It is not widely understood that the importance of small businesses only became apparent with the publication of David Birch's book The Job Generation Process in 1979. Over the past four decades, governments across the globe have struggled to design, implement and evaluate policies that benefit the development of small firms. Deciding whether macro or micro policies are more appropriate for a given context has usually created an initial challenge for policy-makers. However, a cause for even greater dispute has been determining and agreeing what might be the preferred outcomes of such policies (e.g. more firms, better performing firms, fewer firm failures, job creation, greater productivity, higher levels of innovation, inclusivity of disadvantaged groups). Furthermore, evaluating the impact of specific policies presents a wide range of difficulties since it is impossible to isolate a simple cause-and-effect relationship between policy and its stated goal. This book explores the development of small business policy in five countries across five continents and seeks to develop a deeper understanding regarding how small business policy has evolved in these countries and what we might learn from their experiences. This book was originally published as a special issue of Small Enterprise Research.

'The book is a much needed foundation into current scholarship on the practice and logic of team formation and function in entrepreneurial situations. The book offers both in-depth and comprehensive views of theory on entrepreneurial teams, as well as examples of current research. I am particularly impressed with the insights offered through a disciplined focus on the contextual aspects of entrepreneurial teams.' - William B. Gartner, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark and California Lutheran University, US In recent years there has been an increasing body of evidence suggesting that firms founded by entrepreneurial teams are more likely to achieve fast growth than firms founded by lone actors. This Research HandbookM explores the position of entrepreneurial teams within existing literature and challenges current perspectives through a diverse range of research lenses. Research Handbook on Entrepreneurial Teams expands the boundaries of entrepreneurship literature by examining essential issues such as formation, structuring, deep-level diversity and emergent states. The chapters also consider different contexts of application and investigate under-researched topics such as entrepreneurial teams within indigenous communities, ethnically diverse groups and women entrepreneurs. This comprehensive Research Handbook offers a wide range of research methodologies, perspectives and insights that will appeal to scholars, practitioners and entrepreneurs alike. Contributors include: H.E. Aldrich, C. Ben-Hafaiedh, M. Brettel, G. Campopiano, L. Cassia, L.M. Cloutier, T.M. Cooney, S. Cueille, J.P. De Borst, A. Discua Cruz, F. Dufays, E. Hadjielias, M. Henare, C. Howorth, B. Huybrechts, M.K. Kihiko, P.H. Kim, M.W. Kinoti, J.-F. Lalonde, J. Levie, B. Lythberg, R. Mauer, T. Minola, A. Nicholson, G. Recasens, S. Schoss, D. Vredenburgh, C. Woods, W. Zhou

Bringing much needed clarity and definition to the term 'minority entrepreneur,' this authoritative and timely handbook explores the distinctive challenges that minority communities face when founding and managing new ventures. The handbook is inclusive of any community who might be considered disadvantaged or under-represented in terms of entrepreneurial activity and included are women, youths, seniors, disabled, immigrants, Indigenous peoples, LBGTQ+, ex-offenders, Roma, refugees and many others. Chapters highlight the idiosyncratic nature of the many communities examined before offering frameworks and models that draw together the various findings. With a cast of international contributors, this scholarly handbook discusses the surrounding literature of minority entrepreneurship and takes an all-encompassing approach to its interpretation. It also addresses the sorely under-researched area of entrepreneurial behaviour among minorities and disadvantaged groups. This is particularly important for policymakers tasked with designing and delivering initiatives that are appropriate for the needs of these communities. Ultimately this handbook contributes to existing knowledge by: * providing a current understanding of the literature for each of the communities; * investigating the uniqueness of the entrepreneurial behaviour within the communities; * offering new frameworks/models from which future researchers can build new knowledge. The handbook provides a comprehensive account of an important and fast emerging field of entrepreneurship, and is an invaluable resource for students, researchers and policymakers.

Bringing much needed clarity and definition to the term 'minority entrepreneur,' this authoritative and timely handbook explores the distinctive challenges that minority communities face when founding and managing new ventures. The handbook is inclusive of any community who might be considered disadvantaged or under-represented in terms of entrepreneurial activity and included are women, youths, seniors, disabled, immigrants, Indigenous peoples, LBGTQ+, ex-offenders, Roma, refugees and many others. Chapters highlight the idiosyncratic nature of the many communities examined before offering frameworks and models that draw together the various findings. With a cast of international contributors, this scholarly handbook discusses the surrounding literature of minority entrepreneurship and takes an all-encompassing approach to its interpretation. It also addresses the sorely under-researched area of entrepreneurial behaviour among minorities and disadvantaged groups. This is particularly important for policymakers tasked with designing and delivering initiatives that are appropriate for the needs of these communities. Ultimately this handbook contributes to existing knowledge by: * providing a current understanding of the literature for each of the communities; * investigating the uniqueness of the entrepreneurial behaviour within the communities; * offering new frameworks/models from which future researchers can build new knowledge. The handbook provides a comprehensive account of an important and fast emerging field of entrepreneurship, and is an invaluable resource for students, researchers and policymakers.

It is not widely understood that the importance of small businesses only became apparent with the publication of David Birch's book The Job Generation Process in 1979. Over the past four decades, governments across the globe have struggled to design, implement and evaluate policies that benefit the development of small firms. Deciding whether macro or micro policies are more appropriate for a given context has usually created an initial challenge for policy-makers. However, a cause for even greater dispute has been determining and agreeing what might be the preferred outcomes of such policies (e.g. more firms, better performing firms, fewer firm failures, job creation, greater productivity, higher levels of innovation, inclusivity of disadvantaged groups). Furthermore, evaluating the impact of specific policies presents a wide range of difficulties since it is impossible to isolate a simple cause-and-effect relationship between policy and its stated goal. This book explores the development of small business policy in five countries across five continents and seeks to develop a deeper understanding regarding how small business policy has evolved in these countries and what we might learn from their experiences. This book was originally published as a special issue of Small Enterprise Research.

A body of research exists which suggests that firms founded by entrepreneurial teams are more likely to be fast-growing than firms founded by individuals. This 2001 study does not question the validity of such findings, but instead builds from it by asking "if this is true, then what do firms founded by entrepreneurial teams uniquely effect that makes them fast-growth?." A detailed exploration of the literature brought the decision to examine the different firm classifications through structures and strategies. The primary proposition was that fast-growth firms founded by entrepreneurial teams would display a unique combination of organic structure and emergent strategy. To test the hypotheses, a survey of software firms was undertaken in Massachusetts (U.S.A.) and Ireland. The principal finding of the study was that the coupling of organic and emergent strategy was not unique to fast-growth firms founded by entrepreneurial teams but instead the lessons from fast-growth firms were about mindsets and sharing.

This book contains 10 cases in entrepreneurship that are drawn from 5 countries. Daft.ie is an internet company started by two brothers who have reached the stage of second phase growth. De Boerinn Activity Centre is a family farm that is diversifying. Digicel is primarily concerned with corporate social responsibility. Echinades is exploring opportunities for fish-based tourism. EcoServe has a new Managing Director who needs to develop a positioning strategy. General Records is about two friends who identify an opportunity to start a record company. Guardian Angel is a Business Plan prepared by three female graduates who developed the idea as part of their studies. Heylen is a small enterprise that provides ecological management services to protected areas. South Hill Enterprise is a business in which each member of staff (excluding Supervisors and Managers) has some form of intellectual disability. Supreme Seafoods is a fish processing firm that is struggling to cope with the recession. The cases feature a wide range of issues found in different entrepreneurship contexts and were written between 2005-2009.