Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

From Innovation To Impact: Evaluation Of The Shape Accelerator Cohort, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

The Solutions Hub for an Alternative Packaging Ecosystem (SHAPE), a Michigan-Ohio partnership operated by the Michigan State University Research Foundation as part of a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engine, co-funded a special cohort of the NextCycle Accelerator focused on sustainable packaging and circular economy ventures. This report evaluates how the accelerator contributed to firm-level advancement and ecosystem-level change, drawing on program data and interviews with participating companies, program facilitators, stakeholders, and SHAPE management.  Participants most consistently credited coaching, network connections, and the Pitch Showcase with meaningfully impacting their business trajectory, gaining market traction, advancing technology readiness, and gaining access …

The Efficient Market Hypothesis In Youth Entrepreneurship: Understanding, Application, And Contextual Factors — A Systematic Literature Review, Omari Khalifa Mbura Prof,, Binto M. Binto

Business Management Review

This systematic literature review explores how youth entrepreneurs understand and apply the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) in their decision-making, and examines the contextual factors influencing the decision-making nexus. Guided by a post-positivist framework, the review synthesises extant literature across youth entrepreneurship, finance, and digital strategy to map emerging themes and identify knowledge gaps. It covered a sample of 38 peer-reviewed articles, selected in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Findings of the systematic literature review show that youth entrepreneurs' engagement with EMH is largely experiential and indirect, influenced by digital literacy, social learning, and the realities of rapidly changing market environments. …

Interpretive Flexibility And The Social Construction Of Generative Ai In Education: A Scot Analysis, Elham Mousavidin, Sujin K. Horwitz

Southwestern Business Administration Journal

The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools has intensified discussions about their role in education. This study uses the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) framework to explore how educational stakeholders interpret GenAI and how these interpretations influence its development and adoption. Through an interpretive literature review of research published between 2021 and 2025, we examine stakeholder perspectives using SCOT constructs, including relevant social groups, interpretive flexibility, technological frames, and controversies. Results identify three main interpretive tensions shaping current debates: transformational force versus transactional tool, cognitive augmentation versus cognitive atrophy, and digital empowerment versus digital enslavement. These tensions show …

Strategic Judgment In Leadership Decision-Making: Evaluating Ai In Organizational Contexts, Cate Wengelnik

Southwestern Business Administration Journal

This paper presents a classroom-based approach for teaching strategic judgment in leadership decision-making through the evaluation workplace communication and incorporates the use of artificial intelligence (AI). As AI tools become more common in organizational settings, leaders and employees must be prepared to assess outputs that may appear professional while containing inaccurate, unsupported or potentially risky information. This paper describes an instructional case in which students examine an AI-generated response to an employee inquiry about workplace accommodations and Human Resources related matters. Students (1) evaluate the message for clarity, tone and apparent usefulness, then (2) analyze the organizational risks created when …

Refereed Research - Indispensable Yet Not Fully Legitimate: Street Markets As Invisible Subsistence Infrastructure, Raji Srinivasan, Maria C. Merino

Subsistence Marketplaces

Street markets are key provisioning systems across the Global South, supplying fresh food, employment, and retail access absent formal infrastructure. Yet despite street markets’ functional indispensability to millions of low-income consumers, their legitimacy is chronically contested, affirmed by vendors and communities yet challenged by planners, developers, and state authorities who apply formal-economy criteria in evaluating them. We theorize this as a legitimacy paradox and ask what structural mechanisms sustain it? Using composite vignettes grounded in fieldwork, we theorize three mechanisms. First, visibility without recognition: street markets are hyper-visible yet excluded from cognitive templates of legitimate, formal retail. Second, asymmetric essentiality: …

People Orientation And Thing Orientation In Business Majors: Implications For Assessing The Impacts Of Cross-Functional Business Program Curricula, Todd J. Hostager, David A. Christopher, Kristy J. Lauver, Christopher Knowles

International Journal for Business Education

Background/Introduction/Purpose:  Prior research documented significant differences in people orientation and thing orientation (PTO) based on type of major and sex.  This study examines a set of measures for helping business programs to assess whether they are producing graduates equipped to consider both people and things when making decisions, regardless of their major or sex.

Methods/Design:  Students in a strategic management capstone course spent a single 75-minute session responding to a brief new venture pitch by identifying what types of additional information they would need to decide whether to invest in the business.  Three Likert-scaled options gauged the extent to participant …

The Influence Of Entrepreneurial Marketing On Sustainable Competitive Advantage In Tanzanian Smes: A Lower-Order Dimensional Analysis, Omari Khalifa Mbura

Business Management Review

Although entrepreneurial marketing is increasingly recognised as multidimensional, limited understanding remains of whether its individual behaviours exhibit equivalent relationships with competitive advantage, particularly when behaviours associated with the same broad dynamic-capability process are considered separately. This study examines the associations between five lower-order dimensions of entrepreneurial marketing (EM)—proactiveness, innovativeness, resource leveraging, customer intensity and value creation—and sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) among food-processing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Guided by Dynamic Capability Theory (DCT), cross-sectional survey data from 255 SMEs were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in the SEMinR package in R. …

Green Information Systems Adoption And Business Outcomes In Ugandan Smes: An Extended Theory Of Planned Behaviour Approach, Sonny Juma Nyeko, Samali Mlay, Cosmas Ogenmungu, Abdallah Ibrahim Nyero

Business Management Review

The study assesses the relationship between TPB antecedents and GIS business outcomes in SMEs, using an expanded TPB framework. Researchers gathered data from SMEs via a survey and analysed it using PLS-SEM. The framework used in the study explains 58.5% of the differences in GIS business outcomes. The results reveal that subjective norms, attitude, benefits, and obstacles are significant predictors of GIS business outcomes such as ecological IT practices, although perceived behavioural control displays an insignificant negative relationship. The study extended the TPB model by incorporating GIS benefits and GIS obstacles as additional factors influencing GIS adoption, business outcomes, …

How Does An Advanced Educator Utilize Digital Language Teaching And Learning By Integrating Linguistic, Cultural, And Business Life Perspectives?, Hely Westerholm, Pirjo Takanen-Körperich, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

This paper explores advanced educators’ digital working capabilities in online language teaching, with a particular focus on sharing Finnish language and culture in a foreign context. Cultural and linguistic knowledge play a significant role in enhancing students’ motivation to study foreign languages. In today’s educational environment, digitalisation and globalisation exert an increasing influence on foreign language teaching and learning.

The digital learning environment has brought about a paradigm shift in foreign language didactics. Digital language learning is both challenging and holistic in nature. Continued foreign language learning is simultaneously an individual and a social process, as digital learning cultures impose …

How Grades Changed Before, During And After Covid-19 In A Business College, Douglas R. Moodie, Alison Keefe, Robin Cheramie

International Journal for Business Education

Purpose: This study examines how undergraduate business student grades changed before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic using a large institutional dataset from a business college in a US university between 2015 and 2024.

Method: The analysis includes over 390,000 student-course observations and incorporates instructional modality, student demographics, course characteristics, and prior academic performance.

Results: Results show a substantial increase in mean course grades during the COVID-19 period, followed by a partial reversion post-pandemic to levels that remain above pre-pandemic trends. These patterns are consistent across modalities, demographics, and departments.

Implications: The findings raise important questions regarding the interpretation of …

Managerial Mindset And Ai Adoption In Smes. A Systematic Review Of Cognitive, Behavioural, And Institutional Foundations, Shabin Muzibbhai Shaikh, Shivkanya Birla

European Management Studies

Purpose: This study examines how managerial mindset shapes the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs). While existing research often highlights resource or capability constraints, this review shows that deeper cognitive, behavioral, and institutional foundations strongly influence how managers interpret AI and decide whether to engage with it.

Design, Methodology, and Approach: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using established protocols. Thirty influential studies across managerial cognition, behavioral strategy, institutional theory, and technology adoption were identified, screened, and synthesized. Their insights were integrated into a multilayered conceptual model explaining how mindset shapes AI adoption in …

Three Decades Of Digital Marketing: A Systematic Literature Review Of Strategic Shifts, Ethical Issues, And Innovation Paths, Winarto Poernomo, Denny Bernardus, Christina Utami, Liliana Dewi

ASEAN Marketing Journal

Manuscript type: Review Paper.

Research Aims: This study aims to examine the evolution of digital marketing over the past three decades and identify the technological, strategic, and behavioral transformations shaping contemporary digital marketing practices.

Design/methodology/approach: This study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) approach by synthesizing previous academic studies related to digital marketing development, emerging technologies, consumer behavior, and marketing strategies across digital platforms.

Research Findings: The findings reveal three major phases in the evolution of digital marketing: the foundational era of website-based marketing, the expansion of social media and mobile engagement, and the current era characterized by artificial intelligence, …

Digital Transformation And Adaptive Capacity Of Banks In Tanzania: The Mediating Effect Of Knowledge Sharing, Sospeter Muchunguzi, Ulingeta O. L. Mbamba, Victor G. Wilson

Business Management Review

Amid rising competition and uncertainty, banks are increasingly adopting digital technologies to sustain adaptive capacity and competitiveness. This study examines the mediating effect of knowledge sharing in the influence of digital transformation on adaptive capacity. Drawing on an integrative theoretical framework combining the Dynamic Capability Theory, the Affordance Theory and the Adaptive Structuration Theory, a deductive approach was used, involving a sample size of forty-three (43) banks in Tanzania. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered through a drop-off and pick-up-later method and analyzed with PLS-SEM using SmartPLS software. We found that digital transformation of customer touchpoints makes banks more …

The Influence Of Digital Audit Capability On Tax Compliance In Tanzania, Henry Zeno Chalu, Daudi Deokari Mtena

Business Management Review

The research evaluates the effects of digital audit capacity on tax compliance in Tanzania, focusing on challenges such as tax avoidance and administrative inefficiency. It applies the Task-Technology Fit Theory and Deterrence Theory in tax audit to examine the relationship between digital audit capability and tax compliance. The findings show that digital audit capability has significantly enhanced tax compliance through data integrity, security, and analytical capability. These features minimize misreporting, secure financial information, and build trust while uncovering predictive insights. The current study also has implications for tax policy by highlighting the promise of digital audit capability in enhancing both …

Practical Applications Of Artificial Intelligence For Small Business Marketing: A Literary Review & Llm Approach, Noah C. Kowalski

Honors Capstones

This Honors Capstone Research Paper examines the practical application of artificial intelligence in small business digital and social media marketing. As AI technologies become more accessible, small businesses have new opportunities to improve efficiency, enhance customer engagement, and compete more effectively in digital markets. However, there is a lack of clear guidance on how to implement these tools in a practical and cost-effective way.

This study uses a qualitative approach, combining a literature review with an applied analysis of widely used AI marketing tools including ChatGPT, Canva, Hootsuite, Buffer, Google Analytics 4, and HubSpot. These tools were evaluated based on …

External Mandate And Strategic Imperative: A Necessary And Sufficient Conditions Approach To Environmental Accounting Adoption In Tanzanian Manufacturing Firms, James Moses Dendula, Helena Thomas Haule

Business Management Review

Environmental Accounting (EA) serves as a strategic tool for organisations to integrate environmental considerations into operations, decision-making, and reporting. However, in emerging economies, its adoption remains uneven and insufficiently explained regarding how institutional pressures and internal capabilities jointly shape these practices. This study examines how institutional pressures and firms’ internal capabilities influence Environmental Accounting Practices (EAP) among 146 Tanzanian manufacturing firms. Anchored in Institutional Theory and the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study adopts a complementary analytical approach by integrating sufficiency and necessity logics using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). The PLS-SEM results indicate …

The Influence Of Financial Literacy On The Financial Behavior Of Students In The Higher Learning Institutions In Tanzania, Lisa John Baltazar, Evelyn Mweta Richard

Business Management Review

This study examines how financial literacy influences financial behavior as measured by spending, saving and investment and borrowing behavior of university students. The study was informed by the theory of planned behavior. Explanatory research design was used to test the research hypothesis. Data was collected through using a structure questionnaire which was administered both physically and online.  446 random selected students across Universities in Tanzania participated in the study, and simple linear regression analysis was used to establish the effect of financial literacy on financial behavior.  It was established that majority of the students are considered financially illiterate. However, the …

Unpacking The Nexus Between Financial Inclusion And Tax Compliance In Tanzania, Sarah Senso, Henry Zeno Chalu, Cosmas Renatus Masanja

Business Management Review

The study examined the influence of financial inclusion and tax compliance in Tanzania, focusing on access to financial services, quality of financial services, and usage of financial services. Guided by the positivist philosophy, the study employed a deductive approach utilizing the supply-leading theory and economic deterrence theory as the guiding frameworks. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, and multistage sampling was employed to obtain a sample of 386 bank agents by using a multistage sampling method. The study used primary data that was collected through structured questionnaires, which contained closed-ended questions measured on a 7-point Likert scale, and analyzed data …

Embeddedness Of Corporate Social Responsibility Practices Of Listed Local Firms In Tanzania: Analysis Of Communication And Organisation Dimensions, Lilian Julius Kishimbo

Business Management Review

This study explores the embeddedness of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices among listed Tanzanian firms from 2020 to 2024, focusing on both communication and organisational dimensions within a theoretically grounded framework. The study is guided by Institutional and Stakeholder theories, analysing how CSR is integrated into corporate strategies and operational structures, with particular emphasis on variation across banking and finance, telecommunications, manufacturing, extractive, agriculture, and transport industries. Using a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative content analysis of annual reports with organisational indicators, the study draws on 20 firms (95 firms annual reports) to identify significant industry-specific differences in CSR embeddedness, with …

Perceived Fiscal Exchange And Tax Compliance: Evidence From Large Corporate Taxpayers In Tanzania, Susan Kiyenze, Mariam Nchimbi, Said Suluo

Business Management Review

This paper examines the relationship between perceived fiscal exchange (PFE) and Tax Compliance (TCO) among large corporate taxpayers in Tanzania while drawing on the Fiscal Exchange Theory (FET). The study on which this paper is based employed a quantitative research design and analysed data using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of 215 large corporate taxpayers in Tanzania. We find that the FET framework has modest explanatory and predictive power. Perceived Fiscal Exchange (PFE) has an insignificant effect on tax compliance of large corporate taxpayers. This suggests that perceptions of fiscal exchange do not necessarily drive …

The Push-Pull Model's Function In Understanding Public Sector Workers' Inter-Organisational Labour Mobility: The Views Of The Herzberg Two-Factor Theory, Rosemary Selestine Massae

Business Management Review

In the modern world, one of the challenges managers have in maintaining their talented staff is labour mobility. Inter-organisational labour mobility (ILM) has been found to be significantly influenced by co-worker relationships, work-family conflict, monetary compensation, and training and development. The pull-push paradigm was inspired by human migration. Since migration not only symbolises movement across physical locations but also encompasses other routine duties, theory is essential to comprehending ILM. However, to date, no existing study has tested the model under the influence of Herzberg’s Two-factor Theory, in explaining ILM uses the public sector as a major setting of the question …

The Impact Of Quantum Computing And Distributed Ledger Technology On Accounting/Auditing/Finance Systems, Ulingeta O. L. Mbamba

Business Management Review

The integration of Quantum Computing (QC) and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) is poised to fundamentally reshape modern accounting by transforming how financial data is processed, secured, and verified. QC, utilising qubits, will exponentially enhance data analytics, risk assessment, and real-time financial forecasting, accelerating complex auditing tasks far beyond the capabilities of classical systems. In parallel, DLT, such as blockchain, provides a decentralised, immutable record of transactions, significantly increasing transparency and trust. This synergy may enable real-time analysis, continuous auditing, and intelligent automation, converting traditional static, centralised processes into dynamic, transparent ecosystems. Together, this convergence may redefine accounting, auditing, and finance, …

Techno-Imagination: Elevating Creativity Through Xr And Ai, Christopher Spitzer

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Techno-Imagination: Elevating Creativity Through XR and AI explores the history of creativity and computing technology, supported by research and academic literature, and looks at the possibilities of a convergence between the two. In parallel, a brief biographical story of the author shares how a passion for creativity emerged, along with a growing interest in science and technology—specifically extended reality—which ultimately came together in the creation of this master’s project. The project also highlights how the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process was used alongside AI bots and twenty research-based creative thinking skills in developing the business model canvas. Finally, the outcome …

3t Of Tech, Taste, And Transformation In Coffeepreneurship, Razinda Tasnim Abdul Rahim, Mohd Faizuddin Muhammad Zuki, Nur Syamilah Md Noor

International Conference on Business and Management Research (ICBMR)

The global coffee industry is rapidly transforming due to digitalization, evolving consumer preferences, and sustainability trends. Coffeepreneurship, blending entrepreneurial innovation with coffee culture, has emerged as a competitive business model. This study applies the 3T- Technology, Taste, and Transformation to assess digital innovation, consumer experience, and business adaptation in coffee entrepreneurship. Despite opportunities in digital transformation, coffeepreneurs face challenges such as market saturation, financial constraints, and regulatory barriers. Limited access to fintech solutions and supply chain inefficiencies further hinder scalability. This study addresses these gaps by analyzing how technology, branding, and financial literacy influence coffeepreneurs' long-term sustainability using the VRIO …

A Forgotten Tool? Intellectual Property Rights And The Competitive Potential Of Micro, Small, And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Tanzania, Saudin J. Mwakaje

Business Management Review

This article offers a hybrid assessment of law and its impact on business by examining how intellectual property rights (IPR) promote business competitiveness by granting enterprises exclusive statutory rights over their innovations and creative ideas. The article situates the discussion in the Tanzanian context and focuses on Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs). Using a qualitative approach, the discourse examines ongoing national and continental reforms and the evolving business and market environment that are driving MSMEs to adopt innovation to achieve market control and sustainability. Recent continental and regional regulatory developments, including the adoption of the Agreement on African Continental …

From Awareness To Action: Exploring The Behavioral Gap In Green Computing Among Surveyed University Students In Tanzania, Victor G. Wilson

Business Management Review

As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in higher education, promoting environmentally responsible computing practices has become an important sustainability and management concern. This study applies the Norm Activation Model (NAM) to examine green computing behavior among university students in Tanzania. Drawing on responses from 868 students across science, education, and business programs, the study investigates how Awareness of Consequences, Ascription of Responsibility, and Personal Norms influence green computing behaviors. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to assess both the explanatory power of the NAM variables and the selective moderating roles of gender and academic program. Findings reveal that both awareness and …

The Role Of Board Effectiveness In Shaping The Influence Of Esg Disclosures On Financial Performance: The Case Of Tanzanian Listed Companies, Emmanuel Christopher

Business Management Review

This study examines the moderating role of board effectiveness in the relationship between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures and the financial performance of firms listed on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) in Tanzania. Drawing on stakeholder and agency theory perspectives, the study posits that ESG disclosures create value for stakeholders while effective boards enhance oversight and ensure that sustainability initiatives translate into firm performance. Using secondary data from firms’ annual reports for 2016–2024 (198 firm–year observations), the study applies random effects panel regression guided by the Hausman test. Robustness checks were performed using an alternative financial performance …

Horizontal Collaboration Practices And Operational Performance Of Smallholder Farmer Groups In Horticultural Supply Chain, Herieth J. Rogath, Juma James Masele, Gerald Magova

Business Management Review

Collaboration has increasingly been recognized as a strategic approach for enhancing performance. However, limited attention has been given to the relationship between horizontal collaboration practices and the operational performance of horticultural smallholder farmer groups in downstream supply chains. This study examined this relationship through the lens of Social Exchange Theory. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from 195 smallholder horticultural farmer groups across the southern highlands of Tanzania, including Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe, and Songwe regions. Analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The findings reveal that all collaboration practices improve operational performance; resource …

Which Ai For What? An Ai Value Index For Small Business Adoption, Ahesanul Karim Abid

Create@State

Every day, millions of small business owners hear the same advice: use AI to grow your business. But when they look at the options — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek – they face an overwhelming question with no clear answer: which one should I actually use for my specific business need?

This question needs a fact-backed answer. Small businesses make up nearly all U.S. companies, about 99.9%, and employ close to half the country's workforce. Yet they adopt AI at rates 38 percentage points lower than large corporations. The issue is not cost. The issue is that no one has …

Supersuit Up Or Get Left Behind: Why A Personal Agentic Os Is Required For Commercial Viability In The New Economy, Gary Sheng, Ron Roberts

Digital Laboratory: Publisher of Internet Journal

In my first article, The Writing on the Wall, we laid out the case: self-improving AI has arrived, the economy is splitting, and every organization faces an existential choice. This paper answers the question we heard most after that piece: “Okay, I believe you. What do I do on Monday morning?” The answer is your Personal Agentic OS. It is the minimum viable infrastructure that turns you from a passive consumer of AI into a sovereign operator of it. And in April 2026, three events converged to make this the most urgent professional skill in the world: Andrej Karpathy’s LLM …