Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

Liminal Arts And Business: An Autoethnographic Analysis Of A New Arts Venture In An Entrepreneurial Startup Accelerator Program, Jill Schinberg, Rebecca A. Ferrell, Dan Sandfelder

Journal of Arts Entrepreneurship Education

In this study, we explored the intersection of performing arts and entrepreneurship through an autoethnographic study of a new arts venture, theLAB*, which participated in the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship's accelerator program at the University of Kentucky. In creating theLAB*, we investigated the feasibility of establishing a dance-forward performing arts presenting organization within a profit-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem. As a multi-generational team of arts managers, we analyzed the experience utilizing scenario-planning and the DIEP (Describe, Interpret, Evaluate, Plan) model of reflection to assess the challenges and benefits of participating in this environment. Key findings reveal a significant disconnect between the …

Dc's Kitchen: A Comprehensive Business Plan, Mark A. Chesson Ii

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

This business plan explores the creation of DC’s Kitchen, a Cajun-cuisine inspired restaurant aiming to provide customers with an experience that combines the Cajun heritage with modern entrepreneurial strategies. DC’s Kitchen is more than just a restaurant; it is a unique place that tells the story of how the Cajun people came to be, and the foods and traditional dishes that underline the significant cultural impacts it has had in the United States. This business aims to merge all of these factors into one, while competing with the highly touted competitive “foodie” market in San Antonio, Texas.

This combines a …

Rebuilding Trust In The Used Car Industry: A Five Forces Analysis, Ghaika Vera

Honors Capstones

Consumer distrust has become one of the greatest barriers to success in today’s automotive retail environment, especially within the used-car market where skepticism toward dealerships and repair services is widespread. This research investigates how dealerships can rebuild consumer confidence while also improving profitability and long-term competitive positioning. Using Porter’s Five Forces framework, the study analyzes key industry pressures including high buyer power, strong competitive rivalry, and increasing substitute transportation. Findings show that transparency, trust-building communication, and consistent relationship-based service are essential for sustainable differentiation. Strategies such as mobile-friendly scheduling systems, real-time repair updates, transparent pricing and inspection visuals, partnerships with …

Breaking The Five-Year Barrier: Essential Tactics For Long-Term Small Business Sustainability And Growth, Tanesha L. Ford Dr., Carol-Anne Faint Ph.D, Rocky J. Dwyer Dr.

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

This study explores the sustainability and growth of small businesses beyond the critical 5-year mark, a pivotal milestone often associated with survival challenges. Active business owners within the United States often shut down their operations due to reduced revenues and operational challenges, including the multifaceted factors influencing long-term success. The study places a particular emphasis on effective training strategies by examining the intersection of sustainability and training to identify actionable insights for owners of small business to enhance their resilience and longevity in today’s dynamic economic landscape.

Sme Cyber Resilience State Of The Sector 2025, Hazel Murray, Gillian O'Carroll, Aoibheann Brangan, Jason Holland, Stephanie Chevanne Wallace, Miriam Curtain, Glenda Deveney

Department of Computer Science Publications

Ireland's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face a critical cyber resilience gap. SMEs account for 99.8% of all enterprises in Ireland and employ over 2.29 million people, representing 67.9% of total employment (based on the latest CSO 2022 figures). This cyber resilience assessment reveals that the majority of SMEs remain underprepared for modern cyber threats.

Balancing Growth And Identity: Tourism, Culture, And Economic Development In Dangriga, Belize, Tristan M. Eddy

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the interplay between tourism development and cultural preservation in Dangriga, Belize. Dangriga is a town with a rich Garifuna heritage, and its residents take great pride in maintaining and sharing their traditions with both future generations and visitors. However, Dangriga remains relatively underdeveloped as a tourist destination. By conducting interviews with community stakeholders, my team and I created a needs analysis focused on the most prominent concerns voiced by residents, while offering an outside perspective. In addition to our experiences in Belize, I conducted independent research on the potential impacts of cruise tourism, the benefits of community-based …

Strategic Business Planning For An Optometry Practice: A Comprehensive Approach To Market Analysis, Operations, And Growth, Molly Elizabeth Weber

Honors College Theses

This study is a comprehensive analysis of the field of optometry in order to develop a business plan which could be utilized to open a new optometry practice. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are all studied in order to gain a robust view and offer insights of how a business would fair in the field of optometry to allow entrepreneurs to make informed decisions in business endeavors involving practice operations, market terrain, and growth potential.

Too Far, Too Costly, Too Complex: How Structural Factors Impact Women’S Mobile-Money Adoption And Business Investment In Sub-Sahara Africa, Iyabo A. Olanrele Dr

Bullion

This study investigates how structural factors shape women’s adoption of mobile-money services and access to credit for entrepreneurship across Sub-Sahara Africa. Using cross-country data from the 2025 Global Findex Database, the analysis demonstrates that women face disproportionately higher barriers than men. Long distances to mobile-money agents significantly reduce women’s likelihood of borrowing, while men’s borrowing is less affected. High service and transaction fees further constrain women, reflecting their lower and more irregular incomes, and liquidity limitations prevent many from maintaining active accounts. Documentation requirements, though partially mitigated by improved national ID systems and tiered Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules, remain a secondary …

Staff Matters: How To Get Creative With Staff Benefit Offerings, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Small practices must be intentional and creative with benefits to distinguish themselves in the competitive labor market. Strategies include offering Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) or covering dental/vision care. Work-life balance benefits are highly valued, such as flexible scheduling, additional paid time off beyond the state-mandated Earned Sick Time Act, or time off for birthdays. Practices should consider financial wellness options like retirement savings plans or student loan repayment assistance. Professional development, like covering certifications and offering mentorship, is crucial. Using platforms like TASC or Fringe to provide flexible "lifestyle" benefits allows employees to choose perks that matter most …

A Configurational Approach To Strategic Entrepreneurship: Unlocking Customer Success In New Ventures In Emerging Economies, Sayuri Wijekoon, Mahdi Vesal, Aron O'Cass

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

New ventures (NVs) in emerging economies often face significant challenges in cultivating quality customer relationships and achieving customer satisfaction. This study applies the strategic entrepreneurship framework and configurational theory to investigate how combinations of strategic behaviors, decision-making logics, resource allocation mechanisms, and leader sociocognitive characteristics influence customer-focused performance. Utilizing multi-informant data from 135 NVs (entrepreneurs and marketing managers) in Sri Lanka, our analysis reveals that NVs employing effectual decision-making and bricolage resource allocation achieve stronger alignment between entrepreneurial and market orientations, resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction and stronger relationships. Additionally, the study identifies entrepreneurs’ long-term orientation and managers’ perfectionism as …

Dentistry And The Law: Miscellaneous Questions About Dental Records, Daniel Schulte Jd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This column addresses the legal requirements surrounding dental records. Dentists must furnish copies of records to patients or those acting on their behalf (with signed consent), but the original records should always be retained by the treating dentist. Patient information regarding care and treatment is confidential and privileged; disclosure requires written patient consent unless specific legal exceptions apply, such as court orders, defense of a claim, or HIPAA compliance for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. Dentists must also obtain a signed release from the patient (or guardian for minors) before displaying "before and after" photos for commercial use to avoid …

A Capstone Review: Strategic Solutions For A Small Macrame Business, Jenna Sarieddine

University Honors Theses

This essay presents an overview of the Business Capstone project, focusing on a macramé business currently facing a $10,000 debt due to limited marketing and financial management skills. The purpose of the project is to support the business in developing an effective elevator pitch, improving its social media presence, strengthening its financial statements, and enhancing both personal and business financial practices. The essay explores the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as the team's collaborative approach to addressing these challenges. It outlines the goals established for the company, the strategies selected based on our academic backgrounds and business …

The Case For Credentialing Dental Assistants, Michelle Godofsky

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Credentialing dental assistants is presented as a method to enhance productivity and address workforce shortages; currently, only about 15% of Michigan dental assistants are Registered Dental Assistants (RDAs). A case study at Thunder Bay Community Health Service, an FQHC in Northern Michigan, illustrates success, where RDAs perform expanded functions—like placing restorations and monitoring nitrous oxide—boosting clinic productivity by 16%. The clinic supports its dental assistants by covering education and exam expenses and providing study time during work hours. This investment improves job satisfaction, confidence, morale, and patient communication among staff, strengthening employee retention.

Ignite Collaboration For Interactive Meetings, Kelli Erwin

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning

This article explores how intentional design, inclusive facilitation, and purposeful tools can transform meetings into interactive environments that foster collaboration, creativity, and meaningful outcomes. Designed for educators, instructional leaders, and organizational facilitators, it provides practical strategies to elevate meetings through collaboration, interactivity, and purposeful design.

Helping Craft Beer Hunters Make Their Next Great Beer Discovery, Mark Mitchell, Sheila Mitchell

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The number of craft beer producers and consumers in the United States has increased dramatically over the last ten years. This manuscript provides an overview of the craft beer marketplace in the United States with a focus on the craft brewers and retailers as well as the consumers who favor craft beers. Craft beer enthusiasts are a “consumption community” or, a group of consumers who share a deep involvement with the craft beer category. This study presents a list of common business practices designed to appeal to this unique consumer group.

Patriarchal Logics In Entrepreneurial Ecosystems And Outcomes For Female Entrepreneurs, Alexandria Krause Matlack

Dissertations

This dissertation examines how patriarchal logics shape the efficiency of funding for female entrepreneurs by comparing two U.S. entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) within the same state: Kansas City and St. Louis. Although these EEs are geographically proximate and structurally comparable, St. Louis has nearly twice as many women-led ventures as Kansas City receiving institutional capital. Drawing on 31 semi-structured interviews, the study includes 20 entrepreneurs, 11 from Kansas City (5 women, 6 men) and 9 from St. Louis (4 women, 5 men), of whom are CEOs of startups founded between 2014 and 2022 and recipients of institutional funding (e.g., grants, angel, …

Preparing For The Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Economy In The Mountain West, 2025, Kian Parikh, Taylor Volk, Maisoon Faris, Kristian Thymianos, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet presents data from the Brainly report, “Here Are the States Most (and Least) Prepared to Win the AI Race in 2025” for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. This fact sheet highlights the national and individual rankings of four key metrics for each Mountain West state: the fixed percentage of businesses using artificial intelligence (AI); the number of AI jobs per 1,000 workers; the number of AI-related degrees per 10,000 people ages 20-24; and federal funding for small business technology innovation per $1 million of gross domestic product (GDP).

Trailblazing Pathways: Personal Traits Fueling Success For Underrepresented Minority Entrepreneurs, Rebecca P. Wilson

Dissertations

This study examines how entrepreneurial personality traits influence business outcomes among underrepresented minority entrepreneurs in the United States. Specifically, it investigates the effects of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, locus of control, risk tolerance, and extraversion on entrepreneurial performance, as well as the moderating role of grit and the mediating role of business networking. Although underrepresented minority entrepreneurs contribute significantly to innovation and economic growth, they continue to face persistent barriers, including limited access to capital, mentorship, and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Guided by Trait Theory of Entrepreneurship and Social Cognitive Theory, this study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design with embedded open-ended questions …

Effect Of Servant Leaders’ Humility, Active Listening, And Trust-Building On Employee Engagement In U.S. Private Financial Organizations, Sunny Sung Phd, Tom Butkiewicz Ph.D.

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Ineffective leadership characteristics hinder employee engagement in the financial industry, leading to negative organizational outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between servant leaders’ humility, active listening, and trust-building and employee engagement in U.S. private financial organizations. The servant leadership theory of serving followers and the social exchange theory of reciprocity grounded this study. Using simple random sampling, the participants comprised190 employees from private financial organizations in the United States. They completed the Servant Leadership Scale-7; Servant Leadership Assessment Instrument factors 6 and 7; the hearing, understanding, remembering, interpreting, evaluating, and responding (HURIER) …

Social Media Marketing And Business Performance Of Small And Medium Fashion Enterprises In Tanzania: The Moderating Role Of Social Media Strategic Capabilities, Pamela Kishimbo, Juma James Masele, Dev Jani

Business Management Review

This study examines the influence of social media marketing (SMM) on the business performance of small and medium fashion enterprises (SMFEs) in Tanzania, with social media strategic capabilities (SMSCs) as a moderating variable in this relationship. The study is grounded in the Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) and Resource-Based View (RBV). The study used a cross-sectional survey design, collecting data from 397 SMFEs through structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between SMM and the business performance of SMFEs in Tanzania. Furthermore, the findings show that SMSCs …