Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

Crowdfunding As A Financing Resource For Small Businesses, Melissa Cohen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although small businesses borrowed $1 trillion in 2013 from traditional lenders, 35% of small business owners were unable to obtain adequate financing and subsequently sought alternative sources such as crowdfunding. Guided by the pecking order theory, the purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore how 6 small business owners in Tennessee successfully used crowdfunding to start, grow, or sustain their businesses. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of crowdfunding project data on the internet platform including the project description, target goal, amount achieved, number of backers, and locations of the funders. Data were inductively analyzed, …

Micro & Small Enterprises In Ireland: A Brand Management Perspective, Bobby Kennedy, Angela Wright

Dept. of Organisation & Professional Development Publications

Branding aids companies in the acquisition of new customers, allows them to build a favourable reputation, leads to increased customer loyalty and, ultimately, is a driver of profitability. Although there is an impressive quantity of academic literature related to both large corporate and product line branding, there has been less focus regarding the research on branding of small businesses, despite their economic importance.

In the specific case of SMEs in Ireland, branding studies are scant. There is little understanding of the branding practices of SME founder-owners in Ireland, and, moreover, a lack of clarity as to their knowledge levels apropos …