Entrepreneurship and Cluster Dynamics focuses on the origin and development of clusters and specifically on the role played by the strategic entrepreneurship in these contexts. Although separately entrepreneurship and cluster studies have already attracted the attention of academics and practitioners; this book aims to go further and offer an integrated and interactive view of topics. The cross-cutting approach is one of the main attributes of this book. In fact, the book involves a great range of organizational and economic perspectives, from social psychology to conventional applied economics disciplines. Moreover, these topics allow the use of different levels of analysis, from the individual entrepreneur behind a start-up to the structure of cluster networks, including the organizational levels. An analysis of the change and development of clusters going further than traditional functional approaches by examining how entrepreneurs and their actions are not only influenced by the cluster but also shape the cluster development, will offer an explanation of how entrepreneurship and networking entrepreneurs can foster, perhaps also inhibit, cluster development and change. Finally Entrepreneurship and Cluster Dynamics theorizes about the role of the strategic entrepreneurship in developing start-ups inside already established companies, which can play the role of broker in the cluster. Entrepreneurship and Cluster Dynamics offers a unique opportunity to academics, researchers, and students to learn about relations and interactions between entrepreneurship and cluster perspectives, providing both newly and original theoretical propositions and also rigorous conclusive empirical exercises.

This volume contains the proceedings of the international conference "Complexity and Industrial Clusters: Dynamics and Models in Theory and Practice", organized by Fondazione Comunita e Innovazione and held in Milan on June 19 and 20, 2001 under the aegis of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (founded in Rome in 1604), one of the oldest and most famous national academies of science in the world. Fondazione Comunita e Innovazione encourages research and the dissemination of knowledge about social, economic, cultural and civil issues. It promotes research and innovation related to local production systems and industrial districts, with special reference to: the interactions between large companies and SMEs (small and medium-size enterprises), the effects of industrial districts on the development and welfare of their communities and of neighbouring areas, the effects of globalisation on these local systems of productions. Fondazione Comunita e Innovazione was created in Milan in 1999. It supports studies, publications, and events, both on its own and in cooperation with corporations, research institutes, foundations, associations and universities. It also grants scientific sponsorship to research that is in line with its mission, as set forth in its by-laws. The founding member of the Fondazione is Edison (formerly Monted:son). The other subscribing members, in historical order, are: Ausimont, Tecnimont, Eridania, Accenture, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

. . . the Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Entrepreneurship is an important contribution to the field, and should be referenced in any paper using qualitative methodologies to investigate the entrepreneurial phenomenon. Craig S. Galbraith, Journal of Enterprising Communities There is no hiding behind the ramparts of dry scholarship here. The credibility of the theory being spoken of is not the stuff of constructed proofs, but alignments of critical insight and utility. This is where qualitative work can make a difference to the field, and where this book makes its mark. Robin Holt, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research The Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Entrepreneurship is an unusually solid and multifaceted book on what qualitative methods have done, are doing and will do in entrepreneurship research. Every serious entrepreneurship scholar should read it. It points at the future! Björn Bjerke, University of Kalmar, Sweden I would warmly recommend this unique collection of qualitative methods of entrepreneurship research to both mature and beginning researchers as a menu to choose from for their planned empirical studies. For those who try to get away from only quantitative studies in both business practice and academic research, this book is their chance to find a rich inspiration in reflecting on entrepreneurship as a lived experience using grounded theory and ethnographic, discourse and narrative approaches. It might convince editors of top journals of entrepreneurship research to welcome qualitative research submissions as an indispensable complement to quantitative only submissions. This domain is not physics. In bringing together such a variety of experts from so many nationalities in this Handbook, our Danish colleagues are making entrepreneurship research a realistic global venture. Jan Ulijn, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands Helle Neergaard and John Parm Ulhøi have compiled a remarkable collection of work that both represents the range of methods and demonstrates the depth of insight that can be achieved through qualitative approaches. This book is not simply a handbook of qualitative research methods, though it well achieves this aim, it is also an important contribution towards the field of entrepreneurship research. From the Foreword by Sara Carter This expansive and practical Handbook introduces the methods currently used to increase the understanding of the usefulness and versatility of a systematic approach to qualitative research in entrepreneurship. It fills a crucial gap in the literature on entrepreneurship theory, and, just as importantly, illustrates how these principles and techniques can be appropriately and fruitfully employed. The Handbook is underpinned by the belief that qualitative research has the potential to charter hitherto unexplored waters in the field of entrepreneurship and thus contribute significantly to its further advancement. The contributors seek to assist entrepreneurship researchers in making more informed choices and designing more rigorous and sophisticated studies. They achieve this by providing concrete examples of research experiences and tangible how to advice. By clarifying what these research methods entail, how they are currently being used and how they can be evaluated, this Handbook constitutes a comprehensive and highly accessible methodological toolbox. Dealing with both well-accepted qualitative approaches and lesser-known, rarer and more novel approaches to the study of entrepreneurship, this Handbook will be invaluable to those studying, researching and teaching entrepreneurship.

This book addresses the sustained resurgence of American economy, and the firms, regions, and technologies that are driving this growth. Michael Best develops a new model of technology management and regional innovation based on the principle of systems integration. The principle of systems integration is manifest in the organizational capability of firms, individually and networked, to foster rapid technological change. Application of the principle of sysyems integration to business organization means integrating an ongoing technology management capability into a production system. The effect is a network or clusterof entrepreneurial firms in which design is decentralized within the enterprise and diffused anongst networked enterprises.It is a business model ideally suited to product-led strategies and technological innovation. The combination of entreprenurial firms and inter-firm networks is shown to foster a range of dynamic cluster processes which, in turn, underlie the growth of Silicon Valley and the unexpected resurgence of Boston's Route 128. The general character of the capabilities and innovation perspective is illustrated with applications to regions at different levels of industrial development. The implications for policy making are profound: technology management is a powerful lever for both fostering growth and shaping competitive advantage. Moreover, it offers a framework for addressing the challenge of ecologically sustainable growth. Complex product systems, such as energy, transportation, and health, are a consequence of past and present technology R&D choices and corresponding investements in technical education. Thus capability and skill development policies shape what is on offer in the marketplace.

This book explains and analyzes entrepreneurship and cultural management issues in the creative and cultural sectors and discusses the impacts of economic, social and structural changes on cultural entrepreneurship. The expert contributions investigate the role of cultural entrepreneurship in regional and destination management and development by presenting best practice examples. It offers various interdisciplinary approaches, including perspectives from the fields of entrepreneurship and management, regional and destination management and development, sociology, psychology, innovation as well as creative industries, and also features articles exploring cultural entrepreneurship on a corporate as well as on a spatial level – or in other words in regions and destinations.

This book addresses a gap in the present literature on the role that geography plays in the distribution of entrepreneurial activity. Emerging work on entrepreneurial ecosystems suggests it is important entrepreneurship studies move beyond the mere identification of factors that impact entrepreneurial activity to consider the unique geographic contexts in which entrepreneurs operate. These contexts include a variety of interactive elements including regional characteristics, institutions, actors, and connectors. As such, this collection analyses entrepreneurial activity in regions around the globe. The contributions explore a series of diverse regions in terms of their geographic, historical, industrial, and institutional contexts. The book also explores a range of topics, such as patterns of regional/subnational variations in entrepreneurial activity, geographically mediated determinants of entrepreneurship, inter-temporal dynamics, evolution of regional systems of entrepreneurship, and the impact of entrepreneurship on regional development and regional entrepreneurship policy. This book enhances our policy and practical knowledge about the unique regional context in which entrepreneurs operate and demonstrates the important role that geography plays in the spatial distribution of entrepreneurial activity.

'This well-edited volume should be on the shelf of every regional development agency library. Its seventeen chapters written by 31 predominantly academic contributors are divided into four coherent sections: the first on cluster and network modelling, the next on empirical analysis, a third on case studies, finishing with two chapters on policy analysis and strategies.' - Tony Jackson, Journal of Economic Development This book provides a state-of-the-art overview of spatial industrial clusters and inter-firm networks. Given the prevailing political belief that clusters can be a major vehicle for economic development and growth, it is important to have a sound understanding of clusters and how they emerge, grow, eventually stagnate and disappear. It is also vital to know when and how to apply policy measures to support cluster development in order to increase economic welfare. This book illuminates both the theoretical and empirical issues relating to clusters and inter-firm networks, and presents a number of interesting case studies from a variety of different countries.

Miguel-Ángel Galindo Martín, Joaquín Guzman Cuevas and Domingo Ribeiro Soriano University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain The economic growth and the progress of the nations have been two issues that have worried to the economists during centuries. The classical eco- mics books have developed different theories and considered several f- tors that could explain those processes. Unfortunately, a single answer has not been obtained and nowadays economists try also to achieve a response to the mechanism of economic growth. Economic growth has been considered as one of the most relevant e- nomic policy. As it is well known, the validity of an economic policy is measured in terms of economic growth rate. It is supposed that those countries that obtain a higher economic growth rate are designing more efficient economic policies than those that show lower rates. The main corollary to this hypothesis is that the developing countries must follow and copy the economic policies designed by the developed countries.

This multi-volume set focuses on a topic of growing interest to academics, policymakers, university administrators, state and regional economic development officials, and students: entrepreneurship. In recent years, we have witnessed a proliferation of entrepreneurship courses, programs, and initiatives at universities. Universities have also become entrepreneurial hubs, as they commercialize research via patents, licenses, and startup companies. It is also important to note that entrepreneurship cuts across numerous fields in business administration, such as management, strategy, operations management, finance, marketing, and accounting, as well as across numerous social science disciplines, including economics, sociology, political science, and psychology.Volume 1 is a comprehensive analysis of entrepreneurial universities, highlighting efforts undertaken by numerous universities to partner with industry and develop an entrepreneurial culture on campus and in the surrounding region. Volume 2 is focused on entrepreneurial finance, containing chapters on salient topics such as venture capital, angel investors, initial public offerings (IPOs), and crowdfunding. Volume 3 presents evidence on entrepreneurial opportunities relating to sustainability and other forms of corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and ethical issues that arise in the context of entrepreneurial activity. Volume 4 provides global evidence on university technology transfer and academic entrepreneurship. This set is required reading for those who want a full understanding of the managerial, financial, and public policy implications of entrepreneurship.

The Springer book series Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management was launched in March 2008 as a forum and intellectual, scholarly “podium” for global/local, transdisciplinary, transsectoral, public–private, and leading/“bleeding” -edge ideas, theories, and perspectives on these topics. The book series is accompanied by the Springer Journal of the Knowledge Economy, which was launched in 2009 with the same editorial leadership. The series showcases provocative views that diverge from the current “conv- tional wisdom,” that are properly grounded in theory and practice, and that consider 1 2 the concepts of robust competitiveness, sustainable entrepreneurship, and demo- 3 cratic capitalism, central to its philosophy and objectives. More specifically, the aim of this series is to highlight emerging research and practice at the dynamic intersection of these fields, where individuals, organizations, industries, regions, and nations are harnessing creativity and invention to achieve and sustain growth. Books that are part of the series explore the impact of innovation at the “macro” (economies, markets), “meso” (industries, firms), and “micro” levels. (teams, indi viduals), drawing from such related disciplines as finance, organizational psychology, research and development, science policy, information systems, and 1 We define sustainable entrepreneurship as the creation of viable, profitable, and scalable firms. Such firms engender the formation of self-replicating and mutually enhancing innovation networks and knowledge clusters (innovation ecosystems), leading toward robust competitiveness (E.G. Carayannis, International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development, 1(3), 235–254, 2009).