Throughout the book, the authors offer a conceptual framework supported by original case study data to explain how and why a small firm should approach strategic planning, the forces influencing the planning process, and the nexus between innovation and planning. The majority of all businesses throughout the world are small firms, which play a crucial role in the growth of the world's economies. Tim Mazzarol and Sophie Reboud address questions such as: what is the value of planning for small firms, and how should these firms approach strategic planning? This book provides an in-depth analysis of the theory and conceptual frameworks associated with planning and strategy in small firms. It also explores key issues linked with why and how small firms should plan and the benefits they gain. This timely book will be invaluable to academics, postgraduate research students and professional advisors working in the field of small business management and entrepreneurship. Supported by original research and comprehensive key theories, entrepreneurs and practicing managers with an interest in understanding the foundations of planning and strategy will find this book of great importance to them.

In recent years entrepreneurship has become one of the most popular fields of research in management studies. As the subject has broadened, increasing attention has been paid to the behavioural aspects of different practices to identify and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. This timely book analyses three key strands of contemporary research into entrepreneurial behaviour: intention, education and orientation. It offers novel insights that can be applied to foster entrepreneurial activities in different settings. The chapters in the book are divided into three parts. The contributors first focus on the entrepreneur as an individual and offer three innovative yet complementary approaches to entrepreneurial intentions. They go on to consider how entrepreneurial behaviour can be trained and learned, providing a much-needed theoretical anchor to pedagogical approaches in entrepreneurship. Finally, they cover entrepreneurial behaviour at the organizational level. They expertly tackle the popular topic of entrepreneurial orientation through novel empirical studies with diverse methodologies and multiple levels of analysis. Researchers and advanced students in management and entrepreneurship will benefit from the state-of-the-art analysis and innovative approaches presented. Entrepreneurship educators and policymakers will also find this book to be stimulating reading, where they can find suggestions for an evidence-based practice. Contributors include: R.F. Belchior, A. Benedito de Oliveira Junior, R.C. Bernardes, A. Caetano, S.F. Costa, M.J. de Oliveira, A.J. Frederiks, A. Garofano, G. Hagg, I. Jaen, I. Kozlinska, F. Linan, T. Lynn, R. Lyons, C. Mac an Bhaird, T. Mets, R. Mohd, X. Neumeyer, D. Politis, A. Riviezzo, K. Roigas, S.C. Santos

This fourth volume in the Studies of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in East Asia series focuses on regional and sectoral dimensions in a number of regional economies and economic sectors. The contributors place special emphasis on the importance of SME networking and clustering initiatives and activities. They argue that these initiatives support and nurture the global competitiveness of local SMEs in various economic sectors across the East Asian region. The book goes on to illustrate the increasing recognition that important local, regional and sectoral dimensions of SMEs, activities require their own specific micro policy measures. This is significant as the vitality of many local regional economies depends upon the activities of these local SMEs. The importance and inherent potential of SMEs as small but significant players in national economies and industries is increasingly recognised by policymakers and scholars around the world. Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in East Asia will therefore strongly appeal to both academics and practitioners involved with business and management, Asian studies, industrial organization and entrepreneurship.

The "family effect" remains a challenge for researchers interested in both the family firm's organizational form and in the effects of familial ownership on a firm's strategy, structure, and performance. Governance mechanisms, management quality, ownership concentration, and family involvement all have relevant effects in terms of influencing monitoring costs, investment decisions, the development of the portfolio of resources and capabilities, and family firm competitiveness. Nevertheless, few studies to date have opened the black box of the "family effect." Competitiveness, Organizational Management, and Governance in Family Firms is an essential reference source that makes a clear distinction between the separation of ownership and management, on the one hand, and the institutional development of family governance instruments, on the other, to help uncover the asymmetric effects of these two choices. It also allows the examination as to which of the two strategies employed in family firms reinforce managerial capital that has a greater positive impact on the "family effect," thus helping to achieve better managerial capabilities. Featuring research on topics such as corporate governance, private business, and successional leadership, this book is ideally designed for managers, executives, CEOs, company owners, consultants, business professionals, entrepreneurs, academicians, and researchers interested in an in-depth understanding of the keys to success and survival of family-operated organizations.