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56 THE PRACTICE OF INNOVATION

are all big businesses with sales in the billions. Not one of them
exploited the personal computer—they were all too busy fighting
IBM. And not one of the old large bookstore chains in the United
States, Brentano’s in New York, for instance, exploited the new book
market.
The opportunity is there, in other words. It is a major opportunity,
occurring frequently. And when it occurs, it holds out great promise,
particularly for existing and sizable enterprises. But such opportuni-
ties require more than mere luck or intuition. They demand that the
enterprise search for innovation, be organized for it, and be managed
so as to exploit it.