This informative Handbook examines successful women small business owners in both developed and emergent countries around the globe and, in particular, focuses on women entrepreneur success stories. The contributors expertly identify the issues that underpin the success of women small business owners around the globe. Each chapter provides an up-to-date, country-specific review of women's position in employment and small business ownership and addresses the structural and contextual barriers. They also highlight two cases studies about successful women business owners, and consider strategies relating to the development of women's business ownership by exploring practical initiatives that have worldwide transferability. International Research Handbook on Successful Women Entrepreneurs will prove essential reading for students and academics in the fields of entrepreneurship, international business and gender studies. It will also be of invaluable interest to policy-makers, government officials, and those in traditional markets who wish to understand the nature of small business ownership for women in developing and emerging countries.

This important two-volume set presents an authoritative selection of papers concerned with entrepreneurship and public policy, drawing on a wide range of international experience. Volume I includes: entrepreneurship and economic growth, the research-policy interface, innovation and entrepreneurship, taxation policies and regulation, interventions in the market for business advice and regional perspectives on entrepreneurship. Volume II is devoted to policy evaluation studies, covering both `hard' financial measures and `soft' interventions focused on information, advice, training and networking. This insightful collection will be of interest to applied entrepreneurship researchers and policy makers concerned with evidence based approaches to policy.

This informative book examines the process of nascent entrepreneurship from a learning perspective. It offers a multi-layered framework of nascent entrepreneurship through an inter-disciplinary approach and sound application of Bourdieu's conceptual tools and also by generating practical insights for nascent entrepreneurs, enterprise educators and mentors. Supported by an empirical investigation of two case studies, the authors argue that it is not sufficient to study nascent entrepreneurship and concurrent process of entrepreneurial learning at just the individual (entrepreneur) or collective (team or organisational) level and examine the socio-behavioural aspects of learning; but that entrepreneurial learning should be understood by inter-relating personal (micro), relational (meso) and macro-contextual aspects of nascent entrepreneurship. The comprehensive coverage of entrepreneurship theory and research will be of significant value for scholars, researchers and students in the field.

With this selection of previously published articles, Professor Acs provides a guided tour to the leading ideas in knowledge spillover theory. The volume not only includes some of the foundational writings on the use of knowledge in business and industry, but also brings us right up to date with some seminal articles illustrating the latest thinking on entrepreneurship, the knowledge spillover theory and the knowledge filter. Professor Acs has written a new, authoritative introduction, which provides a comprehensive overview and informative discussion of the subject.

This groundbreaking work brings together a comprehensive set of scholarly articles that help shape our understanding of the strategies deployed to create and grow new business entities. The editor draws on a broad set of multi-disciplinary contributions to the domain of new venture development from scholars who publish in the fields of economics, entrepreneurship, finance, organization theory and strategic management.

Entrepreneurship and regional development can be addressed from many different angles: clusters, creativity and human capital. Professor Acs, a distinguished researcher in this field, approaches this debate through technology. Technological change can be regarded as the most important factor in long-run macroeconomic growth. It has been argued in new growth theory that the technological element of the growth process results from the profit-motivated choices of economic agents. This important volume makes an essential contribution to this debate by presenting an authoritative selection of the most significant published work on entrepreneurship and regional economic growth.

In recent years, university-industry-government interactions have come to the forefront as a method of promoting economic growth in increasingly knowledge-based societies. This ground-breaking new volume evaluates the capacity of the triple helix model to represent the recent evolution of local and national systems of innovation. It analyses both the success of the triple helix as a descriptive and empirical model within internationally competitive technology regions as well as its potential as a prescriptive hypothesis for regional or national systems that wish to expand their innovation processes and industrial development. In addition, it examines the legal, economic, administrative, political and cognitive dimensions employed to configure and study, in practical terms, the series of phenomena contained in the triple helix category. This book will have widespread appeal amongst students and scholars of economics, sociology and business administration who specialise in entrepreneurship and innovation. Policy-makers involved in innovation, industrial development and education as well as private firms and institutional agencies will also find the volume of interest.

This timely book analyses the emergence of new firms in a broad context where economics, management and sociological approaches may be joined for a new perspective. The Entrepreneurial Society reveals that the market benefits of an entrepreneurial economy are evident in the new technology that has been made available to consumers over the past ten to 20 years. It illustrates that entrepreneurial firms provide the market with innovations that create new products and, in turn, generate new employment and tax revenue, thus playing a critical role in surviving the economic crisis. The expert contributors explore the diverse conditions that explain, permit and support entrepreneurship, allowing thinking `outside the box' and enhancing breakthrough innovations. At a time when new challenges relating to the ecological footprint are appearing, this work will prove crucial. The eclectic approaches to entrepreneurship within this book, gathered from different countries and fields of research, will prove to be hotly sought after by researchers and postgraduate students of entrepreneurship and social policy.

This unique and fascinating book takes a critical look at aspects of the prevalent entrepreneurship discourse and presents several substantive new theories, prescribing what should be abandoned (demobilization) and what should be adopted or given a more central position (mobilization). The contributors contend that entrepreneurship is not only an economic matter; that it is not a predominantly male-gender issue; and that it is not only done by heroes or extraordinary efforts but rather that it is as much a matter of ordinary, routine activities. They conclude that the entrepreneurship literature could greatly benefit from including the concepts of space and place, that resistance to it is an important aspect of its success, and that it is just as much about imitation as about creativity. Finally, they address the issue that what should be demobilized or mobilized in the entrepreneurship discourse might actually be the wrong question, since entrepreneurship is arguably a way of life. At the cutting edge of entrepreneurship research, this thought-provoking book will prove a stimulating read for entrepreneurship academics, students and researchers in the fields of entrepreneurship and business and management.

This insightful book shows how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from some of the traditionally less dynamic peripheral economies of the `old' EU - namely Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain - have responded to the twin challenges of globalisation and industrial restructuring. Through a series of unique case studies the contributing authors discuss how these economies, and in particular the SME sector, can be transformed. The book begins by examining the key drivers of the globally competitive SME sector in the EU, before moving on to explore the relationship between multinational enterprises (MNEs), SMEs and industrial development. The authors investigate important policy implications and provide lessons for SME development and growth. With empirical and theoretical contributions on SMEs in both the manufacturing and the services sectors, this essential book will be invaluable for researchers and policymakers in small business economics and management. Postgraduate students of entrepreneurship, business economics, industrial economics and European studies will appreciate this unique set of insights.

Introducing a new concept in family businesses Transgenerational Entrepreneurship addresses how these businesses achieve growth and longevity through entrepreneurial activities. It focuses on the resources, capabilities and mindsets that families develop and draw upon in order to be entrepreneurial across generations, and presents findings from an international research collaboration between family business researchers and practitioners. In addition to a comprehensive conceptual chapter, the editors include a unique set of empirical case-based research papers that investigates transgenerational entrepreneurship in different European contexts. They bring together and integrate frontier research on entrepreneurship and family business, as well as provide a basis for future research. Academics, teachers and students in business and management, entrepreneurship and family business will find this path-breaking book of value, as will libraries, policy makers and consultants.

This highly topical book presents a new theory on the characteristics of entrepreneurial knowledge. It explores the recent shift among professional economists and scholars in their evaluation of the debate of socialism. Socialism, Economic Calculation and Entrepreneurship presents an application of Israel M. Kirzner's theory of entrepreneurship to the theory of the impossibility of socialism. It discusses the influence of the fall of socialism, with particular reference to the evolution of economic thought. With innovative and timely discussions, this book will appeal to students and academics in the fields of economic systems, the economic analysis of socialism and the history of economic thought. This important resource will also be greatly received by all scholars and students interested in Austrian economics.

A critical exploration of today's global imperative to innovate, by champions, critics, and reformers of innovation. Corporate executives, politicians, and school board leaders agree-Americans must innovate. Innovation experts fuel this demand with books and services that instruct aspiring innovators in best practices, personal habits, and workplace cultures for fostering innovation. But critics have begun to question the unceasing promotion of innovation, pointing out its gadget-centric shallowness, the lack of diversity among innovators, and the unequal distribution of innovation's burdens and rewards. Meanwhile, reformers work to make the training of innovators more inclusive and the outcomes of innovation more responsible. This book offers an overdue critical exploration of today's global imperative to innovate by bringing together innovation's champions, critics, and reformers in conversation. The book presents an overview of innovator training, exploring the history, motivations, and philosophies of programs in private industry, universities, and government; offers a primer on critical innovation studies, with essays that historicize, contextualize, and problematize the drive to create innovators; and considers initiatives that seek to reform and reshape what it means to be an innovator. Contributors Errol Arkilic, Catherine Ashcraft, Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, W. Bernard Carlson, Lisa D. Cook, Humera Fasihuddin, Maryann Feldman, Erik Fisher, Benoit Godin, Jenn Gustetic, David Guston, Eric S. Hintz, Marie Stettler Kleine, Dutch MacDonald, Mickey McManus, Sebastian Pfotenhauer, Natalie Rusk, Andrew L. Russell, Lucinda M. Sanders, Brenda Trinidad, Lee Vinsel, Matthew Wisnioski

The performance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) has been a subject of continual interest to both researchers and practitioners. This enlightening book investigates the pitfalls which have affected the assessment of SME performance in much of the past research. In this book, John Watson dispels a number of myths that have become part of the SME landscape - including that SMEs suffer from excessively high failure rates; that female-owned SMEs under-perform male-owned SMEs; and that SME growth (particularly for female-controlled SMEs) is severely limited by a lack of external funding. Making extensive use of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, this book will appeal to research students interested in entrepreneurship and SMEs, teachers of entrepreneurship courses and policymakers. Advisors to the SME sector will also find that the material presented provides them with a good background understanding of performance in this sector.

In this important new book, Mark Casson argues that the fundamental significance of entrepreneurship requires it be fully integrated into core social science disciplines such as economics and sociology, as well as into economic and business history. This book shows how this can be done. It formalises the role of the entrepreneur as innovator, risk-taker and judgemental decision-maker, and relates these functions to the size and growth of the firm. Mark Casson discusses entrepreneurship as a form of strategic networking, showing how entrepreneurs gain access to established networks in order to source information, and then create their own networks to exploit this information. Applying these insights to historical evidence leads to a radical re-interpretation of key issues in economic and business history, including the emergence of trading companies, the spread of empires, the rise of the modern corporation and the globalisation of the firm. This authoritative book by an established scholar is essential reading for economists, social scientists and historians, as well as business and management scholars.

This comprehensive Handbook presents an extensive overview of empirical and conceptual developments in the study of high-tech entrepreneurs from an interdisciplinary and multinational perspective. The expert contributors explore various conceptual frameworks and definitions of high-tech entrepreneurs and of the entrepreneurial process based on studies in different settings and contexts. They examine issues of equality, diversity and inclusion in terms of gender and class. The Handbook investigates strategies for empowering high-tech entrepreneurs, ranging from structural conditions and support mechanisms afforded by state and institutional actors, to individual mechanisms used by serial entrepreneurs to avoid burnout. Including unique perspectives on theory and research, this Handbook will make a rigorous and innovative contribution to academics, students and researchers' understanding of high-tech entrepreneurs.

This unique Handbook illustrates how entrepreneurs across Europe tackle internationalization. This timely and important book identifies patterns and builds a theory of international entrepreneurship in Europe. The contributors discuss the performances of SMEs on the road to internationalization. Each chapter emphasizes how the process of internationalization of SMEs operates, the challenges and opportunities that arise due to each country's specific political and economic situation, and their subsequent internationalization performance. These processes, challenges and performances can be understood through theories of international business and entrepreneurship. Although at times these theories cannot fully explain certain phenomena, nevertheless they help to derive new extensions of thought. Together, they constitute a foundation for a new way of thinking about and understanding the importance and effect of internationalization of SMEs to country-level competitiveness in Europe. The role of theoretically important issues such as cooperation and trust, venture capital, research and development, learning, networks and government policy is also explored and analysed, and will be of great interest to researchers, academics and graduates interested in international business and entrepreneurship.

The ideal firm has been studied over several centuries, yet little is known about what makes one successful and another fail. This pioneering book brings together leading researchers investigating the concept of the firm from a neuroscientific perspective. From the viewpoint of economics, the firm's purpose is to maximize shareholders' wealth; resources are commodities, each with its particular supply and demand curve that can be manipulated by the firm to its own benefit. Traditionally, the firm is focused on the strategic, operational and resource management objectives. The editors instead suggest that the objective of the firm is equal to the objectives of its workers. The definition and function of risk in decision-making, ethics, trust and the global financial crisis are all discussed. They are analyzed from the perspective of human bio-physiology, using scanning and hormonal analysis tools, with a focus on the implications for the bottom line of the firm. With experimental as well as theoretical and applied contributions, this book will benefit scholars and students of economics, business management, finance, organizational behavior, entrepreneurship, psychology, neuroscience and law. Practitioners of management, entrepreneurship and law firms will also find this book to be a captivating read.

This rich and detailed book makes a very timely contribution to extending our understanding of entrepreneurship in its social context. Using selected examples, the respected contributors show how the values developed in religious beliefs and practices shape entrepreneurship. For too long the entrepreneur has been characterized as an isolated, economically driven individual, thus ignoring how enterprise and entrepreneurs are products of their society, their culture and their religion. This innovative book discusses both entrepreneurship and religion, as well as indicating how the synthesis of beliefs and practices combine in entrepreneurial endeavours. It provides a conceptually useful way of framing the individualistic entrepreneur in his or her social and cultural context, demonstrating how entrepreneurial agency operates within and through a variety of religious contexts. Illustrated with original photographs, this captivating book will be warmly welcomed by students and researchers with interests in entrepreneurship, sociology, religion and cultural studies. Government policy-makers in immigration will also find this book an invaluable read.

This fourth book in the New Movements in Entrepreneurship series focuses on the politics and aesthetics of entrepreneurial processes, in order to shed light on entrepreneurial creation itself. Presenting original empirical material, the eminent contributors examine control and entrepreneurship in various organizational contexts. They go on to demonstrate how control can be exercised entrepreneurially, how art brings an entrepreneurial force into society, and how entrepreneurship operates by aesthetic moves. The need to move beyond the traditional focus on the economic and business implications of entrepreneurship is also discussed, as is the relevance of political and aesthetic theory to our understanding of entrepreneurship as a creative force. The book provides entrepreneurship studies with a new language, that in itself is an aesthetic effort with political implications, resulting in new theoretical, empirical and practical possibilities. It will prove a fascinating read for students, academics and researchers with an interest in entrepreneurship and management and creativity and aesthetics.

This timely Handbook offers a unique opportunity to consider the performance and national context of microcredit initiatives within the European Union. Drawing together authors from a multi-disciplinary background and including complementary perspectives and interpretative analysis, this original Handbook examines which strategies and policies may affect how a particular country initiative fights against social and financial exclusion or fosters entrepreneurial behaviour with the use of microcredit. It explores the development of an Eastern/Western Europe practical divide in institutional practices and business models, whilst analysing the state of European microcredit and how the continent is adopting and adapting this developing world model for economic development. This book will be an influential tool helping government and policymakers to target a new set of microcredit initiatives and programmes. It will also be an invaluable read for students and academics in economics, business, development issues and political science.

Modern economies are described as `knowledge based'. This book investigates the meaning of such a statement, assessing the relevance of knowledge and the channels through which knowledge is exchanged, both from a theoretical and an empirical perspective. Moving within the realm of complexity theory, the authors provide a methodological assessment of the knowledge diffusion debate as well as presenting theoretical and applied models of knowledge diffusion and innovation. They illustrate how geography plays a role in shaping innovative patterns and how dense networks generally result in more innovative environments. The book concludes that establishing the right connections within such dense networks appears to be more crucial than any other factor, thus highlighting the importance of linkages (or the effects of their absence) within innovation systems. Proposing a taxonomy of knowledge-sharing patterns, this book will be warmly welcomed by academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the areas of the economics of innovation, evolutionary economics and knowledge economics.

Why companies need to move away from a "product first" orientation to pursuing innovation based on customer need. In the past, companies found success with a product-first orientation; they made a thing that did a thing. TheInversion Factor explains why the companies of today and tomorrow will have to abandon the product-first orientation. Rather than asking "How do the products we make meet customer needs?" companies should ask "How can technology help us reimagine and fill a need?" Zipcar, for example, instead of developing another vehicle for moving people from point A to point B, reimagined how people interacted with vehicles. Zipcar inverted the traditional car company mission. The authors explain how the introduction of "smart" objects connected by the Internet of Things signals fundamental changes for business. The IoT, where real and digital coexist, is powering new ways to meet human needs. Companies that know this include giants like Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, Google, Tesla, and Apple, as well as less famous companies like Tile, Visenti, and Augury. The Inversion Factor offers a roadmap for businesses that want to follow in their footsteps. The authors chart the evolution of three IoTs-the Internet of Things (devices connected to the Internet), the Intelligence of Things (devices that host software applications), and the Innovation of Things (devices that become experiences). Finally, they offer a blueprint for businesses making the transition to inversion and interviews with leaders of major companies and game-changing startups.

In the only known programme of prescriptive entrepreneurship, James Fiet provides a marked contrast to the standard descriptive focus of entrepreneurship studies. Instead of the anecdotally based pedagogies that have dominated the teaching of entrepreneurship (and which do not control for luck-based success), the author lays out a programme of research to develop and test theoretically derived guidelines for how to improve the success rate and performance of aspiring entrepreneurs. Rather than describing what entrepreneurs do, he prescribes and tests what they ought to do. The author finds that the use of systematic search at the launch relates positively to both the discovery of wealth-generating ideas and the founding of ventures. The book also uncovers the characteristics of forgiving business models and discusses their teachability. Training elements of the book include a prescriptive model of how to search for and discover wealth-generating ideas, a detailed protocol for how to train aspiring entrepreneurs in the use of systematic search, and an instrument that allows aspiring entrepreneurs to test the potential of their ideas before launching a venture. The book will be of interest to business and entrepreneurship scholars and teachers, students and aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking for prescriptive tools to help them launch a successful business.

This invaluable reference tool has been designed in response to the growing recognition that too little is known about the intersection between entrepreneurship and human resource management. Paying particular attention to the `people' side of venture emergence and development, it offers unique insights into the role that human resource management (HRM) plays in small and entrepreneurial firms. A group of international scholars contribute theoretical and empirical chapters on specific HRM issues in the context of entrepreneurial and smaller firms. The Handbook offers a new understanding of the role of HRM in developing sustainable entrepreneurship and describes how HRM practices and procedures can be used to help navigate and, indeed, drive the changing landscape in these firms. Exploring the functional aspects and nature of managing HRM in new, small, growing, emerging and entrepreneurial firms, this fascinating Handbook will not only be warmly welcomed by HRM students, researchers and academics, but also by HR practitioners and managers.