Creativity is the emergence of something novel and appropriate, from a person, a group, a society. A creative idea or product must be novel. Yet, novelty is not enough (a novel idea may be ridiculous or nonsensical). In addition to novelty, to be creative an idea or product must also attain some level of social recognition. The individualist approaches to creativity overestimate the role of the individual and of his/her abilities (the myth of the genius). On the contrary, the socio-cultural approach emphasizes the role played by contexts in the creation process: societies, cultures and historical periods. Accordingly, the individual is seen as a member of many overlapping social groups, each of them has its own network, with a specific structure and organization, which influences the creation of networks of—potentially creative—ideas. Each individual is also a member of a culture, which gives him/her the categories used to understand the world. Finally, each individual is representative of a specific historical period. From a managerial perspective it is important to deepen the knowledge of the contexts, both spatial and cognitive, which favor ‘‘situated creativity’’ in the realm of the cultural industries. This special book offers both theoretical and empirical contributions in an attempt to build such knowledge.

Creativity is the emergence of something novel and appropriate, from a person, a group, a society. A creative idea or product must be novel. Yet, novelty is not enough (a novel idea may be ridiculous or nonsensical). In addition to novelty, to be creative an idea or product must also attain some level of social recognition. The individualist approaches to creativity overestimate the role of the individual and of his/her abilities (the myth of the genius). On the contrary, the socio-cultural approach emphasizes the role played by contexts in the creation process: societies, cultures and historical periods. Accordingly, the individual is seen as a member of many overlapping social groups, each of them has its own network, with a specific structure and organization, which influences the creation of networks of—potentially creative—ideas. Each individual is also a member of a culture, which gives him/her the categories used to understand the world. Finally, each individual is representative of a specific historical period. From a managerial perspective it is important to deepen the knowledge of the contexts, both spatial and cognitive, which favor ‘‘situated creativity’’ in the realm of the cultural industries. This special book offers both theoretical and empirical contributions in an attempt to build such knowledge.

This text analyzes the impact of culture across the European continent, shedding new light on those countries with a rich and famous heritage such as Italy and France, but extending the study to newer forms of creativity.

This book investigates the evolving paradigm of creative industries and creative entrepreneurship, and their related economy over time. It explores different stages of the paradigm diffusion in ‘first generation countries’ such as the US, Canada, Australia and Europe, and ‘second generation countries’ in Asia, South America and North Africa in order to identify new trends and their distinctive aspects. By adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the book develops a comprehensive overview of the composite phenomenon of the creative economy and its relationship with entrepreneurship.

The aim of the Managing Networks of Creativity is to improve our understanding of creativity and the management of creativity, as discussed in the fields of management (including strategic management, organization science, organizational behaviour, and entrepreneurship), economics, sociology, regional studies, and political science. While research on creativity has made several important contributions to the theoretical literature, little attention has been paid to the development and testing of formal theoretical models, especially in those cases where creativity is the result not so much of individual behaviour than the outcome of collective efforts, connecting individuals in organizations, social networks, projects, geographic clusters, and so forth. The proposed volume includes studies, both conceptual and empirical, which, as a whole, "deconstruct" the concept of creativity and the management of creativity by identifying specific situations, contexts, firms, clusters, and districts in which creative processes evolve. The reader is provided with in-depth discussions of theoretical issues and a range of descriptive cases and survey data that the authors use to explore or test concepts and models. Overall, the volume aims to integrate current debates concerning the role of creativity (and innovation) in economic and social development.

Technological innovations, sociological and consumer trends, and growing internationalization are transforming the cultural and creative industries (CCIs). These changes present new challenges for CCIs that require original and inventive answers. Innovation in the Cultural and Creative Industries analyzes the powerful strategies put in place by CCI organizations such as Nintendo, the Lascaux Cave and Daft Punk. The case studies presented in this book cover video games, books, music, museums, fashion, film and architecture. Each chapter is organized around five key points: a theoretical framework that focuses on a specific concept, a description of the methodological mechanism mobilized, a presentation of the industry concerned, the analysis of the innovative strategy and a recap of the lessons and best practices demonstrated by the case.

"Moving from age-old warnings about the influence of the cultural industry to a tentative embrace of a global creative society, Terry Flew′s new book provides an excellent overview of this exciting field. Warmly recommended for students and policymakers alike." - Mark Deuze, Indiana University "A comprehensive text on the state of the art of the creative industries... a running commentary on the ebb and flow of both the academic debates (from cultural studies, cultural economics, organisational studies, economic geography and urban sociology) and the policy initiatives that seek to frame the field for outsiders. An ideal primer." - Andy C Pratt, King′s College London The rise of creative industries requires new thinking in communication, media and cultural studies, media and cultural policy, and the arts and information sectors. The Creative Industries sets the agenda for these debates, providing a richer understanding of the dynamics of cultural markets, creative labour, finance and risk, and how culture is distributed, marketed and creatively re-used through new media technologies. This book: Develops a global perspective on the creative industries and creative economy Draws insights from media and cultural studies, innovation economics, cultural policy studies, and economic and cultural geography Explores what it means for policy-makers when culture and creativity move from the margins to the centre of economic dynamics Makes extensive use of case studies in ways that are relevant not only to researchers and policy-makers, but also to the generation of students who will increasingly be establishing a ′portfolio career′ in the creative industries. International in coverage, The Creative Industries traces the historical and contemporary ideas that make the cultural economy more relevant that it has ever been. It is essential reading for students and academics in media, communication and cultural studies.