Ebook: Read This First- Growth and Development of Creative SMEs

The aim of the book is to help raise the professional developmentof creative small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and (art)management students to a higher level. We imagine that our readers will be creative and cultural entrepreneurs, students following degree courses pertaining to the creative industries, lecturers and members of intermediary organisations, as well as policy makers active on local, regional, national and European levels.

The creative industries are now a given, and ‘creative entrepreneurship’ is one of the buzzwords of the day. There are still many obstacles to be overcome, however. Definitions of terms- such as cultural or creative industries and economy, creative class, creative cities and regions, and creative SMEs - all remain influenced by specific perceptions and cannot be found in generic textbooks. The discussion around such definitions, however, illustrates the fast moving character of these sectors and the involvement of experts from all different backgrounds (creatives, artists, geographers, demographers, economists, politicians, etc). This handbook therefore includes contributions from experts in many different fields, who shed light on the various topics relating to their specialist subjects.