Extending Behavioral Theory of the Firm to New Ventures: Dispositional Optimism as a Moderating Influence on New Product Introductions in High Tech Ventures

Extant literature has typically drawn from the behavioral theory of the firm (BTOF) to examine new product introductions in the context of well-established companies. This paper extends the behavioral theory of the firm to entrepreneurial firms and argues that jointly considering founders\u27 dispositional optimism together with the performance feedback promises to yield a better understanding of new product introductions in new ventures. We analyze a longitudinal dataset on the activities of 344 newly founded high technology ventures in the United States. The key insight of our study is that when BTOF is applied to the context of nascent, entrepreneurial ventures, the personality and dispositional characteristics of the entrepreneur must be considered. Specifically, we find that performance attainment discrepancy leads to new product introductions, but only when the entrepreneur\u27s dispositional optimism level is high

Vol. 14, Issue 2

P1. OER; P2. Voting Information; P3. Disinformation Spotting; P4. What are weReading? and VR Lab Open Hours P5. Library Staff Photo and Contact U

Mindful Instincts: Exploring Differences in Intuition Amongst Men and Women

Intuition, or the ability to quickly interpret a situation and make a decision without the use of the conscious mind, is a phenomenon that has gained a lot of popularity amongst psychologists over the last couple of decades. The phenomenon, which has been a part of human life since neanderthal days, gained a lot of popularity in the early 20th century, thanks to the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Studies have shown differences in levels of intuition amongst various groups. The most profound differences observed have been those between men’s and women’s levels of intuition. This paper dives into differences in levels of intuition amongst different genders, age groups and races. The study will utilize the Types of Intuition Scale (TIntS) test to determine a sample of anonymous participants’ intuition levels. The results from the study will indicate the specific groups that have higher levels of intuition as well as the specific groups that have lower levels of intuition. Using these findings, the paper will dive into the possible reasons for these results

The Impacts of COVID-19 on the U.S. Life Insurance Industry: A Study of Pandemic Mortality Rates

The COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial and widespread impacts around the world that are not yet completely understood but will likely be experienced for years to come. This research seeks to analyzed and quantify the pandemic’s effects on the life insurance industry in the United States through the use of mortality models. Because the life insurance industry relies on the ability to accurately predict an individual’s mortality, it is necessary to investigate the impacts of the pandemic on mortality predictions and accuracy. Impairment factors were developed using pandemic mortality data and applied to existing mortality tables to compare expected and actual mortality throughout the pandemic. It was found that mortality was higher than expected for 2020, 2021, and 2022, leading to subsequent declines in life expectancy. This increase in mortality and decline in life expectancy depicts the inaccuracy of prior models for the pandemic. Additionally, higher mortality rates means that insurance companies likely were not charging enough in premiums to offset the mortality risk they were facing, likely resulting in substantial financial losses for the life insurance industry throughout the pandemic. Through the creation of more accurate mortality models for the pandemic, subsequent insurance products can be more accurately priced and reserved. Future insurance products should be designed to consider clients with heightened risk of mortality due to COVID-19 and potential widespread increases in mortality overall