Descriptive inquiries on crowdfunding are multiplying but it remains a fuzzy subject for research and reflexivity. This book gathers the best recent research outcomes on the managerial and social impact of this new practice.

This open access book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of knowledge on the state of crowdfunding research and practice. It considers crowdfunding models and their different manifestations across a variety of geographies and sectors, and explores the perspectives of fundraisers, backers, platforms, and regulators. Gathering insights from a wide range of influential researchers in the field, the book balances concepts, theory, and case studies. Going beyond previous research on crowdfunding, the contributors also investigate issues of community, sustainability, education, and ethics. A vital resource for anyone researching crowdfunding, this book offers readers a deep understanding of the characteristics, business models, user-relations, and behavioural patterns of crowdfunding.

This volume examines how disruptive innovations are reshaping industry boundaries and challenging conventional business models and practices in the industries for film, video and photography.

In recent years, crowdfunding has become important and it has been enthusiastically used not only by commercial organizations but also by the public sector. This alternative source of financing in times of constrained government budgets enables citizens to vote with their dollars online to bring ideas into reality. This book sheds light on the developing concept of crowdfunding in the public sector, with an overview of current academic discussions and best practices on crowdfunding in the public sector. The volume approaches crowdfunding in the public sector from an integrated perspective, addressing the dearth of publications on the subject. The book gathers a wealth of theoretical information, ideas, best practices and lessons learned in the context of executing concrete crowdfunding projects, and assess methodological approaches to integrating the topic of crowdfunding in public organizations curricula. The book provides definitions, insights and examples of this managerial perspective resulting in a theoretical framework of crowdfunding in the public sector. The contributors also explore different crowdfunding applications in public sectors such as local government, higher education, schools, arts & culture organizations, healthcare, energy sector, and police services, which are presented in several case studies. This is a unique book in the field that points the way forward both for policymakers and for the research community in terms of thinking about crowdfunding in the public sector and the complex issues surrounding its development.

Crowdfunding is becoming an increasingly popular method to finance projects of every kind and scale. This contributed volume is one of the earliest books presenting scientific and research-based perspectives of crowdfunding, its development, and future. The European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) and its scientific work group, together with FGF e.V., invited both researchers and practitioners to contribute to this first state-of-the-art edited volume on crowdfunding in Europe. This book contributes to a better comprehension of crowdfunding, encourages further fundamental research and contributes to a systematization of this new field of research. The book also features expert contributions by practitioners to enhance and complement the scientific perspective. This book can be used as a guideline and shall advance classification in an emerging research field.

Foreword TAKE 2018 follows with success the two previous editions. We gather 60 papers, presented by scholars from 15 countries which address the complex relation between theory and applications in the realm of the knowledge economy. We address specific aspects of knowledge management, human resource development and management, intellectual capital and many other scientific areas relevant for the economy of today. We hope these proceedings will summarize and illustrate well what happened in the conference and look forward for next years’ edition. Thank you very much for your participation as local organizer, keynote speaker, stream leader, reviewer, author, helper or just participant. Eduardo Tomé, Conference Chair Poznan, July 2018

Smaller companies are abundant in the business realm and outnumber large companies by a wide margin. To maintain a competitive edge against other businesses, companies must ensure the most effective strategies and procedures are in place. This is particularly critical in smaller business environments that have fewer resources. Start-Ups and SMEs: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source that examines the strategies and concepts that will assist small and medium-sized enterprises to achieve competitiveness. It also explores the latest advances and developments for creating a system of shared values and beliefs in small business environments. Highlighting a range of topics such as entrepreneurship, innovative behavior, and organizational sustainability, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for entrepreneurs, business managers, executives, managing directors, academicians, business professionals, researchers, and graduate-level students.

Crowdfunding is a hot topic and this Handbook provides a service to the research community by codifying, discussing and examining research in this area. It will be a starting point for researchers seeking high quality research in this new and important area.

Social entrepreneurship is construed an innovative activity that addresses or mitigates social issues based on self-sufficiency and financial stability. It offers the potential to shift civil society through innovative social ventures that pursue profit and purpose. It is gaining international attention due to the intent of social entrepreneurs to change and to see the world as it can be, not as it is. These changemakers blend lessons from business with the diversity and complexity of social values and in the process pursue opportunities for change. International Perspectives on Value Creation and Sustainability Through Social Entrepreneurship explores various issues and ideas about social entrepreneurship through the lens of theoretical, practical, and empirical research. It provides an international outlook of social entrepreneurship, focusing primarily on value creation and sustainability. Covering topics such as entrepreneurship education, post-COVID perspectives, and private wealth, this premier reference source is an essential resource for entrepreneurs, business leaders, managers, government officials, policymakers, libraries, students and faculty of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

This book offers a comparative perspective on 18 countries’ legal regulation of crowdfunding. In the wake of the financial crises of 2008, use of this alternative financing method has increased substantially, in various forms. Whereas some states have adopted tailor-made regimes in order to regulate but also encourage this way of financing projects, allowing loans to be made by non-banking institutions, others still haven’t specifically addressed the subject. An analysis of these diverse legislative stances offers readers a range of legal solutions for managing crowdfunding activities with regard to e.g. protecting investors, imposing limits on project owners, and finally the role and duties of intermediaries, i.e., companies operating crowdfunding platforms. In addition, the content presented here provides a legal basis for states and supranational organizations interested in regulating this phenomenon to achieve more legal certainty.