Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

Forecasting Demand: Sensitivity Analysis Of Financial Assumptions Using Ms Excel, Gary B. Roberts, Kirk C. Heriot

Atlantic Marketing Journal

According to research on entrepreneurship education, the creation of a business plan is the most popular teaching method (Solomon, 2007). Textbooks in the field will often have a chapter devoted to the contents of the business plan and separate chapters about important elements of a business plan such as marketing, finance, and operations. Instructors must prepare their students for arduous task of writing all of the parts of the business plan within a team.

One of the most challenging aspects of a business plan is the financial projections. Clearly, if an entrepreneurial team intends to present their plan to a …

From Marbles To International Business, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

From selling marbles to trading cards, Douglas Gan shares the lessons learnt as an entrepreneur

Perceptions Of Crime And Safety In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2014 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans are not worried or not very worried about either crime in their community or about personally being a victim of crime. However, persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to be worried or very worried about crime. Furthermore, most persons living in or near communities with populations less than 10,000 are not worried or not very worried about crime in their community.

Trust also remains high in the rural areas. Most rural Nebraskans say they count on their neighbors to watch their property while they are …

Family Firm Research: A Review, Qiang Cheng

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This article reviews family firm studies in the finance and accounting literature, primarily those conducted using data from the United States and China. Family owners have unique features such as concentrated ownership, long investment horizon, and reputation concerns. Given the distinguishing features of family ownership and control, family firms face unique agency conflicts. We discuss the agency problems in family firms and review the findings of recent family firm studies. We call for more research to understand the unique family effects and encourage more research on Chinese family firms. Part I of the article discusses the fundaments of family firms: …

Dueling Institutional Logics And The Effect On Strategic Entrepreneurship In Chinese Business Groups, Daphne W. Yiu, Robert E. Hoskisson, Garry D. Bruton, Yuan Lu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Focusing on a period of institutional friction when institutions are in transition, this study examines the dueling institutional logics that simultaneously operated as business groups were implemented to foster strategic entrepreneurship activities in China. Our findings from 1,095 Chinese business group-affiliated firms show that the original institutional logic of state control and ownership remains a potent factor, while the new institutional logic in support of strategic entrepreneurship takes place through business groups' informal and formal organization controls. Further, the state logic causes rigidity and inflexibility for firms to react to the new institutional demands, thus weakening the positive effects of …

The Procurement Of An Indoor Tennis Facility In Morris, Mn: An Ex Ante Cost Benefit Analysis, Emma Strachan

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

This paper is an ex ante cost benefit analysis that assesses the feasibility and profitability of bringing indoor tennis courts to Morris. The main goal of the paper is to find the best alternative to meet the objective of acquiring indoor tennis courts using publically available information from similar completed projects. I cover who should have standing on the issue, what particular impacts from each alternative allow themselves to be monetized, how those impacts should be discounted across time, and what parameters could vary in each alternative. Finally, I make a final recommendation as to what I have found to …

Consumer Behavior In The Online Context, Shannon Cummins, James W. Peltier, John A. Schibrowsky, Alexander Nill

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to review the consumer behavior and social network theory literature related to the online and e-commerce context.

Design/methodology/approach

To conduct the review, the authors draw on a sample of 942 articles published from 1993 to 2012 addressing consumer behavior or social network issues in the online or social media context. The sample is analyzed by both era (incubation, expansion and explosion) and primary topic.

Findings

Eight categories of online consumer behavior research are described. In the order from largest to smallest, these are: cognitive issues, user-generated content, Internet demographics and segmentation, online usage, cross …

Fashion Start Up Business Plan, Ashlee Whelihan

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Kheng Keng Auto: Growing Beyond Being A Family Business, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Humility, ethics, and family are key to success

Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions Of Well-Being, 2014 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

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. However, residents of larger communities are more likely than residents of smaller communities to say their community has changed …

Entrepreneurial Decision-Making Under Risk : Prospect Theory And Dual-Process Theory., Dalong Ma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses the question of why some people become entrepreneurs whereas others do not. The debate has been going on for decades in entrepreneurship. In this dissertation, I address this question by decomposing it into two related questions. The first question is whether entrepreneurs make different decisions compared to non-entrepreneurs when they are facing the same opportunities under risk. The second question is whether these differences in decision-making (if any) are due to the natural proclivity of entrepreneurs themselves. To identify the differences of entrepreneurial decision-making between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs, this study investigates the nexus between entrepreneurs and opportunities …

Is That An Opportunity? : A Multilevel Investigation Of The Individual-Opportunity Nexus And Opportunity Beliefs., Eric Shaunn Mattingly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early entrepreneurial action focuses on opportunities and involves two distinct evaluative phases: (1) recognizing that something is an opportunity for somebody and (2) deciding whether or not one wants to pursue exploitation of a particular opportunity. Scholars primarily explain the first of these phases using individual differences. However, entrepreneurial action involves the nexus of opportunities and individuals. In my dissertation, I examine the independent effects of opportunity differences on opportunity recognition as well as the degree to which they are contingent on individual-level constructs. Specifically, I examine this phenomenon in the context of technology commercialization. I use analogical problem solving …

How Do Individual Factors Influence Moral Decision Making In Entrepreneurship? : The Role Of Self-Construal, Temporal Construal And Moral Identity., Shanshan Qian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Some entrepreneurs are often perceived to do almost anything to succeed and pursue self-interests while breaking moral and ethical standards. This is particularly severe when the ventures are at the early stage because entrepreneurs face scarce resources, high uncertainty and a competitive environment. It is noted that entrepreneurs' behavior of conforming business ethics and morality is profound for entrepreneurs’ firms viability. Thus, this dissertation employs self-construal theory and construal level theory and identifies how entrepreneurs’ cognitive development influences entrepreneurs to make moral decisions. In addition, I address the role of entrepreneurs’ moral identity in the focal relationships. Data were collected …

A Social Cognitive Perspective On Opportunity Evaluation., Trayan Kushev

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Very few topics in entrepreneurship have received as much attention as the entrepreneurial process. It consists of the discovery, evaluation and exploitation of opportunities to create future goods and services. Evaluation is at the center of this process because it follows discovery and is the main precursor of the decision to exploit an opportunity. However, we know very little of the factors informing evaluation decisions. Furthermore, research on the topic is limited in that it mostly examines either opportunity-based or individual-based factors in simple models of evaluation. Of course, evaluation decisions are more sophisticated and include a plethora of other …

The Power Of Words In Tension: Enterprise/Strategy As A Dilemma In Neoliberalism’S Persistence., Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

We address how enterprise is related to, another important discourse, strategy. From a discourse analysis of the talk of small firm owner-managers, emerges a view of strategy and enterprise as a single, integrated entity, bound together by some commonalities but more importantly by paired opposites reminiscent of ideological dilemmas (Billig, Condor, Edwards, Gane, Middleton & Radley, 1988). This dilemmatic nature of enterprise/strategy discourse adds to explanations for the persistence of the neoliberal form of enterprise, with the entrepreneur as the heroic saviour of all, based on the entrepreneur as an empty signifier (Jones & Spicer, 2009; Kenny & …

New Dentist News (August 2014), 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.

Collective Film Camera In Shanghai: A Business Plan, Sha Li

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For this project, the primary goal is to research the viability of a vintage camera business in Shanghai, China. By research and analyze the market segmentation and industry environment, this plan is used as a tool to find a marketing strategy to differentiate the business with the others.

The New Lyrics Of The Old Folks: The Role Of Family Ownership In Corporate Innovation, Po-Hsuan Hsu, Sterling Huang, Massimo Massa, Hong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

According to conventional wisdom, family ownership, which signals a lack of social capital and trust in an economy, may impede innovation. This argument, however, fails to recognize that modern family firms can benefit from capitalist institutions that promote innovation. Using a comprehensive sample of U.S. family-owned public firms and patents for the period from 2000 to 2010, we show that family ownership promotes innovation and that this positive effect can be attributed to reduced financial constraints, a greater commitment to long-term value, and improved corporate governance. Causality is confirmed by an instrumental variable analysis using the state-level divorce rate and …

How Microlending Affects Innovation And Entrepreneurship: Evidence From Ethiopia, Robert Hirth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advocates of microlending suggest it is a sustainable intervention that reaches the poor directly and offers them the means to invest and improve their incomes (Khavul, 2010; Morduch, 1999; Yunus, 2007); yet, impact studies of these interventions have suggested they often have little or even a detrimental impact on borrowers (Van Rooyen, Stewart & De Wet, 2012). This dissertation examines the efforts to promote entrepreneurship and alleviate poverty in developing countries through microlending. I begin by reviewing the microlending literature, and in particular, impact studies of the effect microlending is having in developing countries. Next, I review theory and empirical …

Go Big: With Inventiveness, Hard Work, And Moxie, Colby Entrepreneurs Are Creating Viable And Even Booming Businesses, David Mckay Wilson

Colby Magazine

HomeAway cofounder Brian Sharples ’82 and other alumni entrepreneurs turn ideas into business success.

Leading Happiness: Leadership And Happiness At Work In Certified B Corporations, A Qualitative Study Of Leaders And Employees To Understand The Influence Of Shared Leadership On Worker Happiness Within Certified Benefit Corporations, Travis Hellstrom

Capstone Collection

The Certified B Corps movement is setting a new standard for businesses, committing to a multiple stakeholder orientation focused on community, environment and the workplace in addition to financial profit. More than 1,000 companies, including well-known companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, King Arthur Flour, and Etsy, have joined the ranks of Certified B Corps in over 30 countries.

The B Corps certification is understood to promote a set of organizational practices, which envision improved employee performance and well-being. An important element of that well-being is employee happiness. Previous research has shown that improved business leadership practices can have significant …

Creative Economies: Using Arts To Revitalize Post-Industrial Cities And Towns In Massachusetts, Anna Price

Honors College Theses

During my senior year in the Honors College at UMass Boston, I became involved in the yearlong Creative and Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship program. During this program, I interned alongside other UMass Boston students at a local creative non-profit organization, providing the staff with assistance as they worked towards achieving their goals. This internship was funded by the Creative Economy Fund (CE Fund) from the University of Massachusetts President’s Office. My involvement in this program sparked an interest in pursuing an Honors thesis investigating the CE Fund and how the awarded projects are benefitted by that fund.

After looking through all …

Emerging Opportunities For Commercial Recreation, Joshua Carroll Ph.D.

Journal of Tourism Insights

The commercial recreation industry faces new opportunities due to the changing economic climate and its impact upon public recreation providers (Outdoor Industry Association, 2012). Those recreation opportunities historically offered by public entities are transforming and as a result recreationists are experiencing more park closures, limited hours of operation, a reduction in quality, and ultimately dissatisfaction (Crompton, 1999; Koeberer, 2011). There is a shift occurring and this opens up a wide market for new commercial recreation operators to fulfill this gap. For trail-based recreation this usually requires a sizable piece of land that often precludes most potential market interests. However, with …

2014 Q2 Market Pulse Report, Craig R. Everett

Pepperdine Market Pulse Report

The quarterly IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse Survey was created to gain an accurate understanding of the market conditions for businesses being sold in Main Street (values $0-$2MM) and the lower middle market (values $2MM -$50MM). The national survey was conducted with the intent of providing a valuable resource to business owners and their advisors. The IBBA and M&A Source present the Market Pulse Survey with the support of the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project and the Graziado School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.

Dental Practice Success Vol. 1 No. 2, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

Dental Practice Success

No abstract provided.

Retaliating Against Customer Interpersonal Injustice In A Singaporean Context: Moderating Roles Of Self-Efficacy And Social Support, Violet Ho, Naina Gupta

Management Faculty Publications

Few studies have examined the relationship between customer injustice and employees' retaliatory counterproductive behaviors toward customers, and those that have done so have been conducted in a Western setting. We extend these studies by examining the relationship in a Singaporean context where retaliatory behaviors by employees might be culturally constrained. While the previously established positive relationship between customer injustice and counterproductive behaviors was not replicated using peer-reported data from employees across two hotels in Singapore, we found that individuals' self-efficacy and perceived social support moderated it. Specifically, the injustice-to-counterproductive behaviors relationship was positive for individuals with high self-efficacy, and for …

A Conceptualization And Empirical Examination Of The Effects Of Marketing Alignment On Franchising Relationships, Joseph Matthes

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Franchising is a widely utilized business format that continues to grow in popularity both domestically and abroad. Through the recruitment of franchisees as agents, franchisors are able to access additional resources and rapidly expand their networks. The marketing relationship between franchising partners presents unique opportunities and challenges due to this captive and codependent channel structure. In order to fill a gap in the literature and better understand franchisee-franchisor relationships, the author conceptualizes marketing alignment as being comprised of both agreement and cooperation across the dimensions of strategies, operations, and values. A conceptual model is developed that addresses the following research …

Impact Of Effectuation Based Interventions On The Intentions To Start A Business, Muhammad Shahid Qureshi, Fawad Mahdi

Business Review

Intention plays a very important role to measure one’s willingness to pursue entrepreneurship as a career. Previous researchers have differed about various antecedents that impact the entrepreneurial intention to start a business. Entrepreneurship education (EE) assumes to play an important role in shaping traits and attitudes of an entrepreneur, contrary to the “entrepreneurs are born” school of thought. We use the Individual entrepreneurship orientation (IEO) construct as developed by Boltan and Lane (2011) to measure its impact on the intention levels of students. The use of Effectuation (Sarasvathy, 2001)as a pedagogical tool is used as a mediating variable between IEO …

Sustainability: An Examination Of Trends In The Floral Industry, Emily Gaul

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Sustainability in the floral industry is a constantly changing subject. As more products are created for florists to use in their designs, sustainability will evolve and be redefined. The purpose of this study was to examine the sustainable trends in growing, designing, and marketing within the floral industry. As seen in the companies analyzed, each business plan constitutes a different set of practices that are utilized for the benefit of that company. An applied best practices analysis was conducted on the floral industry’s trends in sustainability. In the floral industry, businesses are shifting away from importing and focusing on local …

Adventure Tourism Management, Nikki Fabrizio

Honors College Theses

Adventure tourism management is one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism market, and while much is known about the rapid expansion of this niche as well as the consumers of it, little is known about its management side. This study seeks to discover why managers enter this industry and what keeps them here, while also gathering demographic data. The data gathered from this study will help flesh out the little information there currently is about the managerial aspect of the industry. The results of this study can be used to better recruit and train future employees, a vital …