Business Commons^™

An Examination Of Reward-Based Crowdfunding Performance And Success, Matthew Alan Grace

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reward-based crowdfunding (RBCF), where fundraisers raise funds from a crowd of investors in return for a reward, has carved a niche as a proven option for not just entrepreneurs seeking early-stage funding, but also for established firms looking to presell or market a new product or service. Establishing crowdfunding performance and success factors is important for researchers and practitioners alike. Fortunately, a large portion of the RBCF academic literature is immediately applicable to entrepreneurs, with very little additional interpretation required. However, important questions about RBCF remain. The first paper in this three-part dissertation, a systematic literature review, examines some of …

For Love Or Money: Investor Motivations In Equity-Based Crowdfunding, Jason C. Cherubini

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Crowdfunding is an increasingly popular method for entrepreneurial ventures to raise financing from a large number of small supporters (the “crowd”) instead of raising it through a small number of larger supporters. Crowdfunding is normally conducted through online platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, where the entrepreneurial venture runs a campaign directly seeking support from individual funders. Most of the research into crowdfunding to date has been focused on what elements of the crowdfunding campaign lead to eventual successful funding, especially in the rewards-based crowdfunding space. The comparatively new equity-based crowdfunding has not been as heavily researched and is technically …

Design Thinking & The Entrepreneurial Mindset In The Collegiate Music Classroom, Antonina M.C. Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the implementation of design thinking andan entrepreneurial mindset into a collegiate music classroom, where students have an interest in applying business acumen and entrepreneurship to their future plans as teaching and performing artists. The following questions guided this study: 1) are there benefits to introducing design thinking and the entrepreneurial mindset to music students as they transition from student to professional?; 2) will the addition of these approaches give students greater confidence as arts entrepreneurs?; 3) how can design thinking and the entrepreneurial mindset methodologies be successfully introduced and practiced throughout …

Cofounder Selection & Satisfaction: How Entrepreneurial Cofounders Come Together And Succeed Together, Audra G. Quinn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As many new ventures are created by teams, not solo founders, choosing a cofounder is an important decision for entrepreneurs. The individuals who mutually select into the founding team not only define and develop the concept, imprint the venture, and influence its chances of success, but also impact each other’s satisfaction and willingness to persevere. Yet despite these relationships’ crucial implications, the literature offers only scattered insights into how and why cofounders come together and succeed together.

With this dissertation, I advance theoretical understanding of what goes into forming and maintaining a quality cofounder relationship—a key resource that can neither …

Origin Of Value Creation: The Role Of Delayed Intuition In Entrepreneurial Problem Framing, Chan Hyung Park

Olin Business School Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Highly successful entrepreneurial ventures often result from solving problems that have not been solved before (i.e., entrepreneurial problems). The problem-solving and entrepreneurship literatures indicate that individuals need to develop novel problem frames—uncommon interpretations of observable needs or pain points (i.e., symptoms) signaling the problems—to create solutions that other people would not typically think of and generate unique value that is key to entrepreneurial success. However, developing novel frames of entrepreneurial problems is difficult for two reasons. The symptoms of the problems are ambiguous and unstructured, and the structured information to find the right frame of problems is costly to acquire. …

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.

Turbocharge Tutoring Business Plan, Daniel Rugen Haller

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

College tutoring business plan.

Renewal Health - An E-Commerce Wellness Business, Olivia Helen Griffin

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Entrepreneurial Leadership Strategies For Catalyzing Innovation Performance, Jason D'Souza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate innovation performance has the potential for adverse business outcomes. Business leaders are concerned with inadequate innovation performance, as innovation is a significant driver of business growth. Grounded in entrepreneurial leadership, the purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to explore entrepreneurial leadership strategies that some healthcare business leaders used to catalyze innovation performance. The participants were six business leaders within three healthcare sectors who contributed to strategic healthcare innovation decisions using entrepreneurial leadership strategies within the last 5 years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organizational strategy documents and websites. Through thematic analysis, six themes …

Healthcare Organizational Strategies For Designing And Implementing Economic Think Tanks, Robert Worthington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of focus on organizational strategy impedes the development of successful healthcare think tanks. Healthcare leaders are concerned about the lack of strategies and their importance in combating fraud, reducing errors, enforcing practice guidelines, and improving patient healthcare services. Grounded in the four trajectories of industry change theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies healthcare management leaders use to develop successful healthcare think tank organizations. The participants were three healthcare professionals in senior leadership positions for a healthcare think tank organization. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, a review of organizational documents, and …

Entrepreneurial Leadership Strategies For Catalyzing Innovation Performance, Jason D'Souza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate innovation performance has the potential for adverse business outcomes. Business leaders are concerned with inadequate innovation performance, as innovation is a significant driver of business growth. Grounded in entrepreneurial leadership, the purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to explore entrepreneurial leadership strategies that some healthcare business leaders used to catalyze innovation performance. The participants were six business leaders within three healthcare sectors who contributed to strategic healthcare innovation decisions using entrepreneurial leadership strategies within the last 5 years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organizational strategy documents and websites. Through thematic analysis, six themes …

An Exploratory Study Of Entrepreneurial Intention Among Hispanic Entrepreneurs In Toronto, Jorge Perez Moreno

Dissertations

The Problem

Entrepreneurship scholars have claimed that immigrants are more likely to become self-employed due to limited job opportunities, access to social networks, cultural background, necessity, and education and skills. However, the entrepreneurial experience of Hispanic immigrants in Toronto has yet to be examined. This quantitative study examined the attitudes, norms, and perceptions influencing entrepreneurial intention and the factors that encourage self-employment continuation among immigrants in Canada.

Method

This study used a survey questionnaire of ninety-four Hispanic entrepreneurs in Toronto to comprehend their entrepreneurial intention. It examined their proficiencies, studied their business characteristics, and predicted their behavior toward self employment …

Blackstone Launchpad University Of Montana Strategic Analysis/Jacob Treece Honors Capstone Report, Jacob R. Treece

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

No abstract provided.

Immigrant Entrepreneurs And The Contingent Value Of Personal Legitimacy, Kurian George

Dissertations - ALL

Despite growing recognition of the importance of the founder’s personal legitimacy for successful venturing, various questions remain with respect to what founder legitimacy is and how it is achieved. My review of the legitimacy literature reveals that founder legitimacy can be conceptualized as both a characteristic and a process, and that the entity signaling the founder’s legitimacy can be the founder, an organization, or even an industry or region. My review also shows that the expertise needed for founder legitimacy is taken for granted in most studies. To develop a better understanding of how founders acquire and signal personal legitimacy, …

Societal Sustainability: Projects To Address The Three Dimensions Of A Sustainable Future, Braden K. Bateman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability is an important, commonly discussed societal goal regarding assurance of resources for the world to be able to enjoy a prosperous future. Three primary dimensions of sustainability include environmental, economic, and social sustainability, and objectives for various projects can be aimed at any of the three dimensions to pursue societal sustainability. Solar installations, which can be used to pursue environmental and economic sustainability, convert abundant sunlight to electricity, displacing fossil fuel use that contributes harmful greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The regulatory environment at the state level has a significant impact on the feasibility of solar projects. At present, …

Closing The Gender Gap In Entrepreneurship Education, Carolyn J. Rodeffer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Entrepreneurship education in higher education has been cited as a key strategy in filling the entrepreneurship talent pool, preparing students with the skills and confidence needed to start new ventures (Westhead & Solesvik, 2016). However, outcomes of entrepreneurship education for female students are less positive than for their male counterparts (Shinnar et al., 2012; Westhead & Solesvik, 2016; Wilson et al., 2007). Working within the frameworks of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (1977), Azjen’s theory of planned behavior (1991), and Steele and Aronson’s stereotype threat theory (1995), this quantitative study utilized an experimental research design to assess the impact of role model …

Startup Futures: Entrepreneurs, Investors And Imaginaries Of Care In Global India, Ipshita Ghosh

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the emerging cultures of venture capital-driven, technology-infused startups in India and the multiple ways in which they shape the nation's entrepreneurship landscape. Based on findings drawn from 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork with Delhi's startups, I argue that entrepreneurship serves as a cultural and ideological formation that creates a new regime of values and reshapes our social, political, and civil life. In this sense, I suggest that previous studies on entrepreneurship which focus purely on its economic impacts (or lack thereof) tend to undervalue the long-lasting cultural transformations created through it. One of the primary ways in …

Dismantling Power And Patriarchy: Reconceptualizing Entrepreneurship Through Feminist Research Methods, Heatherjean Macneil

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Initial research has shown how male and heroic idealism of the entrepreneur (Ahl, 2006), the gendering of entrepreneurial ecosystems (Özkazanç-Pan & Muntean, 2021), and societal racism (Wingfield, 2008), contribute to othering conditions for entrepreneurs who are not white and male (Ahl, 2006). Not only does this othering effect create interlocking and compounded barriers, (Collins and Blige, 2016), but a diverse perspective of how-to entrepreneur is lost amidst dominant discourse and homogenous norms. To disrupt this patriarchal mold, this dissertation investigates: How does social identity shape early-stage entrepreneurship? It applies feminist theory and qualitative research methods to explore the lived experiences …

Developing An Assessment Model For Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Using Hierarchical Decision Model: Case Study Of Riyadh City, Mustafa Kamal Almuzel

Dissertations and Theses

Entrepreneurship is one of the major drivers of economies. Countries that aim to improve their economies by increasing entrepreneurial activities and its effectiveness need to develop an effective entrepreneurship ecosystem. This ecosystem combines a set of domains and factors that create a healthy environment for entrepreneurs. The analysis shows that there is limited research about structured assessment methods to evaluate the entrepreneurship ecosystems.

Therefore, this research objective is to introduce a universal assessment model that can be adopted in different cities for implementing an effective entrepreneurial ecosystem. This will be achieved by addressing three main research questions. 1) What are …

Getting Ahead And Getting Along In Entrepreneurial Networks: Network Effects Of The “Dark” And “Light” Sides Of Personality In New Venture Performance, Victoria Antin Yates

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how dark and light personality traits influence venture performance via mediating effects of social structure. Because entrepreneurship is an inherently social process, theoretical perspectives of social network theory and social comparison theory are used to examine how entrepreneurs’ dark and light personality traits interact with personality traits of socially proximal others to influence venture performance via network structure. These perspectives are drawn together using socioanalytic theory. This dissertation argues that agreeableness and narcissism interact with the personality traits of network others at the group-level to influence structural hole positioning within entrepreneurial networks; in turn, structural holes are …

The Many Sides Of Social Capital: How Social Capital Is Related To Entrepreneurship?, Vivian M. Williams

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study explores two questions about the relationship between social capital and entrepreneurship that have not received much attention. The first is, how different dimensions of social capital relate to entrepreneurship? The second is, to what extent community social capital is related to the level of entrepreneurship among marginal and dominant members of a community? Social capital is the benefits derived from social connections. We know about the positive aspects of the relationship between social capital but it is also important to examine if there are negative effects. Further, community social capital, which is the aggregate level of social capital …

For The Kingdom, Jack Conway

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

For The Kingdom is a tabletop board game that I have developed for my thesis. In my thesis, I would like to cover three areas that have been crucial to the development of the game- the guidebook created to support and facilitate the board game, the changes made due to player feedback and testing, and the potential paths to getting the game to the market. Before Talking about those three areas, however, I will first describe the games genre and a bit about my approach to developing it.

Precast Concrete Manufacturing Business Plan, John F. Will Jr.

Construction Management

The Central Coast of California has been under development since the Great Recession of 2008. Throughout this development, there has been an exceedingly high demand for precast concrete products, specifically in the civil sector of the construction industry. These products are being utilized by more and more by contractors around the world. This demand has emerged from the lack of concrete product manufacturers in this region of California. This project introduces a business plan for a new precast concrete product manufacturer by the name of J.W. Concrete Products LLC. The objective of this business plan is to reflect the benefits …

Finding The Silver Lining: The Role Of Affect And Adversity In Entrepreneurial Venturing., Lauren A. Zettel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Motivated goal pursuit is a foundational concept in entrepreneurial venturing. Entrepreneurs set goals for their ventures, and their persistence in pursuing these goals ultimately impacts the success of their venture. Many of the explanations of motivation in goal pursuit have focused on the benefits of steady progress and positive emotions. However, entrepreneurs inevitably face adversity and setbacks which, in turn, beget negative emotions. It is yet unclear what role adversity and the ensuing negative emotions may have in motivating entrepreneurs. In order to extend our theoretical understanding of affect and adversity in entrepreneurial venturing, this dissertation draws on the existing …

Daan Go: An Entrepreneurial Case Study, Clifford Chuck Long Lam

Major Papers

Daan Go is a brand of Euro-Asian food services, now consisting of only its specialty bakery Daan Go Cake Lab. Having various retail locations across the Greater Toronto Area with current distribution channels that serve both Ontario and Quebec, Daan Go is currently focusing on expanding its bakery operations across Canada. To fulfill its vision of becoming a world-wide desserts brand, Daan Go finds itself facing unique challenges. Based on a case analysis, this report examines how Daan Go can leverage its current key capabilities, while maintaining its competitive position within the niche market it serves.

This report provides an …

A Phenomenological Study To Describe How Hispanic Entrepreneur Women Use Mark Crowley’S Four Principles To Accomplish Extraordinary Results, Elizabeth Vargas

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary Hispanic entrepreneur women lead from the heart using Crowley’s four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations.

Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological research approach was used in this study to illuminate the lived experiences of exemplary Hispanic entrepreneur women. A sample of eight Hispanic entrepreneur women from the target population in Southern California was chosen. The sample of eight Hispanic entrepreneur women was chosen using predetermined criteria. Each participant was …

Strategies For Information Technology Small Business Owners To Sustain Beyond The First 5 Years, Edward Alan Rodarte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses are the foundation of an economy and spawn innovation, but small business owners fail at an alarming rate because they lack strategies to sustain business operations. Since 50% of small businesses fail within the first 5 years, small business sustainability research is critical to support small business owners. Grounded in entrepreneurial theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to identify strategies information technology (IT) small business owners use to sustain operation beyond the first 5 years. The participants included four IT small business owners in the Southwestern United States who sustained operations beyond the first 5 …

Entrepreneurial Strategies For The Survival Of Small Business Enterprises In Uganda, Rita Kabatunzi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Only 46% of small businesses in Uganda survive beyond 5 years, yet some small business owners lack entrepreneurial leadership strategies to innovate and sustain their businesses. The failure to sustain businesses can lead to employee loss of jobs and degrade individuals’ economic prosperity. Grounded in the strategic entrepreneurship model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore entrepreneurial leadership strategies small business owners in the travel and tourism industry in Kampala, Uganda use to innovate and sustain their businesses for more than 5 years. The participants comprised 5 small business owners who successfully sustained their businesses beyond 5 …

About Her Business: The Making Of The Black Female Entrepreneur, Selina Steward

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research explored the lived experiences of Black women in the United States who have managed to establish and sustain successful businesses. This research seeks to explore the vicissitudes and challenges of Black female entrepreneurship, as well as the strategies employed by Black women to achieve successful business ownership. The researcher interviewed 15 Black businesswomen with intimate knowledge of the phenomenon of interest using a purposive sample technique. Employing a phenomenological approach and semi-structured interview questions, this study uncovered connections between previously identified challenges in the literature and recommendations for the next generation of Black female entrepreneurs. Learning from …

The Ecosystem Of Startups In Greece: An Explorative Study, Stamatios Koulouris

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Given that technology and innovation are rapidly rising the last few decades at excessively high rates, people tend to become more creative, searching for new ideas that, through their entrepreneurial spirit, transform into businesses, known as startups. This process of transforming an idea into an actual business that becomes productive and profitable sets the basis for entrepreneurship. Being interested in startups and the idea of creating an enterprise from scratch, I decided for my senior project to focus on these new well-known enterprises and, more specifically to zoom in on the startup ecosystem of Greece, which seems to have great …