Entrepreneurship and innovation play a vital role in fostering sustainable development. Advances in technology and communications have both transformed the process of business as well as strengthened the role of entrepreneurship in developed and developing countries. This important book is the first to provide the fundamental concepts and applications for faculty and students in this field, and also serves as a professional reference for practicing entrepreneurs and policymakers. Each chapter provides a clear guide to the conceptual and practical elements that characterize entrepreneurship and the process of new venture formation, including functional strategies in key areas such as marketing, information technology, human resources management, and accounting and finance. Questions and exercises are presented throughout in order to encourage discussion and problem-solving. A quick summary of the important concepts and definitions are also provided. Keeping practicality as the book’s core aim, all chapters include a long case study to set the scene and then draw upon shorter cases from both developing and developed countries to reinforce key learning objectives and the real-world application of the book’s core concepts.

This book addresses the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability (EIS), presenting high-quality research illuminating the relationship between the three fields. The EIS nexus is particularly relevant from a European point of view given the focus of the European Commission on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, as well as their prominent role within the European Union in general. Also, the rapid economic growth witnessed especially in the BRIC countries in recent years requires that firms reconcile sustainability aspects with profitability and innovation, and entrepreneurs are seen as key diffusers of these aims. Sustainability requires both radical and incremental innovation at many different levels (technology, product, process, system). In many cases, such innovations come from small and medium-sized enterprises and so the role of the entrepreneur is key to their success. The book is split into six sections. The first section examines the nexus in detail focusing on system-oriented connectivity between sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship. The second section looks at how to nurture corporate entrepreneurship for sustainability; and the third considers "mature" industries such as automotives, chemicals and electronics and how sustainability aspects can be integrated into innovation process and strategy. The fourth section examines the nexus through the lens of developing countries in Africa. Sustainable entrepreneurship is identified as a hugely beneficial way to foster development. The fifth section of the book concentrates on SMEs; and finally the EIS nexus is approached from a network perspective and focuses on inter-organisational partnerships, which are often an important facilitator or spark for EIS initiatives.This book will prove to be essential for researchers in the EIS nexus and be of invaluable help to practitioners, governments and inter-governmental bodies attempting to encourage sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation.

Sustainable entrepreneurship has attracted growing attention in both scholarly and practitioner circles. Focusing on generating social, environmental and business value, the notion has been raised more recently to address the contribution of entrepreneurial activities to sustainable economic and social development. Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation builds on a theoretical framework that addresses related topics via a combination of insights from sustainability, policy, managerial, strategic, innovation and institutional perspectives. Providing empirical casework as well as a conceptual and theoretical framework, the book takes a global, interdisciplinary approach to the emergent field of sustainable entrepreneurship. The book highlights elements of sustainable entrepreneurship which have a societal impact as well as regional relevance and related aspects of innovation are also presented. Definitional issues are further elaborated in order to encompass the main inter-connected fields of study, sustainable entrepreneurship and social innovation. This book is an important resource for academic researchers, and postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability.

Given the compelling need to understand how entrepreneurship can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and be appropriately guided, this book explores how entrepreneurial thinking and action can support social change, and investigates alternative entrepreneurship approaches by drawing together different studies.

When I received the review copy I was rather excited. . . the book as a collection of research papers that, in themselves, are very interesting, and provide a fast-track into the literature of the subject in question. . . it is a worthwhile purchase to support thinking on entrepreneurship and innovation in a world where the sustainability agenda is increasingly becoming the agenda for inventors, entrepreneurs and those who fund them or invest in their companies. . . All the papers are well written and scholarly. . . A particularly strong feature of the chapters is the range of sources quoted at the end of each chapter. These references provide pathways into many different literatures that might save much time for subsequent researchers. Lorraine Warren, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research In recent years our understanding of corporate sustainability has moved from exploitation to exploration, from corporate environmental management to sustainable entrepreneurship, and from efficiency to innovation. Yet current trends indicate the need for radical innovation via entrepreneurial start-ups or new ventures within existing corporations despite difficulties with the financing and marketing of such efforts. Presenting both conceptual and empirical research, this fascinating book addresses how we can combine environmental and social sustainability with economic sustainability in order to produce innovative new business models. The international cast of contributors addresses the wide range of issues in the balance between growth and environmental concerns. The first five chapters discuss various aspects of sustainable entrepreneurship. This is followed by two chapters that look at innovation within existing firms. Innovation is not successful until it finds a customer, so the two chapters that follow delve into the marketing aspects of business-to-consumer and business-to-business settings. The book closes with a broad discussion of the evolution and future of the research agenda into the intersection of sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship. Academics, students, business professionals, and NGOs will find this volume enlightening and useful.

The construction of a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem is critical for every country in the world, with Silicon Valley an example of a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem that determines the level of national innovation capability and sustainable global competitiveness for the United States. However, at present, the research on entrepreneurial ecosystems in academia is still in its primary stage with few scholars studying the characteristics, composition, and sustainability of the ecosystem. Sustainability in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Operating Mechanisms and Enterprise Growth is a collection of innovative research that systematically explores the operation mechanism of sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem from macro and micro aspects so as to provide value for promoting economic vitality and regional economic development. Covering a broad range of topics including sustainability, economic development, and stakeholder management, this book is ideally designed for entrepreneurs, managers, investors, analysts, academicians, researchers, and students.