The drivers of globalization are removing the barriers that segregated the competitive space of the small and large firms in the past. It is becoming increasingly difficult for independent small firms to thrive in their traditional markets unless they are globally competitive. Managing an enterprise's commercial, industrial and political relations well, regardless of size and location, is the essence of the entrepreneurial challenge in this competitive arena. Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) often face very different issues than large multinational enterprises do when confronting internationalization. This volume provides an in-depth discussion of these challenges. The contributors to this volume explore the emerging patterns of SME growth and international expansion in response to the evolving competitive environment, dynamics of competitive behavior, entrepreneurial processes and formulation of strategy. They examine the basis and requirements of growth and expansion from three perspectives: the rapidly-changing environment in which business is conducted, entrepreneurial characteristics, and the evolving strategic and competitive response to this changing business environment. Business leaders, scholars and students interested in international business and entrepreneurship will welcome this volume.

The third edition of International Business offers an action-focused, practical approach to the topic, helping students understand the global business environment and its repercussions for executives. The book provides thorough coverage of the field, delving into fundamental concepts and theory; the cultural, political, and economic environment; international business strategies; and even functional management areas. More comprehensive than competing books, International Business includes: Strengthened, expanded global cases, examples, and 'industry' and 'country' mini-cases that give students practical insight into the ways companies actually behave within a competitive, global environment Updated coverage of key trends that impact how international business functions, including the drivers of globalization, e-commerce and the impact of the Internet, and international entrepreneurship New material on technology issues, the impact of the financial crisis, and problems in the EU Expanded discussion of the skills and strategies students need to succeed in today's international business environment, including dynamic capabilities, foreign direct investment, and market entry strategies Also featuring a companion website with a test bank, Powerpoint slides, and instructor’s manual, this book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students and instructors of any international business course.

This new edition of the market-leading textbook by Paul Burns offers an unrivalled holistic introduction to the field of entrepreneurship and valuable guidance for budding entrepreneurs looking to launch their own small business. Drawing on his decades of academic and entrepreneurial experience, the author takes you on a journey through the business life-cycle, from the early stages of start-up, through progressive growth, to the confident strides of a mature business. Combining cutting-edge theory with fresh global examples and lessons from real-life business practice, this accessible and explorative textbook will encourage you to develop the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the challenges faced by today's entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship and Small Business will help you to: - Learn what makes entrepreneurs tick with brand new Get into the Mindset video interviews and an exploration of entrepreneuial character traits - Seamlessly incorporate multimedia content into your learning with the new Digital Links platform accessed via your smart device - Understand how worldwide events can impact small businesses through incisive analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic - Grasp how entrepreneurship differs around the globe, with over 100 Case Insights and new examples from a diverse range of countries and industries - Ensure your understanding of the entrepreneurial landscape is up-to-date, with new chapters on recruiting and managing people, and on lean methodologies and business model frameworks. This is the ideal textbook for students taking undergraduate and postgraduate Entrepreneurship or Small Business Management courses, as well as for MBA students.

The domain of international entrepreneurship has continued to gain momentum in an era that sees entrepreneurship and globalization as critical issues in the world of business. Given the flourish of new research in this area, there is a need to provide an up-to-date perspective on the field and its future. This volume draws together a team of experts purposely selected from both the entrepreneurship and international business fields to present a comprehensive resource on the cutting-edge conversations within international entrepreneurship. This prestigious reference book will offer students and researchers an introduction to leading scholarship in international entrepreneurship and also serve as a catapult for future research.

This impressive Handbook provides a dynamic perspective on the international entrepreneurial strategies of SMEs, including the role and experience of their founders, as well as the collaboration of these SMEs in networks with larger firms. The expert contributors from all over the world and the editors explore the origin and evolution of internationalizing SMEs, the changing history and the future outlook of this sector. They study the effects of different cultures on the origin and growth of entrepreneurship and SMEs. The Handbook also outlines the various types of Born Globals that emerge from different parts of the world. This book will prove essential reading for researchers and students of international business, entrepreneurship and SMEs. Founders of internationalizing SMEs will also learn about novel management practices, whilst educational institutions and governments will find invaluable insights on how to foster and support SMEs in their internationalization efforts.

The World Bank Group promotes small and medium enterprise (SME) growth through both systemic and targeted interventions. Targeting means focusing benefits on one size-class of firms to the exclusion of others. Targeted support for SMEs is a big business for the World Bank Group, averaging around $3 billion a year in commitments, expenditures, and gross exposure over the 2006-12 period. In the context of broader reforms, such targeted support can be a powerful tool. Targeting SMEs is not an end in itself, but a means to create economies that can employ more people and create more opportunity for citizens to achieve prosperity. A thriving and growing SME sector is associated with rapidly growing economies. A central challenge is to level the economic playing field by ensuring dynamic markets; strengthening market-support institutions; and removing constraints to participation. IEG found that financial sector development can have both a pro-growth and pro-poor impact by alleviating SMEs' financing constraints, enabling new entry of firms and entrepreneurs and better resource allocation. Layered on top of this are targeted forms of assistance; these interventions may build on a foundation of more systemic reforms, may come in tandem with them, or may in fact be a means to build systemic reforms from the bottom up. Any credible justification of targeted support to SMEs must be focused on establishing well-functioning markets and institutions, not simply providing a temporary supply of benefits to a small group of firms during a project's lifespan. Thus, targeted interventions need to leverage resources to produce broader benefits for institutions and markets. To make targeted support for SMEs more effective, the World Bank Group needs to do several things: Clarify its approach to targeted support to SMEs; Enhance the support's relevance and additionality; Institute a tailored research agenda; Strengthen guidance and quality control for such support; Reform MIGA s Small Investment Program.

The editors and contributors to this volume show how conventional theories of entrepreneurship and business do not fully address the challenges inherent in achieving and sustaining global competitiveness. Over the course of 11 research-based chapters,

The Changing Global Economy and its Impact on International Entrepreneurshipaddresses different changes and challenges that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face in an economy where they need to compete at home and cannot refrain from participating in international markets. Contributors examine diverse SMEs that have succeeded in the face of adversity. They offer a combination of practical strategies and efficient tactics, grounded in solid theory and research, for firms in different competitive industries. This volume presents a collection of 12 carefully selected chapters that highlight challenging real-world cases to illustrate a variety of difficult problems. Hamid Etemad presents an analytical framework with three levels of analysis - entrepreneurial level, firm level, and institutional level - to document comprehensive, realistic and experientially-based entrepreneurial initiatives, potent firm and public policy strategies and informative and applicable results. The interactive structural design of this book offers progressively higher levels of analysis and incisive lessons, which make it perfect for academics interested in the rich range of theories, methodologies and topics surrounding SMEs' internationalization processes. Its analysis will also inform management and effective policy formulation for entrepreneurs, managers, and policymakers. Contributors:J. Almarri, S. Aureli, L. Battaglia, E. Cedrola, M. Del Baldo, S. Denicolai, N. Dominguez, H. Etemad, B. Hagen, E.J.B. Jørgensen, K. Juusola, D. Kabbara, S. Kock, H. Le Nguyen, J.I.G. Meewella, M. Migliaccio, A.G. Quaranta, E. Rasmussen, F. Rivetti, V. Stanisauskaite, I. Wictor, A. Zucchella

This book was originally published in 1999. At this time, the US economy had recently restructured itself, moving away from an industrial economy towards one based on information, while the European Union and Japan were left to worry about rising government deficits, inflexible businesses, persistent unemployment, and workers inadequately trained for the information age. Why did the US economy move beyond its chief competitors? This collection suggests that at least some of the answers to the pattern of divergent development can be found in the role of the entrepreneur. By examining the process that entrepreneurs play in the economy, the essays in this volume make a fundamental contribution to our understanding of the macroeconomy. Each chapter clarifies the role of entrepreneur in economic theory, the function of small and medium-size enterprises that they found and build and the impact of the innovations introduced on employment, productivity, and economic growth.

Business transactions and partnerships across borders have become easier than ever due to globalization and global digital connectivity. As part of this shift in the business sphere, managers, executives, and strategists across industries must acclimate themselves with the challenges and opportunities for conducting business globally. International Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications presents the latest research innovations focusing on cross-cultural communications and training, international relations, multinational enterprises, outsourcing, international business strategies, and competitive advantage in the global marketplace. This publication is an exhaustive multi-volume work essential to academic and corporate libraries who serve researchers, scholars, business executives and professionals, and graduate-level business students.