Rating: 
Summary: Conceptually sound and full of practical advice
Review: Pat's new book strikes a careful balance between theory and practical advice. Unlike other books on the topic that are an easy read, but too superficial, or deep and practical, but read like textbooks, "Value-Driven" has something for everyone from the CEO down to the IP manager charged with the day-to-day responsibility of getting it done. For those readers unfamiliar with the work of the "Gathering" companies in this important field, the appendix may be the best place to start for context. The final chapter, "Making It Happen" is to date the only writing I have seen that lays out the process from beginning to end for the benefit of those struggling with where to start and what to do next. Pat's experience in this area is obvious. His recommendations are based upon years of work with real-world companies facing the same real-world challenges as our clients. I have already put the advice in his book to good use in my own work with companies embarking on similar projects.
Rating:
Summary: A great place to start
Review: This was an extremely disappointing book. Given Dr Sullivan's credentials, I was disgusted with the lack of substance within the book. For example, having stated that Financial analysts heve not given sufficient thought to developing a valuation approach to knowledge companies, and that the presented framework can be used in IC valuation, I didn't expect to be presented with several pages of "Price is the amount a purchaser is willing to pay..Cost is the amount of money required to produce an item." Believe it or not, most of us knew this already. Be prepared for plenty of insightful and leading edge pearls of wisdom: "Parents are often asked by their child 'How much do you love me?' ..tends to fall back on answers like 'A lot!'. The point is that some things, even very important ones like love, do not lend themselves to accurate or quantifiable measurement." It appears that Dr Sullivan didn't have anything knew to contribute and filled the book any way he could. To assume that the book is providing anything useful to semi-educated personnel is merely patronising.
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