Small Business

Creating Value Through Entrepreneurship

Gupta, Vishal K.

1. Edition November 2021
464 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-119-59177-1

John Wiley & Sons

Sample Chapter

Further versions

Small Business: Creating Value Through Entrepreneurship offers a balanced approach to the core concepts of starting, managing, and working in a small business. An ideal textbook for undergraduate courses in small business management and entrepreneurship, the book offers a student-friendly pedagogical framework that blends foundational research on small business with the real-world practice of business ownership. Relevant examples are provided throughout the text, bringing key concepts to life while providing a realistic view of what it takes to create a successful and sustainable small business.
Organized into five streamlined sections--a small business overview, paths to small business ownership, financial and legal issues, ways to grow a small business, and discussion of the "Entrepreneur's Dilemma"--the text offers a diverse range of relatable examples drawn from both actual businesses and from depictions of entrepreneurship in popular media. Each clear and accessible chapter features discussion questions, mini-case studies, further reading lists, and color visual displays designed to enhance the learning experience and strengthen student engagement and comprehension.

Preface vii

1 Understanding Small Business 1

2 Starting a New Business 24

3 Family Business 49

4 Franchising for Small Firms 74

5 Small Business Ownership Through Acquisition 103

6 Small Business Marketing 124

7 Small Business Accounting 152

8 Small Business Finance 178

9 Small Business and the Law 206

10 Ethics and Social Responsibility 230

11 Leadership and Its Challenges 255

12 Human Resources Management 279

13 Operations and Supply Chain Management 310

14 Global Opportunities for Small Firms 332

15 Strategic Thinking for Small Firms 358

16 Business Planning for Small Firms 381

17 Harvesting the Business 409

Index I-1

Professor Vishal K. Gupta is on the faculty of the Department of Management at Culverhouse College of Business of The University of Alabama. His previous academic positions were at University of Mississippi, State University of New York at Binghamton, and University of Nebraska at Omaha. He also has been a visiting professor at Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance, and the Indian Institute of Management (at Kashipur and Shillong). He has published 2 academic books and over 75 research articles. His work is regularly discussed in the popular press, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Business Insider, among others. Before embarking on an academic career, Professor Gupta worked in the family business (YESCO), making industrial grinding machines. He earned a PhD in Business Administration (concentration in Strategic Management with an emphasis on Entrepreneurship) from University of Missouri. His pedagogical approach combines theory and practice, which also informs the way the material in this book is presented.

V. K. Gupta, University of Alabama