Peter Lawrence 
Enterprise in Action 
A Guide To Entrepreneurship

An authoritative guide to understanding and mastering the core issues and competencies involved in entrepreneurial success

Where do entrepreneurial opportunities arise? How do successful entrepreneurs exploit trends? What is the role of innovation in entrepreneurship? How do companies get started and become self-sustaining? Based on studies of 80 companies, including 30 Sunday Times Fast Track Companies, and 20 highly successful US entrepreneurial firms, this book answers these and many other key questions about entrepreneurship. This authoritative guide to the world of entrepreneurship offers valuable lessons for MBA students and established entrepreneurs alike.

* Shows practitioners how success is influenced by factors such as industry dynamics, entry barriers, reconfiguration, and core competencies

* Delivers practical coverage of an array of key issues, including how to exploit trends, how to foster innovation, how to get additional funding for expansion, and much more

* Provides expert guidance on how to successfully address each of the factors or core competencies covered

* An excellent supplement to standard graduate texts on the subject, it breathes new life into standard curriculum topics by presenting them within the context of real-world success stories

Table of Content

Acknowledgements ix

1 Change and Opportunity 1

2 Destination: Core Competence 19

3 A Natural History of Innovation 37

4 Shades of Originality 53

5 Biography and Capability 85

6 Niche Markets and Entry Barriers 117

7 Cruising Altitude 147

8 The Challenge of Inheritance 183

9 Opening the Box 213

10 Beyond the Box 239

References 247

Index 249

About the author

Peter Lawrence is Professor Emeritus, Loughborough
University and visiting Professor at the University of
Northampton. He is MSc supervisor at the University of
Birmingham. He has published 26 books and has taught
management and entrepreneurship in France, Germany, Sweden, the
Netherlands, Israel and USA. He is currently Le Brun Fellow
in International Business, Northern State University, South Dakota,
USA. Professor Lawrence has built an international reputation
through writing over 20 books about management in different
national contexts. Invited to visit and speak in many countries, he
is in demand as a consultant and teacher.