This book examines knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (KIE) with a
focus on the European textile and apparel industries. The primary
purpose is to review the extant academic literature related to the
European textile and apparel industries and reflect on that review
empirically using a new and robust database on KIE to discover patterns
between human capital and strategic entrepreneurial and innovative
behavior.
According to the Advancing Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship and
Innovation for Economic Growth and Social Well-being in Europe (AEGIS)
project, KIE is defined as an interface between knowledge generation and
diffusion and the productive system. Knowledge-intensive entrepreneurs
are thus involved in mechanisms that translate knowledge into
innovation, which in turn leads to economic development and growth
within an industry and/or region. To date, KIE is often associated with
high-tech industries such as aerospace, computer engineering, automotive
or telecommunications. For this reason, few studies have been conducted
that specifically examine KIE as an avenue for firm or sector growth in
the textile and apparel industries. However, new studies have positioned
these industries as ones in which KIE can foster growth through
innovation, and where products and processes are often evaluated within
a knowledge-based framework. Building on this growing literature base,
this volume explores potential policies and strategies for driving
innovation and growth at the firm and industry levels in Europe and
other regions, including the United States.
