Understanding Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Small Business

Citation

Beattie, R. (1998), "Understanding Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Small Business", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 269-270. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr.1998.4.3.269.1

One of the objectives of this book is to “present people with a sound introduction to the key concepts and issues as grounding for understanding and work in the area of enterprise and its context. [Also] for the book to be used as a starting point for further explanations of a more specialised aspect”. In this respect the book certainly achieves its objectives.

The presentation and layout encourages the reading and facilitates the comprehension of the many aspects covered. The highlighting of the various contributions by other researchers and the summary of key points at the end of each chapter helps to crystallise and imprint them into the memory. The book sets out to enlighten and does this well. Written in plain English, and not being tempted to adopt an academic style of writing, helps to whet the appetite and encourages one to learn more. It acts as a quick practical guide, a beginners guide, to the key factors involved in enterprise, entrepreneurship and small business.

The book is divided into three main sections; the concept of enterprise, enterprise and small business, and promoting enterprise. The first part is considered to be a very limited attempt to cover some entrepreneurial concepts, the serious student will find this section fairly narrow and restrictive. The second part deals with definitions and distinctive features of small business. A descriptive chapter on growth may be considered adequate, but given the increased attention by public policy makers on growth firms, a more detailed discussion of factors in the growth process would have been welcome.

The book’s strength is that it contains four chapters on the third part; promoting enterprise. These chapters deal with justifications for intervention, methods of intervention and evaluation. As a result the book could appeal to the student of local economic development. However, the text is somewhat fragmented, even though the authors have summarised each chapter at the end and beginning of the following chapter. One is apt to get confused by the number of paths taken. Despite the efforts to clarify the definitions of enterprise, entrepreneurship etc., one keeps wondering which aspect is being applied.

Comprehensive and well laid out as the book is ‐ as a guide to further exploration of the various subject matter, it would have been helpful if the authors could have included a recommended “reading list” at the end of each chapter. This would have had the benefit of directing new students who are likely readers of this accessible text. Some areas could have been developed more; for example, the holistic aspects of the various processes mentioned and the transformational aspects involved coping with the ever changing and volatile environment. As ideas and opportunities are the springboard for new ventures, an explanation of the cognitive psychological, sociological and behavioural aspects that are involved in the discovery and evolution processes would have made an important contribution and is a major omission from this text.

Overall the book will appeal to some students and can be recommended introductory reading for new students to entrepreneurship and enterprise.