Browsing by Subject "Entrepreneurship"
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Item Black Entrepreneurship: Literature And Reality(2008) Crump, Micah E. S.; Singh, Robert P.; Business and Management; Doctor of PhilosophyThis dissertation provides two major contributions to the entrepreneurship literature. First, it provides the first comprehensive survey of the papers published on black entrepreneurship that are contained in the literature. Second, it provides rankings of the most prolific researchers and affiliations publishing in two areas: on black entrepreneurship; and by Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Additional contributions are the dissertation's supplementary findings that rank researchers and institutions by their quantitative publication on entrepreneurship in general, and on opportunity recognition: an important research component of the entrepreneurship process.Item The emergence of marketing in Millennial new ventures(Emerald, 2012) Lingelbach, David C; Patino, Anthony; Pitta, Dennis APurpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework, based in entrepreneurship theory, which explains how marketing emerges in startups founded by members of the Millennial generation. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Following a literature review, from which propositions are derived, an earlier process model of organizational speciation is adapted to marketing by Millennial entrepreneurs. Findings ‐ A four-stage cycle model of entrepreneurial marketing by Millennials is developed, consisting of enabling through resource scarcity, bonding through social media, new product introduction through incremental stealth, and replicating through variation, selection, and retention. Research limitations/implications ‐ Model development would be enhanced through empirical data. Practical implications ‐ Marketers in entrepreneurial firms founded by Millennials can follow a few simple rules to enhance market penetration. Resource scarcity is something to be sought, not avoided. A thoughtful social media strategy can accelerate new product introduction: stealthiness and its close relation small size should be embraced; avoid getting too big too quickly; use furtiveness to drive social media-based bonding. Originality/value ‐ Previous theoretical models at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface have not focused on the unique characteristics of Millennial-led new ventures. This study develops the most comprehensive model of entrepreneurial marketing by Millennials to date.Item Entrepreneurial Idea Identification Through Online Social Networks(2010) Lang, Matthew C.; Singh, Robert P.; Business and Management; Doctor of PhilosophyThe increasing use of social network websites may signal a change in the way the next generation of entrepreneurs identify entrepreneurial ideas. An important part of the entrepreneurship literature emphasizes how vital the use of social networks is to entrepreneurial idea identification, opportunity recognition, and ultimately new venture creation. The explosive growth of these online social networking sites provides millions with the ability to communicate more information to a larger group of people with greater frequency than existed in the past. The focus of this study was to determine whether the use of online social networks influences the idea identification process differently than traditional `offline' social networks. Results are based on surveys collected from 282 students from nine different community colleges in the state of Maryland. The results from this dissertation show that the use of online social network websites significantly increases the number of contacts, business contacts, weak ties, and strong ties that nascent entrepreneurs communicate with. In addition, results show that nascent entrepreneurs using online social network websites not only exchange more information with their contacts, but identify more entrepreneurial ideas than their counterparts that do not use online social network websites. The practical and theoretical implications of this research are discussed and future research directions are presented.Item Exploring The Depressed Rate Of Black Entrepreneurship: The Impact Of Consumer Perceptions(2011) Ogbolu, Michael Nkemakonam; Singh, Robert P.; Business and Management; Doctor of PhilosophyThe rate of Black entrepreneurship has remained relatively unchanged for nearly a century, and it is one third that of White. Black entrepreneurship research has traditionally focused on the entrepreneur and the entrepreneur's circumstances, such as access to capital, education, family structure, and human capital. Conversely, very little attention has been given to the impact of consumer perceptions on the rate of Black entrepreneurship. This dissertation focused on examining consumer perceptions related to Black entrepreneurship. Past research suggests that consumers patronize businesses that they perceive as legitimate and toward which they have favorable attitudes. Consumer attitudes and legitimacy perceptions are especially important to ethnic enclave entrepreneurs, who rely heavily on co-ethnic patronage. The present research study explored whether Black and White consumers have perceptual differences of Black-owned or White-owned businesses, and whether these differences vary by respondent's area of residence. Using a multi-disciplinary theoretical framework, a cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 846 randomly selected respondents participated voluntarily and completed an anonymous survey questionnaire that measured consumer perceptions of Black and White start-up entrepreneurs. Respondents included Blacks in predominantly Black and predominantly White neighborhoods, and Whites in predominantly White and predominantly Black neighborhoods. Regression analyses were used to analyze relationships between key variables and t-test analyses were used to determine if there were significant differences between groups of respondents with respect to perceptions of legitimacy, attitudes, self-esteem, and patronage. This study provides empirical evidence that there are relationships between consumer attitudes, perceptions of legitimacy, and intended patronage for new entrepreneurial startups. This study found significant differences based on race/ethnicity and neighborhood type. The findings suggest that while limited factors determine patronage for Black entrepreneurs, multiple factors predict patronage for White entrepreneurs. Following a discussion of the results, implications for practice and future research directions are offered.Item Life Satisfaction Among Women Of Color Entrepreneurs(2017) Alleman, Ali-Sha; Vakalahi, Halaevalu F. O.; Social Work; Doctor of PhilosophyThe importance of life satisfaction has compelled working women of color to find alternatives to the traditional workplace. Using a phenomenological approach, this qualitative study examined the life satisfaction of 12 women of color entrepreneurs relative to their lived experiences, between the ages of 25-65 who have left the traditional workplace and have been in business for at least five years. A multidimensional conceptual framework including Intersectionality, Resilience theory and Life Satisfaction was used for this study. By using snowball sampling, women of color entrepreneurs were asked to refer and connect other entrepreneurs to the study. Narratives of participants lived experiences were captured using semi-structured interviews. This study examined the following questions: 1) How is life satisfaction perceived by women of color entrepreneurs versus as employees? 2) What are the lived experiences of women of color entrepreneurs? 3) What motivates women of color entrepreneurs? There were seven categories: motivation, emotional/physical health, attitudes towards risk, family support, intersectionality, resilience, and interpretation of life satisfaction; and 20 themes (e.g. workplace rigidity, spirituality, freedom, and a holistic view of life satisfaction). (Findings suggested life satisfaction as entrepreneurs despite economic, regulatory and gender barriers). Implications for future research, practice and policy are discussed.Item Microfinance as a policy tool for poverty alleviation: A study of the performances of ten microfinance institutions in Nigeria.(2005-08-09) Fatukasi, Abimbola Folake; Amegbe, Annan; Master of ArtsItem RETURN LABOR MIGRATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A CASE STUDY OF NEPAL(2020-01-01) Lohani, Jeevan Raj; Gindling, Thomas H.; School of Public Policy; Public PolicyEvery year one in four international labor migrants return home (Azose & Raftery, 2019). The New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM) identifies return migration as a strategic move not only by an individual migrant but also for their mutually interdependent family (Stark & Bloom, 1985; Stark, 1991). ApplyingApplying the theoretical framework of NELM, this dissertations research evaluated whether returning labor migrants are more likely to be entrepreneurs (employers plus self-employed or own-account workers) than people who do not migrate. Using a secondary dataset from the Nepal Labor Force Survey of 2018 (70,000 observations), the research employed a wide range of econometric models using instrumental variables to conclude that labor migration and return increase the probability that these migrants become entrepreneurs. Unlike what is commonly found in the literature for all migrants in other countries, there is evidence of negative selection between returning labor migration and entrepreneurship, i.e., returning labor migrants are less likely to be productive compared to those who do not migrate. After controlling for this selection bias, the preferred instrumental variable estimates suggest that returning labor migrants are more likely to be self-employed than wage employed.Item Structuring the Technology Entrepreneurship Publication Landscape: Making Sense out of Chaos(Elsevier, 2015) Ratinho, Tiago; Harms, Rainer; Walsh, StevenTechnology Entrepreneurship (TE) is a popular and interdisciplinary research field, which is currently published in many different journals. TE articles, once the proviso of management of technology and general entrepreneurship journals, can now be found in journals ranging from those focused on organizational behavior to those specializing in finance. Today's TE researchers embrace the field with vastly disparate disciplines and theoretical backgrounds. This adds to the complexity of the TE publication landscape and makes it difficult for readers and authors to navigate in and to contribute to TE.Item The Impact Of Market Intelligence Generation,Social Capital, And Entrepreneurial Orientation On Firm Creation: A Focus On Nascent Entrepreneurs(2011) Knox, Edwin Lawrence; Austin, Nathan; Business and Management; Doctor of PhilosophyNew firms formed by entrepreneurs produce nearly half of all new product and service innovations; are the source of creation for at least half of all net new jobs; and are responsible for a major share of increases in sector productivity. Currently in America, there are approximately between12 million and 20 million "nascent entrepreneurs," i.e. those who are engaged in activities to start a new firm, but have not yet formally establish an operating business. Unfortunately, less than 10% of these nascent entrepreneurs will actually create an operational firm. This study developed a model that used a multi-construct framework to explore the roles of a nascent entrepreneur's market intelligence generation (MIG), entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and social capital (SC) in explaining firm creation (FC). The MIG represents the pre-disposition toward the collection of market information pertaining to current and potential customer needs, and preferences; scanning and analyzing environmental factors that may influence customers' needs and want; analyzing competitors' actions and how they might influence customers' needs and preferences; gathering and monitoring marketing intelligence via formal and informal methods. EO refers to the processes, practices and decision-making activities used by entrepreneurs that lead to the initiation of an entrepreneurial firm, including experimenting with promising new technologies, being willing to seize new product-market opportunities, and having a pre-disposition to undertake risky ventures. SC refers the nascent entrepreneur's network structure of embedded relationships (e.g., family, friends, entrepreneurs, and business professionals) that can provide information as well as other resources (e.g. information, capital, customers, and labor) necessary to create a firm. The study sample population is from a national dataset developed specifically for research on nascent entrepreneurs (PSED II). A series of logistic regression analyses were conducted to test hypothesized relationships. The results provide support that MIG, EO and several dimensions of SC do play a role in FC. The findings of the study contribute specifically to the literatures of MO and EO by extending the constructs into the analysis of nascentItem The Impact Of Social Capital Of Entrepreneurs On Government Venture Capital Decisions And Firm Performance(2016) Alolayan, Abdulrahman Ali; Singh, Robert P.; Business and Management; Doctor of PhilosophyEntrepreneurs play an important role in the development of economies. In order to be successful, entrepreneurs need to acquire resources to exploit business opportunities. The question of how entrepreneurs acquire resources has been explored in the literature; however, more research is needed to better understand entrepreneurs' resource acquisition processes, particularly with respect to financial resources. Venture capital is an important source of financial resources, and for Saudi Arabian entrepreneurs, government venture capital (GVC) is a significant source of investment capital. GVC decisions can be impacted through entrepreneurs' social capital. Social capital refers to the benefits that an actor extracts from his/her social structures and networks, and can be operationalized through a focus on social exchange and network characteristics (e.g. strong ties, weak ties, structural holes). In this dissertation, I developed 10 hypotheses and investigated how entrepreneurs' social capital impact GVC funding decisions and early firm performance. Using Burt's (1984) ego-network survey methodology, I collected data from 190 entrepreneurs (12.5% response rate) who applied to three GVC sources in Saudi Arabia – Saudi Credit and Saving Bank, Badir, and Waed. Data were collected through online questionnaire that was administered in early 2016. Using logistic regression and correlation analyses, the study found support for seven hypotheses; three were not supported. The results support the idea that social capital/social network characteristics such as network size, weak and strong ties, structural holes, and network heterogeneity of Saudi Arabian entrepreneurs impact GVC funding decisions and firm performance. The study also examined and found differences in the relative importance of social network subunits (e.g. academic, industry, others) such that industry contacts had more of an impact on funding decisions than any other subunits. Following a discussion of the results, implications for practice, and limitations, future research directions are offered.Item The Mediating Roles Of Hrm And Social Climates Between Entrepreneurial Orientation And Firm Performance: Examining Initiating And Imitative Firms(2017) Dobratz, Crystal Lynn; Singh, Robert P.; Business and Management; Doctor of PhilosophyEntrepreneurial Orientation (EO) is a multi-dimensional construct that focuses on processes that lead a firm to new entry. It has been linked to firm performance, but research has consistently sought to better understand the relationship between EO and performance. In this dissertation, I explore additional constructs that may be mediating the EO-firm performance relationship. More specifically, it is suggested that a firm's Human Resource Management (HRM) climate and social climate mediate this relationship. In addition, I incorporate EO-initiating firms (firms that seek out Schumpeterian opportunities) and EO-imitative firms (firms that seek out Kirznerian opportunities) into the analyses. Including these two types of firms into the EO-performance framework has further helped bring more clarity to its impacts on performance. While this study focused on the mediating relationships between both climates for EO-imitative firms and EO-initiating firms, and resulting performance implications, this dissertation also compares how each type of firm impacts other aspects within the model differently. Following an introduction and literature review, 16 hypotheses were developed. The hypotheses were tested using a sample of 499 firms. Computer Aided Text Analysis (CATA) was used to analyze 10-K reports from the sample firms. More specifically, PROCESS Macro (Model 6) was used to assess whether the 16 hypotheses were supported through Path Analysis. Support was found for 13 of the 16 hypotheses; three hypotheses were not supported. Overall, HRM climate and social climate were found to be mediators for both initiating and imitative firms in their pursuit of higher firm performance. While the majority of the results show a positive relationship, social climate resulted in a negative relationship with firm performance. Further, when comparing the impact of EO on HRM climate and social climate, results showed that EO-imitative firms had more of an impact on HRM climate and EO-initiating firms had more of an impact on social climate, as theorized and hypothesized. However, while it was suggested that HRM climate would have more of an impact on firm performance for EO-imitative firms, the opposite was the case. The potential reasoning for all relationships is discussed. The need for a clearer understanding of the EO-firm performance relationship is in high demand, but research has continued to find varying results. Separating EO into two focuses – EO-imitative and EO-initiating – allows for more refined analysis since firms will generally focus on either competing within a market or creating a new market at any given time. Further, within every firm exists both a firm's formal and informal environment. As HRM climate relates to the firm's formal environment and social climate relates to the firm's informal environment, this must be accounted for in looking closely at what is affecting the relationship for EO-imitative and EO-initiating firms and their resulting firm performance. Firms are better able to assess not only their specific focus (EO-imitative or EO-initiating), but also how both climates mediate that relationship differently. Since there was an unexpected inverse relationship between social climate and firm performance for both types of firms, future research should look more closely at the dimensions and how they affect performance separately. Given that CATA analysis is a conservative study, future research should look at other options, such as surveys. This study focused on 10-K reports from companies identified on the R1000 index. Future should not only look at other indexes, but also compare the results with the results of this study. Even with these limitations, this study adds to the entrepreneurship literature by advancing our understanding of the EO-firm performance relationship.Item What's Distinctive about Growth-Oriented Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries?(2005) Lingelbach, David C; De La Vina, Lynda; Asel, PaulEntrepreneurship in emerging markets is distinctive from that practiced in more developed countries. Better understanding these distinctions is critical to private sector development in developing countries. Of particular interest are new and growth-oriented enterprises, which have a greater capacity to create sustainable economic growth than microenterprises or long-established SMEs with limited growth prospects. The distinctions between growth-oriented entrepreneurs in developing and developed markets are rooted in the inefficiency of markets in many developing countries, but the response of entrepreneurs to these inefficiencies is often surprising and counterintuitive. These findings call into question the policy approaches to entrepreneurship development often advocated. While noting the possible lack of correlation between business environment and levels of growth-oriented entrepreneurship, we focus on three key distinctions: opportunity, financial resources, and apprenticeship and human resources. These distinctions suggest a rich research and policy reform agenda.