Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

Why Small Firms Are Different: Addressing Varying Needs From Boards Of Directors, Josh Bendickson, Phillip E. Davis, Birton J. Cowden, Eric Liguori

Rohrer College of Business Departmental Research

Board of director member diversity has an impact on the functions each director successfully provides. Appropriate and necessary board member capabilities differ between small and large firms. Although these differences seem apparent, current research has favored studies related to large firms and neglected those related to board member needs of small firms. Grounded in Agency Theory and Resource Dependence Theory, the following manuscript theoretically suggests that firm size moderates the relationship between board member diversity and the two primary functions (monitoring and the provision of resources) of board members. Furthermore, small firms can enhance performance through appropriate member composition in …

Ua1b1/9 Free Enterprise Fair, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

These records were created by and about the Free Enterprise Fair sponsored by WKU and southern Kentucky businesses.

The Clash Of Missions: Juxtaposing Competing Pressures In South Africa's Social Enterprises, Emmanuel T. Kodzi

Faculty Publications

Social enterprises seek critical resources to fulfill their mission in a defined domain of action. However, this quest also constitutes a distraction that complicates the operations of any social enterprise. By analyzing the logic of control versus the logic of empowerment for operating scenarios in South Africa, we examine the process trade-offs that enhance or limit social impact. Our findings prioritize efficiency in resolving process trade-offs, since the focus on value creation diminishes the replenishment cycle for value capture. We propose that value chain processes be controlled to the extent that the enterprise acts as a custodian of community empowerment …

Are The Parents To Blame? Predicting Franchisee Failure, Ilan Alon, Michèle Boulanger, Everlyne Misati, Melih Madanoglu

Faculty Publications

The Small Business Administration (SBA) supports franchising by backing up loans issued by regular lending organizations. However, the SBA does not directly consider firm strategies as part of its lending process. To appreciate how franchisor characteristics influence franchisee failure, we developed a heuristic model using the methodology and power of predictive analytics. We use multi-year data from the World Franchising Council’s surveys on franchisors’ characteristics and from the SBA on franchisee loan defaults. The data cover 271 diverse US franchise chains that are present in both databases. Our model predicts potential defaults of SBA-backed loans issued to American franchisees and …

Construction Of Entrepreneurial Orientation: Dispute, Demand, And Dare, Vishal K. Gupta

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Invited editorial by Vishal K. Gupta, discussing the concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Stated succinctly, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) refers to specific aspects of an organization-wide proclivity toward new endeavors. After about four decades of research on this topic, EO has emerged as a predominant construct of interest in strategic management. Over the years, a large—and growing—body of research has accumulated about EO, but questions do persist about the way(s) in which the various facets of EO are linked to each other. This essay distinguishes between three ways in which the various entrepreneurial elements can be combined to form the overall …

The Differing Impact Of Household Income On Firm Emergence By Heterogeneous Start-Up Configuration, Enrique Nunez

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Using the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II dataset, we examine the role that household income plays in the emergence of consumer-oriented start-ups by individual (solo), family-based (family), and non-family based start-ups (team). In particular, we address the research question: Does household income impact firm emergence, and if so, is emergence impacted differently based on start-up configuration? Our results indicate that household income does have a significant impact on average firm emergence, as well as on emergence growth rates for solo and family firms, playing an especially significant role for family firms. Furthermore, we found that household income is not …

What’S In It For Me? Reciprocal Exchanges Between Underwriters And Venture Capitalists, Douglas R. Miller, Tera L. Galloway, Dustin B. Smith

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

In this article, we examine the impact of repeat interactions between VCs and underwriters. Past research has suggested that such interactions build trust and may contribute to more equitable treatment of issuing firms. We adopt an alternative perspective and suggest that these repeat interactions are characterized by reciprocal exchanges facilitated by opportunistic behavior from the VC. Our analysis demonstrates that VCs and underwriters interact in order to appropriate greater value from the IPO. This article provides a more complete understanding of repeat interactions between the VC and the underwriter by identifying characteristics of the relationship that have an impact on …

New England Journal Of Entrepreneurship, Special Issue 2015

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

No abstract provided.

Small Business Leaders Perceptions Of Factors Facilitating Successful Performance In Government Contracts, Tamara P. Williams

2010-2016 Archived Posters

This descriptive study explored factors in leadership used by some small business leaders for successful performance in government contracting and was conducted by interviewing small business leaders in Washington, DC. Clustering themes according to Moustakas’s modified van Kaam method were used to organize, analyze, interpret, and provide meaning to participant accounts of the phenomenon and how they succeed.

Success Factors Of Small Business Owners Of Independent Financial Planning Firms, Joanne Snider

2010-2016 Archived Posters

Small Business Administration (SBA, 2014) statistics indicate 20% of small businesses fail within 2 years and 50% fail within 5 years. Interviews with 12 successful small business owners of independent financial planning firms revealed these success factors: (a) training in business operations, (b) business differentiation, and (c) website marketing.

Creating A Business Plan For Thin Air Reflections, Savanah Thompson

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Exploring Knowledge Management Practices In Service-Based Small Business Enterprises, Orlando Skelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business enterprises (SBEs) are significant contributors to business growth and employment in the United States, but despite governmental support, the failure rate of SBEs is high. Some small business leaders lack the critical management skills to detect or discover when underperformance in revenue-generation is due to gaps in organizational knowledge or business practices associated with managing knowledge assets. Guided by the knowledge-based view of the firm, the purpose of this multiple case study was to address that gap by exploring the skills needed by leaders to understand how deficiencies in their knowledge management practices contribute to underperformance. Semistructured interview …

Impact Of Non-Audit Assurance Level (Compilation Versus Review) On Production Management Of Private Manufacturing Companies, Benjamin P. Foster

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Private small companies have been the subject of much interest by accounting regulators recently. The AICPA issued SSARS 19 and the Financial Reporting Framework for Small- and Medium-Sized Entities in 2009 and 2013, respectively. The Financial Accounting Foundation issued the Blue Ribbon Panel Report on Standard Setting for Private Companies in 2011. This is apparently the first study to compare reporting practices of small private companies whose financial statements are compiled or reviewed.

Overall results indicate that reviewed companies tend to exhibit positive abnormal production while compiled companies tend to exhibit negative abnormal production. However, for the companies most likely …

‘Enterprise Engagement In Education (Eee) Pathways And Supports Project, Anushree Priyadarshini

Reports

The EEE Pathways and Supports Project is a collaborative initiative between CEEN and HECA, focused on promoting enterprise engagement within the HEI, to both inform and contribute to the delivery of entrepreneurship education. From a teaching and learning perspective, enterprise engagement is integral to the development of activity based pedagogies; a critical component of ‘learning by doing’ entrepreneurship education approaches. Working across HEI partners, the project seeks to map and document approaches to enterprise engagement across the CEEN/ HECA networks.

Adoption Of Innovation In Small-Scale Forestry: The Case Of Portable-Sawmill-Based Microenterprises, Crystal V. Lupo

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Microenterprise development can be a valuable societal component not only in terms of filling important niche markets, but also by enhancing a society's wellbeing through creating opportunities available to people who are marginalized by the labor force for one reason or another. Forest microenterprises, in particular, can enhance rural community development efforts, as well as forest conservation goals, by empowering local people to successfully manage their resources as well as offer the possibility of income enhancement (Salafsky, Cordes, Leighton, Henderson, Watt, & Cherry, 1997; Lupo, 2012). This paper explores the adoption of portable-sawmill-based forest microenterprises. Key findings include common factors …

Hopworks Urban Brewery: A Case Of Sustainable Beer, Madeleine E. Pullman, Jacen Greene, Devin Liebmann, Nga Ho, Xan Pedisich

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

About the Related Video

Hopworks Urban Brewing: A Case of Sustainable Beer, Interview with Christian Ettinger

About the Case Study

Founded in 2007 in Portland, Oregon, Hopworks Urban Brewery is a sustainability-focused brewpub that produces certified organic beer. The State of Oregon is the second largest producer of hops, a main ingredient in beer, in the United States, and also has more craft breweries per capita than any other state. The metro area of Portland, home to over 2 million people, has over 84 craft breweries within its borders.

The craft brewing industry has grown rapidly in the United States …

Adjustment Strategies And Business Success In Minority-Owned Family Firms, Yoon G. Lee, Margaret A. Fitzgerald, Kenneth R. Bartkus, Myung S. Lee

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

With data from the 2003 and 2005 National Minority Business Owners Survey, we examined the extent to which minority business owners differ from nonminority business owners in their reported use of adjustment strategies, and the relationship between the use of adjustment strategies and perceived business success. The sample consisted of 193 African American, 200 Mexican American, 200 Korean American, and 210 white business owners. Mexican American and Korean American business owners reported higher levels of adjustment strategy use than African American and white business owners. The ordinary least squares show that reallocating family resources to meet business needs and reallocating …

A Gender Integrative Conceptualization Of Entrepreneurship, Susan Clark Muntean, Banu Ozkazanc-Pan

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Guided by feminist perspectives, we critique existing approaches to the study of women’s entrepreneurship on epistemological grounds and suggest that the entrepreneurship field needs to recognize gendered assumptions in theorizing. Deploying a feminist framework, we suggest that understanding the “gender gap” in entrepreneurship requires focus on institutional and structural barriers women entrepreneurs face. Existing studies of women entrepreneurs often compare women with men without considering how gender and gender relations impact the very concepts and ideas of entrepreneurship. We propose, therefore, a conceptualization of entrepreneurship that illuminates gender bias and calls attention to the interrelated individual, institutional, and structural barriers …

Examining The Age—Performance Relationship For Entrepreneurs: Does The Innovativeness Of A Venture Make A Difference?, Kanti V. Prasad, Kyle Ehrhardt, Yiyuan Liu, Kamlesh Tiwari

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Whether older or younger entrepreneurs may be better positioned to achieve performance outcomes for their ventures is a much debated question. Here, we draw on Galenson’s theory of creativity to propose a contingency perspective for understanding the relationship between entrepreneur age and venture performance, suggesting that a venture’s level of innovativeness plays a moderating role. Results from a representative sample of 1,182 nascent entrepreneurs revealed mixed support for our hypotheses. While a negative relationship was found between entrepreneur age and performance for those developing “innovative” ventures, no relationship was found between entrepreneur age and performance for those developing “imitative” ventures.

An Entrepreneurial Context For The Theory Of The Firm: Exploring Assumptions And Consequences, Arturo E. Osorio, Banu Ozkazanc-Pan, Paul F. Donnelly

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

While entrepreneurship may be driven by personal interests and lifestyle choices, entrepreneurial actions are not only economically driven opportunity-searching processes but also enactments of social transformation that may or may not lead to socioeconomic benefits. We advance that exploring these entrepreneurial processes can inform a theory of the firm that may explain how socioeconomic processes shape the socioeconomic environment of communities while serving individuals. This article discusses several understandings of the firm, as theorized in extant literature. Guided by these different conceptualizations, we present a case study of an artist and artisan cluster in Western Massachusetts to demonstrate various understandings …