Enterprise and Small Business Principles
Structure of this book
The book is divided into three main parts that essentially reflect the three areas that concern the small firm today. These are first, the environment surrounding entrepreneurship and small business ownership; second, the various types of individuals who start and subsequently manage the venture; and thirdly, the various functions which have to be managed within the firm in order for it to succeed. As you will see when reading the various chapters, there are often no distinct boundaries between the issues discussed within the various chapters and, where possible, we have linked the relevant sections of chapters to those of others within the book.
The first part - The enterprise environment - focuses on the enterprise environment, and starts with two chapters that define the context of the book. Chapter 2 examines the definitions of small businesses and provides an analysis of the overall trends in the number of small businesses in various economies. Chapter 3 provides an overview of self-employment, profiling the main characteristics of individuals engaging in selfemployment and business ownership. The three remaining chapters in this part extend beyond numbers and trends to explore first the role of government in supporting the small business sector (Chapter 4), the role of small businesses as contributors of innovation (Chapter 5), and issues of growth and development in the small business sector (Chapter 6).
The second part - The entrepreneur - focuses on entrepreneurship within the small firm. One of the defining characteristics of entrepreneurs is their ability to recognise and develop opportunities. This theme is examined in Chapter 7 on the entrepreneurial process. A great deal of research interest has focused on the distinctive personality characteristics of entrepreneurs and their relationship with business success. Chapter 8 explores the various approaches to the psychology of the entrepreneur. The next six chapters in this part each examine distinctive types of entrepreneurs: female, ethnic minority, family-based, social, technological and corporate - each group demonstrating specific characteristics which differentiate them from other types of owner manager. The final chapter in this part examines the relatively under-explored issue of leadership, entrepreneurship and small business management (Chapter 15).
The final part - The enterprise environment - focuses on the specific management functions within the small business. Mainstream management subjects such as strategy, HRM, finance and marketing are discussed from the specific viewpoint of the small firm and its stakeholders. Entrepreneurship and small business research has emphasised certain managerial functions as both central and specific to the small business. Thus, a chapter on marketing and the small business (Chapter 17) is preceded by a chapter focusing on the importance of networks in the small business sector. Similarly, a chapter on finance and the small business (Chapter 18) is extended by an accompanying chapter exploring venture capital and business angel investment (Chapter 19). The growing importance of e-commerce is discussed in Chapter 22, while Chapter 23 explores franchising, now seen as a long-established route into business ownership for many individuals. The final chapter in this part concludes the book by examining the internationalisation strategies of SMEs.
