Business Commons^™

2011 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Design Of A Packaging Solution For Ifixit’S Retail Venture, Myles Bradwell, Torrance Terzian

Industrial Technology and Packaging

One of the chief concerns of any business is to maintain steady, profitable growth in a rapidly evolving marketplace. The only way to achieve this goal is to constantly evaluate the company’s strength and position within that marketplace, and look for ways to improve. The iFixit company has established itself as a leader in providing quality replacement components, tools, and repair instruction for customers who wish to repair their own modern electronic devices. iFixit approached the students at Cal Poly to develop a solution for differentiating their primarily online business into a retail sales environment.

This senior project is a …

The Indian Dream: How Former Subjects Of The Licence Raj Overcome Odds On The Path To Successful Entrepreneurship, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Not many Asian parents will pull their child from school to help out in the family business. AVS Raju, owner of Indian construction company, Nagarjuna, did just that. Speaking at a recent Wee Kim Wee Centre talk at SMU, author Peter Church shared Raju's story, along with that of several other successful Indian entrepreneurs who are making their fortunes in areas such as textile, hotels, and airlines – amid a backdrop of poverty, hardship and red tape.

Find Oz And Lula Fundraising Event, Natalie Do, Rebecca Leong

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

New Dentist News (March 2011), Ada Committee On The New Dentist

New Dentist News

New Dentist News offers timely information on scientific, social, educational, political and economic developments affecting new dentists. This collection is historical and items may not reflect current standards. For up-to-date information contact the ADA. The New Dentist News was alternately titled ADA Lifeline, 1997-June 2001.

A Study Of The Feasibility Of Establishing A Spray And Fertilizer Equipment Outlet Store In The Paso Robles Area., Daniel C. Rodriguez

Agribusiness

The purpose of this feasibility study was to establish whether or not the proposed spray and fertilizer equipment outlet store could be opened and be profitable in the target area.  The goal was to be profitable within two years of operations.  Personal interviews proved to be important to estimate the preliminary budgets of the outlet store.  Pertinent financial information was evaluated by proforma financials.  This information proved useful as to estimate yearly profits/losses for the business and to accept or reject the author’s hypothesis.

After the study was concluded and all of the figures were evaluated by the author, it …

The Modern American Entrepreneur: Characteristics, Formative Legislation, And Modern Education, Jeremy S. Office

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This research began by exploring traits and characteristics of the American entrepreneur. It continued by offering a history of these individuals, focusing primarily on the history of laws and regulations which have both positively and adversely affected the practice of entrepreneurialism in the United States. Current laws that affect entrepreneurship, along with the current state of entrepreneurial education in business schools, are explored in depth. This study concludes that the current system of business regulations and entrepreneurial education are flawed and that their failings have produced generations of business students who are unable to reach their full potential. A brief …

The Tentative Recovery Strengths, Eric Thompson, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Business in Nebraska

U.S. Macroeconomic Outlook

The U.S. economy has transitioned to a self-sustaining recovery fueled by the private sector. Steady improvement in consumer spending and strong increases in business investment has fueled solid growth in gross domestic product and rapid growth in industrial output. Such a strong industrial economy is typically a bellwether for solid, sustained economic growth. Another reason for optimism is that much of the excess has been wrung out of the U.S. economy. Household spending is now better in-line within income, home prices are at sustainable rather than elevated levels, and balance sheets have improved for many businesses. In …

What's Your Pitch? The Power Of Wow! (Worksheet For The Webinar On January 18, 2011), Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

Elevator pitches are created to sell your idea, business, product or service in 30 seconds or less (the time it takes to go from the first floor to the top of the building in an elevator). A great pitch has the power to help anyone...from a University employee to a new entrepreneur to a team working in a high-growth firm.

It’s important to develop and practice an effective pitch, complete with an awesome "Wow Factor," so you are ready to use it under fire (pretend you just stepped onto an elevator with Warren Buffett or Bill Gates)!

This interactive webinar …

Single. Women. Entrepreneurs., Erin Albert

Butler University Books

The number of unmarried adult women actually outnumbers the number or married women for the first time in US history, according to the Population Reference Bureau, in October, 2010. Women are now earning more, going to college and graduate schools more, and finding ways to become more indepedent. Also, according to the Kauffman Foundation, single, divorced and widowed women start more businesses as entrepreneurs than men in their respective categories. This book interviews 30 single women entrepreneurs throughout the US to discern why they started thier original businesses, what the perceived advantages and disadvantages are for the single woman entrepreneur, …

Back To Square One: An Examination Of Social Entrepreneurship Centers And Programs, Noushi Rahman, Phd, Rebecca Tekula, Phd

Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship

Prominent social entrepreneurship (SE) centers and programs in North America, Europe, and Asia are examined in terms of their position in the institutional structure, initial and additional funding, teaching initiatives, research achievements, and outreach activities. Performance was computed using a transparent coding scheme. Low correlations with institutional endowment and SE center/program performance offer some evidence of discriminant validity of our rankings approach. Performance scores were used to rank-order SE centers and programs. Such an approach to examine SE center/program performance goes beyond the perception-based ranking instruments that popular magazines employ to evaluate subject-specific rankings. We examined data from 28 centers/programs, …

Nyc Budget Cuts: A Counter-Productive Method To Effective Government-Nonprofit Contracting Relationships?, Anna-Kay Sinclair

Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship

This study examines the relationship between New York City budget cuts and the expenditure of human service nonprofits specifically involved in the government contracting relationship. With a focus on the Department for the Aging (DFTA), I examine nonprofits that provide a variety of services to the aging population on behalf of the DFTA. Correlations and regressions are presented examining the relationship between DFTA budget and nonprofit spending. The results of my analysis do not indicate a positive relationship between these two variables.

Wristop Technologies (Finland), Pasi Malinen, Thomas Cooney

Case Study

No abstract provided.

Gj Belfrost (England), Thomas Cooney, Jennifer Manning

Case Study

No abstract provided.

Beck Halstrøm (Sweden), Jennifer Manning, Thomas M. Cooney

Case Study

No abstract provided.

Will Work': The Role Of Intellectual Property In Transitional Economies -- From Coal To Content, Megan M. Carpenter

Law Faculty Scholarship

The development and exploitation of intellectual property, and participation in the global information economy, are not dependent upon geography. It can take place from anywhere, from the inside of an empty factory in Detroit, to a small country road, nestled between the rhododendron and the river. From the R&D lab at a university, to a barren plain in New Mexico. To move from coal to content, we must foster a dynamic and profitable environment for entrepreneurship, through a supportive and robust university community, through state legislation and institutional support and through effective utilization of intellectual property laws. Intellectual property and …

Understanding Lifestyle Tourism Entrepreneurs And Digging Beneath The Issue Of Profits: Profiling Surf Tourism Lifestyle Entrepreneurs In Ireland, Ben Marchant, Ziene Mottiar

Articles

An area of particular interest for those researching in tourism entrepreneurship has been lifestyle entrepreneurs. Lifestyle entrepreneurs are primarily motivated by the need to succeed at living a certain quality of life by maintaining an income which allows them to survive (Deakins & Freel, 2006).

The dichotomy between entrepreneurs who develop businesses for profit and those who are motivated by lifestyle has formed the basis of much discussion about lifestyle entrepreneurs in the literature. Shaw & Williams (1998) have conceptualised two groups of lifestyle entrepreneurs constrained and non-constrained. This paper contributes to our understanding of lifestyle entrepreneurs by presenting six …

Entrepreneurial Passion: Sources And Sustenance, Melissa S. Cardon Phd, Michael Glauser

Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial passion helps coordinate cognition and behavior of entrepreneurs, providing the fire that fuels innovation, persistence, and ultimate success. But where does entrepreneurial passion come from? Using a phenomenological approach, we conduct a qualitative study of 80 entrepreneurs and analyze their oral histories to explore the sources of entrepreneurial passion, as experienced by entrepreneurs. Our discovery process in the interviews suggests six major sources of entrepreneurial passion: passion for building/developing the venture, passion for people, passion for the product or service, passion for inventing, passion for competition, and passion for a social cause.

Animal Welfare: Perceptions Of Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

Almost all rural Nebraskans recognize the importance of livestock and poultry production to the state’s economy and most rural Nebraskans are familiar with livestock care practices. In fact, many rural Nebraskans have experience raising beef cattle, poultry and swine. They have less experience with dairy production.

Most rural Nebraskans believe animal welfare means providing adequate exercise, space and social activities for the animals in addition to food, water and shelter. However, the vast majority of rural Nebraskans agree that animal welfare means at least providing adequate food, water and shelter to livestock animals.

Most rural Nebraskans trust livestock farmers and …

Quality Of Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley D. Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans are positive about their current situation. And, they continue to be generally positive about their future situation. Over one-half (52%) of rural Nebraskans think they are better off than they were five years ago and just under one-half (45%) think they will be better off ten years from now.

Certain groups remain pessimistic about their situation. Persons with lower household incomes, older persons, persons with lower educational levels and persons who are divorced or separated are the groups most likely to be pessimistic about the present and the future.

When asked if they believe people are powerless …

Kabloom!: Revolution In The Flower Industry, Gina Vega, Collette Dumas, Beverly Kahn, Jafar Mana

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

David Hartstein started KaBloom in 1998 with the goal of creating “the Starbucks of Flowers.” He successfully built brand recognition for the gardenlike shops, but problems plagued the young organization. Nearly three years and one recession later, KaBloom failed to live up to Hartstein’s forecast of exponential growth. This case has been designed for a graduate-level course in entrepreneurship/innovation. Students can compare franchising with other business models, examine the impact of organizational structure and leadership styles on business effectiveness, relate issues of supply chain management and logistics to environmental changes, and recognize the impact of innovation on business sustainability.

Strategic Relationships In A Small Business Context: The Impact Of Information Quality And Continuous Quality Improvement, Michael L. Harris, William C. Mcdowell, Shanan G. Gibson

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

This study examines the performance between operational variables for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) within the context of interorganizational relationships. Specifically, it investigates the role of information quality and continuous quality improvement and the varying importance that SMEs place on each of these constructs. The sample consists of 134 vendors of a large university in the southwestern region of the United States.The results indicate that there is a positive relationship between information quality and continuous quality improvement with performance in SMEs. Implications for both research and practice, as well as ideas for future research, are discussed.

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.

New England Journal Of Entrepreneurship, Fall 2011

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

No abstract provided.

The Creating American Jobs And Ending Offshoring Act: An Important Step, Narendra C. Bhandari

Faculty Working Papers and Articles

No abstract provided.

Community Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Current Perceptions And Future Strategies: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley D. Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans also say it would be difficult to leave their community. In addition, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Differences of opinion exist by the size of their community. Residents of smaller communities are more likely than residents of larger communities to rate their community favorably on its social dimensions and to have positive sentiments about their community. However, residents of larger communities are more likely than residents of …

Entrepreneurship In The Creative Industries: An International Perspective, Lori Wagner

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Book review by Lori Wagner.

Henry, Colette, ed. Entrepreneurship in the Creative Industries: An International Perspective. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007. ISBN 9781845426101

Corporate Parents, Initial Legitimacy, And Resource Acquisition In Small And Medium Firms: An Empirical Examination, Gregory Murphy, Neil M. Tocher

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) commonly struggle to acquire needed financial, human, and technological resources. The above being stated, recent scholarly research argues that SMEs that are able to successfully navigate the legitimacy threshold are better able to gather the resources they need to survive and grow. This article provides an empirical test of that claim by examining whether the presence of a corporate parent positively influences SME resource acquisition. Results of the study show that SMEs with corporate parents, when compared to like-sized independent SMEs, have higher credit scores, have more complete management teams, use more computers, and are …

Founder Characteristics And Legitimacy-Seeking Behaviors, John T. Perry, Gaylen N. Chandler, Xin Yao, Timothy L. Pett

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

The entrepreneur’s experience, personality, and values affect the entrepreneur’s behaviors and decisions (Chrisman, Bauerschmidt, and Hofer 1998). Past research results show that (1) more experienced new venture founders have a greater likelihood of leading their ventures to early success than less experienced founders (Delmar and Shane 2006) and (2) founders who engage in legitimacy-seeking behaviors have a greater likelihood of leading their ventures to early success than founders who do not do so (Tornikoski and Newbert 2007). We propose that more experienced founders understand the importance of obtaining legitimacy for their ventures and therefore will engage in more legitimacy-seeking behaviors. …

The Digital Age: Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans’ Use Of Technology: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley D. Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans use the Internet or email from home. The groups most likely to use the Internet or email from home include: persons living in or near larger communities, residents of the Panhandle region, persons with higher household incomes, younger persons, females, married persons, persons with higher education levels and persons with management, professional or education occupations. The Internet applications used by the majority of rural Nebraskans include: research, looking for health information, purchasing a product, watching a video and social networking.

Most rural Nebraskans have positive opinions about shopping online: that the Internet is the best place to …