Evolving Processes of Entrepreneurship Networks

Throughout the entrepreneurship literature there is consensus that the network plays a critical role in the entrepreneurial process, as it provides the entrepreneur with access to resources that can facilitate the likelihood of the firm’s emergence and growth. There is also agreement among entrepreneurship scholars of the need to develop a more complete and integrated understanding of network development and change processes. This paper proposes a study of entrepreneurship network development, using survey research to capture data on interrelationships and network structure. The focus is on the transformation of entrepreneurship networks, and how they develop over time. This research addresses an important gap in the entrepreneurship literature, where network relationships and network structure are simultaneously explored, and the dependent variable is the network itself. By drawing on the arguments of Larson and Starr (1993), where the evolution of the entrepreneur’s social network is the outcome of the selection, variation and retention of ties that occurs as the business is established and grows

Modeling Creative Processes for Business Performance

The main aim of the paper is to explore the use of creative processes, primarily in service-providing businesses. Creative processes could be considered one of the ways to improve the company’s performance, as well as increase the motivation of employees. A company’s performance not only depends on routine work processes, but also on the ability to use the creative resources in the most efficient way. In this case, is it true that creativity is widely used in large companies? Is it more beneficial to be creative when the competitiveness is tough? What are the attitude towards creativity as a tool for boosting business development? Implementation of new ideas, resource reallocation, improvement of product line efficiency and other activities can be optimized with the help of creative processes. This paper studies the implementation of creative processes in business development, covering theoretical and practical business aspects for innovation and entrepreneurship

Building Brands through Social Listening

Marketers are using social media as a way to promote their brands and build consumer relationships. Research has shown that brand relationships can provide consumers with resources in making decisions, meeting their needs, and motivating them. With a growing number of marketers reporting that social media is important to their businesses, keeping a watchful eye on what the customers are saying on social media, and what competitors are doing, is critical. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook enable the creation of virtual customer environments, where online communities form around specific firms, brands, or products. For this project we hope to demonstrate, using digital tools and survey research, that social media comments can serve as a valuable indicator of shifts in brand sentiment. This research examines how emotional brand-based relationships and perceptions develop in online social communities. This project will utilize brand monitoring tools to track and analyze three global brands and examine the new and rapidly changing digital marketplace, and the various tools that can be used to help develop and maintain competitive brands. This research will also compare online and survey data to see how well they align, and reflect a window into the marketplace for assessing and developing brands

Bridging the Gap in the Technology Commercialization Process

Cogeneration merges the production of usable heat and electricity into a single process that helps to reduce carbon emissions, energy waste and energy costs. Until now, this source of sustainable energy has been used mostly in the industrial sector, the consumer market is unknown. One type of cogeneration system, the Stirling engine, is a heat engine that is operated by a cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gas at different temperatures. This cogeneration system is capable of charging a smartphone’s battery using the heat of everyday objects like a hot cup or a radiator, or a human hand. There are two main goals of this project; 1) is to design and build a small prototype using the Stirling engine technology to generate electricity; and 2) to conduct a market test to assess the appeal of the Stirling sustainable charger among consumers. Online surveys will be employed to conduct research to evaluate overall purchase interest in this new technology. The information to be collected will include demographic and attitudinal characteristics that can be used to help build consumer profiles, and identify which profiles correlate with higher levels of purchase interest for the Stirling sustainable charger. This research will be used to help position the Stirling charge, and to identify key target segments for the marketing of this product

Preferences and Learning Behaviors of Digital Natives

Because students’ lives today are saturated with digital media at a time when their brains are still developing, several popular press authors suggest that media use has profoundly affected students’ abilities, preferences, and attitudes related to learning. They claim that “digital natives” (often defined as those born after 1980) have a distinctive set of characteristics that includes preference for speed, nonlinear processing, multitasking, and social learning, allegedly developed through immersion in digital technology during childhood and adolescence. The purpose of this project is to explore claims that the digital “native” generation as learners demonstrate different learning behaviors, by exploring relationships between technology use and productive learning habits. This study will test theoretical assumptions in the literature and popular press, and gather data through survey research to address the possible connection between technology use and learning by asking university students in to report patterns of use across a variety of technologies, as well as their preferences and behaviors when learning about topics that interest them. This data will help us better understand how digital natives themselves see their technology use and approaches to learning, which may in turn provide an empirical basis for both curriculum design that provides students with opportunities for more productive learning behaviors, and academic success. Updated research on this topic can provide better direction for developing the tools and approaches best suited to the delivery of higher education

Entrepreneurship Networks: Trust and Efficacy - A Model of Network Evolution

There is a vast body of research that demonstrates how entrepreneurs mobilize different networks (business, professional, family and friends) as sources of knowledge, new ideas, financing and support. Both network relationships and network structure will influence the likelihood of entrepreneur’s success during the establishment and growth stages of the new enterprise. The entrepreneur’s ability to acquire resources needed is influenced by network characteristics such as network size, diversity, density, cohesiveness, and the position of the entrepreneur within the social network. This paper proposes a mixed-method approach, combining survey research and network data analysis, to gain a deeper understanding of entrepreneurial networks

The Sustainable Closet

The technology that created the boom in online shopping has turned the local thrift store into a mainstream phenomenon. Customers of the future will look for ways to recycle, resell or upcycle, and will be drawn to the incredible value of buying secondhand, with millennials and Gen Z adopting second hand faster than other age groups. This will have a significant positive impact on global sustainability, as the fashion industry produces 10% of all carbon emissions, is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply, and pollutes oceans with microplastics. The clothing industry follows oil as the second largest industrial polluter. In the US, consumer trends indicate that shoppers who don’t want to be seen in the same outfit twice have resulted consumers’ buying 60% more clothing today than they did 15 years ago, but keep the items only half as long. In Europe, clothing resale has brought the conversation of ethical buying back into the spotlight. Globally, the fashion resale and rental market is exploding, growing 21 times faster than the retail market over the past three years. The objective of this study is to better understand consumer attitudes and behaviors with regard to the apparel resale economy

The Changing Shape of International Education

Globalization is a major force driving the demand for international higher education. Organizations are seeking potential employees who possess the ability to interact globally, and University faculty is emphasizing the importance of international experience. Still, there are both advantages and disadvantages associated with studies abroad. This objective of this research is to identify and understand the key reasons why students study abroad. Findings from this study may provide helpful direction for developing future international programs, and explore partnerships between Universities in different countries that best fits student expectation and demands. Specifically, this report answers the following questions; “What are the biggest barriers for students towards studying abroad?” “What are the advantages of international higher education?”, and “How should the future international higher education programs be designed?”. In order to answer these questions, a mixed-method research approach was taken. This includes a review of existing academic literature and databases, individual in-depth interviews with relevant University faculty in the U.S., Sweden and Italy, followed by survey research. This paper presents the analysis and findings for data collected in the U.S only. The research will help add new knowledge, and provide useful direction for the design of educational curriculum that expands both the reach and efficacy of cross-cultural, transnational higher education in the U.S. At present, the biggest barriers towards students studying abroad seem to be monetary issues and having to leave friends and family. However, one of the gains for students choosing to study abroad can be a competitive advantage in the labor market. Findings from the research show that most students are valuing the practical experience just as high as the academic content of international education. Students also seem to think that the time spent on academia and practical experience, such as field trips and case studies, should be divided thereafter. This indicates that if universities want to attract more international students, the future design of international higher education should, besides having a good academic standing, take a more practical approach in order to better fit student demand. Universities should also further develop classes with strong international features to those who do not wish to study abroad in the traditional sense

The Changing Face of Entrepreneurship

In most developed countries today, having a work force with skill sets in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are seen as essential to long-term economic growth. In many countries, the demand for STEM workers is expected to grow faster than any other occupation over the next decade. Yet the research shows that females are underrepresented in STEM-related fields. The numbers of females entering into STEM careers is generally lower than males, but there are countries where females account for a greater percentage than males in other fields or occupations. In the U.S. women continue to be underrepresented in STEM careers even though they account for more than half the college-educated work force. The workforce requires an increase in female participation in STEM occupations as we transition towards a more global economy. Today there are more women starting their own business, and assuming management roles in companies and large organizations. Research indicates that females, as entrepreneurs and innovators, are just as successful as their male counterparts. Females attending universities to pursue a degree in a STEM-related discipline is now on the rise, a trend that is vital both economically and socially. A survey was administered in Europe and the United States to help identify the barriers women face entering STEM careers, and to better understand the challenges from an entrepreneurial perspective