Edward Elgar Publishing Handbook of Research on European Business and Entrepreneurship: Towards a Theory of Internationalization (Research Handbooks in Business and Management series)

Product Description This unique Handbook illustrates how entrepreneurs across Europe tackle internationalization. This timely and important book identifies patterns and builds a theory of international entrepreneurship in Europe. The contributors discuss the performances of SMEs on the road to internationalization. Each chapter emphasizes how the process of internationalization of SMEs operates, the challenges and opportunities that arise due to each country's specific political and economic situation, and their subsequent internationalization performance. These processes, challenges and performances can be understood through theories of international business and entrepreneurship. Although at times these theories cannot fully explain certain phenomena, nevertheless they help to derive new extensions of thought. Together, they constitute a foundation for a new way of thinking about and understanding the importance and effect of internationalization of SMEs to country-level competitiveness in Europe. The role of theoretically important issues such as cooperation and trust, venture capital, research and development, learning, networks and government policy is also explored and analysed, and will be of great interest to researchers, academics and graduates interested in international business and entrepreneurship. Review 'This book is an important contribution to the field of international entrepreneurship. . . it provides a comprehensive account of internationalization strategies adopted by SMEs in a wide range of European countries, and by drawing on a number of empirical studies, it enriches the theory of SME internationalization with a new theoretical framework that can be useful for understanding the complexity of SME internationalization processes in Europe.' -- Julia Korosteleva, Thunderbird International Business Review'From Andorra to Wales with stops in more than 35 other European countries along the way, this comprehensive collection of articles is required reading for scholars interested in international entrepreneurship. It provides information on how entrepreneurs and their firms go international from virtually every country in Europe. This unique volume permits researchers to compare how the process of entrepreneurial internationalization is affected by differences in culture, location, technology, and other influences within Europe. Furthermore, the various authors consider a range of theoretically important issues, such as cooperation and trust, venture capital, research and development, learning, networks, and government policy. This book serves as an essential departure point from which scholars can embark on their study of international entrepreneurship in Europe.' About the Author Edited by Léo-Paul Dana, Professor, Dalhousie University, Canada and Montpellier Business School, France, Isabell M. Welpe, Professor and Chair, Technische Universität München, Germany, Mary Han, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Ryerson University, Canada and Vanessa Ratten, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Department of Management, Sport and Tourism, La Trobe University, Australia