Few would argue the crucial role that entrepreneurs play in our increasingly global economy — but exactly what is this vital, yet loosely defined business force we call the entrepreneurial spirit? This landmark study is the first to examine analytically the nature of the opportunities that entrepreneurs pursue, the problems they face, the traits they require, and the social and economic contributions they make. Until recently, entrepreneurs have been largely ignored in modern economic theory. But at the dawn of a networked age, marked by the advent of e-business and the home office, there's no question that entrepreneurs have recaptured the popular imagination. Studies now show that most men and women dream of starting their own businesses rather than rising through the corporate ranks. Yet in spite of increased attention by many of today's leading business schools, entrepreneurship has remained largely a mystery, an apparantly intuitive sense of values possessed by c...