Innovation and standardization might seem polar opposites, but over many years various scholars have noted close connections between the two. This Handbook assembles a broad range of thinking on this subject, with contributions from several disciplinary perspectives by over 30 leading scholars and experienced practitioners. Collectively, they summarize and synthesize the existing body of knowledge - theory and evidence - pertaining to standards and innovation, and provide insights into how this knowledge can be useful to scholars, industrial strategists, policy-makers and standards practitioners. Drawn from leading experts in several social science disciplines, this Handbook provides new insights into innovation processes and systems using theoretical, empirical and applied approaches. By situating standards and standardization as specific factors which play distinctive roles in innovation-driven growth, it establishes that standardization (doing things the same way) is an essential component of innovation (doing things differently). The book also provides novel and practical insight into how standards are incorporated into innovation strategies and policies. Comprehensive and original, this collection will be a vital resource for all students and academics of social, natural and engineering science communities. Policy-makers and practitioners will also find a wealth of experience and knowledge within its pages.

Now in its eighth edition, this book provides thorough coverage of small business management and entrepreneurship, drawing on contemporary theory and practice in equal measure. It includes recent examples and current references drawn from a wide variety of industrial, social and cultural contexts, such as the impact of Coronavirus on small businesses, the effect of GDPR on market research and the use of influencers in marketing. This textbook is essential reading for small business management modules at all levels in addition to entrepreneurship modules and any programme requiring a focus on small businesses and enterprise.

The Economics of Electricity Markets provides a cutting-edge analysis of the critical issues involved in the design and operation of electricity markets, as well as an assessment of alternative institutional arrangements that have either been implemented or are under discussion in Europe and the US.The book illustrates how a sound market design can render electricity trading and retailing very much like that of other commodities. Social and political concerns, rather than engineering or economics, are what make electricity markets 'special'. The expert contributors address a wide set of issues that arise when competition is introduced to the electricity industry, ranging from the design of spot and real-time power markets to alternative approaches to congestion management, from competition policy in wholesale electricity markets to the benefits and costs of retail competition, and from regulatory measures to ensure generation capacity adequacy to the politicization of generation investment decisions as a way of pursuing sustainability targets. This highly informative book will appeal to academics, students and researchers in the field of advanced energy economics, and will prove essential reading for energy regulators, professionals and executives wishing to explore the theoretical foundations underpinning their day-to-day activities. Contributors: G. Cervigni, A. Commisso, A. Creti, D. Perekhodtsev, C. Poletti, P. Ranci

Entrepreneurship and innovation are the drivers of value creation in the twenty-first century. In the geography of the global economy there are 'hot spots' where new technologies germinate at an astounding rate and pools of capital, expertise, and talent foster the development of new industries, and new ways of doing business. These clusters of innovation have key attributes distinct from traditional industrial clusters that allow them to extend beyond geographic boundaries and serve as models for economic expansion in both developed and developing countries. How do these clusters emerge? What is the role of individual institutions such as governments, universities, major corporations, investors, and the individual entrepreneur? Are there systemic underpinnings, an invisible hand, that encourage these communities? The book begins with a presentation of the Clusters of Innovation Framework that identifies the salient components, behaviors, and linkages that characterize an innovation cluster, followed by an analysis of the archetypal cluster, Silicon Valley. Subsequent chapters probe how these characteristics apply in a diverse selection of economic communities in Germany, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, China, Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. Concluding chapters investigate the role of transregional organizations as cross-border disseminators of best practices in entrepreneurship and innovation. Students and professors of economics, business, public policy, management, entrepreneurship, and innovation will find this book a useful resource. Corporate executives, university administrators, government officials, policy makers, and entrepreneurs will also find it an insightful guide. Contributors: O. Berry, D. Chapman, J.-M. Chen, S.H. De Cleyn, I. Del Palacio, W. De Waele, J. Engel, F. Feferman, F. Forster, S. Kagami, M. Pareja-Eastaway, J.M. Pique, Q. Lang, C. Scheel, H. Schoenenberger, M. Subodh, V. Trigo, D. Wasserteil, P. Weilerstein, C.-T. Wen

One key for success of an entrepreneur is to obtain sales (revenue) and profits as quickly as possible upon launching the venture. Entrepreneurial Marketing focuses on the essential elements of success in order to achieve these needed sales and revenues and to grow the company. The authors build a comprehensive, state-of-the-art picture of entrepreneurial marketing issues, providing major theoretical and empirical evidence that offers a clear, concise view of entrepreneurial marketing. Through an international approach that combines both theoretical and empirical knowledge of entrepreneurship and marketing, this book informs and enhances the entrepreneurs' creativity, their ability to bring innovations to the market, and their willingness to face risk that changes the world. Key components addressed include: identifying and selecting the market; determining the consumer needs cost-effectively; executing the basic elements of the marketing mix (product, price, distribution, and promotion); and competing successfully in the domestic and global markets through implementing a sound marketing plan. Numerous illustrative examples throughout the book bring the content to life. The mix of theoretical content, examples, empirical analyses, and case studies make this book an excellent resource for students, professors, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers all over the world.

Charged with developing learning, teaching and assessment practices that go beyond delivering discipline-specific subject knowledge, the demands on entrepreneurial educators have increased in recent decades. This guide will help educators develop more entrepreneurial graduates by demonstrating how they can equip learners with key competencies such as team working, creativity, problem solving, and opportunity recognition. This engaging How to Guide shares the journeys of educators working within different contexts to help the reader design an imaginative entrepreneurship program. Providing critical perspectives and observations that are both forward- looking and practice-led, each chapter offers a wide range of insights into the unique practices of some of the world's leading educators in entrepreneurship, education and creativity. With a focus on the development of students and their ventures, educators at any level or discipline within higher education are invited to reflect upon and advance their own practices. Illustrating a vast range of contemporary practices in the field of entrepreneurial education, this compelling book will be an essential tool for any educator whose teaching incorporates entrepreneurship, enterprise, and creativity.