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Title: Entrepreneurship
Series: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Paul Westhead
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 154
Words: 38K
| Synopsis: |
A book in the A Very Short Introduction series. Paul Westhead discusses what Entrepreneurship has meant through time, what it can mean today and how Entrepreneurship is changing as the world shrinks and “Entrepreneurship” is defined by culture.
| My Thoughts: |
Unfortunately, the Quote Post I did last week did a great job of summing up just how this book is. It is written by a professor who studies Entrepreneurship and really appears to be for other professors or people who are already familiar with the Entrepreneurship industry.
Before I read this book, I defined Entrepreneurship as something done by Entrepreneurs, who are people who DO things. After reading this book, my definition has not changed one jot. It should have.
The author admits that his father was a failed entrepreneur and that is why he is a professor of Entrepreneurship instead of an Entrepreneur himself. He is someone who talks from their ivory tower (hello Saruman?) instead of doing anything. This was not written for someone completely unfamiliar with the subject and all its industry terms. As a field tech in the Land Survey Industry, I am quite familiar with “industry terms”. They have exact, specific meanings and convey a wealth of information to those who have learned what those terms mean. You don’t use those terms as an Introduction however.
The only thing that really didn’t rub me the wrong way was that at the end of the book was an extensive Bibliography of other books to read if this book hadn’t killed your interest in the subject.
I have a bunch of these VSI books in my Non-Fiction line up and I am desperately hoping the rest are not written like this. If they are, they are useless, a waste of time and a complete failure in being an “Introduction”. Paul Westhead should be ashamed of himself.
★☆☆☆☆
It sure does sound like the meaning of “introduction” was lost on this author. Maybe someone should make an introduction to writing introductions next! 😮 😮 😛
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hahahahaha! Oh man, this comment is great.
Sadly, it rings all too true for this book 😦
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I do not think I would have even picked this up to begin with….
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Yeah, normally I wouldn’t have either. But I’m seriously trying to read more non-fiction and these Very short intro books seem the perfect way to do that. There are several hundred of them and they are all under 200 pages, so I can deal with that.
Of course, if they are all written as poorly as this one, well, that won’t be good 🙂
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Well out of a 100 there should at least be one good one… Finished my second book today… been stuck at to what to write though… I believe I have writer’s block, sigh…
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I hear you on writers block. I’ve got 2 books I need to review and I’m putting it off because I just dont feel like writing. Plus it is snowing outside 😦
*fist bump of support*
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Ive scheduled my post for the end of the month, that way i have some more time to work on it. Snow? Its winter your side now?
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No, it is NOT winter, at least, it is supposed to be spring!
It is a real kick in the pants. We got about an inch (2.5cm). I don’t think it will stick around very long (should be gone by monday) but the principle of thing is what gets me. Snow in mid-April is just wrong!
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We live in strangebtimes indeed my friend.
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Why was it that you’ve chosen that series to read? Or is that a good question?
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It’s a good question.
Because there are a LOT of them, they are short (all under 200 pages) and I won’t get stuck on one non-fiction thing too long…
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Hmmm ….. well, I think you should let me pick a few for you. I wouldn’t choose any that would put you to sleep ….. 😴
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Oh noooo…
If any more of these bomb, I want no one else but the authors and myself to blame! 🙂
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LOL, maybe it’s a sleep-inducing book? Definitely sounds like this is its main function…
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It was definitely NOT an introduction, that is for sure 😦
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It’s a shame, but sounds like this reinforces the old witticism ” “He who can does; he who cannot, teaches.”
Glad to see you still going strong with your reading. =)
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Yeah, this was a really bad introduction to the “Very Short Introduction” series. Talk about ironic, huh?
Blogging is my thing. I’ve been doing it in one place or another since ’06 so I don’t foresee that changing any time soon. (wait, I think Murphy just knocked at my door! 😀 )
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Oh dear, not a great introduction after all! Hopefully some of the other books might pan out better.
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Thankfully, that is the case. I just started one on Ageing and it is everything I was expecting from a series like this 🙂
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oof this sounds like a complete waste of time.
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To be blunt, it was. And I’d gladly take it out of the author’s skin if I could…
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