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August 09, 2004
Entrepreneurship Education is a Growth Industry
Hello from New Orleans!
I am down here at a convention of academics known as the Academy of Management. I was shocked to learn this year that of the 17,000 members, ten percent are part of the entrepreneurship division of this august organization. That is amazing to me, given that this is a fairly traditional, corporate-oriented group of faculty. And my own favorite academic group, United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), has grown to almost 800 members.
When a group of academics interested in entrepreneurship got together in the 1980s, we were lucky to get fifty of us together.
It is indeed a new area for business in America.
Posted August 9, 2004 06:24 AM
Comments
Verrrry interesting, Jeff.
I think our understanding of small business and entrepreneurship is still in its infancy in many ways.
How much of this new-found interest will translate into advancing the way we examine and understand our economy? For instance, will we find more accurate ways to measure employment (i.e., officially reconcile the Household Survey and the Payroll numbers)?
Will we do a better job of understanding how to segment and define small business better? For example, there is a huge difference between a SOHO and a small business with 98 employees, yet most of the media and even businesses that sell to small business are still in the "lump together" mode.
And what about understanding the differences between entrepreneurs in startup mode, and small businesses that have been in existence for a quarter century? Their concerns and needs are very different.
I could go on, but I'm sure you've thought of all these issues and many many more. Your further thoughts would be welcome in future posts.
I enjoy your blog very much.
Best,
Anita Campbell
Posted by: Anita Campbell at August 12, 2004 11:23 AM
Anita, once again you have hit the nail on the head! These are the important policy issues of our day. Sadly, many of them are not being talked about in academia or public policy circles.
Posted by: Jeff at August 12, 2004 06:54 PM
at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He consults with a variety of businesses on start-up and growth related issues, and with larger corporations on re-establishing entrepreneurial cultures within their organizations. Dr. Cornwall's current research interests include entrepreneurial finance and entrepreneurial ethics. He has authored or co-authored four books.
