For many entrepreneurs there is a mystique about finance -starting, growing and selling new ventures is tough enough. Yet with some focused financial knowledge you can run your company with less cash, grow it more quickly and make more money when it is sold. This book makes the dry world of finance easy to understand and relevant to entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship is widely embraced today in political discourse, popular culture, and economic policy prescriptions. Several groups actively promote entrepreneurial thinking and practices in higher education. This book examines how this 'Entrepreneurship Movement' impacts higher education in Canada and the United States.

This book presents the proceedings of the 1st EAI International Conference on Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education (TIE 2017), which took place at Canterbury Christ Church University on September 11-12, 2017. The central theme of the conference is creativity and innovation, especially in relation to technology, business, education, social and political needs that make modern society flourish. The proceedings feature papers from a cross-disciplinary audience that explore the process of creativity and innovation. The goal is that the various disciplines can learn from each other and see how they might benefit from the cross-fertilization of practices.

This book explores the nature and uniqueness of leadership in Iceland within a business and economic context. Starting with an analysis of Iceland's geographical location, historical development and societal culture, the authors critically examine the major elements of the Icelandic business environment from an individual to a global level, and from economic prosperity to financial collapse. They particularly focus on leadership and human resource management within this unique societal culture and discuss the specific issues that are unique to Iceland, i.e. entrepreneurship, gender egalitarianism, equality, low power-distance, reflecting on, and orienting within contemporary leadership theories. The book covers a variety of analytical methods and cases, providing a unique introduction to leadership in Iceland, and opening avenues for further research into this relatively new phenomenon.

Digital technologies have become a new economic and social force, reshaping traditional business models, strategies, structures, and processes. Digital entrepreneurship, which focuses on creating new ventures and transforming existing businesses by developing novel digital technologies or their novel usage, is seen as a critical pillar for economic growth, job creation, and innovation by many countries. Further, digital technologies have also enabled the growth of the sharing economy, linking owners and users and disrupting the previous dualism of businesses and customers.This volume discusses the management of new technology-based firms and technology projects initiated in academic or industrial contexts. The contributions feature new theoretical concepts, ethical considerations, empirical data analysis (qualitative and quantitative), archival and historical methods, design science approaches, action and field research, as well as management science methods, informatics and cybernetics.

Academic research on developed countries has scientifically evaluated the role of entrepreneurship on economic growth, market expansion, commercializing innovation, and reducing unemployment. In this research, regions or industries with higher rates of entrepreneurship show higher levels of innovation and economic growth. The literature on entrepreneurship and innovation has largely ignored developing countries, despite the positive results from new venture investments in India, China, and elsewhere. This volume bridges this gap by bringing together research by scholars in Germany and India, whose analysis of entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development in their respective countries reveals commonalities. Covering such timely issues as R&D and labor policies and including case examples from the chemical, biotech, and IT industries, the authors offer insight into the entrepreneurial process. The volume concludes with a discussion of the global implications for entrepreneurship research and policy.

This Palgrave Pivot examines the essence of competence value in corporate and small business finance, offering empirical evidence to better understand financial practices within entrepreneurial settings. Mantovani suggests an innovative methodology to detect the financial value of entrepreneurial capabilities. He shows how the concept of competence value and T-ratio, its measurement tool, are necessary to arrange sound entrepreneurial finance deals. This book opens with an analysis of how entrepreneurial skills contribute to the economics of entrepreneurial business, and then provides a financial background to estimate the competence value even when the financial markets fail to do so. The book goes on to introduce the idea of an entrepreneurial life-cycle made of stages based on the transformation of human skills into competitive hallmarks. Applications across a large sample of companies and Mantovani's concluding suggestions about the financial practice make this book essential to both academics and executives.

Alain Fayolle has brought together an impressive collection of contributions from many of the very best scholars in entrepreneurship. In bringing them together, this engaging book not only offers a very thoughtful reflection on past and present work in entrepreneurship but also insightful, new and fresh perspectives for its future study. This book is a must read for anyone who is serious about entrepreneurship, its research and the future of the field. An exciting, fresh and very timely addition - thank you.' - Sarah L. Jack, Lancaster University Management School (LUMS), UKThis indispensable Handbook offers a fresh look at entrepreneurship research, addressing what we already know, and what we still need to know, in the field. Over the course of 17 chapters, a collaboration of 24 highly regarded researchers, experts in their fields, provide an insightful new perspective on the future of the study of entrepreneurship. They show that there is a need to redesign research in the field - enacting entrepreneurship out of the box - and to consider the history of entrepreneurship whilst developing the future course for research. They also underline the importance of developing research at the crossroads of different fields and the need to explore new domains and/or revisit existing ones from differing perspectives. Finally, they express a desire for more continuity in research, developing knowledge around key concepts and insightful domains. Contributors: B.S. Anderson, L. Begin, G. Cacciotti, J.G. Covin, P. Desbrieres, S. Dolmans, S. Dubard Barbosa, A. Fayolle, W.B. Gartner, J. Hayton, C. Henry, B. Honig, B. Johannisson, H. Landstroem, S. Marlow, B. Martin, G. McElwee, S. Mian, H. Neergaard, S. Read, K.G. Shaver, R. Smith, P. Somerville, M. Wright

Lauded as a driver of economic growth, entrepreneurship and small business ventures have become increasingly attractive to countries looking to boost employment rates, productivity, and innovation. The manifestation of entrepreneurship varies from country to country, and what works for one may not work for the next. Comparative Case Studies on Entrepreneurship in Developed and Developing Countries presents the challenges and opportunities that entrepreneurs in different countries face at various developmental stages. Through in-depth studies, this premier reference work seeks to provide examples of successful applications of an elusive concept that has helped many countries move up the developmental ladder, a topic relevant to researchers and academicians working in social and behavioral sciences, economists, and business professionals.

Software. Hardware. Networks. Wireless. Entrepreneurs face a bewildering array of choices and decisions when it comes to incorporating technology into the fabric of their businesses. Yet nothing could be more important these days. Aligning information technology (IT) with business strategy is essential to meet and beat the competition. As business strategy and technology expert CJ Rhoads shows, managing information technology effectively is an essential skill that all entrepreneurs must develop, just as they develop skills in sales or finance. However, due to the immaturity of the IT industry, making good decisions about information technology is very difficult. Reliable and unbiased information is hard to find, and technical people are often unable to convey information in a way that makes sense to entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Managing Information Technology to the rescue! Reading this book could mean the difference between having reliable, effective systems that help your business flourish--or stumbling into hidden sink holes that drain employee motivation and hack away at profits. In addition to helping you level the playing field with technology salespeople hawking everything from handheld devices to complex networks, Rhoads answers the following questions: -How do I get the promised benefits of information technology? -How do I avoid the risks? -How do I plan for the information technology that I will need as the business grows? -How do I choose wisely from the plethora of platforms, products, and services that are available? -How do I avoid wasting money on technology that won't work for me? -How do I implement and coordinate technology so that it runs smoothly? -Howdo I manage the people, processes, and systems for the best value? Understanding the answers to these questions and putting them to work could mean the difference between success and failure in any entrepreneurial venture. Readers will learn to recognize hype when they see it, and they will focus on how to profit the most from IT. At the very least, readers will avoid thousands of dollars in lost costs by avoiding risky technology projects. The knowledge contained in this book separates the winners from the whiners in the quest to better employ information technology. Which would you like to be?

This book presents a systematic literature review of 156 published papers on business model innovation (BMI). The aim is to identify and integrate the different theoretical perspectives, analytical levels, and empirical contexts in order to deepen understanding of this complex phenomenon. The authors conduct an inductive thematic analysis based on an informal ontological classification that identifies 56 key themes. Within each theme, discussion focuses on thematic patterns, potential inconsistencies and debates, and future directions and opportunities for research. The book makes a number of significant contributions to the field. First, it offers a deeper understanding of the evolution of research on BMI through an ontological map that identifies the key thematic areas in the literature. Second, a multilevel model is developed that clarifies the concept of BMI by identifying its drivers, contingencies, and outcomes. Third, the authors identify clear and specific directions for further research and offer suggestions on research design, creating an informative road map for the future. The book will be of value both to scholars and researchers and to practitioners.

The Springer book series Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management was launched in March 2008 as a forum and intellectual, scholarly "podium" for global/local, transdisciplinary, transsectoral, public-private, and leading/"bleeding" -edge ideas, theories, and perspectives on these topics. The book series is accompanied by the Springer Journal of the Knowledge Economy, which was launched in 2009 with the same editorial leadership. The series showcases provocative views that diverge from the current "conv- tional wisdom," that are properly grounded in theory and practice, and that consider 1 2 the concepts of robust competitiveness, sustainable entrepreneurship, and demo- 3 cratic capitalism, central to its philosophy and objectives. More specifically, the aim of this series is to highlight emerging research and practice at the dynamic intersection of these fields, where individuals, organizations, industries, regions, and nations are harnessing creativity and invention to achieve and sustain growth. Books that are part of the series explore the impact of innovation at the "macro" (economies, markets), "meso" (industries, firms), and "micro" levels. (teams, indi viduals), drawing from such related disciplines as finance, organizational psychology, research and development, science policy, information systems, and 1 We define sustainable entrepreneurship as the creation of viable, profitable, and scalable firms. Such firms engender the formation of self-replicating and mutually enhancing innovation networks and knowledge clusters (innovation ecosystems), leading toward robust competitiveness (E.G. Carayannis, International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development, 1(3), 235-254, 2009).

Traditionally, the study of entrepreneurial behavior focuses on such factors as (i) the personality characteristics that distinguish the entrepreneur from non-entrepreneur and (ii) demographic characteristics such gender, age, familiar antecedents and education. With particular respect to investigating the development, acquisition, and dissemination of entrepreneurial skills and behaviors, the authors focus on the university environment, as a locus of research and innovation, where students are exposed to a wide variety of influences that are enhanced by a high degree of connectivity.

The underlying theme of this volume is to develop our understanding of the sociology of student entrepreneurial behavior and in doing so attempt to synthesize literature investigating individual talent with the literature on concurrent knowledge sourcing in the pursuit of entrepreneurial activities. Specifically, the authors investigate the degree to which access to diverse knowledge (in addition to such psychological characteristics and tolerance of ambiguity and risk taking) influences the nature and probability of entrepreneurial success. Moreover, they explore the role of social media and social networking in facilitating access to distributed and disparate information and knowledge.

Their research addresses such timely questions as: Where do entrepreneurial opportunities come from? How can higher education best stimulate the creation of firms emanating from young and smart minds in colleges and universities? What is the value of MOOCs for frequent, early, and thick communication among the various specialties needed to accomplish entrepreneurial projects? How do we know whether social media affect students responses to new knowledge and new ideas?To what extent do educational practices affect racial and ethnic differences in student entrepreneurship? What is the role of the indigenous minority student entrepreneur in establishing high-technology firms?

The result is a multi-dimensional approach that sheds light on the dynamics of education, knowledge creation, social networking, innovation and new business development."

Traditionally, company experts and outside collaborators innovate by developing the knowledge map. Success or failure of incremental innovation hinges on this path. The Role of Creative Ignorance suggests the knowledge map should be abandoned and replaced with a new methodology, that of creative ignorance. With over 30 years of experience in international economics and entrepreneurship, Piero Formica explores the concept of creative ignorance in combination with path creation and its disruptive effect on entrepreneurship. Using narrative examples of innovators and companies worldwide, he introduces the characteristics of successful path creators that overstep the boundaries set by knowledge maps to open up new, unprecedented routes and connect them each other. In doing so, path creators reveal latent, unexpressed needs of consumers and drive innovation forward.

This book contributes to a better understanding of entrepreneurship in transition economies. Current literature reflects the more traditional schools of thought on entrepreneurship, which are influenced by the Western perspective, and fail to fully address the scenario in transition economies. There is a broad consensus among academics, policy makers, and practitioners that a fundamental cause of difficulties experienced by most economies in transition has been the fact that reform has not been accompanied by the creation of new, private businesses, and particularly SMEs. This is especially evident in states created in Europe after the dissolution of the Soviet Union where many barriers, which were inherited from the old system, remain in place, thus inhibiting entrepreneurial progress in these countries despite a favorable political and economic environment. The contributions featured in this book focus on how much progress has been achieved so far with regard to these aspects, as well as identify which current barriers and issues still need to be resolved. Themes include innovation performance, financing, venture capital, educational factors, and entrepreneurial learning.

In many ways, the process of innovation is a constant social dance, where the best dancers thrive by adapting new steps with multiple partners. The systematic and continuous generation of value in any innovation system relies on collaboration between different groups, who must overcome multiple, often competing agendas and needs to work together fruitfully over the long term. Featuring contributions from leading researchers, business leaders, and policymakers representing North America, Europe, India, Africa, and Australasia, this volume investigates different combinations of collaborative arrangements among innovation actors, many of which are changing conventional expectations of institutional relationships. Collectively, the authors demonstrate that no particular combination has emerged as the most dominant, or even resilient, model of innovation. Several authors expand on our understanding of the triple helix model, with both academics and practitioners looking to the quadruple helix (encompassing business, academic, government, and civil society) as the new standard. Other authors address aspects of open innovation, co-creation, and user-centered design-all testaments to the rapidly shifting landscape. At the same time, many businesses, academics, and governments, not to mention non-profit organizations, foundations, and society at large, are active in conversations about how to pursue a more sustainable model of innovation. The pursuit of this holy grail of innovation is both facilitated and complicated by an ever-accelerating technological environment in which social networking and mobile tools are emerging as new dance arenas.

This book explains the strategic appeal of innovation and entrepreneurship education based on the systematic analysis of the key characteristics and constraints of China's economic transformation and upgrading. The book presents results related to studying the common trends of innovation and entrepreneurship education at the times of economic globalization and the experience of major countries, exploring the cultivation model of key innovation and entrepreneurship talents and mechanism of the innovation and entrepreneurship education ecosystem. Based on ecology and system theory, this book puts forward the concept of "global ecology" to explain the complex relationship among various elements in the process of innovation and entrepreneurship education.

This book develops and illustrates a new promising workshop methodology utilized for the first time in a comparative study between Italy and Australia. It is shown how Change Laboratory workshops are useful to trigger sense of initiative and entrepreneurship in vocational students.

This book gathers selected papers from the 28th Eurasia Business and Economics Society (EBES) Conference, held in Coventry, United Kingdom. While the theoretical and empirical papers presented cover diverse areas of economics and finance in various geographic regions, the main focus is on the latest research concerning the economics of innovation, finance and macroeconomics. The book also includes regional studies.

With over forty-five years of sales and entrepreneurial experience, George J. Trovao analyzes the keys to creating and maintaining a successful business enterprise. He illustrates how exertion and steady professional growth can provide vast rewards and encourages the avoidance of procrastination while remaining cautiously aggressive when planning a strategy to become an entrepreneur.Entrepreneur: Power, Myths and Magic provides the preparatory tools needed to start and successfully maintain a business, tips to maintain a positive mental attitude, and encouragement to share the fruits of your labor so that you will prosper. Trovao feels it's necessary to understand the downside of business and assimilate it into the upside for an enduring and exciting journey of wealth and prosperity. His nuggets of wisdom include how to tap into a universal power, do less and accomplish more while maintaining a sense of urgency.Trovao's enthusiasm and persistence are inspirational for people thinking about taking the risk to start their own business. His instruction to duplicate yourself and duplicate your own efforts through others can accelerate wealth-building opportunities for all participants. He shows how to develop new habits, take the required action to achieve your goals, and watch your business thrive.Entrepreneur: Power, Myths and Magic provides the preparatory tools needed to start and successfully maintain a business, tips to maintain a positive mental attitude, and encouragement to share the fruits of your labor so that you will prosper. Trovao feels it's necessary to understand the downside of business and assimilate it into the upside for an enduring and exciting journey of wealth and prosperity. His nuggets of wisdom include how to do less and accomplish more while maintaining a sense of urgency.Trovao's enthusiasm and persistence are inspirational for people thinking about taking the risk to start their own business. His instruction to duplicate yourself and duplicate your own efforts through others can accelerate wealth-building opportunities for all participants. He shows how to develop new habits, take the required action to achieve your goals, and watch your business thrive.