Digital Commons Network^™

Expanding On Experiential Differentiation In Crowded Markets: Success Through Understanding And Addressing Intangible Consumer Needs, Mitchell Hibbs Hibbs

Honors Theses

This thesis project focuses on exploring and elucidating how businesses in crowded markets achieve their respective success. Markets include personal care, skin products, cosmetics, perfume, and others, to name just a few relevant to this work. I argue that by focusing on customers' intangible needs and engaging them through experiential means, businesses can create a substantial, sustainable, and compelling niche, differentiating themselves from the crowd. I propose an original model, EIND (experiential and needs-based differentiation), and a working structure to implement, analyze, and design using EIND principles.

How To Grow My Business On Social Media, Thomas Vehige

Honors Theses

This thesis discussed goals, strategies and tactics to expand an existing freelance sports videography business into a more robust business through the use of targeted social media campaigns. Author discusses demographic choices, social media platform selection and goals for thoughtful evaluation of opportunities and core competencies.

An Imc Approach To Entrepreneurship: How Generation Z Is Changing The Landscape Of Entrepreneurship, Kylie Nicole Cockrell

Honors Theses

Generation Z entrepreneurs capitalize on the fast-paced environment of the marketing industry and adapt to changing customer needs and expectations to deliver the best product or service from their business. This thesis researches the current media trends and marketing approaches Gen Z entrepreneurs are using in their businesses and how access to entrepreneurial-focused programs make Generation Z the leading generation in entrepreneurship.

Inspired by the researcher’s own experience as an online clothing business owner, this thesis investigates how members of Gen Z are increasingly becoming entrepreneurs. A mixed methodology of primary and secondary research was deployed to explore consumer trends. …

My Pop-Up Shoppe, Brenna Backemeyer

Honors Theses

My Pop-Up Shoppe is a curriculum to teach students problem-solving and independent learning through running a small business. Everything needed to facilitate a My Pop-Up Shoppe experience where students will take part in a hands-on, real-life entrepreneurial journey is included. During My Pop-Up Shoppe, students will receive a product provided by the facilitator, school or organization and be challenged to turn the product into a running business with real sales and customers. The facilitator will empower students to be startup founders. The suggested timeline of My Pop-Up Shoppe is anywhere from a weekend to two-weeks.

The curriculum package gives instructions …

Remittances And Entrepreneurship: An Analysis Of The Developing World, Steven Weirich

Honors Theses

This paper will examine the connection between remittances and entrepreneurship in developing nations. I will begin by providing an overview of previous academic literature and research on remittances, and then I will conduct a panel analysis of nations from the developing world, to test for the connection between remittances and entrepreneurship. I will do so using data from the World Bank on remittance payments, and from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor on entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviors. From there, I will be able to state whether remittances really do serve as a factor for entrepreneurship rates, and what the results might mean …

Opportunity Recognition: A Comparative Analysis Of Nascent Student Entrepreneurs And Non-Nascent Students, Daniel C. Glover

Honors Theses

This study investigates differences between undergraduate nascent student entrepreneurs and non-nascent students’ opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Four hypotheses were presented and after collecting and analyzing 150 student responses two of the four hypotheses were partially or fully supported. Results showed that nascent student entrepreneurs exhibited higher levels of entrepreneurial self-efficacy than non-nascent students, and that nascent student entrepreneurs exhibited higher levels of entrepreneurial alertness than non-nascent students, and the difference was significant. However, non-nascent students had higher levels of opportunity recognition. This study supports previous research and adds an important demographic, undergraduate students, to the existing research.

The Chinese Social Enterprise: A Global Phenomenon With Chinese Characteristics, Amanda Jingtong O'Malley

Honors Theses

Social entrepreneurship, a concept that integrates business strategies with achieving social goals, is gaining traction in China. However, it is a distinctly Chinese variant of an approach exported by Western entrepreneurs. The purpose of this thesis to is analyze the Chinese social enterprise by identifying China’s socioeconomic and political forces that create the unique environment in which this trend is taking root. By examining how these factors are changing in China’s progressively more market economy, I conclude that key characteristics of the Chinese social enterprise are also shifting in response—moving from a civil society- originated model to a market‐based social …

Analysis Of Entrepreneurial Qualities And Preparations Influencing Success And A Business Plan For The Startup Company Modd Products, Ellen Blanchard

Honors Theses

Entrepreneurship is crucial to the economy at large and within local communities; entrepreneurs are responsible for developing innovative products and services to meet consumer needs, as well as creating jobs. The primary purpose of this thesis is to develop a business plan for a startup company, MODD Products. The plan’s specific sections are included based on reasonable evidence that they are necessary to creating and running a successful startup. A core ideology, description of the company's first product line "MODD Cocktails", review of the industry and competition, target customer profile, and marketing strategy will all be included in the MODD …

Entrepreneurial Leadership, Gregory Devine

Honors Theses

I intend to provide a resource which Jepson students, faculty, staff, and alumni can use when thinking about starting their own business based on information from a number of sources, the most important of which is current entrepreneurs.

The Entrepreneurial Leadership Puzzle : The Pieces You Need To Start A Business, Charles S. Ribaudo

Honors Theses

While having effective followers is critical, the leadership attributes of the entrepreneur is just as important. Gardner and several other leadership scholars have done significant research on the attributes of leaders. The entrepreneur is just one of many leaders that possess the necessary leadership attributes for success. Starting a company requires such a tremendous time commitment that the leaders within it must be able to handle the stress and ambiguity that goes along with it. This takes leadership to handle this ambiguity of whether they wilt meet the next paycheck. Employees, investors and customers will be looking to them to …