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.

Sales are to growth as controls are to profitability and success within a business. In "Entrepreneurial Controls," author Jack E. Trent guides small-business owners through the complexities of understanding how financial and operational controls protect them from unnecessary risks. Trent shows how controls are the single most important method for preventing fraud within a company. In "Entrepreneurial Controls," Trent details the background and definition of controls and the important role they play in driving profitability for a business. The book is a carefully complied collection of thorough research and Trent's personal experiences as an entrepreneur, small-business owner, financial officer, and accountant. In addition to the breadth of knowledge presented, small vignettes called "reality checks" depict real-life applications of the concepts discussed. A no-nonsense, one-stop source for using control systems within a small-business setting, "Entrepreneurial Controls" covers the basics of: Project, fraud, risk, and cash management Accounting, inventory, and operational controls Internal auditing Customer service Using instructions, lessons, best practices, and guidelines, "Entrepreneurial Controls" shows entrepreneurs how to effectively and efficiently set up a new business or how to revise a struggling company's operations. With practical applications and easy-to-understand examples, Trent demonstrates how to bridle a small business and rein in financial success.

This volume fills a major gap in the literature by systematically and scientifically analyzing 500 small entrepreneurial firms and isolating the reasons for their successes and failures. The authors examine whether there are any laws of success and failure that are applicable to small and mid-size companies and identify profitable strategies in various industries and under differing industry conditions. Designed as a reference book for corporate executives, small business owners, and consultants, this book will also be extremely useful to graduate students interested in researching the application of strategic management concepts to entrepreneurial companies.

Following an introduction, the authors delineate the strategic profile of profitable small companies and examine the impact of competition on small firm profitability. Subsequent chapters assess profitable strategies in high-growth, mature, and declining industries; strategies for cyclical environments; profile start-up, buy-out, and family firms; consider the impact of organizational life-stage on small company strategy and performance; and discuss how to perpetuate the family firm. A separate chapter addresses strategies that are particularly applicable to women-owned firms. The conclusion reviews effective strategies and presents the practical implications of the research studies upon which the book was based. Two appendixes provide additional information about the research methodology.

Small businesses are the backbone of the tourism and hospitality industry and, depending on which statistics one uses, represent somewhere between 75 to 95 percent of all firms globally in this sector. The number of entrepreneurs has dramatically and uniformly increased globally over the last ten years. Divided into four sections, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management in the Hospitality Industry takes an intuitive step-bystep progression through each stage of the entrepreneurial process: context, theoretical perspectives and definitions; Concept to reality; The business plan; Growth and the future. Ideal for students at any level, the chapters of this book invite you to ponder upon your reading through a series of 'reflective practice' activities. These, along with case studies, clearly defined chapter objectives, reflections, role-play activities and experiential exercises, allow you to both think actively about themes, concepts and issues and then apply them to a number of suggested scenarios. Perfect preparation for the up-and-coming entrepreneur!

The Lean Product Lifecycle is a playbook that provides frameworks, methods and tools to develop innovative new products and business models, while managing your core portfolio.

Follow the 6 key phases of a product’s life - idea, explore, validate, grow, sustain and retire – and discover how to develop products according to their life stage and ensure the right investment for each. For each stage there is a step-by-step guide of product development best practices using examples and case studies from several companies and start-ups.

Using the tools and templates in this book, you’ll be able to:

- Take a new product from idea to scale within a market.

- Understand the difference between executing on products that are already successful in the market and searching for profitable business models for new products.

- Use the right tools and methods for validating new products ideas and business models.

- Understand how to manage mature products and retire old products using lean innovation principles.

Discover how lessons from lean start-ups can transform your business.

Updated for the post-COVID economy! The proven low-risk, cost-effective way to launch a successful business Today's markets are getting more and more dynamic, and customers are increasingly fickle. Meanwhile the COVID-driven economic crash has made mitigating financial risk more important than ever. From one of today's leading experts in content marketing, Content Inc. is the go-to guide to building a solid small-business by establishing a loyal audience before you sell any products or services. In these pages, Joe Pulizzi provides a lower-risk, better way to build a successful business by re-engineering the process that so often leads to failure: You'll learn how to develop valuable content, build an audience around that content-and then create a product for that audience. Content Inc. walks you through the entire process, showing how to Identify the intersection of your expertise and your future customer's needs Determine how to "tilt" your sweet spot to find a place where little or no competition exists Establish your number-one channel for disseminating content (blog, podcast, YouTube, etc.) Use social-media and SEO to convert one-time visitors into long-term subscribers Grow your business by expanding into multiple delivery channels Monetize your product or service for ultimate business success Understand how to sell your content asset for millions or build the business into a large enterprise This fully updated edition includes new and enhanced coverage of platforms like TikTok, SnapChat, and Instagram, a new section about the exit strategy for the model, more practical how-tos, and current examples of companies that have successfully implemented these strategies. Apply the methods laid out for you in Content Inc., and before you know it, you'll be running your own profitable, scalable business.

The continued advancement of globalization, increases in internet connectivity, compatibility of international payment systems, and adaptability of logistics and shipping processes have combined to contribute to the rapid growth of the cross-border e-commerce market. Due to these advancements and the ubiquitous presence of smartphones, consumer use of cross-border e-commerce is increasingly simplified, and thus, sellers are hardly restricted to a specific country in terms of promoting, selling, and shipping goods worldwide. The burgeoning opportunities, habits, and trends of shopping on cross-border e-commerce platforms have expedited the prospect of becoming a presence in the global market. This is true for enterprises of all sizes, especially for small? and medium?sized enterprises (SMEs) that want to add their footprint in the international market for the first time. Like any other industry, cross-border e-commerce has its specific economics and driving forces, but has different scopes, challenges, and trends due to the geographic and cultural expanse of relevant environments. Cross-Border E-Commerce Marketing and Management was conceptualized by identifying the scope of new complementary information with a comprehensive understanding of the issues and potential of cross-border e-commerce businesses. The authors believe that this book will not only fill the void in the current research but will also provide far-sighted vision and strategies, as it covers big data, artificial intelligence, IoT, supply chain management, and more. This book provides the necessary knowledge to managers to compete with the competitive market structure and ultimately contribute to the sustainable economic growth of a country. It works as a guideline for existing cross-border e-commerce managers to formulate individual strategies that combine to optimize the industry while keeping the enterprise competitive. This book is useful in both developed and developing country contexts. This publication is an ideal resource for academicians, policy makers, stakeholders, and cross-border e-commerce managers, especially from SMEs.

Due to the 2008-2009 crisis, the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of entrepreneurship has become more critical in most economies. Moreover, emerging protectionist policies are further encouraging the emergence of new entrepreneurial projects, particularly to replace goods and services traditionally provided by other countries. Understanding current challenges and best practices in nascent entrepreneurship is integral for the successful launching of new ventures to support the revitalization of economies and achieve sustainability. The Handbook of Research on Nascent Entrepreneurship and Creating New Ventures is a crucial reference source that covers the latest empirical research findings in the field of entrepreneurship and addresses the obstacles entrepreneurs face in these recent challenging times. The book embraces a pluralistic perspective from academicians currently navigating nascent entrepreneurship and key concepts for launching successful new ventures. Covering topics that include government support programs, spin-off companies, leadership, strategic entrepreneurship, and crowdfunding, this book is targeted towards entrepreneurs, professionals, academicians, researchers, and students.