovations? What could you possibly learn from companies outside the industry? 6' Think about the key roles in technology management. Which ones appeal to you most, and how can you learn the necessary skills? 7. Among those same roles, how and why might conflicts arise? And how would you deal with them? 8. Think about an employer you are familiar with, or your school, How would you describe it using the concepts in this chapter? Where and how could it become more effective