Business Commons^™

Think Setting Up A Business Is Easy? Think Again!, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Entrepreneurship stories are like fairytales. The rags-to-riches stories of college dropouts turned successful multimillionaires provide many an overworked and underappreciated employee with idealism and inspiration: to ditch a life of conventions and to pursue one's passions. But don't be naïve, says Wong Hoong An, chief evangelist officer of the popular local food website, HungryGoWhere.com. There are too many questions to consider, such as 'Can you live with a pittance of a salary for years?' and 'Do you relish change, instability and volatility?'

From Post-Its To Face-Bras: How 3m Puts Innovation Into Practice, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Most people are familiar with the genesis of the Post-it, 3M's signature yellow sticky pad: an accidental outcome that followed the discovery of a non-permanent adhesive. While innovations as such might be viewed as a fluke – an invention that occurred by chance – it is helpful to note that certain environments and conditions can render an organisation more 'accident'-prone. Geoff Nicholson, the "father" of 3M's line of Post-it Note products and an advocate of "risky business" behaviours, shared his insights and observations at SMU recently.

The Core Competence And Attitude Of The Small Business Owner-Manager: A Combination Of Cognitive, Affective And Psychomotor Competences And Attitudes, Hely Westerholm, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

Over the coming decade, up to 2015, nearly 80,000 Finnish small and medium-sized individual enterprises possibly with a tradition as a family business will have to find successors for their current owner-managers. The current teaching and learning of entrepreneurship do not deliver enough entrepreneurs. The curriculum at all school levels should be refreshed to meet the challenges that the future entrepreneurs have to face. The study examines the occupational competence and attitudes that small business owner-managers themselves consider essential to their work. They were given an opportunity to express their views in small focus groups of peer small business owner-managers. …

Interview No. 1505, Nan Napier

Paso del Norte Entrepreneurship Oral History Project

Tres Mariposas was started by three women in El Paso, Texas and after a time, only one of the women owned the dress shop. This woman, Betty Bowman (Young) sold the business to her husband, Sam Young Jr. Sam was a client of Frank Napier and he then sold Tres Mariposas to Frank Napier. Frank Napier’s wife, Isabel Napier ran the store for a while until they presented their son, Charles and his wife Nan with the opportunity to run the store. Nan ran the store by herself until her two children were born and then her husband joined her. …

Going Global: An Information Sourcebook For Small And Medium-Sized Businesses, J. Cory Tucker

Library Faculty Research

Awe (Univ. New Mexico, Albuquerque) has produced a wonderful resource for entrepreneurs and business owners interested in expanding their companies to the international market.

2010 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

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

Ua62/3 March Newsletter, Kentucky Small Business Development Center

University Organizations

Newsletter created by the Kentucky Small Business Development Center at WKU.

Ua62/3 March Newsletter, Kentucky Small Business Development Center

University Organizations

Newsletter created by the Kentucky Small Business Development Center at WKU.

Interview No. 1477, Adam Nieto

Paso del Norte Entrepreneurship Oral History Project

From the age of 12 until he was 15 years old, Adam Nieto worked a paper route to earn extra money for his family. After high school, Adam left El Paso for Los Angeles for two years to work, however in 1965, the draft system caught up with Adam and at the age of 21, he was drafted by the United States Army into the Vietnam War. In 1967, after his time in the military, Adam enrolled at The University of Texas at El Paso and spent four years working on his B.A. in Education. Adam was able to use …

Interview No. 1477, Adam Nieto

Combined Interviews

From the age of 12 until he was 15 years old, Adam Nieto worked a paper route to earn extra money for his family. After high school, Adam left El Paso for Los Angeles for two years to work, however in 1965, the draft system caught up with Adam and at the age of 21, he was drafted by the United States Army into the Vietnam War. In 1967, after his time in the military, Adam enrolled at The University of Texas at El Paso and spent four years working on his B.A. in Education. Adam was able to use …

Gerber Project For Lockheed Martin, Andrew Callahan, Sean Lawyer

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Lockheed Martin, the world’s premier aerial combat vehicle manufacturer was pressed to find an eco-friendly way to package their impregnated epoxy. In the current system, the epoxy would be cut on the Gerber table to a pre-determined length and then sandwiched inside of two corrugated fiberboard sheets for storage inside of a freezer. The current process was not only labor intensive, but the corrugated fiberboard had to be disregarded after one use. In conjunction with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Packaging program and Melmat Incorporated, we were able to find a corrugated plastic substrate to replace the currently non-reusable …

A Marketing Plan For An Artisan Bread Bakery, Audrey Campana

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine whether there is market potential for Word-of-Mouth Bakery to expand its current operation in food retailing in Modesto and the surrounding areas. A Case Study was conducted on Panera Bread Company to use as a competitive analysis to compare Word-of-Mouth Bakery with an established nationally known artisan bread company. An expert opinion poll was also conducted to assess the market potential in supermarkets from the observations of in-store bakery managers in Modesto and the surrounding areas. A SWOT analysis was used to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats that …

What Do Egyptian Tomb Raiders And Martial-Arts-Loving Entrepreneurs Have In Common?, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Some ancient Egyptians make stuffed animals to accompany their dead in their after-life, others raid the tombs for these animals to sell for a profit. For Chatri Trisiripisal, a 38-year-old self made millionaire, besides making his money running hedge funds and property investments, he also does so holding martial arts classes. According to Trisiripisal, chasing such entrepreneurial dreams requires one to be “crazy” sometimes. What are the other attributes that a bidding entrepreneur should have?

A Study On The Feasibility Of Implementing A Replacement Heifer Enterprise, Spencer Bradley Winton

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Ua62/3 March Newsletter, Kentucky Small Business Development Center

University Organizations

March newsletter created by the Kentucky Small Business Development Center at WKU.

Entrepreneurship In Nebraska, Steve Carlson, Eric Thompson, Hanna Hartman, William Walstad

Business in Nebraska

Introduction

Entrepreneurship can be an important process in stimulating economic growth. While it is not the sole determinant of economic prosperity, it can be a way for a state such as Nebraska to outperform other states. In Entrepreneurship in Nebraska: Conditions, Attitudes, and Actions, Eric C. Thompson and William B. Walstad developed an entrepreneurship index that acts as a benchmark to compare Nebraska with the other forty-nine states. The index in their publication was constructed using 2005 data. The latest data available needed to calculate this index now exists for 2008. In this report, we use the method developed …

A Psychological Perspective On Cultural Difference: Epistemological Heterogeneity And Individual Heterogeneity Across Cultures, Kamal Fatehi, Uday S. Tate

Faculty Articles

Most cross-cultural studies of management have been sociological type. Conventional view of cultures and sociological perspective has resulted in the assumption that within each culture members are homogeneous in their psychological make-up, logic, and perspective. Although researchers have reminded us that people vary on pivotal psychological dimensions, both on a between-country and within-country basis, these reminders were not heeded. Maruyama’s theories and research on epistemological heterogeneity, and individual heterogeneity across cultures, or as it is called, mindscape, were the exception. This paper elaborates on epistemological heterogeneity and individual heterogeneity across cultures. It suggests that researchers in international management could use …

Family Control And Ownership Monitoring In Family-Controlled Firms In Japan, Toru Yoshikawa, Abdul A. Rasheed

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper focuses on a type of firms that have been traditionally neglected in both family business and governance research, namely, family-controlled, publicly-listed firms. Although principal-agent conflicts may be less prevalent in such firms, family control can potentially give rise to principal-principal conflicts, leading to expropriation of the wealth of minority owners by family owners. Superior firm performance and the willingness to distribute the profits through dividend payments would suggest the absence of such expropriation. Based on a sample of 210 OTC firms in Japan, we examined the relationships between family control and dividend payouts and profitability. Our results indicate …

Optimizing Finance Procurement For New Businesses, Kyle Schoenberger

Graphic Communication

When starting a business in the Graphic Communication field, capital is nearly always needed to purchase equipment as most of these graphics based businesses require state of the art computers, printing presses, and large facilities to conduct business. Such expenses can range from a few thousand to a few million dollars. While some might have previous experience procuring business capital, many have none. Being that these items are crucial to starting a business in the Graphic Communication industry, capital is a keystone to success. This study addresses the problem of how to optimize efforts when seeking capital through bank loans …

Interview With David Beller, Mercy Corp Nw, 2010 (Audio), David Beller

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of David Beller by Kyle Koonce at Mercy Corp Portland, Oregon on February 25th, 2010.

The interview index is available for download.

The Idea Of Creativity, The Creativity Behind An Idea, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Many people believe that creativity is important to their line of work – from salespeople to accountants, lawyers to administrators – but few people seem to believe that they have what it takes to be creative. Even fewer people think that their employers are helping them to be creative. What lies behind the mystical creativity holy grail that makes it so elusive yet incredibly seductive? Creativity expert Fredrik Härén provides some insights into how we think about creativity and what makes companies like Google, Apple and Pixar tick.

Economic Outlook 2010: Innovation, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

This article discusses the importance of innovation to individuals and the overall economy.

Interview No. 1504, John Romero

Paso del Norte Entrepreneurship Oral History Project

John Romero got his start in his father’s tax preparation office when he was in the 7th grade. By the age of 14, John and his other siblings would assist their father with tax return preparation. After graduating from Cathedral High School, John worked at a Safeway grocery store, working his way up to different positions within the store. During this time, John and his siblings continued to help their father at his tax business during tax season from January until April. John would work at Safeway, then work at the commissary part time and attend The University of Texas …

Interview No. 1503, Carlos Eduardo Casillas

Paso del Norte Entrepreneurship Oral History Project

Carlos attended school in the United States while living in México with his family and at the age of 19, his father decided to move the family to the United States permanently. Carlos Sr. owned a transportation business and Carlos would tinker with the bus ticket machines. His fascination with computers grew and he got a degree in computer science. After college Carlos worked for his father some more before starting his own company, Icon Technologies. Icon Technologies went dormant and Carlos along with his business partner Ruben Ramirez started E.R. Computer Doctors in 2002. At E.R. Computer Doctors, Carlos …

Sustainability Through Profitability: The Triple Bottom Line, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

Today’s highly competitive, globalized world requires organizations and businesses to think differently about how they are going to stay in business. Businesses can no longer afford to focus on profits as their sole purpose for existence. Organizations must instead think about the “Triple Bottom Line” and its implications for their ability to grow their brand, customer loyalty and profits.

Farrell’S Nursery Company Limited Brand Identity Project, Peter Dee

Other resources

Peter Dee - Strategic Design and Marketing Consultant, was responsible for the design and development of the brand identity for the Farrell’s Nursery Company which was used on business cards, letterhead, signage and website.

Farrell’s unique plant nursery is always full of fresh ideas, inspiring plants and solutions for every garden. You'll find an extensive range of plants and people who provide expert advice and a range of associated services at all times of the year.

Beyond Big Business For Student Work Placement, A Guide For Family Businesses And Community And Voluntary Groups., University College Cork, Roadmap For Employment Academic Partnerships, Higher Education Authority

Practice guides

No abstract provided.

Transitions Within The Ecosystem Of Change, Willie Cheng

Social Space

The ecosystem paradigm provides a framework to understand and influence the forces of change facing the nonprofit sector. In this extract from the forthcoming book, “The World That Changes The World: How philanthropy, entrepreneurship and innovation are transforming the social ecosystem,” Willie Cheng describes the social ecosystem framework, its change enablers and macro-trends.

College Interns: An Entrepreneurial Response To A Cost-Conscious Economy, Jacqueline S. Scerbinski

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

College interns often possess information-age skills that are not familiar to workers who have been on the job for several years. Interns may be future sources for new employees. There is also the added benefit of observing and evaluating an intern for future consideration, as a full-time employee, after graduation. Giving junior employees the opportunity to supervise interns is also a way of evaluating the junior employees’ potential as a supervisor. The employment of college interns should be a mutually beneficial endeavor. As with all successful endeavors, the employment of interns requires planning and supervision.

The Impact Of Entrepreneurial Personality Traits On Perception Of New Venture Opportunity, Jun Yan

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

This empirical study examined links between entrepreneurial personality traits and perception of new venture opportunity in a sample of 207 respondents. Four entrepreneurial personality traits were included to predict respondents’ perception of new venture opportunity. They are (1) achievement motivation, (2) locus of control, (3) risk propensity, and (4) proactivity.The results of multiple regression analysis show that three of the four entrepreneurial personality traits—locus of control, risk propensity, and proactivity—related significantly to perception of new venture opportunity in expected directions. Among the three personality traits, proactivity was found to have the strongest influence over entrepreneurial perception. No significant relationship was …