1st Edition
Empowering Entrepreneurial Communities and Ecosystems Case Study Insights
Entrepreneurial Communities and Ecosystems: Case Study Insights aims to provide applied examples that embody the theories, principles, and processes that contribute to empowering everyday entrepreneurial communities and ecosystems.
Relying on a diversity of narratives from a wide range of entrepreneurial communities, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and organizations, this book presents a collection of case studies that take the reader inside the minds of leaders who are working to empower entrepreneurs and build entrepreneurial ecosystems and entrepreneurial communities—sometimes from scratch. The book features research and stories from entrepreneurs, development agencies, entrepreneurial support and assistance organizations (i.e. feeders and supports), governments, and involved citizens and local leaders in their quest to make their communities more entrepreneuring. The book presents an analytic frame through which the case studies are cross-analyzed, providing "meta-guidelines" for pursuing a broad range of strategies for supporting local and regional entrepreneurial action.
This research volume is equally useful as an undergraduate or graduate text on the sociology of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship as it is a field guide for ecosystem builders, policy makers, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship and social researchers worldwide.
Preface
Chapter 1 An Introduction to Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Entrepreneurial Communities to Empower Entrepreneurs
Michael W-P Fortunato and Morgan R. Clevenger
Chapter 2 Prologue to the Case Studies
Morgan R. Clevenger, Michael W-P Fortunato, and Montressa Washington
Chapter 3 A Case Study Exploring Entrepreneurial Communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA)
Morgan R. Clevenger, Michael W-P Fortunato, and Kenneth Okrepkie with Bill Lewis
Chapter 4 Raising Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Three Nebraska Case Studies
Jason L. Weigle and Don Macke with Bill Lewis
Chapter 5 A Small-Town Music Movement as an Economic Driver and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development Strategy in Indiana
Michael W-P Fortunato with Bill Lewis
Chapter 6 The Culture and Individual Nexus of an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: The Impact of Culture on What Necessity-Driven Entrepreneurs Believe is Possible as Illustrated in a Case Study from Nova Scotia, Canada
Bruce Dye with Bill Lewis
Chapter 7 Called to a Community Venture: Entrepreneurial Mindset and Empowerment through Networking as Illustrated in a Case Study in Abilene, Texas
Mike Mikeworth with Morgan R. Clevenger and Bill Lewis
Chapter 8 A Framework for Decolonizing Community Economic Development and Entrepreneurship in Native Nations in Minnesota
Rani A Bhattacharyya with Bill Lewis and Morgan R. Clevenger
Chapter 9 Little Town, Layered Ecosystem: A Case Study of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Yasuyuki Motoyama, Emily Fetsch, Chris Jackson, and Jason Wiens with Bill Lewis
Chapter 10 A Meta-Analysis and Conclusions: Relevance of Developing Entrepreneurial Communities to Empower Entrepreneurs
Michael W-P Fortunato & Morgan R. Clevenger
Biography
Morgan R. Clevenger, EdD, MBA is Associate Professor of Management at Hiram College, Ohio, USA, as well as Professor of Management and Post-doctoral Fellow in Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Business Ethics with Monarch Business School, Zug, Switzerland.
Michael W-P Fortunato, PhD is an internationally published scholar, researcher, author, entrepreneur, community developer, educator, public speaker, and innovator, and CFO and Founding Partner of Texas-based community consulting group Creative Insight Community Development (CICD).
"Clevenger and Fortunato’s latest book adds depth, context, and nuance to their 2017 volume with depth from new research into the key constructs of their model and context from the seven case studies from states and provinces in North America. It is a must-read for thinkers and doers interested in developing entrepreneurial ecosystems and entrepreneurial communities."
Jerome Katz, PhD
Robert H. Brockhaus Chair of Entrepreneurship
Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
"Bravo to Clevenger and Fortunato for writing this book. I am old enough to remember when everyone said ‘entrepreneurship’ but no one knew what it really was. How many times did I hear business model used by smart people who all used it with different definitions and constructs? I would suggest entrepreneurial ecosystems is the new jargon in entrepreneurship. This book addresses the often overlooked level of entrepreneurial communities. The work slays the dragon through research, thoughtful exploration, and excellent case study illustrations with great precision and innovative insight."
Jay Krysler
Entrepreneurship Instructor
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Canada
"Clevenger and Fortunato provide exceptional clarity and insight useful toward understanding the complex nature of entrepreneurial communities, ecosystems, and empowerment. The skillful incorporation of complementary case studies only intensifies the effort while by providing a pragmatic perspective to anyone interested in engaging the true diversity of today’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape."
Mark T. Schenkel, PhD
Professor
Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Past President & Justin G. Longenecker Fellow, USASBE
