Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

Investing In Service, Andre Huber

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

Andre Huber of Huber’s Butchery looks at how family values have formed a cornerstone of their service vision.

Pursuing Quality, Zara Salahuddin, Arif Salahuddin

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

Zara and Arif Salahuddin of Bismillah Biryani exchange views on growing a family business and prioritising product quality.

Designing Small Successes, Edwin Low

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

Edwin Low of Supermama talks about how he’s built his team and the differences between Singaporean and Japanese customers

Creating A Customer-Centred Brand, Amira Geneid

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

Amira Geneid of Zahara discusses how the brand listens to their community to deliver beyond expectations. Zahara is a halal cosmetics line based in Singapore

Dressing The Future, Christopher Halim, Raena Lim

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

Christopher Halim and Raena Lim of Style Theory review the importance of appropriate automation and necessary systems in growing a young company.

Selling Service In Retail, Sharon Wong

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

Sharon Wong of Motherswork speaks about expanding to China and building brand loyalty with customers and staff.

Exploring Startup Funding For Small Business Sector Growth, Job Creation And Reduction Of Youth Unemployment In Nigeria, Christian O. Akaeze, Nana A. Akaeze

Bullion

Unemployment generates welfare loss from lowered output, income, and wellbeing which impedes social progress in a nation. Youth unemployment is a major problem currently confronting Nigeria (Nwogwugwu & Irechukwu, 2015). However, in developing economies jobs are created through small businesses. Nevertheless, unemployed youths with small business ideas experience financial constraints and lack access to startup capital. The intent of this study was to explore the experiences of some owners who succeeded with small business initiatives despite challenges from lack of access to formal and informal sources of capital. Semi-structured interviews with 15 successful small business owners located in Lagos who …

An Exploration Of Internal Controls And Their Impact On Employee Fraud In Small Businesses, Kent Lachney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain greater understanding of the current practices of the internal control systems of small businesses and to explore the effectiveness of their systems in comparison with anti-fraud activities recommended by forensic accountants. The researcher selected five small businesses that were members of the Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce and had fewer than 100 employees. The researcher interviewed the owners and/or managers of the businesses, reviewed and analyzed company documentation, interpreted data, made observations, and offered recommendations. The researcher asked each participant to respond to questions related to the five elements of …

How To Make It As A Maker: Maximizing Customer Experience To Increase Brand Value In The Saturated Marketplace Of Paper Goods And Gifts, Hannah K. Lynch

Masters Theses

The following thesis investigates the saturated conditions of the paper goods and gift industry, while addressing how the problem of competition discourages start-up brands. Targeted towards rising creative entrepreneurs with ambition to enter the marketplace, the thesis affirms opportunity for breakthrough created by the Maker Movement and identifies strategies for success through attention to customer experience. Based on the trending demand for experience, suggested strategies highlight the primary areas with opportunity for visual application, including brand, product, packaging, social media, and point of purchase. Scholarly research employs primary and secondary resources, along with case studies of successful brands in a …

The Effects Of Organizational Philanthropic Movements And Related Public Relations Strategies, Gabriella C. Trapani

Journalism

The following is a comprehensive public relations campaign created after extensive research on public relations efforts and corporate social responsibility. The study is mainly focused on establishing the relationship, if any, between a company’s philanthropic efforts and their profits. The study seeks to answer questions such as “Is the return on investment for philanthropic giving worth it?” and “How might this impact company morale?” With a focus on measuring the success of a philanthropic campaign created for Sereno Group Real Estate company, a small to midsize residential real estate company in the Silicon Valley, this study serves as a basis …

Innovation And Small Business Success, Anirban Mukherjee, Hannah H. Chang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article seeks to discuss three fundamental questions relating to innovation: What is innovation? What makes it important for small businesses? How can small businesses innovate?

Reward-Based Crowdfunding Success: Decomposition Of The Project, Product Category, Entrepreneur, And Location Effects, C. S. Richard Chan, Haemin Dennis Park, Pamkaj Patel, David Gomulya

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We assess the relative importance of project, product category, entrepreneur, and location effects on reward-based crowdfunding success. Applying variance decomposition analysis to a sample of 98,336 crowdfunding projects launched between May 2009 and May 2014 on the Kickstarter platform, we find that agency factors, specifically the project and entrepreneur effects, explain the highest relative variance (over 80% of total variance) across three crowdfunding success outcomes – pledge amount, number of backers, and funding success. Structural factors, specifically product category and location effects, have lower but still significant effects. Our study extends prior variance decomposition studies in strategy and entrepreneurship research …

Managing Social Business Hybrids In Global Contexts: The Case Of Impact Sourcing Service Providers, Chacko George Kannothra

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three related essays that seek to understand the core contingencies and strategies of managing social-business hybrids (SBHs) in global contexts. SBHs are also known as hybrid organizations that run commercial operations with the goal of addressing a social (or environmental) problem. I focus on the empirical case of Impact Sourcing Service Providers (ISSPs) which are SBHs that operate in the global business services industry. These organizations hire and train staff from disadvantaged communities to provide services to regional and international business clients. The first essay contributes to the growing interest in how hybrid organizations manage paradoxical …

Marketing In Portland's Small Publishing Industry: Case Studies In The Biographical Approach, Kate Jay

University Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to understand the influence of a publisher’s individual experience and background on the marketing functions of a small publishing press. In order to complete this task, the biographical approach was used. This approach requires interviews of small business owners in order to gain an understanding of their motivation, history, and background. Three Portland publishers of similar size but varying genre focuses were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed and treated as individual case studies. The results of the interviews and analysis was an understanding that the impact on a press from the owners’ knowledge, personalities, and backgrounds change …

Understanding Antecedents To Long-Term Sustainability For Entrepreneurial Ventures: A Phenomenological Study Of Entrepreneurs, Randall Trent Stevenson

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the antecedents to long-term sustainability of entrepreneurial ventures through successful entrepreneurs’ perspectives of the roles and importance of entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, abilities, and attitudes, as well as external factors. This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological approach. The participants were comprised of entrepreneurs from the north and northeast regions of Texas who have launched and managed businesses that have continued operations for 10 years or more.

Examining The Effect Of Cultural Intelligence On The Internationalization Of Swiss Small And Medium Enterprises, Hadia Fakhreldin

Business Administration

The study examines the relationship between cultural intelligence (CI) and the internationalization of Swiss Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It also evaluates the role of internationalization motivators within that relationship. A self-administered survey was sent (by email) to the managers of 640 Swiss SMEs, identified from the Swiss SME database (Switzerland Global Enterprises-ge.com). The data analysis confirms that the internationalization process and the intention to internationalize depend to a large extent on the cultural intelligence of these managers. The analysis also identified access to information on foreign markets as the main motivator that affects this relationship. The study proposes solutions …

The Impact Of Governance Mechanism On Performance And Survival Of Entrepreneurial Firms, Noura S. Metawa

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation consists of two essays.

The first essay studies governance structures and their effectiveness for start-up companies and their survival. We utilize data from the Kauffman Survey, which tracks a sample of firms from their inceptions through their first eight years of existence. We hypothesize and find evidence that a startup's governance system affects its survivability as well as its performance. We show that controlling for the firm size and the industry, cross-sectional variations in the performance of the start-up firms can be explained by governance variables; the presence of one or more independent board member on the board, …

2018 Q2 Private Capital Access Index Report, Craig R. Everett

Pepperdine Private Capital Access Report

The Pepperdine Private Capital Access Index (PCA) is a quarterly indicator produced by the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, in partnership with Dun & Bradstreet. The index is designed to measure the demand for, activity, and health of the private capital markets. The purpose of the PCA Index is to gauge the demand of small and medium sized businesses for financing needs, the level of accessibility of private capital, and the transparency and efficiency of private financing markets.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship: An Account Of The Korean Experience, Wallace T.F Taylor

Engaged Management ReView

This research account reports conclusions from a small group of interviews done with Korean-American entrepreneurs located in three ethnic enclaves near Atlanta, GA. The purpose of this research is to further knowledge in immigrant entrepreneurship. Methodology comprised seven one-hour interviews conducted with first generation business owners (one male and six female) in three enclaves in Atlanta. The research used qualitative design and focused on answering three important questions: How do Korean entrepreneurs discover and exploit opportunities to develop business, how does this sample describe their experiences in the studied enclaves, and how might espoused cultural traits and business skills affect …

Building A Bridge Between Philanthropy And Profit: The History, Economics, And Politics Of Environmental Impact In A Commerce Society, Yekaterina Goncharova

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper examines our consumerist society through past and present data, business practice, supply chain, economics, and its impact on human and environmental well-being. Upon examination, the thesis aims to suggest change through social indicators and policy. It answers numerous questions surrounding both the problems and solutions associated with environmental policy. These include: the question as to what exactly is social and environmental impact investing? What are current changes impacting humanity’s ecological footprint? Why does society need to make changes? Most importantly, it assesses how we can change? Chapter 1 explores the past and what led to an increase of …