Policy makers give a lot of attention to business creation and entrepreneurship, but they do not have a good resource for understanding The Truth about Entrepreneurship. The extensive media coverage of Wall Street entrepreneurship provides an incomplete portrayal of most business creation. While both high profile and everyday new firms provide major contributions to economic growth, the ongoing, bottoms-up activity pursued by over half a billion around the world is not widely recognized. This book reviews some of the most salient features of grass roots business creation, such as the total amount of activity, differences related to national economic development, the relationship to business churning and job creation, the impact of national context, the mixed contributions of high growth firms, the modest effect of external financial support, the unequal distribution of sunk costs related to successful payback, importance as an option for the most desperate in poor countries, and the tendency to overlook the continuing incremental impact of Main Street business creation. Entrepreneurial scholars, faculty, policy analysts and graduate students interested in economic development, entrepreneurship and public policy will find clarity and gain a depth of knowledge about policymaking and business creation with The Truth about Entrepreneurship.

This innovative book explores the foundations of the smart city and, through a critique of its challenges and concerns, showcases how to redefine the concept for increased sustainability, liveability and resilience in urban areas. It undertakes a review of the smart city concept, providing a new perspective on how technology-based urban solutions must be centred around human dimensions to render more liveable urban fabrics. Chapters highlight how existing digital infrastructures can be coupled with emerging ones, so that they can provide increased efficiency and performance, with an ultimate objective of rendering safer, more sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities, aligning with the needs of the SDGs. The book also covers emerging technologies and concepts, such as 6G and the '15-minute city', underlining how these can develop within smart city frameworks. This is an invigorating look into the concept of the smart city and how it can be improved and rethought, making it useful for urban studies and human geography academics and researchers. It also offers helpful insights for policy makers and planners on how to increase the quality of life in modern cities.

Investigating the changing forms, dynamics and trajectories of the artisan and craft sector, this timely book considers the opportunities, challenges, and uncertainties associated with artisanal businesses in new economic times. Exploring how artisanal and craft products remain vibrant embodiments of tradition, heritage, authenticity and creativity, the book explores how these qualities are being harnessed and transformed to enable artisanal businesses to exploit the opportunities presented by technological innovation and evolving consumption patterns for their future viability and vitality. Revolutionary advancement in digital technologies offer 'game-changing' possibilities for artisanship and craft, across a spectrum ranging from production practices to e-commerce. But such technological advancements also present challenges to how artisanship sustains its important 'traditional' associations, and how it builds on its relationship with the ethical, the sustainable and the local. Featuring an international range of case studies, chapters exemplify how artisanal organisations can revitalise their business models, using innovative branding and marketing strategies, and entrepreneurship, to utilise the best of both the past and the future. This cutting-edge book will prove invaluable to students and scholars of marketing, business studies and sociology who are interested in contemporary innovation in artisanship and craft. With practical advice from industry experts, it also serves as a useful resource for practitioners and stakeholders within the artisanal and craft sector who might be concerned with the impact of digitalisation on the field.

Healing the economic and social wounds inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic will take time, but the long road to recovery presents a unique opportunity to build back better. To catalyze change and succeed in the post-pandemic era, economic development policy and practice must see the crisis as an opportunity to rethink and redesign regional economic systems. This will involve creating a shared understanding of – and policies to address – the differential impacts of the pandemic across occupations, industries, and socioeconomic groups. Rethinking how existing economic development tools, frameworks, and practices can be optimized has never been more compelling. Special attention must be given to interventions capable of accelerating desirable trends that will shape the next normal in our contemporary discussions on the COVID-19 pandemic. This book explores the challenges and opportunities heralded by the virus in the broadest sense and presents case studies on equitable and inclusive economic recoveries. Regional Economic Systems after COVID-19 offers actionable insights for regional policymakers, business leaders, investment and trade promotion agencies, site selectors, students, scholars, researchers, and organizations involved in tourism, foreign direct investment, and economic development.

From fur traders to miners to wind power inventors, learn how Colorado s economy has changed through history. This engaging social studies book includes four chapters focusing on Colorado, covering economic incentives, the economy, financial literacy, and Fannie Mae Duncan. It includes a glossary, extension activity, guided reading questions, and other exciting features. Economics in Colorado explains basic economic principles such as incentives and disincentives, supply and demand, opportunity costs, investments, profits, and more. This book not only provides meaningful connections to students lives, but it also crafts a fascinating account of Colorado s diverse economy.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business, and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction to Social Capital provides an overview of cutting-edge research on social capital. Karen Cook highlights the networks, norms, and trust involved in social capital that facilitate cooperation, strengthen civil society, and contribute to social order, indicating how each contributes to the collective good and provides resources of value to individuals, organizations, and institutions. Key Features: Cross-cultural comparisons of the role of social networks in a number of domains of activity A critical focus on the importance of tolerance and the reaffirmation of democratic principles and practices An understanding of current social and political challenges related to polarization, such as inequality and trust limitations This timely Advanced Introduction is crucial reading for students and researchers in sociology and political science who are looking for an overview of social capital. It will also be an inspiring read for scholars of public policy, particularly those concerned with public management and its impact on social capital.

This cutting-edge book unpacks the relationship between culture and consumer behavior to present the state-of-the-art in cross-cultural consumer research. Examining how culture shapes what consumers seek, evaluate and choose to purchase, Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior explains why and how cultural values such as individualism, indulgence, or uncertainty avoidance influence consumers’ buying behavior. With a balanced approach, the book explores not only how cultural differences between countries shape our decisions but also outlines the basic concepts of cross-cultural consumer research, the measurement of cultural values proposed in the Hofstede, Schwartz and GLOBE models, and the psychological foundations of culture-specific consumer behavior. Based on these conceptual foundations, the authors explain how cultural values shape consumers’ buying processes, from information searches through post-purchase behavior. This book will be valuable to researchers and students of international business, global marketing, and consumer behavior. Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior will also be relevant for marketing practitioners and international marketing agencies.

From the winner of the Financial Times and McKinsey Bracken Bower Prize for young authors, a book that maps the billion-dollar companies springing up around the globe and the future landscape of the world economy. Global technological trends come and go. In this book, Mehran Gul maps the recent waves of technological advancement up until the current moment, as the model shifts from a system where many products are designed in the United States and assembled in China, to one where billion-dollar companies are springing up in places like China, Korea, Singapore, India and continental Europe, and innovation becomes a far more global game.

Offering an in-depth overview of the field's past, present, and future, this Handbook provides a comprehensive analysis of the current topics, methodologies, findings, and breakthroughs in research conducted with the help of experimental finance methodology. Suggesting innovative ways of navigating and structuring financial markets, it also showcases the diversity and promise of using experiments in finance. With contributions from leading experts, the Handbook begins with a series of investigations into human behavior in financial decision-making, asking methodological questions regarding subject pool choice, cognitive finance, physical and physiological measurement, and research directions. Stressing the dual nature of experimental finance, chapters then relate to market experiments by exploring applied topics, including bank runs, financial accounting and nudging. Finally, it examines experimental tools and methodologies, critical perspectives, roadmaps for implementation, and empirical testing of finance theories. With examples of experiments that test the fundamental theoretical constructs in finance, this Handbook will prove a vital resource to students and scholars of finance, financial economics, and experimental methodology. It will also prove useful to practitioners and policymakers looking to innovate and experiment with their approaches to financial decision-making.

Our Elgar Concise Introductions are inspiring and considered introductions to the key principles in business, expertly written by some of the world's leading scholars. The aims of the series are two-fold: to pinpoint essential principles of business and management, and to offer insights that stimulate critical thinking. Examining the psychological and social drivers of unsustainable and sustainable consumption, this Concise Introduction provides an insightful overview of the causes of unsustainable consumer behaviour and the instruments and interventions needed to create a sustainable consumption pattern. Key Features: Outlines how policy interventions can contribute to a transformation in the consumption pattern Based on a comprehensive model of the causes and consequences of (un)sustainable consumer choices Provides a precise account of how the structure and distribution of consumption are responsible for environmental problems Maps the roots of unsustainable consumption in human nature as well as in economic, institutional, social, and structural contexts Highlighting a variety of ways to promote sustainable consumption, from sustainability labelling to carbon taxes and infrastructure investments, this Concise Introduction will be essential reading for students and researchers in behavioural sciences, business and management, economic psychology, environmental sociology, and sustainable development.

This comprehensive book synthesizes research from the past 50 years of innovation studies, addressing the main elements and providing a connected perspective on innovation within organizations. It explores the generation and adoption of both technological and nontechnological innovations, offering a coherent and systematic view of the process. Fariborz Damanpour examines innovation activity and internal mechanisms and processes in both business and nonbusiness organizations, providing an overview of key concepts, terms, and theory. Insights from behavioral, economic, and structure-based perspectives are used to explain existing findings and help the reader navigate current research on the management of innovation, as well as offering ideas and frameworks to guide new studies. Organizational Innovation will be an invaluable resource for researchers and graduate-level students of management and organization studies, particularly those working on the management of innovation and technology. It will also prove useful to educators in the field as a reference work for students.

Utilizing extensive research in economics, psychology, political science, neuroscience and evolutionary theory, Ananish Chaudhuri provides a critical perspective on the role of cognitive biases in decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic. The extensive use of, and support for, stringent social distancing measures in particular is explored in depth. Nudged into Lockdown? provides clear explanations of complex scientific information regarding Covid-19, vaccines, and policy responses, to highlight issues at the center of policy-making during the pandemic. With a comprehensive overview of the policy debates around Covid-19, the book offers an alternative thought-provoking perspective on the topic, as well as suggestions for policy-making during future pandemics and other crises. It further highlights applications of a range of concepts from heuristics and biases literature, including priming, framing, anchoring, Prospect Theory, and loss aversion. Providing directions for future research in the area, this book will be an invigorating read for established academics, as well as postgraduate students looking to undertake research in Covid-19 related decision-making. It will also be a critical read for economics, political science, and public policy scholars seeking a deeper understanding of the topic.

This original book examines the experiences cities and urban areas have had with two principal concerns that confront them today: sustainability and competitiveness. Focusing on major cities in East Asia, North America, and Western Europe, Towards a Competitive, Sustainable Modern City illuminates the ways in which cities differ not only in their course and stages of development, but in the nature of their economies and their administrative structures. Featuring a wide-ranging set of contributions from top researchers, this book discusses and analyzes the issues that different cities face, such as social cohesion, tolerance and cultural diversity, and how this will determine their developmental trajectories through the coming decade. These issues are explored in relation to contemporary topics including the growing economy of robotics, the rising importance and use of artificial intelligence and the information and communications economy. Towards a Competitive, Sustainable Modern City will be an invaluable read for scholars and professors in urban economics and urban studies more broadly, particularly those who are focusing on the importance of sustainability in both areas. Its stimulating, yet accessible, approach to the topic and key case studies will also greatly benefit urban planners and economic policy makers looking to improve contemporary cities.

With twenty-two chapters written by leading international experts, this volume represents the most detailed and comprehensive Handbook on electricity markets ever published. It covers all dimensions of electricity markets: wholesale and retail; renewable electricity sources; the electrification of mobility, heating and cooling; and recent innovations such as distributed generation, electrical energy storage, demand response and digital platforms that are disrupting the industry. The benefits, as well as the limits, of open markets and competition are assessed at the level of underlying principles and with reference to specific cases, including the UK, PJM Interconnection, Texas, Australia, Scandinavia, continental Europe and China. The details of electricity market designs are analysed and discussed. The book also considers new emerging business models, as well as the impact of electricity sector policy priorities such as universal access and deep decarbonization. This Handbook is intended to be used and useful. Students and young professionals will find the information they need to enter the field. Researchers, experienced professionals and public decision-makers will get a comprehensive update on the topical issues in electricity markets that will guide them through the important developments the sector is witnessing.

Identifying customer loyalty as a crucial success factor in contemporary marketing thinking and practice, this innovative Handbook incorporates a rich collection of perspectives on the current topics and research-driven practices in the field. Leading scholars offer an insightful reimagining of the research methods, metrics, and designs for the future of measuring and predicting customer loyalty. The Handbook recognises loyalty as a strategic asset, and analyses incentive structures such as loyalty-based learning, gamification, and automaticity to track the evolution of customer loyalty programmes. Examining the impacts of globalization and cutting-edge technologies on the customer loyalty journey, it identifies an increase in customer defection and a rapid erosion of single-brand loyalty. Forward-thinking, it concludes by reflecting on how trends like voice technology, augmented reality, and influencer marketing will shape the domain of customer loyalty in the future. Gathering together contemporary concepts, practice, measures and challenges to inform future research, this Handbook will prove an enlightening read for students and scholars of marketing, business and management, and psychology. Its illustrative case studies will also prove invaluable for practitioners in a diverse range of fields looking to future-proof and reimagine their loyalty strategies.

Equity is the tool to achieve diversity and inclusion that will help eliminate injustice and fairly distribute the benefits of an equitable environment to everyone. Corporate culture around the world has already stated efforts for sustainable development through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in rural areas. This infrastructure must be strengthened so that the rural community can become an active part of changing the world of work. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts of Businesses in Rural Areas evaluates growth trajectories and educational opportunities in rural areas. It further explores the inclusion efforts of marginalized groups in rural society. Covering topics such as the construction industry, rural populations, and workplace inclusivity, this premier reference source is a valuable resource for policymakers, investors, professionals, business leaders and managers, economists, sociologists, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

A landmark reference work in the field, this Elgar Encyclopedia presents over 60 entries from scholars that have shaped the economics of innovation as a distinct and specialised field of investigation. Comprehensive and accessible, it further elaborates the relationship between the economics of knowledge and the economics of innovation. The Encyclopedia offers an overview of the classical origins of the early economics of technical change, and the role of Schumpterian legacies and the Arrovian economics of knowledge as indispensable ingredients to understanding innovation. The entries demonstrate that the analysis of the full array of feedbacks, interactions and transactions that take place within economic systems show how and why out-of-equilibrium conditions in both factor and product markets are the cause and consequence of the introduction and diffusion of innovations. This will be a critical read for economics scholars, particularly those focusing on knowledge and innovation as it offers an understanding of the definitions of key terms in the field, the founding tenets of the topic, and the economics of knowledge and innovation in more specific contexts. It will also be a useful reference tool for business school students. Key Features: Contributions from 67 scholars in the field of the economics of knowledge and innovation Informative table offering thematic groupings of the entries in a thorough introduction Provides readers with the framework to elaborate innovation policies and firms' strategies

This timely Handbook provides a conceptual discussion and a wide empirical presentation of new disruptive forms of innovation producing appropriate technologies, addressing the needs of low-income populations, and providing alternative solutions for sustainable development. The Handbook of Innovation & Appropriate Technologies for International Development expertly analyses and compares contributions of appropriate technologies in developing, emerging and industrialized economies, including China and India, and their global development impacts. Additionally, it covers the transversal role of new international communication technologies, open access, digital tools as well as entrepreneurship and innovation from within emerging economies and in industrialized nations. Using empirical analyses of cases and experiences in manufacturing sectors and services, it covers both the formal and informal economy, and provides an insightful focus on differences and similarities across borders and sectors. NGO and private sector practitioners, public sector officers as well as academics specialized in development economics, entrepreneurship and engineering or management studies will find this Handbook to be illuminating and very informative. Science and technology producers and entrepreneurs will appreciate the global look into more sustainable development as related to appropriate technologies, and how they can be used across all economic backgrounds.

Examining the ways and extent to which systemic factors affect health outcomes with regard to quality, affordability and access to curative healthcare, this explorative book compares the relative merits of tax-funded Beveridge systems and insurance-based Bismarck systems. The Law and Policy of Healthcare Financing charts and compares healthcare system outcomes throughout 11 countries, from the UK to Colombia. Thematic chapters investigate the economic and legal explanations for the relevant similarities, variations and trends across the globe. Concluding that systemic factors may be less significant than previously believed, this comprehensive book notes that no one system consistently outperforms the others, yet incentives and funding improvements may lift performances across all curative healthcare systems. Analytical and comparative, this book will be of interest to academics working in the fields of health law and health economics. Public authorities including health ministries, policymakers and international health organisations will also find this to be an invaluable resource. Contributors include: F. Bachner, J. Bobek, J. Boertjens, P. Bogetoft, J.M. Burke, F. Dewallens, I. Durand-Zaleski, A. Geissler, C. Gongora Torres, M. Guy, T. Haanpera, J. Janus, S. Jerabkova, L. Lepuschutz, J. Lombard, M. Mikkers, G. O'Nolan, M.J. Perez-Villadoniga, H. Platou, K. Polin, W. Quentin, W. Sauter, V. Shestalova, K.H. Sovig, V. Stephani, A. van den Heever, J. van Manen, J. Vermeulen

Timely and invigorating, this book explores how blockchain technology is disrupting economies and transforming societies. It offers detailed insights into the synergistic and complementary effects of blockchain and other new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, satellite imagery and digital twins. The Rise of Blockchains highlights how the developments of ecosystems around blockchain are helping to realize the potential of this technology to act as a 'trust machine' across more contexts and settings. Multidisciplinary in both scope and perspectives, the book looks at blockchain's potential for impacting challenges in supply chain management, security, privacy and compliancy issues, and transforming payment and settlement systems. It further provides insights into the opportunities, barriers, and enablers of blockchain adoption by organizations. With a focus on both theoretical and practical knowledge related to blockchain, this will be an important read for business and management scholars, particularly those focusing on organization studies, information systems, and supply chain management. It will also be a useful book for economics students and economists working with cryptocurrencies.

This timely Research Handbook examines the evolution of smart growth over the past three decades, mapping the trajectory from its original principles to its position as an important paradigm in urban planning today. Critically analysing the original concept of smart growth and how it has been embedded in state and local plans, contributions from top scholars in the field illustrate what smart growth has accomplished since its conception, as well as to what extent it has achieved its goals. Providing an overview of the history of smart growth, the book further examines its changing governance over time, and the new horizons for smart growth, exploring ways to confront contemporary challenges in urban planning. Illuminating key issues in the field, from urban sprawl to gentrification, that the original principles failed to address, this insightful Handbook advocates for the expansion of smart growth principles to meet the emerging challenges of the modern world, concluding with an agenda for a "smart growth 2.0". Informative and comprehensive, this Handbook will prove to be essential reading for researchers, academics and students of urban planning. Its proposals for the future evolution of smart growth will also serve as an accessible and up-to-date reference point for urban planning professionals, activists and policymakers.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Presenting cutting-edge thoughts on media economics, its history and development, and looking forward to its future, this timely book investigates the changing face of the field. With contributions from some of the most prominent media economics scholars in the world, this provocative and visionary Research Agenda covers theory development, consumer and audience demand, information and cultural goods, and technological dimensions. Chapters explore globalization, industry organization, social and ethical aspects of media firms, new media viability and the historical eras of media economics. Presenting a range of streams of inquiry and topics needing more study and development, this Research Agenda looks at new and innovative ways to stimulate thought around key research questions and designs. PhD students and scholars of media studies and media economics will benefit from the expansion of basic concepts, theories and methods found in this key book. It will also be critical reading for media professionals looking to understand more about the impact and importance of contemporary media relations. Contributors include: A.B. Albarran, Á. Arrese, M. Barrett, A.J. Coffey, C.A. Hollifield, W.-y. Hsu, C. Kolo, Y.-l. Liu, M. Medina, B.I. Mierzejewska, M.E. Gutiérrez-Rentería, U. Rohn, A. Sánchez-Tabernero, C. Shao, X. Zhang

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business, and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Through detailed discussion of the central principles of behavioral finance, this enlightening Advanced Introduction provides a balanced exploration of the broad issues within the field. Chapters explain the continuous development of the discipline and provide a useful differentiation between behavioral finance and standard finance. Key Features: Illustrates the various challenges and opportunities facing behavioral finance Provides clear definitions of key terms within the subject area of behavioral finance Investigates applications of behavioral finance in financial decision-making, including within corporate finance Explains why blending behavioral and standard approaches would likely improve financial understanding and lead to better decision-making This illuminating Advanced Introduction will be valuable for academics, researchers, and practitioners interested in behavioral finance. Students researching behavioral economics, economic psychology, and financial economics will also find it informative.

This incisive book provides key interdisciplinary perspectives on the current challenges faced by EU policymakers in framing and implementing a coherent European industrial policy, employing specific case studies from the digital, automotive, steel and defence industries as well as concrete examples of EU policies. Comprehensive and analytical, the book investigates the long-term structural causes of the absence of a strong industrial policy at Union level. Examining the tensions that exist between member states and EU institutions regarding industrial and competition policies, expert contributions assess the conditions for an integrated EU industrial policy to emerge. A comparative analysis between the industrial policies of the EU, US and China is developed as chapters explore how the EU maintains its position in global value chains while other major partners are forced to pursue strategic trade and industrial policies to retain their dominant position. The book concludes with a presentation of prospective scenarios to assess the future technological evolution of the EU. EU Industrial Policy in the Multipolar Economy will be an essential resource for academics and practitioners concerned with EU current affairs, global governance, industrial economics and international trade. Its use of case studies and original data will allow governments, EU institutions, NGOs and EU public affairs consultants and analysts to assess their policymaking options in the fields of research, industrial policy and sustainable development.