The book provides the first definitive, scholarly, and systematic history of the Chambers of Commerce (local organizations of business people) from their origins in the 18th century, through their historical development up to the present date. Based on new and previously inaccessible archive information, it covers the UK, Ireland, USA, and Canada.

This report indicates broad support for the creation of Local Enterprise Partnerships as a way of addressing local growth. In particular the potential of LEPs to offer a greater focus on local economic needs, and build on the affinity between business, local government and other partners at a local level is recognised. Whilst it is right that LEPs should compete at certain levels it is equally important for them to collaborate, particularly with the Regional Development Agencies, where it makes economic sense. Local Enterprise Partnerships are being introduced quickly and at a time of greatly constrained public funding. There is concern that in the short term LEPs will need know how and powers and in some cases financial resources to make a positive difference. Government will need to be willing to devolve power to LEPs and in certain cases be willing to support LEPs at inception. If LEPs are to be a success, the Department's transition team will need to focus in three areas: retain RDA know-how, realising the full potential of RDA assets, and leveraging potential EU funding

The Report of the Committee of Inquiry on Small Firms (the Bolton Committee Report) was produced at a time of significant political change. The 1970s in the UK saw the beginning of the end for interventionism and ‘big government’ and the emergence of a new free market, economic liberalism. However, the same period also saw the creation of what became a substantial agenda to intervene in the economy through an extensive range of government initiatives aimed at encouraging and enabling small firms and entrepreneurship. Marking the 50th Anniversary of the publication of the Bolton Committee’s report this book provides researchers with new insights into the tensions between these potentially contradictory political agendas that would come to shape our modern economy. It provides the first in-depth analysis of the origins, operation and outcomes of the Bolton Committee, which is widely seen as responsible for the small firm agenda in the UK. In doing so, new insights are generated not only into the birth of enterprise policy in the UK but into the wider changes in political economy that saw powerful tensions between free market rhetoric and new forms of interventionism in practice. The book will be of interest to scholars and PhD students working in the fields of entrepreneurship, small business management and business history.

This book explains the concepts of Ethical Business Practice (EBP) and Ethical Business Regulation (EBR), a new paradigm in compliance and enforcement based on behavioural science and ethics. EBR provides the basis for an effective relationship between a business and its regulators, resulting in better outcomes for both. EBR is attracting extensive attention from regulators and businesses around the world. The UK Government's 2017 Regulatory Futures Review draws on EBR as the foundation for its policy of 'regulatory self-assurance'. EBR draws on findings from behavioural science, responsive regulation, safety and business and integrity management to create a practical and holistic approach. Examples include the open culture that is essential for civil aviation safety, the Primary Authority agreements between regulators and national businesses, and feedback mechanisms provided by market vigilance systems and sectoral consumer ombudsmen. This book provides an essential blueprint for sustainable business and effective future regulation.

As the Internet revolution continues to unfold and transform telecommunications, pressure is building for faster, less expensive, and more widely accessible broadband service. Such a development would facilitate improved and less expensive traditional applications such as voice telephony and web browsing. It would also enable new and useful applications such as Internet-based television, videoconferencing, and software distribution. Broadband has great potential to improve efficiency and productivity, even to improve national security in some cases. Broadband service and affordability, however, have consistently lagged well behind demand and progress in information technology, with damaging results. The Internet revolution remains incomplete and threatens to stagnate if the situation continues. In The Broadband Problem, economist and technology entrepreneur Charles H. Ferguson explains the causes and ramifications of this damaging bottleneck, and he offers suggestions on improving the current state of affairs. He asserts that current telecommunications law and policy have not provided sufficient levels of new entry, competition, and innovation in the local telecom market. The continuing dominance of ILECs (incumbent local exchange carriers) in that market impedes the healthy, and much-needed, development of an efficient broadband market. The result of these policy and market failures is inadequate technological progress, innovation, and productivity in advanced Internet services and telecommunication services generally. The broadband problem is holding us back, and thus must be addressed and solved. With this important volume, Charles Ferguson has contributed mightily to that mission.

This innovative new history of the modern British city traces the story of urban redevelopment from the 1940s era of reconstruction up to the present-day crisis of town centre retailing and property markets, showing how planners, property developers, councils, and retailers and worked together to create the modern shopping city.