Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

2023 School Of Culinary Arts & Food Technology Newsletter - Summer Edition 2023, James Murphy

Other resources

The School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, TU Dublin, Summer Edition Newsletter captured the many events, sustainability, research, awards, significant contributions and special civic and community activities which the students and staff members of the school have successfully completed up to the Summer period of 2023. The successful completion of these activities would not be possible without the active and on-going support of the 'INSPIRED' friends of Culinary Arts and our 'Transforming Tommorrow' partners (school supporters) plus our school's industry association supporters. If you would like to support our school and the next Generation of Food, Culinary and Horticulture …

Mentoring Women Entrepreneurs: Perceived Needs And Benefits, David W. Whitlock, Ashley J. Hampton, Kitty Campbell

Journal of Business & Entrepreneurship

Women entrepreneurs are a rapidly growing demographic. Mentoring is a recurring theme in the literature as a valuable contribution in helping women entrepreneurs succeed. The roles of mentoring as well as the literature of mentoring relationships is presented, followed by a study in which the demand and perceived benefit for mentoring was conducted among women currently engaged or self-identified as aspiring small business owners and entrepreneurs. Women who participated a conference for female entrepreneurs, jointly sponsored by Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center, were surveyed. The survey consisted of five sections: the first gathered respondent’s …

How Are Senior Citizens Capable To Cope With The World Of Digital Natives?, Hely Westerholm, Pirjo Takanen-Körperich

International Journal for Business Education

This study discusses the continuously growing threat to the senior citizens*), later called seniors, who can be isolated from the society if their digital competences and experiences are too poor in today’s digital world. It has been noted that to cope with one’s pursuits seniors need to actively construct and maintain their capabilities in ways that are flexible in the world of the digital devices, in response to the changing vicissitudes of life. Thus, the claim above illuminates the issue that the ability to learn from experiences is highly valued in the digital world.

The seniors are obliged to closely …

Rebranding Lauren Hope Photography, Lauren H. Toomey

Graphic Communication

Lauren Toomey has been building her business, Lauren Hope Photography, for the past six years. During this time, she has developed a website as well as a social media presence, but has yet to establish a clear brand identity. This project served as motivation for Lauren to define her brand identity, which allowed her to create branding guidelines that could then be implemented across print and digital media.

Economic Evaluation Of Route Choice Characteristics For Company Truck Drivers And Owner-Operator Truck Drivers In Southern California Freeways, Joseph J. Kim, Jose Alejandro Arroyo Turcios

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

To contribute to the understanding of freeway capacity and financing options, this study evaluates the demand for truck-only toll lanes on Southern California freeways. The study implemented surveys to both company truck drivers and owner-operator truck drivers to estimate the value they place on time, reliability, and safety measures. The research team met face-to-face with both types of truck drivers near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to understand the drivers’ perspectives regarding truck-only toll lanes on Southern California freeways. A data set containing 45 surveys out of 62 survey responses were used for statistical analysis. The results …

Brand On The Run: The Effects Of Internal And External Stakeholder Communication Of Corporate Rebranding Efforts, Abby Vandiver

Honors Theses

A company’s most valuable asset is its brand. Not just limited to its name and logo, a brand is loosely defined as the identity of an organization. A strong brand identity can create strong customer loyalty. Changing even a part of this identity can cause confusion and ultimately revenue loss. This study examined how business owners and marketers communicate with their stakeholders when they decide a rebrand is necessary. After researching current literature on this topic, businesses in Oxford, Mississippi which have undergone a rebrand in the last decade were recruited to answer questions. Ten organizations participated either through interview …

The Ties That Blend: Social Capital And Family Firm Innovation, Dustin L. Odom

Theses and Dissertations

The research project empirically assesses the influence of an under-researched aspect of social capital on the family firm’s entrepreneurial behaviors. Specifically, blending social capital, which consists of bonding social capital and bridging social capital that develops between family firms and external family stakeholders, is considered in examining the family firm’s engagement in innovation efforts. Additionally, familial tie strength and outside business ownership of external family stakeholders are argued to moderate the proposed relationship between blending social capital and family firm innovation. The surveying methods for assessing the hypothesized relationships included conducting a two-wave study with adapted, modified, and validated scales. …

Pandemic, Retail Sales And Local Economies: Evidence From Northeast Oklahoma, Sanchari Ghosh, Brian Jackson, Ray Murphy

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Early post-COVID pandemic studies focused on the macroeconomic impacts of that event on employment, income, healthcare costs, food security, etc. Yet there has been little emphasis on how changes in consumption spending patterns resulting from the pandemic affected retail sales and revenues, each of which are major contributors of growth for local economies. This study investigates these relationships by implementing retail pull and sales gap analyses to determine how non-metropolitan rural regions responded to consumption expenditures and retail sales before and after the pandemic. Using three cities of northeastern Oklahoma as a case study, retail pull factors at the city …

From The Village To Entrepreneurial Mentality: A Transformative Path For Africa's Economic Development, Morris Tsuma

Honors Theses

Because the economic development in Africa is at an inflection point, the continent needs to use the transformative process of going from the village mentality to the entrepreneurial mentality. They need to go from the dependency village mentality to the free market entrepreneurial mentality to affect Africa’s economic future.

Many factors affect the path from the village mentality to the entrepreneurial mentality. Some of these factors and examples that I explore in this paper are international companies investing in local intelligence and people finding role models/goals to aspire to. Another factor is individuals going through difficulty and needing change. However, …

Turbocharge Tutoring Business Plan, Daniel Rugen Haller

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

College tutoring business plan.

Grassroots Lawn Services Business Plan, Logan Walden

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this thesis is to show how a lawn-care company can be profitable in North-West Arkansas. Grassroots uses a group of service-partners who are trained to provide professional and consistent lawn care services to customers. Grassroots Lawn Services offers different service levels to meet the changing needs of their customers. The goal is to make it easier for customers to access lawn care services without dealing with the high cost and competitive scheduling of traditional single-provider lawn services.

Wakesurf Nwa: A Surfing Entertainment Business Plan, Ethan Carney

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

WakeSurf NWA is a thrilling entertainment facility that will fill a void in this highly affluent market. Our design is to bring surfing where surfing has never been before, in a land-locked location. With high-tech engineering to allow surfing on land, WakeSurf NWA will provide real surfing to the people in and around Northwest Arkansas. Our company will also be built around helping our community, donating a portion of proceeds to a local nonprofit. What sets WakeSurf NWA apart from other companies in the area is how we will bring something completely new to the region that can be enjoyed …

Life-Tactics Business Plan, Tanvir Mondair

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

High schools often have career programs, however, the demand for career guidance counselors outweighs the supply. Thus Life-Tactics was created and dedicated to teaching students about career readiness post-high school graduation. Life-Tactics teaches students about career guidance, opportunities post-graduation, and provides students with resources to make better-informed decisions after they graduate.

Local Label: Why Localism Matters And A Business Plan To Address It., Sydnie Wilson

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The use of technology within business is evolving and increasing in necessity. As large businesses and corporations invest in research and development, innovations, and data analytics, the ability to serve customers more effectively and efficiently increases substantially. Local Label is a solution for this need.

Local Label is a mobile retail app that connects local consumers to all accessories, shoes, and clothes available at local retailers. The app would be a hub for local retailers to promote their apparel and accessories. Local Label leverages its marketing to be in sync with local events, special occasions, and holidays. The app’s front-face …

Understanding Romania's Poverty: A Historical Overview Of Economics And Politics And Their Implications On Poverty Today, Benjamin Bucur

Senior Honors Theses

Romania is a country with a high-income economy that is experiencing considerable growth following its economic reforms of earlier decades. With growth, tendencies for an unequal society are prevalent. Therefore, appropriate economic policies that are specifically targeted toward bottlenecks are essential. This thesis seeks to outline the major types of poverty in Romania while also offering actionable entrepreneurial and educational insights that practically combat poverty at its roots.

Creative Brief For Bliss Cupcake Cafe, Maggie Moore

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The baking and culinary industry is growing. In fact, in 2020, the market size of the global baking industry was $331.37 billion and is projected to reach $436.91 billion by 2026. Although the recent pandemic made those in the hospitality field struggle due to the canceling of special events such as birthday party gatherings, weddings, and holiday events, the industry is coming back stronger than pre-pandemic times through implementing new practices such as online ordering and delivery practices. With this, in the recent years, supply chain disruptors and inflation have caused materials and labor costs to increase and can be …

Business Plan For Destraal Bakery, Lauren Frazier

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Destraal Bakery is a bakery café that will offer patrons a space to slow down and treat themselves. Offering bread products and coffee, Destraal differentiates itself through product quality, shop atmosphere, delivery, and social responsibility. Destraal will eventually seek B- Corp status.

Located in West Colorado Springs, more specifically, Old Colorado Springs, Destraal will benefit from grants and loans offered to female entrepreneurs, high levels of tourism and foot traffic, and close proximity to the target demographic. In a growing industry, Destraal is forecasted to be profitable within the first year. The bakery café will achieve 14% profit margin in …

Refugee Advocacy Organizations: Factors That Influence Success In The United States And Ireland, Caleb Elkington-Stauss

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis is a comparative study of refugee advocacy organizations in Ireland and in the United States. The goal is to research and study some of the best practices that refugee support organizations utilize and report how these two countries address the ever-growing refugee crisis. This study assesses the applications and operations in both organizations and determines how these practices contribute to the fulfillment of their missions. This better understanding of the strengths and struggles experienced by these organizations will support the development of a model and framework for successful social welfare initiatives. Within this thesis, the social initiatives in …

Bridging The Gap: A Comprehensive Guide To Implementing An Internship Program For Businesses, Ben Turner

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis outlines a comprehensive plan for implementing an internship program, from the perspective of a former intern. The paper emphasizes the importance of internships for businesses and aims to create a program that generates value for both the business and the intern. The plan is divided into three stages: Planning and Designing, Recruiting and Selecting, and Managing and Supervising. Each stage provides detailed steps for successfully implementing an internship program, including identifying needs and objectives, determining a timeline and structure, defining roles and responsibilities, developing a budget, setting performance expectations and goals, providing training and support, evaluating performance, and …

You Don't Know What You Don't Know: A Collection Of Challenge And Acceptance From Women Owned Small Businesses In Johnson City, Tennessee, Nikki Vandusen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

With over 11.6 million establishments, women owned small businesses hold a crucial part in supporting the US economy’s wellbeing. However, owning a small business comes with numerous challenges that not all can overcome. This study investigates the challenges of ten women-owned small businesses in Johnson City, Tennessee. The interview results display that women struggle with similar challenges as men; however, they have more difficulty balancing gender roles and societal expectations with owning a small business. This research concludes that men and women do not have equal opportunities when it comes to owning a small business and women are at a …