This open access book brings together narratives of inbound and outbound expatriate entrepreneurship in Japan to provide a comprehensive overview of international entrepreneurship in the region. Through in-depth interviews with expatriate entrepreneurs, policymakers, and additional stakeholders it provides the reader with a solid understanding of the current landscape of international entrepreneurship as it relates to Japan and the challenges for policymakers. The topics addressed in this book include definitions of expatriate entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship policy development and implementation, concepts of mindset, cultural brokerage, community, and identity as they relate to Japanese self-initiated expatriate entrepreneurs working in South East Asia and to non-Japanese self-initiated expatriate entrepreneurs working in Japan. Additionally, the book provides an overview of issues connected to regional development and economic growth in Asia. Illustrated through carefully chosen cases from Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia and developed by connecting these cases to policy and interdisciplinary studies, this book is highly recommended to scholars, policymakers and practitioners who seek an in-depth and up-to-date integrated overview of the field of expatriate entrepreneurship in Asia.

This workbook accompanies the textbook Small Business Management: Theory and Practice. The textbook familiarises students with the theory and practice of small business management and challenges assumptions that may be held about the way small business management can or should adopt the management practices of larger firms. For students interested in establishing and managing their own small firm, this book helps them to focus their thinking on the realities of life as a small business owner-manager - both its challenges and its rewards. For postgraduate students that are keen to 'make a difference', this text enables them to understand how they might consult to small firms and assist owner-managers to establish and grow their ventures. In addition to students, this book is also useful to small business owner-managers as a general guide on how they might better manage their operations. Managers in large corporations and financial institutions who deal with small businesses as clients or suppliers, and professionals such as accountants, lawyers and consultants who provide advice and other services to small businesses will also find the book of interest.

An excellent business plan impresses financial backers, provides a clear blueprint for the future of your company and functions as a benchmark against which to measure future growth. How to Prepare a Business Plan explains the process of creating an excellent business plan in an engaging and accessible way. It includes essential coverage of producing cash flow forecasts, planning a business expansion, planning your borrowing and monitoring business progress. Global case studies containing real business plans provide inspiration and real-life practical insight by analyzing the plans, monitoring the business' progress and discussing their problems. Sample business plans also show you the process in action and provide useful examples for creating your own. How to Prepare a Business Plan helps new business owners to consider what they really want out of their business, and to map their own journey and gain a new understanding of their product's place in the market, as well as writing a business plan with the clarity, brevity and logic to keep bank managers interested and convinced. Whether looking to start up or expand, this practical advice will help anyone to prepare a plan that is tailored to the requirements of their business - one that will get the financial backing they need.

Like much of SMEs research, innovation studies of small enterprises have commenced later and are less numerous. The focus of such studies remains high-technology enterprises, which continue to attract both academic and popular interest, oblivious to the innovative endeavours of people in traditional low-tech industries. This book attempts to address this imbalance through a comprehensive analysis of innovation in this largely neglected area. Based on case studies of seven small innovative food companies, this book presents an in-depth analysis of innovation in the Scottish food and drinks industry and unravels a lesser-known approach to effective low-cost product innovation, which is simple and economical, yet elegant and successful. Using careful data collection and rigorous statistical testing, the analysis and findings in this book address a wide spectrum of interests: academics in business schools, policy makers in governments and executives and entrepreneurs in food and other low-technology sectors.

Write Well to Sell Big

In the age of e-mail and instant communication, great sales copy is indispensable to closing a deal. But too many sales letters end up in the junk file or the wastebasket. In this new edition of his top-selling book, author Dan Kennedy explains why some sales letters work and most don't. And he shows how to write copy that any business can use.Among other things, he provides:

• Completely updated text and examples
• Great headline formulas
• New exercises to spark creativity
• The best way to use graphics

Kennedy is the most successful, highly paid direct-response copywriter in the country. In this book, he shares his step-by-step formula so everyone can write letters that will nail the sale.

Entrepreneurship is a fundamental business discipline and a phenomenon that drives economic growth globally. This short-form textbook focuses on the absolute essential elements of the field, covering theory and practice. Illuminating the development of entrepreneurship, the author also concisely introduces the entrepreneurial personality and some of the additional hurdles faced by female and minority entrepreneurs. The central role of creativity, innovation and culture are also examined as well as entrepreneurial strategies for finance and marketing. This short text provides a unique expert overview for students of entrepreneurship, whilst the practical insights will also be useful in applications for budding entrepreneurs.

This is a guide to financial management written particularly for people either thinking of setting up a small business or actually running one. It sets out to help the small business person improve their understanding of financial and management accounts. It is written for people wishing to: Present a plan to a bank manager or other financial institutionimprove the profitability of their business by introducing appropriate financial monitoring procedures and control systemsproduce their own accountsimprove their knowledge so that they no longer feel at the mercy of their accountant.

'Pay attention' - Jason Fried, founder and CEO of Basecamp, bestselling author of ReWork A revolutionary roadmap for building startups that go the distance Cracks are forming in the myth of the VC-funded, IPO-driven billion-dollar company. They're unprofitable, unethical and unsustainable - so why bother chasing unicorns? The Minimalist Entrepreneur is the manifesto for a new generation of founders who would rather build great companies than big ones. Packed with hard-won, battle-tested lessons from Lavingia's own journey of building Gumroad, The Minimalist Entrepreneur teaches founders how to start from anywhere to build any kind of software-enabled business. You will learn how to: resist investments that set you up to fail; run a tight ship amid the rise of the gig economy and remote work; develop and release products without failing fast or often; get to profitability and stay there. The Minimalist Entrepreneur offers essential knowledge for every founder aspiring to build a business worth building.

What does it take to successfully launch and scale a startup in Asia? While much of modern business literature covers Silicon Valley and its founders, building a company in Asia-a world center of technology and innovation-is a vastly different journey, and not nearly as widely covered. This book aims to change that. Asian Founders at Work is an essential compilation of in-depth, incisive interviews with over 20 top technopreneurs from the region. Authors Ezra Ferraz and Gracy Fernandez have gathered their exclusive conversations with business leaders: Min-Liang Tan (Razer), Maria Ressa (Rappler), Chatri Sityodtong (ONE Championship), Patrick Grove (iflix), and Khailee Ng (500 Startups) are just a few. Questions about early difficulties, fundraising, business pivots, strategic partnerships, exits via acquisition or IPO, and more are answered in great detail to shine a light on the founders' unique experiences. Learn directly from game-changers in their own voice. By documenting these stories, the authors have created the largest and most comprehensive record of successes to date. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur yourself, a business student wanting to become well-versed in international practices, or an owner looking to expand to the area, this book provides a thorough guide to the startup culture in Asia from the most knowledgeable sources possible. What You Will Learn Gain business knowledge of practices that are localized to Asia Become familiar with essential startup topics, including product development, user acquisition, recruiting, and fundraising Study individual companies and founders, and an overview of startup culture Who This Book Is For Those in the tech ecosystem in East, Southeast, and South Asia, including aspiring founders or current founders who have started their entrepreneurial journey. This book is also for people outside of Asia who have an interest in the region. Entrepreneurs or businesspeople can refer to this book as they consider expansion into the area. Researchers and readers can pick up this book if they are curious about the business landscape of Asia and want to hear directly from game-changing founders.

This book describes how a deeper knowledge and understanding of cultural differences represents a meaningful and useful tool for management of companies, and in particular SMEs, in the People's Republic of China. After introductory chapters on the internationalization of SMEs and the role played by management in this process, the authors explore the implications of academic discourses on culture and its dimensions for company management. The influence of Chinese cultural roots and the country's current cultural environment on management is then examined, with provision of guidance on response to the identified challenges. A key feature of the book is the presentation of important recent fieldwork in the main economic regions of China. This research further clarifies how business culture and cultural differences impact on company activities in China and casts light on various aspects of the adaptive capability of SMEs within the country, highlighting the value of cultural awareness and intelligence. The book will be of interest to academics and practitioners alike.

Examining the experiences of Africans setting up businesses back home, the main focus of this book is to establish the economic, social and psychological reasons for such 'home direct investment'. Despite the personal sacrifices that are often needed in order to set up new ventures, the diaspora invests relentless effort and motivations in the pursuit of home ventures. The authors explore critical areas such as the social and psychological pressures that African Diasporas experience when investing in their home countries, as well as the management of diaspora businesses and the impact of such investment to local economies.

This open access, interdisciplinary book presents innovative strategies in the use of civil drones in the cultural and creative industry. Specially aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the book offers valuable insights from the fields of marketing, engineering, arts and management. With contributions from experts representing varied interests throughout the creative industry, including academic researchers, software developers and engineers, it analyzes the needs of the creative industry when using civil drones both outdoors and indoors. The book also provides timely recommendations to the industry, as well as guidance for academics and policymakers.

This book considers how small businesses stir up changes in social relationships and what these changes mean for wider society. From this emerges a challenging and provocative discussion on the problems facing both the developing and developed worlds. Development, it argues, is written into social relationships and growth follows attempts to avoid the market's degenerative effects. What this discussion means for development practice, and for thought in the social sciences more generally, is also considered. If there is a watchword for development practice, then it is acceptance - acceptance of more social, less prescriptive, and far more experimental modes of working. As for the implications of these ideas for social science, these may be described well enough as an economy of ontology.

This book focuses on management challenges in different types of companies, ranging from small to large, from private to public and from service to manufacturing in the African context. With empirical data from countries as diverse as Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia, it discusses the increasing economic importance of the African continent, covering relevant topics on sustainability and environmental issues, exports, logistics, HR issues, innovation and financial reporting. Through different conceptual insights and empirical case studies, the research presented serves as a useful resource for academics, students, and policy-makers interested in in-depth studies on management challenges in Africa.

Small businesses make up some 90-95 percent of all global firms. Many undervalue the importance of information and communication technology (ICT). Within the small business segment there can be significant differences amongst the avid early adopters of ICT and the laggards. Research on early adopters tends be more prevalent as they are perceived to have a more interesting and positive story. However, late adopters and 'laggards' also have their own interesting stories that are under-reported. Small Business and Effective ICT draws on research undertaken over several years and documents the adoption/use of ICT across 'better' users of ICT (Leaders), typical ICT users (Operationals) and late adopters (Laggards). The findings are presented using a re-formulation of the LIASE framework which addresses a number of areas that include ICT literacy (L), information content/communication (I), Access (A), Infrastructure (I), Support (S) and Evaluation (E). Some 60 businesses were investigated in Australia and the UK, with each business presented as a concise vignette. The vignettes serve to show that small businesses are not as conservative in their use of ICT as the literature suggests, with examples of innovative uses of ICT in small businesses provided. Lessons for the effective use of ICT by small businesses are presented. The research design, methods adopted, presentation of findings through the vignettes, and 'take away' lessons have been written in manner to appeal to a broad range of readers including academics, researchers, students and policy makers in the discipline.

Jane Hilburt-Davis and W. Gibb Dyer— two of the country's foremost experts in the field of family business— offer in one comprehensive volume a systematic approach for developing the skills and competencies you need to consult with these unique systems. This practical, hands-on resource shows you how to manage each stage of the consulting process— from the first contact to the last— and reveals how to plan strategically and deal with the complex relationship issues that are commonplace in family businesses.

This book explores the effects of soft information utilization in the decision process for lenders, especially concerning small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in regional markets. This study is one of the first to use questionnaire survey data from lender representatives, and analyzes the relationship between the financial metrics of a lender's performance and soft information factors in inter-bank competition. The authors' empirical results suggest that utilizing soft information allows banks to attain a more precise lending decision. The Financial Services Agency in Japan introduced an action program in 2003 that requires regional banks to shift from transaction banking to relationship lending. Against that background, this book examines the influence of relationship lending on a lender's performance. This study found that relationship lending allows lenders to charge a higher premium to counteract the high risk involved with SMEs. The book also examines how relationship lending affects lending performance in inter-bank competition. The conclusion is that, even though inter-bank competition has negative effects, a bank in a competitive local market can acquire an informational advantage to limit its own loss. This book categorizes three soft information factors: organizational systems, networks or alliances/partnerships, and business/management leadership based on survey data. The authors' findings suggest that information production, especially network and business/leadership information, plays an essential role in promoting a bank's profitability. These effects are strong even when banks face high inter-bank competition. Relationship lending not only improves bankers' lending techniques, but also fosters and enhances their community knowledge and enables them to survive in a highly competitive market.

The book focuses on the historical, political, economic, and cultural elements of Korea and the strong influence these have on women leaders in the nation. It examines challenges and opportunities for women leaders as they try to balance their professional and personal lives. A team of leading experts familiar with the aspirations and frustrations of Korean women offer insight into the coexistence of traditional and modern values. It is an eye-opening look at the convergence and divergence across Korean sectors that international leadership researchers, students, and managers need to know in order to realize and appreciate the potential of Korean women leaders.

This book analyzes the impacts that family control of firms has on capital structure choices, leverage and the risk of financial distress, earnings management practices, and the relation between accounting choices and firm market value. For these purposes, longitudinal data on Italian family and non-family non-financial firms are closely analyzed. The Italian setting is of special interest in this context because family businesses account for 94% of GDP, families are particularly committed to maintaining control of firms, and the economy is bank based rather than market based. The analyses draw on the socioemotional wealth approach, which emphasizes the importance of the stock of emotional value in family firms, in combination with financial theories such as Pecking Order Theory, Trade-off Theory, and Agency Theory. The findings cast significant new light on differences between family and non-family firms and the effects of different forms of family influence. The book will have broad appeal for academics, managers, practitioners, and policymakers.

This book focuses on topics such as the cultural specificity of Arab family businesses with regard to shaping their governance and management; the influence that specific values in the Arab world could exert on the management of family businesses; how spiritual and religious values influence business in Arab family firms; and the role of emotions in the management of family firms in the Arab World. Presenting a collection of contributions addressing management, finance, strategy and succession in Arab Family businesses, this book constitutes a novel and unique contribution to the research field of family businesses.

This book identifies the potential of intellectual property as a competitive asset for Latin American firms. The authors employ a cognitive approach that involves identifying why small firms are reluctant to register patents, resorting rather to alternative IP competitive strategies. This, in turn, results in the undercapitalization of intellectual assets, thus creating hurdles for the development of capital venture markets. Using new data gathered from highly innovative SMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean, the authors bring a fresh cognitive approach towards understanding the institutional role of intellectual property, and outline various new policy recommendations.