David Deakins* & Jonathan M. Scott**Publisher: SAGE
This new text provides an international and contemporary introduction to Entrepreneurship. The individual chapters have been written by leading scholars and experts who draw upon their own research, their own case studies and their experience and knowledge of the latest developments in entrepreneurship internationally. The text reflects the importance of context and differing international practice and is underpinned by coverage and application of relevant theory. Treating entrepreneurship as a social phenomenon, the book provides practical examples and cases illustrating recent trends in digitization, disruptive technologies, the rise of the ‘gig’ economy and the growing importance of community-based and social entrepreneurship. As well as recent entrepreneurial case material and practice, pedagogic features are consistent throughout the text and include learning outcomes, boxed case studies with discussion questions, policy and practical issues, summaries of each chapter, recommended reading and suggested assignments. The text is complemented by online support material for tutors and students which includes an e-chapter on Indigenous Entrepreneurship.
The text is particularly pertinent to a number of contemporary issues including the current global COVID-19 crisis, the importance and issues posed by the ‘gig economy’ and business ethics.
The current COVID- 19 crisis:
- Disasters, both natural and man-made, are becoming more common, but the current crisis is unprecedented in its global reach and impacts.
- The foundation chapter on Entrepreneurship acknowledges that disruptive events, such as crises, present entrepreneurial opportunities as well as challenges to traditional ways of trading and starting new businesses. Entrepreneurs that can pivot their business model can take advantage of new opportunities and we know that crises can provide a stimulus to innovation.
- As well as such issues being explored in this new text, a discussion paper by David and his co-editor and author, Jonathan M. Scott, on Entrepreneurship and Disasters is available to accompany the text and can be downloaded from the book’s website:
https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/entrepreneurship/book262933
The Gig Economy
Another issue that has become important in today’s economy which the foundation chapter on Entrepreneurship points out:
- There are two sides to the gig economy, with benefits for those who can take advantage and act entrepreneurially exploiting new multiple opportunities, but recognizing that others may remain trapped in a sub-contract market where they may have limited benefits.
- This issue is closely related to business ethics which is covered in the text through a chapter devoted to Ethics and Sustainability.
Business Ethics
- The chapter explores the issue of entrepreneurial ethics with examples of entrepreneurs that have achieved success through ethical and sustainable practices, such as the German company Faber-Castell, still a family-owned company.
- The gig economy is pertinent and closely tied to entrepreneurial ethics.
- The case of London taxi firms, with licensed self-employed drivers, is compared to that of Uber with drivers who can be seen as part of the gig economy. An issue that has only recently been resolved when Uber tightened their practices allowing magistrates to grant them a practice to operate in London: see https://www.uber.com/en-GB/blog/uber-in-london/
The following table contains the chapter titles and the associated author/contributors
| Chapter | Author/contributor | |
| Foreword | Professor Mark Freel | |
| 1 | Entrepreneurship: A contemporary approach | Prof David Deakins |
| 2 | Entrepreneurship: A global perspective | Dr Li Xiao |
| 3 | Diversity in entrepreneurship | Dr Paul Lasalle with Dr Sakura Yamamura and Prof Geoff Whittam |
| 4 | Social entrepreneurship | Dr Andreana Drencheva and Prof Martina Battisti |
| 5 | Resources for entrepreneurship | Dr Jonathan M. Scott |
| 6 | Finance for entrepreneurship | Prof David Deakins |
| 7 | Innovation and entrepreneurship | Dr Danny Soetanto |
| 8 | Corporate Entrepreneurship | Prof Jarna Heinonen |
| 9 | Sustainability and Ethics in Entrepreneurship | Dr Jonathan M. Scott and Dr Inge Hill |
| 10 | Internationalisation and Entrepreneurship | Dr Jonathan M. Scott with Dr Indu Peiris |
| 11 | Business models and entrepreneurship | Prof David Deakins |
| e-Chapter | Indigenous Entrepreneurship | Dr Jason Mika |
Further information is available at the book’s website:
https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/entrepreneurship/book262933
| *Professor David Deakins Honorary Researcher Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy Lancaster University Management School Lancaster University |
**Dr Jonathan M Scott Senior Lecturer in Innovation and Strategy School of Management & Marketing | Te Raupapa | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato (University of Waikato) Tauranga CBD Campus | 101-121 Durham Street | Tauranga 3110 | Aotearoa – New Zealand mngt.waikato.ac.nz | |
