Business Commons^™

The Road To Entrepreneurial Success: Business Plans, Lean Startup, Or Both?, Chris Welter, Alex Scrimpshire, Dawn Tolonen, Eseoghene Obrimah

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Purpose – The goal of this research is to investigate the relationship between two different sets of practices, lean startup and business planning, and their relation to entrepreneurial performance. Design/methodology/approach – The authors collected data from 120 entrepreneurs across the US about a variety of new venture formation activities within the categories of lean startup or business planning. They use hierarchical regression to examine the relationship between these activities and new venture performance using both a subjective and objective measure of performance. Findings – The results show that talking to customers, collecting preorders and pivoting based on customer feedback are …

Lean Startups And Strategic Management, Joshua Binus, Horatiu Corban, Stephanie Miller, Hans Vanderschaaf

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Slides from a group presentation that offers a lean startup methodology overview, examines challenges and solutions, reviews case studies and discusses lean and strategic management.

Assessment Of Minimum Viable Product Techniques: A Literature Review, Mohammadsaleh Saadatmand

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Although the minimum viable product (MVP) concept provides a means to test ideas and hypothesis at early stages, it does not indicate that it is easy to build. MVP tests whether your idea solves a real problem that customers are willing to pay for. In order to reach the stage of building a product that people want to use and pay for, we need to make sure product passes certain tests. In turn, MVP techniques/methods are designed not only to test technical questions about the product, but also to assess the viability of business model hypothesis. Once the hypothesis that …

Exclusive Summary: Diabetes Happy Meal, Bhawinee Banchongraksa

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Brief summary of application software designed to assist diabetics to make healthy dietary choices, and to offer means to buy ingredients online.

The Dynamics Of Open Strategy: From Adoption To Reversion, Melissa M. Appleyard, Henry W. Chesbrough

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Innovation has become more open in recent years. Yet the decision to become more open and the challenge of sustaining that openness are not well understood. This is the concern of the “content” branch of Open Strategy, defined as the branch that addresses an organization's open innovation strategy. We examine the initial motivations to adopt an open strategy, and then consider when organizations choose to maintain that open strategy or revert to a more proprietary approach. Similarly, we examine motivations to open up a previously proprietary strategy. We find that these dynamics depend on the organization's desire to either foster …

Comida En Ruedas Sas, Manuel Andrés Bravo Arjona, Jonnathan Quintana Romero

Finanzas y Comercio Internacional

No abstract provided.

Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: The Business Of Aquaculture, Richard Clime

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Maine has significant potential to benefit from the successful integration of commercial fishing and the seafood business in the form of aquaculture and you have a chance to be involved in the beginning stages of this promising field. Aquaculture can be seen as a way to diversify on-the-water income and can easily complement existing fisheries businesses. There are risks associated with any business, however if managed properly aquaculture can be profitable.

Executing The Strategic Plan: Five Actions Midlevel Leaders Can Take, Daniel Jensen

Faculty Works

The article offers suggestions for executing strategic plans for organizational success. Topics discussed include determining the objectives, goals, and organizational vision, measuring specific tasks to evaluate progress against expected results, and use of SWOT analysis to determine the strengths and weaknesses of organizations.

Collective Film Camera In Shanghai: A Business Plan, Sha Li

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For this project, the primary goal is to research the viability of a vintage camera business in Shanghai, China. By research and analyze the market segmentation and industry environment, this plan is used as a tool to find a marketing strategy to differentiate the business with the others.

Gender As A Predictor Of Planning In Small Business, Calvin Wang, Elizabeth Walker, Janice Redmond

Janice Redmond Dr

The increase in women-owned small businesses in recent times has led to a corresponding rise in interest in women entrepreneurship. While some of this interest has focused on differences between male and female operators and their business operations, there has been relatively little attention paid to gender comparisons in relation to small business planning. Given that women are broadly acknowledged to behave and manage their businesses differently from men, then knowledge of how gender might influence planning activities has important implications for the small business sector. Accordingly, this paper presents results of an empirical study into small business planning and …

Generating More Profit From Your Farm Business, Tamara Stretch

All other publications

This report outlines the main drivers of profit – price, production, costs and management. Knowing a farm’s profit drivers assists managers to analyse the risk and resilience of their business and to make more informed expenditure decisions. With significant volatility in both prices and production, farm managers need to have strategies that smooth price volatility and allow adjustments to costs of production.

When analysing business profitability it is important to look beyond gross margins and capture all cost items particularly large fixed costs like finance and machinery allowance costs. By critically examining the full cost structure of their business managers …

Business Plan For A Korean Fine-Dining Restaurant In Las Vegas, Jihoon Kim

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Korean food industry is enjoying international attention and growth as the Korean government’s globalization efforts spur the development of Korean restaurants in international markets such as the United States (Korean Food Foundation, 2013). Korean cuisine is being branded as healthy food that harmonizes nutrition and flavor (Jang & Ha, 2009). Now is the time to start new Korean restaurants in the U.S.’s ethnic cuisine market. This paper provides a business plan focusing on a fine-dining Korean restaurant operation in the Las Vegas market, which is currently devoid of such an operation.

A Business Plan For A Successful Family-Run Restaurant In Heber City, Utah, Brittany M. Bringhurst

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Business plans are considered to be an important, “even crucial,” part of opening any business (Lange, Mollov, Pearlmutter, Singh, & Bygrave, 2007). Because of a gap in the literature directed toward successful business plan strategies specific to the family-run restaurant sector, this paper is going to consider the available information regarding family-run businesses in general and apply them to the restaurant industry.

A Business Plan For Grass Fed Restaurant, Joshua Schonfeld

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper will present a business plan for a grass fed steakhouse concept in Chicago. After having spent the past year researching the grass fed meat market, meeting with grass fed farmers and looking for restaurant locations in three different markets (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago) it has become apparent that Chicago is going to be the best market for this type of concept. In the restaurant industry, contacts and word of mouth are two huge players in success in the restaurant business and this is definitely a connection that the partners have in Chicago.

Why grass fed? As …

Application Of Reference Models In Technology Management, Farshad Madani

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Reference models, sometimes called with other different words, prepare a general model from a specific view of the related environment. Reference models are considered as a basic foundation to create: 1) a common language among specialists 2) a reference for the entities such as processes 3) relationships among entities 4) tools and decision making procedures for the real world.

In this report, it's tried the definitions of reference model in the selected papers have been reviewed. It's noticeable that in many papers the term of framework is used instead of reference model. Also, applications of reference models are reviewed and …

International Business Environment Analysis, Sana Khalil

Business Review

This paper presents business environment analysis on the basis of cultural and economic differences. It elucidates the potential conflicts, risks and discusses the business opportunities that lie amid this whirlpool. The cultural differences are analyzed using Hofstede's dimensions and subsequent implications are discussed. It elucidates that the socio-economic differences require the managers to use their discretion while developing business strategies or goods and services for different markets. Since BRICS nations are emerging as potential business markets for firms around the globe and have attracted much attention and debate, I have chosen to present a comparative analysis using BRICS countries and …

Stop And Serve, Nathan J. Peace

Honors Theses

Stop and Serve will be the first to sell a fully functioning service social media website to specific organizations, companies, and churches. Furthermore, we follow up with our product by providing our customized service and necessary server space.

With our product, a fully functioning social media website, users can post various needs (such as helping mow the lawn, pay for medical bills, watch animals, etc.), without limit, and other users help meet those needs. To encourage participation, Stop and Serve websites require users to connect with already existing social media so that each user who has a need met will …

Effective Business Planning: A Structured Approach: A Guide For Entrepreneurs, Alison J. Paster

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Book review by Alison J. Paster.

Masterfano, Michele K. Effective Business Planning: A Structured Approach: A Guide for Entrepreneurs. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2010. ISBN 9780757575044

Effective Business Planning: A Structured Approach: A Guide for Entrepreneurs is an easy-to-follow book and learning tool that provides detailed and informative guidelines for writing a business plan.

Diversity Strengthening Companies In The Economic Downturn, Shandrea Daniel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to provide examples of companies using diversified strategies to advance in a competitive market and withstand the economic downturn. This paper will explain the benefits of the strategies and how one can implement them in their own business. The variety of strategies and examples will be presented in a literature review and a case study about the Los Angeles Clipper franchise. The goal is to present diversified strategies as an alternate response to the decline, so companies will gain ideas about how to develop cost saving initiatives that will increase long term revenue. Furthermore …

A Start To Finish Guide To Opening A Bed & Breakfast: The Business Plan., Ellen A. Fredette

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background Beds and breakfast are the small business component of the hotel industry. Like all types of small businesses, many fail due to poor planning or misguided management. As more new entrepreneurs enter the market due to the decline of the economy and the unreliability of corporate America, it is important to identify the proper components of a business plan for beds and breakfast and to outline a successful operations model. A study of business plan and bed and breakfast operation models is included here. Results Existing literature suggests several components of a successful business plan. These include a detailed …

Bankruptcy As A Corporate Strategy : Implications For Turnover In The Top Management Team And Board Of Directors, Cynthia Lane Krom

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This paper examines Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a corporate strategy, segregating filings for corporate reorganization in the U.S. from 1998 through 2007 into those due to financial distress (FDB) and those believed to be for risk-management purposes (RMB). Twenty-seven RMB and 199 FDB firms were compared to each other, and to 226 matched non-bankrupt firms. Altman's Z-score clearly differed between the RMB and FDB firms, suggesting that the two are separate constructs financially as well as legally. A subset of 81 firms (the 27 RMB matched to 27 non-bankrupt and 27 FDB) were studied for turnover among the members of …

How Emerging Giants Are Rewriting The Rules Of M&A, Nirmalya Kumar

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

While Western companies struggle with mergers and acquisitions, emerging giants like Indian aluminum producer Hindalco are using M&A as their main globalization strategy. That's partly because developing economies grew at near double-digit rates in the past 15 years, enabling many enterprises to make acquisitions. It's also because, according to the author's research, those corporations create more value from takeovers. To compete, Western multinationals should change their mind-set and shift the locus of their M&A efforts to regional headquarters in developing countries.U.S. and European companies, inhibited by slow-growing home markets, acquire rivals primarily to become bigger and thus create economies of …

Governance Structure Transforemation During Erp Implementations, Elise V. Strachan

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force (USAF) has a number of initiatives underway to better support tomorrow’s Warfighter. As part of the Expeditionary Logistics for the 21st Century (eLog21) campaign, one of the most critical initiatives is the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS). ECSS is the world’s largest enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation and will completely transform USAF logistics operations. The benefits of an ERP include centrally-managed and integrated information sharing, while the many challenges include training future state operations and employing change management. An effective governance structure is essential in order for the USAF to realize the full benefits of …

Victoria's Secret Gets Into Chinese Market Business Plan Proposal, Luyan Zhang

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to develop a business plan for Victoria's Secret to enter the Chinese market. Currently, Victoria's Secret doesn't operate any stores in China. This project will discuss the following aspects of the Chinese lingerie textile market: the distinct backgrounds of Chinese and United States' lingerie markets, the potential advantages and risks for entering the Chinese market.

Open Innovation And Strategy, Henry W. Chesbrough, Melissa M. Appleyard

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article discusses a process of business innovation known as open innovation and its relation to traditional business strategy. The competitive strategy developed by Michael Porter emphasized rivalry, buyer power, and barriers to entry as forces that could enhance a producer's surplus. The authors discuss the impact of the Porterian value chain, the processes of production through to the consumer, on subsequent business practices. However, this theory does not account for external sources of value to a company, such as innovation communities, volunteer contributors and surrounding networks, including social networking web sites, open source software and the Wiki model of …

Firm Performance As A Function Of Entrepreneurial Orientation And Strategic Planning Practices, James W. Kroeger

ETD Archive

New business creation is essential for our nation's economy and accounts for all net new job creation. However, 56 of small businesses fail within four years of startup. One way to address this issue is to employ an approach combining an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) with key strategic management planning practices for firms seeking to gain a competitive advantage and improve firm performance. Entrepreneurial orientation is the propensity of firms to be innovative, proactive, and be willing to take risks. This research project empirically investigated the relationship among a firm's scanning intensity, locus of planning, planning flexibility and entrepreneurial orientation and …

A Study Of Strategies For Successful Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation In A Merger And Acqusition Environment, Maricelle Casquejo Thomas

Theses Digitization Project

This project will be focusing on the business problem of integrating information systems within a M & A organization, in this case to a SAP platform. SAP is the platform the parent company uses to run its corporate business functions.

Reinforce Customer Satisfaction Through Enterprise Resource Planning And Supply Chain Management Integration, Yu-Hsiang Chen

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to try and establish a blueprint for integrating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Management (SCM). ERP and SCM have become popular in many industries because they help companies improve their Information Systems (IS) which helps support their operational goals. New technology is being used in resource planning and e-commerce and a stable supply chain helps corporations integrate many basic applications. This helps facilitate smooth supplier-customer interactions while minimizing transaction costs. This project is trying to provide a way in which to implement ERP systems properly into SCM. It should result in improved …

Performance Differences Across Strategic Groups: An Examination Of Financial Market-Based Performance Measures, J. Rajendran Pandian, Howard Thomas, Olivier Furrer, William C. Bogner

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

One of the more interesting issues in the strategic management field is the question of whether intra-industry performance differences exist, particularly across strategic groups. Most of the existing studies have used accounting measures of performance despite the documented weaknesses of such measures. This paper examines whether financial market-based measures of performance are superior to accounting-based measures in identifying performance differences across strategic groups. Hypotheses are tested on data from an existing sample of firms in the US pharmaceutical industry. The empirical results indicate that performance differences are more likely to exist across strategic groups when financial market performance measures are …

Gero-Sys, Plan For A New Adult Day Care Center, Vikas Singh, Katherine Goodnight, Chris Ellis, Stacy Schriver

Vikas Singh

Executive Summary

The environment in Tucson, Arizona is the ideal location for Gero-Sys to put its new Adult Day Care Center. Over the last decade, large numbers of elderly people have settled in the area for retirement, causing the median age to jump by 11%. The population has a high incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions affecting the elderly, as well as, a high rate of disability with over 46% of the 65+ population having some form of disability. With the area growing at twice the national average, the economy in the area is very attractive …