SMEs are significant job creators and drivers of innovation and competition in most economic sectors. Furthermore, the traditional constraints of small and medium enterprises, such as geographic operations, are now being dissolved by technological developments. This means that there are new opportunities for SMEs, and their fundamental principles are being redefined: the aims, competencies, strategy, management, practice, and scope of these businesses are changing, with wide-ranging implications. This is the second part of a two volume work that incorporates scientific chapters on SME business theory and practice. Authors provide a balanced perspective of the present and future of SMEs across all business disciplines, for example management, strategy, marketing, economics and finance. While Volume I focuses on the individual SME and internal issues such as innovation, quality, and digitization, this second volume explores external issues such as contextual forces, the effects of the financial crisis, and macro-economic effects.

This book explores the parallels between the Renaissance during the 14th to 16th centuries and the upheavals in human and physical sciences in the 21st Century that herald an insurgent entrepreneurial renaissance. The first Renaissance, conceived and developed in an urban environment, with the Medici family in Florence as pioneers, was a melting pot of art, culture, science and technology. It is in that context that entrepreneurship derived from artisan tradition and, hence, customized, was born to meet the demands and anticipate the needs of individual consumers. Starting with the mechanical technologies of the first industrial revolution, art, culture and science became separated from entrepreneurship. The latter took on Fordist features which depersonalized and, therefore, standardized the producer-consumer relationship. The emerging model of entrepreneurship returns to its origins in customization (e.g., 3D printing technologies, sharing/on-demand economy) strongly linked to the sequence "art-culture-science-technology." The road to a new entrepreneurial renaissance is traveled by cities with creative communities. These communities actively participate in promoting international talent mobility, encouraging connections among the knowledge nomads who move around the world and the resources and talents rooted locally. Brought back to life under the conditions of the current age, entrepreneurship is once again woven into the fabric of art, culture, science and technology, and contributing to civic identity and pride. Featuring case studies from local experts that highlight innovative initiatives and developments in diverse cities around the world, this book aims to stimulate deep thought, theories and applications in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Provides real world studies of the family in business, by observing typical firms rather than dynasties. It looks at how the nature of family business is changing in our times and provides insight into the lessons we can learn from this. The book focuses on the impact for the professional non-family manager.

This edited collection explores the challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to a low carbon economy, and outlines the different approaches taken to ensure the sustainability of such a transition. Chapters explore the nature of the transformation from a 'brown' to 'green' economy, the importance of effective carbon measurement and management methodologies, the use of behaviour economics, and the application of a growth-enabling approach. Offering valuable insights into how various stakeholders respond to the challenges of green growth and focusing in particular on the support of universities, The Low Carbon Economy covers themes of leadership, systems approach, stakeholder management, and collaborative action. This comprehensive study provides readers with constructive ideas for maximising the opportunities of transitioning to a low carbon economy, and will serve as a useful tool for practitioners and academics interested in sustainability.

Good conversation is at the heart of networking, meetings, interviews, negotiations and raising your profile. It can ease your way in work, enabling you to build alliances, create strong relationships with staff, bosses and clients, succeed at interviews, motivate and inspire. But conversation is something most of us were never taught! We learn to speak as babies, but how conversation actually works is something most of us pick up only haphazardly, and many have yet to learn. Why is it some of us are stuck for words, but others blabber or can t stop? What is it that some people have naturally which enables them to converse comfortably and easily, to engage people and build better relationships? The Art of Conversation will show you step by step how to converse skillfully and enjoyably with other people, at home, at work, on the phone and in the street- even if you re daunted now, discover the difference good conversation can make in every aspect of your life. Learn to: -Overcome the most common block to good conversation- fear; find out how to break the silence and keep the conversation going - Understand the different types of conversation and how they work- which topics and language are suitable for the occasion - Learn simple methods for being heard and understood, including speaking clearly and audibly, listening well and using non-verbal communication - Find out how to hold a conversation in tricky situations, including how to disagree, how to speak to those in authority and people you find difficult -Use conversation to form relationships, improve friendships, make the sale, chat people up, to learn, influence and persuade.

Anyone who has worked to sell a business knows how important it is to realize the full worth of the transaction, financially, psychologically, and with an eye towards the future. Selling Your Business for More is a holistic and values based approach to selling your family business that gives the family business owner a unique personal and professional perspective of the sales cycle. It focuses on the entire process of selling--before, during and after--ensuring that the seller and the family reap the rewards from the change in ownership.

With decades of experience among them, Daniel R. Barron, Mary Geddes Boehler and Marian F. Cook lead you through each step of the daunting sale process, starting with a cold-eyed look at the reason you're selling. They then progress through each crucial step of the process--timing, team-building, negotiating, communicating--and take you beyond signing the deal with advice for making your sale work in a smooth transition. Each chapter details questions to answer and actions to take, and special topics include selling your firm in cold markets and minimizing taxes from the transaction.

If you are the owner of a small business in need of a change, this is a book you need to read before beginning the critical process of finding a buyer.

This book explores challenges and approaches to the development, financial management and growth of Eastern European organizations, both public and private. Including papers derived from the 2015 Griffiths School of Management Annual Conference on Business, Entrepreneurship and Ethics (GSMAC), organized by Emanuel University of Oradea, the authors provide a variety of strategies for growth and development in areas such as IT, medical management, marketing, entrepreneurship and family business. Collectively, these contributions provide a problem-solving framework that tackles such questions as: How are the growth and financial models of organizations changing? How should leadership in organizations adapt in order to ensure sustainable growth? How should educational concepts and methods be improved to help the next generation in the new global business environment? The rapid evolution of technology and innovation has changed the face of the business environment. With new actors in the global marketplace and new means of production, marketing and finance, businesses-particularly those in emerging regions, such as Eastern Europe-are faced with the pressure to rethink their structures and models from within. In this new economic climate, common issues such as corruption, risk, and customer satisfaction need to be examined from a globalized perspective. The goal of the 2015 GSMAC conference and the resulting papers is to help organizations and institutions in Eastern Europe and other developing regions formulate strategies and policies to thrive in this environment and promote sustainable management practices.

This book is a comprehensive and authoritative guide on when and how to build a working board of directors to serve as a tool to assist small, family, and entrepreneurial businesses. Mr. Ford has combined years of research with his extensive personal board room experiences to discuss all the key issues concerning the use and role of the board by privately owned businesses. He describes thoroughly the functions and contributions of boards from all angles, including situations where boards can be detrimental to company health and should be avoided. The book also provides detailed strategies for developing an effective board, from goal setting and recruiting, to training, educating, and managing directors. Special chapters also include information specifically for directors and case studies.

Following a brief introduction to the unique role and importance of privately owned businesses to the U.S. economy, the author reviews the literature and current theories on the advantages and disadvantages of boards of directors. He then offers guidelines for managers and business owners who are trying to decide if they would benefit from a working board. The following sections offer strategies for developing boards, choosing and recruiting directors, board management and organization, and control, cost, and overall board assessment. A chapter specifically for directors is also included. Finally, the author includes an executive summary of his study on the Inc. 500 boards, and three detailed case histories.

"A pragmatic account that will ground your right brain sensibilities in tried, true, and new ways of bringing what you make to market." --Pamela Diamond, Director of Marketing & Communications, American Craft Council

• Pointers for getting started, selling, exhibiting at trade shows, pricing, and marketing to turn a hobby into a profitable business
• Updated for the digital age, with new sections on creating effective websites and blogs, marketing with social networks, selling online, and using smartphones and tablets for payments
• Previous editions sold more than 180,000 copies

This unique edited collection explores the ways in which entrepreneurship acts to shape self-identity for Indian women and validate their identities in a patriarchal society. Differing from existing literature which focuses on the antecedents of entrepreneurship for women and their performing outcomes, Indian Women as Entrepreneurs questions whether entrepreneurship is simply about exploiting a business opportunity for profitability. Asserting that both work and societal environments have an impact on an entrepreneur's self-identity, this book demonstrates ways in which self-concept influences the entrepreneur's relationship with their work in terms of motivation, effort and performance. Building on Unveiling Women's Leadership, this book provides an original and important contribution to the literature on entrepreneurial Indian women.

This book focuses on the production of low-quality goods, the rise of markets for imitations and shoddy goods, and dishonest trading practices which developed along with the expansion of global trade in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in East Asia. Fake, imitation, counterfeit, and adulterated goods have long plagued domestic and international trade. While we are all familiar with contemporary attempts to control the manufacture and sales of such goods, economic historians have given the subject little attention, despite the fact that the growth of international trade and the lengthening of commodity chains played a major role in the spread of such practices. The problem is approached in several ways. Part I of the book examines the ways in which the asymmetry of product-quality information was reduced and mechanisms were developed to bring greater order in the markets, using case studies on cotton fiber, silk pongee, cotton cloth, fertilizer, and tea. Part II of the book focuses on problems associated with imported everyday-use items-which are referred to here as "small things"-and the role played by imitations of such everyday goods as soap, matches, glass bottles, and toys in the development of the modern economies of Japan, China and Taiwan. The project brings together the work of an international team of scholars who offer important historical perspectives on these issues, exploring the ways in which new institutions were created that continue to play a role in contemporary global economic activities.

The Complete Library of Entrepreneurial Wisdom covers business basics, including how to and how not to start your business; marketing; marketing design, which is a topic rarely covered; writing, which covers technical, practical, as well as, marketing aspects to writing; and life reflections, such as planning for emergencies and disasters-both natural and man-made. With over 150, power-packed, articles to choose from, the busy entrepreneur has at their fingertips, bite-sized training lessons to help them on their success journey. There is so much information packed into this book that it could well be the only book on core business issues that you will ever need.

This book demonstrates that during Japan's early modern Edo period (1603-1868) an ethical code existed among the merchant class comparable to that of the well-known Bushido. There is compelling evidence that contemporary merchants, who were widely and openly despised as immoral by the samurai, in fact acted in highly ethical ways in accordance with a well-articulated moral code. Japanese society was strictly stratified into four distinct and formally recognized classes: warrior, farmer, craftsman and merchant. From the warriors' perspective, the merchants, at the base of the social order, had no virtue, and existed only to skim profits as middlemen between producers and consumers. But were these accusations correct? Were the merchants really unethical beings who engaged in unfair business practices? There is ample evidence that negates the ubiquitous slanders of the warrior class and suggests that merchants - no less than the warriors - possessed and acted in accordance with a well-developed ethical code, a spirit that may be called shonindo or "The Way of the Merchant." This book examines whether a comparison of shonindo, depicting the ethical point of view of the merchant class, and Bushido, embodying that of the warrior class, reveals that shonindo may have in fact surpassed Bushido in some aspects. Comparing contemporarily published historical documents concerning both shonindo and Bushido, as well as Inazo Nitobe's classic work Bushido: The Soul of Japan, published in 1900, the author examines how Bushido surpassed shonindo in that warriors were willing to die for their strict ethical code. Shonindo, however, may have surpassed Bushido in that merchants were liberal, willing to expand and extend application of their ethical beliefs into all aspects of everyday life for the overall benefit of society. This ethical code is compared with that of the conservative Bushido, which demonstrably proved not up to the task for the modernization and improved well-being of Japan. Ichiro Horide is professor emeritus of Reitaku University. Edward Yagi (Reitaku University) and Stanley J. Ziobro II (Trident Technical College) collaborated in the translation of the original Japanese manuscript into English.

Why do tech start-ups emerge rapidly in emerging economies like India? What kind of entrepreneurial ecosystems have evolved for tech start-up promotion? What is their structure? What role do they play in the nurturing of tech start-ups to the advantage of regional economies? This book examines the trend of evolving entrepreneurial ecosystems for tech start-ups in India, ascertains its structure and examines its role in the nurturing of tech start-ups over its lifecycle, to bring out its implications for Indian economy. At the outset, it traces and conceptualizes what it terms an "ideal ecosystem" for tech start-ups in the Indian context, and explores the historical evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems in two of the six leading start-up hubs in the country, namely, Bangalore and Hyderabad. It describes the characteristics and the structure of these ecosystems as they prevailed in the two start-up hubs, and analyses the role that they play in nurturing the development of tech start-ups. Finally, this book explores the ecosystem gaps that exist in the two cities, the factors causing these gaps, and makes policy recommendations to encourage the growth of a "healthy and vibrant" entrepreneurial ecosystem for the accelerated growth of tech start-ups in these two cities in particular, to promote employment, innovation and economic growth in the country at large. Policy makers, researchers, engineering and management students, technology and business mentors, angels, venture capitalists, and MNC executives will find the book informative, revealing and a source of valuable insights into a new, rapidly emerging entrepreneurial India.

Small Business Marketing For Dummies helps you promote your business. It is designed specifically for the busy small business owner, giving you simple but powerful ways to spread your message - all at little or no cost. It shows you how to build your company's profile, attract new customers and keep them coming back for more. Inside you will learn how to: Create an achievable marketing plan Use social media and the web to attract and keep customers Communicate with your customers through winning emails, newsletters, blogs and more Make use of affordable advertising solutions in print and other media Get great PR for your business

This edited book is at the intersection of the discussion on family-owned business, the CSR agenda and company competition in Europe. The authors contribute to the debates on corporate social responsibility by arguing that formal management systems are not the one-size-fits-all solution they are typically presented to be. Exploring alternative interpretations of the profile environmental management activities have in SMEs, the book evaluates the way in which cultural and ethical values are embedded in European SMEs in order to drive and orientate CSR successfully without following the mainstream 'systems' approach. It addresses several values of thought within the CSR debate such as intrinsic CSR, the role of virtue ethics and moral theory in corporate culture, environmental sustainability and vision-driven CSR. Focusing on a European perspective, the book heuristically explores an alternative model for the integration of CSR, innovation dynamics and economic success driven by intrinsic values rather than extrinsic post-decision rationalisations.

Small corporations are the leading forces in the development of new technologies, and patents are their most important assets. The role of patents in joint ventures, funding, marketing, and the strategic alliances that help small corporations grow and prosper is inestimable. Heines' book offers executives in small, rising corporations an in-depth, practical, useful comprehension of the patent system--the knowledge they need to understand, and work with, professional patent attorneys. With detailed examples and scenarios to illustrate legal principles, and with forms and advice to help develop a corporate patent strategy, the book provides critical information accessibly in a comprehensible manner and without dangerous, naive oversimplification. It will quickly prove useful to corporate decision makers and to academics teaching small business methods and management.

Among the book's special features is its focus on the perspective, interests, and special needs of small corporations, and its abundance of various hypothetical technology scenarios, illustrating the legal principles that Heines dissects and analyzes. Another special feature is the balance it strikes between thouroughness and clarity: it gives a lot of information but in a way that non-attorneys can easily understand. Heines explains and illustrates the principles of patent law and describes how to organize and implement an internal patent policy. He goes on to show how to accommodate patenting with ongoing research, how to maintain patent rights while working with outside vendors, how to distinguish between patenting and freedom-to-operate, and how to react and respond to the patents of competitors. Also addressed are the small corporation's need to control costs and ways to make patenting decisions in a manner that will provide maximum flexibility in deciding when and where to patent without relinquishing organizational control.

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.

The contribution of a good non-Executive Director can make a huge difference to a small to medium sized business. But who should fulfil the role? Someone steeped in the culture and methods of a large corporation may not be able to make a valuable contribution to the governance of a small company. If someone already has a job, will they have time to do the role justice? This book addresses the question of what the input of the non-Executive Director should be and how their strengths can best be accessed and applied. The result is a well-researched yet personal discussion of what is entailed, in theory and in practice, in the role of the non-Executive Director.

During the 1990s, a new type of controversy began occurring across the United States: controversies over the siting of superstores, also known as big box stores. In these disputes, which often involve Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, local citizens mount organized opposition to the proposed siting of a superstore in their town or neighborhood. Opponents criticize Wal-Mart superstores for putting local independent merchants out of business, siphoning money from the local economy, providing substandard jobs, disrupting residential neighborhoods, contributing to the "McDonaldization" of society, inducing sprawl, destroying downtowns and Main Streets, and undermining local uniqueness and small town charm. More generally, these David-and-Goliath controversies represent particularly stark examples of the conflict of interests between local communities and large corporations that have become common in contemporary society. Small Towns and Big Business uses fieldwork and archival sources to comprehensively examine these controversies and the underlying issues. While Wal-Mart is usually able to site its stores at its preferred locations, in some cases local opponents have been able to thwart its plans. Using detailed case studies of anti-superstore controversies in six small cities in five states, Halebsky employs a comparative-historical approach to construct an explanation of how some of these local social movements managed to prevail against Wal-Mart. This explanation is then extended to provide the basis for a model of the general conditions under which local communities may be able to constrain unwanted corporate action. Thus, this is both a study of social movement outcomes and an investigation of community-corporate conflict. Small Towns and Big Business provides insight into the potential of the local state to control large corporations, the inherently problematic nature of corporate retailing, the possibilities for resisting McDonaldization, and the fate of local anti-corporation acti