Synopses & Reviews
Entrepreneurship is an extremely important, but little understood, component of the U.S. economy. This book aids that understanding by exploring the challenges and outcomes of the start-up phases of new firms. This is the first detailed, large-scale, longitudinally-based analysis of the entrepreneurial process. Three representative samples of new firms and two representative samples of nascent entrepreneurs (those attempting to start new firms) are used to consider a variety of factors that affect successful completion of the major transitions in the life of new businesses: conception, birth, and early development (survival and growth). Surprisingly, a substantial minority of start-ups become operational new firms. Among the many lessons the authors learn are that although new firm growth appears to reflect many factors, initial size is of special consequence. Not only are many general insights for entrepreneurs revealed, but the authors also pay special attention to the involvement of women and minorities in entrepreneurship and suggest effective government policy for different stages in the entrepreneurial process.
Review
[T]he book does an excellent job of organizing and presenting a broad set of detailed and rich data on the characteristics of new business ventures.Human Resource Development Quarterly
Review
The book is well written and organized....The is addressed to a scholarly audience, but can be understood by all with an interest in the topic, including undergraduates. Graduate students with a good grasp of statistics will be able to get the most out of the arguments.APA Journal
Synopsis
A rich description of the entrepreneurial process based on representative samples of nascent entrepreneurs and new firms, with emphasis on the contributions of these new firms to economic growth, special situations of women and minorities, and implications for government policy.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [219]-225) and index.
About the Author
PAUL D. REYNOLDS is the Paul T. Babson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies at Babson College.SAMMIS B. WHITE is Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Economic Growth and Entrepreneurial Activity: Symbiosis in Action
Nascent Entrepreneurs and Business Start-ups
Transformation of Business Start-ups to Fledgling New Firms
Fledgling New Firms: Growth after Birth
Fledgling New Firms: Persistence after Birth Written with Mary Williams
Entrepreneurial Processes and Outcomes: The Influence of Gender by Nancy Carter
Entrepreneurial Processes and Outcomes: The Influence of Ethnicity
Overview: The Entrepreneurial Engine and Implications
Appendix: Future Research on the Entrepreneurial Process
References
Index