Business Commons^™

Identifying And Prioritizing Critical Success Factors For Fixed Base Operators In The United States: A Mixed Method Approach, Yu Wang

Open Access Dissertations

Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) are major service providers for the general aviation (GA) sector, which closely connect the public with the aviation industry. However, over the past decade, the U.S. GA industry has experienced a decline in the numbers of registered aircraft, pilots, and airports. Due to the fact that FBOs significantly contribute to the aviation industry, further research studies regarding the FBO-sector at a national level are needed. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify and prioritize the critical success factors (CSFs) that promote the success of FBO operations in the United States.

The methodology consisted of a …

Big Data And Organizational Impacts: A Study Of Big Data Ventures, Taha Havakhor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

New information technology (IT) ventures are at the forefront of developing IT innovations. In spite of their importance in the advancement of IT and the unique risks of survival that distinguishes them from established firms, the organizational literature on IT has mostly overlooked new IT ventures. Specifically, Big Data industry is a context where new IT ventures actively change the landscape of IT innovations. However, less is known about the factors influencing the economic success of Big Data ventures (BDVs), as well as the established firms that invest in them. To shed light on these factors, three essays are designed …

Recognizing And Exploiting New Opportunities In Times Of Chaos And Unintended Impacts, Ryan Matthews

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

Select entrepreneurs are successful for a reason. They have been able to use their alertness and prior knowledge, among other skill sets, to identify and exploit new opportunities. However, when new opportunities are identified outside of their area of expertise, will they choose to pursue these opportunities, or stick to the behaviors that are most comfortable? While several studies have been conducted looking at the characteristics of the entrepreneur, or the experiences faced by the entrepreneur, there is a gap in the current literature when combining these two elements. The current literature lacks an understanding as to how the environment …

Car Rental Industry Fraud, Dennise Veasley

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

Fraud occurs in all industries and businesses large and small. The car rental industry is not immune to fraud. Fraud is committed by the owners and employees against the customers for personal or corporate gain. The car rental industry is considered a large business based on revenue of a minimum of $38.5 million dollars annually. (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations from http://www.ecfr.gov/) The car rental industry in the United States in 2015 grossed over $27.11 billion as defined by the market data for the U.S. Car Rental Market published by Auto Rental News (http://autorentalnews.com). The revenue places them outside the …

Highly-Educated Immigrant Entrepreneurs' Location Decisions, Nastaran Simarasl

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I draw on theories from sociology, economics, and economic geography, namely ethnic enclave theory, location theory, and heterolocalism theory to investigate factors that highly-educated immigrant entrepreneurs take into account when they decide where to locate their start-up. In doing so, I use an experimental method, conjoint analysis, on a sample of first-generation graduate students at the University of Tennessee to examine the factors that highly-educated aspiring immigrant entrepreneurs take into account when deciding about their start-up location. This dissertation is one of the first studies to bring theories from other disciplines to provide a more comprehensive understanding …

Web-Based Training Program For New Custom Decoration Apparel Franchisees, Wesley Parsell

Master of Education in Instructional Design and Technology Plan II Graduate Projects

Effective franchise training is essential in the expansion of a franchised business. With advances in internet connections, web applications and multimedia capabilities, training for new and existing franchisees can now take place online in the form of web-based e-learning. In addition to potentially increasing the overall effectiveness of the franchisee training, web-based training also eliminates some of the challenges of traditional, face-to-face franchise training like travel expenses, time, and the availability of human resources.

The purpose of this project was to develop an asynchronous web-based training program for new or potential franchisees in the custom decorated apparel industry. The ADDIE …

Founder Ceos And Initial Public Offerings: The Role Of Narratives, Institutions And Cultural Context, Christina Helen Tupper

Management Theses & Dissertations

This is a two essay dissertation which explores how founder and non-founder CEOs influence the IPO process and seeks to better understand their impact on IPO performance in a cross-national set of firms. Essay 1 addresses the question ‘how founder and non-founder CEOs’ narratives are portrayed differently in business media.’ Using insights from the narrative paradigm and utilizing qualitative content analysis for 1,057 units of data, I find that founders and non-founders’ media narratives differ in three important ways based on the amount of personal information about founders, how founders talk about their business operations, and positive and negative name …

Two Essays On The Internationalization Speed Of New Ventures, Orhun Guldiken

Management Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation comprises two essays on the internationalization speed of new ventures and contributes to the international entrepreneurship literature at several levels. The first essay reviews and critiques the internationalization speed literature and proposes a multi-dimensional conceptualization of speed of internationalization. In particular, previous studies that examined internationalization speed implicitly assumed that INVs need to enter new countries to grow fast in foreign markets. The key tenet of the first essay is that INVs can also grow fast in foreign markets by expanding rapidly in previously entered host countries. Consequently, the first essay uses three theoretical perspectives — organizational learning, …

"My Friends, They Are People To Rely On": The Social Foundation Of Business In Ghana, Patrick D. Shulist

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The management and entrepreneurship literatures increasingly engage in poverty alleviation research in the developing world. However, there is a marked tendency to overlook how the Western World, from where most theory comes, differs from the developing world. Such a fallacy has potential deleterious effects on the research itself, but more importantly on the practical applications of that research.

With this in mind, my dissertation uses an inductive qualitative methodology to explore the nature of self-employment in the developing world as it is; that is, not coloured by theoretical priors. In doing this, I lay the groundwork for understanding the …

Cross-Sector Collaboration: Results Through Understanding And Application, Dane Jessen

Global Honors Theses

Cross­-sector collaboration is an underutilized source of competitive advantage in the modern economy. Though it is a complex and dynamic system, collaboration can be rendered more manageable through an organized framework. In this paper, a literature review was conducted to survey the research landscape, searching particularly for productive models that may be practically used in forming and maintaining successful cross-­sector collaborations. The literature suggests that aspects of collaborative relationships can be categorized for use in analysis and practical navigation. The thought that collaborative relationships have commonalities in form and behavior is corroborated amongst the literature, allowing for some amount of …

Identity Construction And Language Use By Immigrant Women In A Microenterprise Development Program, Linda Eve Bonder

Dissertations and Theses

Researchers have explored immigrant identity in various contexts, but few studies have examined identity in low-income immigrant women entrepreneurs. To address this research gap, I conducted in-depth interviews with eight low-income Latino immigrants who were starting their own businesses and receiving support through a local microenterprise development program (MDP). The study explored how participants' microenterprise efforts affected their identities and their investments in learning English.

The research found that entrepreneurship promoted positive identity construction by providing opportunities for participants to develop personal and cultural pride, strengthened parental roles, and interdependence with the community. These benefits helped participants decrease family stress …

Positioning The Beneficiary: The Role Of Entwinement In Social Enterprise Impact And Performance Management, Elena Dowin Kennedy

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation extends and contributes to the extant literature on social enterprise by examining the enterprise-beneficiary relationship in social enterprises with particular focus on performance measurement and social value creation. Ironically, while social missions and commitment to beneficiaries is what distinguishes social entrepreneurship from traditional entrepreneurship, little research has been conducted to examine this relationship. Utilizing a portfolio of 101 social enterprises based in New England, this study consisted of two phases: the development of a typology of social enterprise based on the enterprise–beneficiary relationships present in the portfolio, and a comparative case study closely examining six cases of social …

The Family Ties That Bind: Essays That Examine And Extend The Microfoundations Of Socioemotional Wealth Theory, David Scott Jiang

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine and extend the microfoundations of socioemotional wealth (SEW) theory. While burgeoning research finds that a focus on SEW, or a controlling family’s stock of nonfinancial and affective utilities in a firm, predicts unique family firm outcomes, we know surprisingly little about emotion and family dynamic’s assumed causal roles in these unique outcomes. I address these theoretical needs with five related essays. In the first essay, I review the extant SEW literature, identifying unexamined cognitive, affective, motivational, and social assumptions in theoretical arguments and integrating psychological research to offer new directions for studying the microfoundations of …

The Agricultural Growth And Malting Production Of Barley Grains In Northeast Tennessee And Southwest Virginia, Mark Evans Patton Mr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the history and production processes of beer and examines the components that contribute to its brewing. The narrative will provide a timeline of the processes that are required to create the product of beer beginning with the agricultural products and following the brewing processes that result in beer as the finished product. I will also examine the business of agriculture and grain processing and will provide some historical perspectives of grain, beer, and malting. I will also consider whether the growing, processing, and malting of grains in the East Tennessee and Southwest …

The Munch: An Integrated Business Plan, Alexandra Barton

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Exploring Corporate Social Responsibility And The Important Role It Plays In Entrepreneurial Start-Up Businesses, Samuel Sanders

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The purpose of this Capstone is to examine the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the role it plays in entrepreneurial start-up businesses. The paper introduces a more inclusive definition of the concept – Positive Impact Business Social Engagement. It explains the five facets of social responsibility and examines the impact of social responsibility on major business disciplines. The benefits and disadvantages of social responsibility are analyzed, and the financial performance of socially responsible companies is compared to S&P500 performance. Social responsibility in the start-up world is addressed and is contrasted with established large corporations. The characteristics of …

Getting Hooked On Gnarly Rods, Cody A. Nelson

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

At Gnarly Rods, our objective is to supply builders and fishermen alike with the quality gear, components, and service necessary to catch everything life has to offer. From providing rod building parts, to repairs, to fully customized fishing rods, we are the destination for all things in custom fishing. Conceptualized in 2015, Gnarly Rods will be based out of Springdale, AR, and started by Robert and Cody Nelson, a father and son pair as passionate for fishing as they are family and the influence the outdoors can have in life. As of now, we will be the only two employees …

Comparative Organizational Assessments And Partenship Potential For Sekou Pou Nanm-Yo And Asirans Community Counseling Center, Lauren M. Mawe

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

This paper assesses the organizational capacity of two small Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Port-Au-Prince Haiti. Each NGO has a staff of under 15 members. At the time of the assessment, they were both in early stages of their development, with one in its first year of operations, and the other in its fifth year. Both embody grassroots, community organizations because of their connections to the communities in which they work, their willingness to travel to those communities, and their predominantly Haitian staff. The fieldwork included interviews, focus groups, and three months of participant observation and work with these organizations. In …

A Complement, Not A Competitor: How Public Markets Can Support Business Districts In Worcester, Ron M. Barron

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible economic and community development impacts of entry-level public markets (e.g. fixed location markets, farmers markets, etc.) on the communities in which they operate. While there is extensive literature around their benefits to vendors, community health and public space, there is comparative little on the interplay between these markets and more traditional brick and mortar businesses. The background and definition of these markets, the basic common characteristics that define them, and some of the benefits they can offer for economic and community development are each explored. It then examines two different …

The Creative Entrepreneur Leading Innovation, Karina Loera Barcenas

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The Creative Entrepreneur Leading Innovation is a course designed for undergraduate students. Students will learn the entrepreneurial mindset through the creative process triggering innovation and leading transformation to face and adapt in the current constant and fastest changing era. This course also has a skill development component through which students will be able to experience personal transformation towards positive change.

Seats: A Business Plan, Mycah Sandridge

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Every year over 88 million people participate in recreational boating on lakes all across the U.S. (http://www.statista.com/topics/1138/recreational-boating/). While enjoying their favorite aquatic activities, these people have needs and desires just like any other time in life, but with a relatively high opportunity cost to acquire goods. Making a trip to the marina and back costs both money and time that boaters would rather be spending having fun with family and friends. The Seats model, a mobile vending vessel, will fill this gap, providing food necessities and a fun environment that does not require boaters to dock their boat in order …

Campus Concierge: A Business Plan To "Do College Better", Hannah G. Birch

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Campus Concierge Inc. is a start-up company located in Fayetteville, Arkansas that provides academic support services to college students. Since 2013, the company has seen successful operations and is ready to expand. In this thesis, background research was performed to amend the business plan in order to better reflect the business model and highlight opportunities for growth. These opportunities include developing the brand image, increasing current operations, and extending branches to other locations. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate expansion options as well as funding opportunities that are feasible for the company and to deliver a tangible product …

4 Wynnes Boating Manufacturing Company: A Market Analysis And Business Plan For Northwest Arkansas, Hayden S. Wynne

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on a business plan for the opening and developing of a boat manufacturing company in Northwest Arkansas and, specifically, manufacturing of duck hunting boats. South Arkansas and Eastern Arkansas have boat-manufacturing companies, but none exist in Northwest Arkansas. Having developed an interest in duck hunting over the years, I have discovered a tremendous need to bring the boats to where a large portion of Arkansas population exists. The objective of this business is to identify the Northwest Arkansas market viability for a customized duck boat manufacturing company. This analysis and evaluation is meant to provide a business …

The Four-Hour Film Festival, James Christopher Agan

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Persuasion Of Online Crowdfunding Videos, Matthew Roe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Crowdfunding is a relatively new and exciting way to get investments for a business startup or other project. We use the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to explore how individuals are persuaded by the project videos on a crowdfunding platform called Kickstarter. ELM is a psychological model used to understand how people are persuaded. Our results support most of our hypotheses and showed that the need for cognition, which reflects the personal tendency towards the central route of ELM, does increase an individual’s intent to back a project. We also discovered that intrinsic motivations and product quality have a stronger effect …

Students Today Into Entrepreneurs Tomorrow: The Impact Of Major Choice On Grit And Risk Aversion, Keith D. Larkin

Business and Economics Honors Papers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than half of all start-ups in the US fail before their fifth year in operation (BLS, 2010). As a result, since the mid-1980s, colleges and universities nationwide have continued to increase opportunities and funding to improve entrepreneurial education. Yet, little is known about how the choices students make during their time in college, like major choice, impact personality traits that are beneficial to entrepreneurship. Specifically, these traits are grit and risk aversion. The theoretically successful entrepreneurs are able to be committed to goals and remain motivated despite setbacks. Simultaneously they must maintain …

Ez Timeout: The Business Plan, Simbarashe Chirara

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Renewable Energy Investment Planning And Policy Design, Alireza Ghalebani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we leverage predictive and prescriptive analytics to develop decision support systems to promote the use of renewable energy in society. Since electricity from renewable energy sources is still relatively expensive, there are variety of financial incentive programs available in different regions. Our research focuses on financial incentive programs and tackles two main problem: 1) how to optimally design and control hybrid renewable energy systems for residential and commercial buildings given the capacity based and performance based incentives, and 2) how to develop a model-based system for policy makers for designing optimal financial incentive programs to promote investment …

Crowdfunding: Is It A Viable Financial Model For Nonprofits?, Colleen M. Kenost

All Capstone Projects

Background: As traditional funding models become exhausted in response to fiscal constraints, successful leaders are forced to use innovative and non-traditional social entrepreneurial tools in order to bring their goals to life. One of these new tools is crowdfunding.

Purpose: This paper analyzes the relationship between social entrepreneurship, leadership and crowdfunding, as a growing number of nonprofits are deploying crowdfunding as a revenue stream for fundraising.

Methods: Analyzing nonprofit data from Kickstarter, this study utilizes descriptive statistics as well as two-sample t-test and logistic regression models to identify success metrics for crowdfunding being a viable financial model for the nonprofit …

Entrepreneurial Marketing: A Historical Exploration And Implications For Practice, Sofia Victoria Ramos

Selected Honors Theses

In an increasingly turbulent market, marketers are having difficulty predicting consumer demands, and academics are finding that traditional marketing theory is no longer highly effective in making educated marketing decisions. With the growth of Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) research over the past several decades, researchers have found these practices to be effective not only for SME’s but also for larger firms. Because of this, researchers are offering Entrepreneurial Marketing theory as a solution for all firms seeking a competitive advantage in a volatile market. Entrepreneurial Marketing, which is the innovative, opportunity seeking approach most entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) …