Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

Survival Strategies Of Microenterprises In Nigeria, Olatutu Olubusola Sholeye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some owner-managers of microenterprises (MEs) in Nigeria lack effective strategies to sustain their businesses beyond the first 5 years of operations. Owners of existing and new MEs would benefit from strategies to mitigate constraints for business survival because failure rates are higher among MEs. Grounded in the resource-based theory, the purpose of the current qualitative multiple case study was to explore the survival strategies some owner-managers use to sustain their enterprises in Nigeria. The targeted population was six purposefully selected ME owner-managers who survived in business for over 5 years in Lagos, Nigeria. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and …

Financial Illiteracy And Minority Small Business Failure, Julia Lee Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority small businesses are important contributors to the U.S. economy. As such, financial illiteracy resulting in the failure of minority small businesses is a significant problem. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a quantitative correlation exists between financial illiteracy and minority small business failure in the United States. The theoretical foundation consisted of administrative, systems, human capital theories and system thinking, financial, and management concepts. The research questions exhaustively reviewed secondary financial literacy and various business management research data that relate to the ability of the U.S. minority population to create wealth through sustained entrepreneurial success using …

Entrepreneurial Strategies To Mitigate The High Failure Rates Of Small Retail Businesses, James A. Latour

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high rate of business failures within the first 5 years negatively affects half of startup business owners. Small retail business owners who fail to develop innovative entrepreneurial strategies experience high failure rates within the first 5 years of operation. Grounded in self-determination theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore entrepreneurial strategies small retail business owners use to support long-term sustainability. Participants were five small retail business owners from Southern Illinois who successfully used entrepreneurial strategies to reduce high failure rates. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and internal documents relevant to reducing high failure …

Strategies For Sourcing Funding For Startup Businesses In Nigeria, Nelly Nwabuisi Adiawari Oburo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some small and medium enterprise (SME) owners are challenged with sourcing adequate funds to start and continue in business. Financing SMEs is critical to their owners to ensure they can remain financially viable and continue contributing to Nigeria’s gross domestic product and economic growth. Grounded in the pecking order theory and the financial growth cycle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies owners of startup SMEs in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria, can adopt to source funds required to start and sustain a business beyond 5 years. Data were collected through semistructured interviews from …

Strategies Nonprofit Leaders Use To Increase Client Engagement In Entrepreneurship Programs, Juanita Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 1990, entrepreneurship has been declining in the United States, which negatively impacts the standard of living in the United States by creating fewer jobs and fewer innovations. Identifying and implementing strategies to increase client’s participation in entrepreneurship programs helps business leaders obtain additional funding sources, improve organizational performance, and obtain support from policymakers. Grounded in the human motivation theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies three senior business leaders of a nonprofit organization in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States used to increase client engagement in entrepreneurship programs. Data were collected from …

Export Success And Sustainable Strategies For Cameroonian Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Christian N. Bikai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAccording to the Cameroon Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute 99.8% of companies, employ over 70% of the active population, and contribute significantly to economic growth and development. However, less than 25% of new SMEs in Cameroon survive beyond 3 years. Sustainability is essential to small business owners in exporting coffee from Cameroon as an indicator of economic growth and job creation. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study guided by the transaction cost economics theory was to explore strategies owners of small businesses exporting coffee from Cameroon use to sustain business beyond …

African American Entrepreneurial Business- Sustaining Strategies, Charles C. Johnson, Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 80% of small consulting businesses fail within the first five years of operation. Small consulting company owners are concerned with failing within the first five years because community economic development can be adversely impacted. Grounded in the resource-based view theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies African American consulting company owners use for longevity beyond five years. The participants comprised African American owners of three consulting businesses located in the northeast region of the United States, who successfully sustained their business beyond five years. Data collection included semistructured interviews with consulting company …

Succession Planning Strategies For Small Family-Owned Businesses, Samuel Buckner Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some business owners lose young, skillful midlevel leaders to competitors because of limited training to prepare a potential successor for senior leadership roles. Family business owners lack succession strategies to transfer business operations to a junior leader that can lead to business closure and increased community unemployment. Using the transformational leadership framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the succession planning strategies that small family-owned business owners use to train the next generation of leaders in the southeastern region of the United States. The data sources included a semistructured interview with two business owners and leadership …

Development And Implementation Strategies For Open Innovation Pharmaceutical R&D Projects, John A. Maher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

US pharmaceutical company leaders who lack strategies for developing and implementing open innovation (OI) Research & Development (R&D) projects may experience weakened competitive positioning in the industry. Grounded in the open innovation capability framework, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore implementation strategies R&D directors use to implement OI R&D projects in the US. Participants were five US pharmaceutical R&D directors from a single organization. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, public information, and OI literature and analyzed using Castleberry and Nolen’s five-step model. Four themes emerged: roles and responsibilities, business and OI strategy alignment, leadership …

Characteristics Of Authentic Entrepreneurial Leadership Within Information Technology Startups In Kenya, Christine Mukhwana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Kenya, over 60% of nascent entrepreneurs start businesses with minimal leadership experience, engendering founder-CEOs who cannot sustain a business beyond its formative years. The problem is the nascent entrepreneurs’ lack of understanding of effective leadership. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to develop a more nuanced understanding of authentic leadership behavior from the perspective of nascent entrepreneurs. Authentic leadership theory and the three-factor model were used to conceptualize the study. The research question focused on nascent entrepreneurs’ lived experiences and understanding of authentic leadership. The participants in the study were entrepreneurs from the information technology industry in …

Strategies E-Commerce Entrepreneurs Use To Achieve And Maintain Sustainability Beyond The First 5 Years Of Operations, Steven Sierra Alcabes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

E-commerce entrepreneurs who fail to develop and implement strategies to sustain business operations beyond the first 5 years face high business failure rates. Grounded in Porter’s five forces model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used by e-commerce entrepreneurs to achieve and maintain sustainability beyond the first 5 years of operations. Participants were e-commerce entrepreneurs from five companies in Texas who implemented successful strategies to achieve and maintain sustainability for more than 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and reviews of company documents and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Five themes emerged: …

Effective Leadership Strategies To Sustain Small Businesses’ Operations Beyond 5 Years, Sulemana Jawula

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses play a critical role in the job creation and overall growth of the U.S. economy; however, many small businesses fail soon after startup. The failure of small businesses results psychological, social, and financial turmoil for small business leaders. Grounded in transformational leadership theory and Chamberlin’s theory of strategy, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies small business leaders use to sustain their operations beyond 5 years. The participants were five business leaders of five selected small businesses in the Bronx, New York, who used effective leadership strategies to sustain their operations beyond …

Fairness, Emotional Intelligence, And Ethical Decision-Making In Customer Evaluations Of Providers, Tameka Austin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Customer satisfaction is a topic that organizations must focus on for the success and continued sustainability of their organizations. Emotional intelligence, fairness, and ethical decision-making are areas that businesses must address to identify how their businesses are impacted by the choices that customers make when working with corporations. The gig economy (short- or long-term project in which a contract worker is hired to perform a specific task or long-term consultant assignment) is an area that has not been addressed to a great extent by psychology researchers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between emotional intelligence, ethical …

Survival Strategies For Information Technology Startups Beyond 5 Years, Matthew Singer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEntrepreneurship is a leading avenue for job creation in the United States. The lack of access to necessary resources negatively impacts nascent IT-based entrepreneurs’ ability to sustain their business beyond 5 years of beginning operations. Grounded in stakeholder theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies founders of IT-based entrepreneurial ventures use to survive in business for more than 5 years. The participants comprised 4 entrepreneurial IT founders in San Francisco who effectively used strategies to survive beyond 5 years. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Yin’s 5-phase process …

Strategies Worker-Owned Cooperatives Use To Remain Profitable During Economic Downturns, Termaine Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

New managers of worker-owned cooperatives who fail to adapt to changing conditions can threaten the organization’s viability. Some new managers of worker-owned cooperatives may lack the strategies they need to maintain consistent employment levels during economic downturns. Grounded in the expected utility theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by managers of worker-owned cooperatives to maintain consistent employment levels during sustained periods of low revenue. Participants comprised seven managers of worker-owned cooperatives with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the Midwest of the United States managing cooperatives during sustained periods of …

Strategies For Sustaining Minority-Owned Small Businesses, Taha Seid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority small businesses play a significant role in the development of the United States economy. Minority small business owners who do not implement successful and sustainable strategies are at a high risk of failure. Grounded in entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that minority small business owners used to sustain their business beyond 5 years of beginning operations. The participants included 3 minority small business owners in Alexandria, Virginia, who have been in business for 5 years. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, field notes, company websites, and financial, marketing, strategy, and …

Effective Marketing Strategies Of Profitable Small Businesses, Xoriunstance T. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability to achieve profitability can negatively impact business operations. Small independent insurance agency owners who fail to maintain profitability are at a higher risk of failure. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective marketing strategies leaders of small independent insurance agencies use to achieve and maintain profitability. The participants comprised 3 independent insurance agents in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who effectively used marketing strategies to achieve and maintain profitability. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company websites, and company documents. Yin’s 5-step thematic analysis, which included compiling, disassembling, interpreting …

African American Women Bloggers’ Lived Experiences With Digital Entrepreneurship: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Melissa Mcdowell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The professionalization of blogs has elevated blogging to an organizational field whereby bloggers develop a legitimate career path. For many minority women bloggers, the transition from being traditionally employed to managing a one-person digital enterprise is often met with racial and gender imbalances created by nontraditional modes of work. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of how African American women bloggers described their lived experiences with managing a one-person digital enterprise and the implications of their racial and gender identity within this nontraditional mode of work. To address this gap, a transcendental …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Organizational Performance Of Oil Companies In Southern Nigeria, Powei Martin Daubry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this study, the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and organizational performance (OP) of international oil companies (IOCs) operating within the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria was investigated. Grounded on the stakeholder theory, the problem being investigated involved the extent to which dimensions of CSR in terms of centrality, visibility, and voluntary contributions impact measures of OP (relational capital and employees’ commitment) specifically within the oil industry in Nigeria. Data for the study were obtained through a quantitative survey instrument from a sample of a population of individuals (N=270) living in host communities who are impacted by IOC …

Modern Costing Strategies For Improved Profitability In Small- And Medium-Sized Businesses, Jennifer Kelly Demoras

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) accounting managers use little to no modern costing strategies which can negatively impact profitability. Advances in technology, innovations in product design, and increases in globalization mean SMEs could benefit from modernizing their internal costing systems. This study is important to SME accounting managers because of offering new information and practical methods that SMEs might use for improved profitability. Grounded in the contingency theory of management accounting, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the modern costing strategies SME accounting managers used to improve profitability. Seven SME owners, CFOs, and administrators who …

Development Strategies For Privately Owned Fashion Boutiques, Tommy White Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Many privately owned brick-and-mortar fashion boutiques in the United States fail to succeed beyond the first 5 years of business. The knowledge of the factors responsible for the decline in the survival rate of traditional or brick-and-mortar fashion boutiques may be essential to these entrepreneurs’ survival. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used by successful brick-and-mortar fashion boutique owners to negate the threat of online retailers. Data were collected through interviews with 5 brick-and-mortar fashion boutique owners, who operated businesses in the southeast region of the United …

New Venture Modeling Strategies For Information Technology Business Startups, Jude Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information technology (IT) startup owners often lack new venture modeling strategies to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Information technology startup owners with backgrounds in software development, IT project management, and computer engineering need to know about the strategies discovered in the study to make operational, modeling, and project level decisions that ensure sustained organizational profitability. Grounded in Kim and Mauborgne's blue ocean theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore new venture modeling strategies some information technology startup owners use to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Study participants comprised 3 IT startup business owners …

Nigeria Small And Medium Enterprise Sustainability Strategies, Elizabeth Olufunmilayo Ajibola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute to economic development and create 80% of the jobs in Nigeria. However, 80% of SMEs are not sustained beyond 5 years. Grounded in stakeholder theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SME owners used to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. Three SME owners who have sustained their businesses over 5 years in the Southwest region of Nigeria were purposefully selected to participate in this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and other business documents. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data using comparison method, and …

Social Connectedness And Financial Independence Strategies Supporting Nonprofit Sustainability, Christopher Edmund Maylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) often lack strategies to ensure the sustainability of their organizations beyond initial funding, resulting in significant risk to program continuity. Grounded in social entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore strategies used by 3 leaders of a small NPO in the southwest region of the United States. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of organizational documents. Through thematic analysis, 6 social themes emerged: optimization of business strategies, income and donor growth, program cost management, funding diversification, program licensing, and public awareness of NPO programs. The contributions to …

Financial Illiteracy Of Nigerian Immigrant Entrepreneurs In Houston, Adewole M. Omogunsoye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial literacy is an essential determinant of entrepreneurial success as it helps entrepreneurs to access credit and make rational financial decisions. However, financial literacy remains low especially among immigrant communities, who form the bulk of the low-income earners in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the financial literacy of Nigerian immigrant entrepreneurs living in Houston, Texas, in order to sustain growth in their business by successfully using the U.S credit system. The research question for the study examined the actions Nigerian immigrant entrepreneurs in Houston need to take to be financially literate …

Program Evaluation Of A Black Barbershop Health Outreach Campaign, Berkina Denise Porter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black-owned barbershops in the Black community lack barber administered interventions to provide education and health screenings to Black men. Increasing knowledge of health assessments in a black barbershop setting increases the number of health screenings and preventative care among Black men. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative summative program evaluation was to explore the extent to which a nonprofit Black barbershop health program aligns with the Health Research (HR) program objectives. The evaluation was performed for a nonprofit organization located in Maryland, 6 years after the organization implemented the HR Program Network of barbers and salon …

Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility And Social Performance Of Small Businesses, Melva Steps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business leaders affected by negative social performance may also experience a diminishing customer base and minimized profits. Grounded in the strategic success paradigm framework, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between four elements of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic posture (workplace, marketplace, community, and environment) and social performance. The participants consisted of retail trade small business owners in the United States. The Survey of CSR in Small Business was conducted via SurveyMonkey and provided the data for analysis (N = 85). Results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the regression model significantly …

Human Resource Management Practices For Sustainability Of Ghanaian Small And Medium Enterprises, Charles Bandari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2018, the failure rate of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana was approximately 75%. SME owners and managers who refuse to recognize HRM strategies as a way for business sustainability risk closure. Grounded in Blau's social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore human resource strategies leaders of SMEs use to sustain their businesses. Participants were 4 SME leaders in the Tamale metropolitan area of Ghana who successfully used human resource management strategies to promote the sustainability of their businesses. Data were collected from semistructured face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions, and company …

Successful Marketing Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Jasmine Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses play a significant role in the health of the U.S. economy, but 50% of small businesses close before reaching 5 years of operation. Some small business owners do not utilize effective marketing strategies to guide them towards sustainability in business. Grounded in hybrid typology, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore marketing strategies small business owners use for sustainability. The participants comprised three small business owners located in the Midwest Region of the United States, with a business in operation for at least 5 years. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, public company documents, …

Strategies To Implement Organizational Changes In Middle East And North Africa, Ilham Hiyari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational change initiatives often fail in the implementation phase resulting in decreased productivity affecting the net profitability of the organization. Grounded in Kotter’s 8-step change model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used by business leaders to implement organizational change initiatives successfully. A purposeful sample of 10 business leaders from 2 organizations located in the region of the Middle East and North Africa participated in the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and secondary sources including strategic business plan presentations, change tracking tools, meeting minutes, financial statements, and archival records. Data were analyzed …