Content
Materials for students
Materials for lecturers
Where to buy the textbook?
Powrót

News
Main page / Textbook / Content

ContentsForeword 9

I. Why start your own business 15

  1. Recent trends in global entrepreneurship 17
  2. Entrepreneurship in Poland 25
  3. Own business as a career path for university graduates 30
  4. New dynamic business – key success factors 42

II. Personal characteristics of new venture leaders 47

  1. Key role of the founders 49
  2. Personal traits and characteristics 53
  3. Socio-cultural and demographic environment 55
  4. Education, past business experience, specialized training 57
  5. Driving force behind launching new business 60
  6. Entrepreneurial management style 65
  7. Operating skills of the new successful venture leaders 67
  8. Situation of young businessmen to be 71

III. From business idea to business venture 77

  1. Business idea versus the business concept 79
  2. How to identify an attractive business idea? 80
  3. From an idea to launching a business – a systemic approach 99

IV. Source of funds 113

  1. Financing a new business – general trends 115
  2. Bootstrapping 117
  3. Commercial loans 125
  4. Special-purpose lending programs and guarantee schemes 133
  5. Obtaining financing from EU-funded structural programs 135
  6. Venture capital 138
  7. Business angels 142
  8. Putting together the financing package 143

V. Choosing a legal form for the new venture 145

  1. Legal form and the business concept 147
  2. Available legal vehicles for business start-up 148
  3. Criteria for choosing the most suitable legal form 151
  4. Choosing a legal form for dynamic businesses 164

VI. Financial and accounting system 167

  1. Key decisions pertaining to the financial and accounting system 169
  2. Alternative arrangements for bookkeeping 171
  3. Accounting system as a source of information for managing business 177
  4. Optimizing the tax burden 179

VII. New venture team, human resources, organizational culture of the new firm 189

  1. Specific human resource issues during the start-up phase 191
  2. Sole leader or founding team? 192
  3. Employing initial staff 207
  4. Organizational culture of the firm 215
  5. Ethical standards in the new firm 217

VIII. Entering the market 221

  1. Key market entry activities by the new firm 223
  2. Characteristics of the attractive company name 224
  3. Legal constraints to be considered while selecting the company name 229
  4. Trademark registration 232
  5. Registration of Internet domain 237
  6. Promoting a new business 241
  7. How to gain initial clients? 243
  8. Establishing key business contacts 244

IX. Franchising 253

  1. Franchising and entrepreneurship 255
  2. Franchising in Poland 257
  3. How to become a franchisee 259
  4. Building a franchise system 267
  5. Franchise option for a new business – a summary 273

X. International entrepreneurship 275

  1. Entrepreneurship in the global context 277
  2. International entrepreneurship in Poland 281
  3. Benefits of the international route for the new venture 284
  4. Exporter in action 289
  5. Importing opportunities 297
  6. Direct foreign investment 299
  7. Public support for international operations 302

XI. Using the power of the Internet 305

  1. Information and telecommunication technologies (ICT) and entrepreneurship 307
  2. Internet and the knowledge-based expansion strategy 309
  3. Establishing market visibility through the Internet 313
  4. Selling via the Internet 317
  5. Internet technologies for efficient management of the new firm 322
  6. Basic infrastructure for effective use of Internet 327

XII. Characteristics of technology-based ventures 331

  1. New technology star-ups – scope and modalities 333
  2. Founders of technology ventures 335
  3. Identifying, selecting and verifying technology-based business concepts 338
  4. Patent protection 343
  5. Alternative ways of making use of technological innovations 348
  6. Financing technology ventures 351
  7. Start-up phase in technology ventures – key characteristics 355

XIII. Start-up and what next 359

  1. Establishing a legal vehicle 363
  2. Finalizing the start-up process – reaching the business platform 369
  3. Preparing for growth 372
  4. Harvesting strategy and options 381

Annex

AGAR – case study 389

X