Robert P. Singh

Examining successful Iranian women entrepreneurs: an exploratory study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the factors impacting successful Iranian women entrepreneurs. The factors include: self‐efficacy, risk taking, negative stereotypes, and societal culture and traditions.Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes interviews conducted with a sample of successful Iranian women entrepreneurs and examines the challenges they had to overcome, as well as their success factors.Findings – Challenges caused by the negative stereotypes and traditions of Iranian society are barriers successful Iranian women entrepreneurs had to overcome. The possession of personal internal factors such as high levels of self‐efficacy and risk taking positively impacted these womens success.Research limitation/implications – The interviews were not conducted by the authors and were published in Farsi, so there may be interpretation and/or translation issues. However, there are few empirical studies on Iranian women entrepreneurs, and this research is one of the first that contri...

OPPORTUNITY RECOGNITION DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE NASCENT ENTREPRENEURS: A TEST OF BHAVE'S MODEL

Examining the opportunity recognition processes of black and white entrepreneurs may help improve the lagging rate of black entrepreneurship. Based on the framework provided by Bhaves (1994) model of new venture creation, and using data collected through the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, we found significant differences between the percentage of black and white nascent entrepreneurs who recognized externally-stimulated versus internally-stimulated opportunities and their projected firm revenues. As predicted, black nascent entrepreneurs were more likely to pursue externally-stimulated opportunities with significantly lower expected revenues than their white counterparts. Academic and practical implications are discussed and future research directions are offered.

Blogs: Emerging Knowledge Management Tools For Entrepreneurs to Enhance Marketing Efforts

ABSTRACT One of the more important knowledge management trends today is the growing emergence and power of Weblogs, or “blogs.” A recent BusinessWeek cover story predicted that blogs would radically alter the marketplace. Just what are blogs, how will they impact businesses, and how can entrepreneurs use them to enhance their businesses? They are not well researched in the academic literature. In this article, we examine the rapid growth in Web traffic to blogs and discuss how blogs can improve performance by improving the marketing function of firms. We then identify best practices used by the most visited blogs on the Internet. Practical implications, limitations, and academic research directions are also provided.

Educational Attainment: A Key Factor for Improving the Lagging Rate of Black Entrepreneurship

The difference between the percentage of blacks and whites who are self-employed in the United States is striking. In this paper, we focus on the role of educational achievement in explaining the gap between white and black entrepreneurship. Using data collected through the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED), we identified 1.061 white nascent entrepreneurs (NEs) and 270 black NEs and compared the two groups against each other as well as to white and black comparison groups of non-NEs. The results suggest that in order to improve the rate of black entrepreneurship, more focus is needed on improving black educational achievement.

Opportunity recognition processes of black entrepreneurs

The reasons for the long-term lagging rate of black American entrepreneurship are not well understood. Rather than look at financial factors, as most of the limited literature that has explored the disparity has done, we examine the opportunity recognition processes of black entrepreneurs. Using data collected from 147 black entrepreneurs, we found the entrepreneurs in our study – all of whom had achieved moderate success – were much more likely to have pursued internally stimulated opportunities than externally stimulated opportunities. The important practical and academic implications are discussed and future research directions are offered.

The Aging Population and Mature Entrepreneurs: Market Trends and Implications for Entrepreneurship

This article discusses the statistics and trends surrounding the rapidly aging U.S. population. Older workers will make up an increasing portion of the workforce and these individuals represent an important growing demographic target market. While much has been written about the aging population and the potential for entrepreneurs to target this growing market, little research has been conducted on older entrepreneurs. They are a unique group and this article provides empirical results and discussion about the differences and importance of older entrepreneurs to the economy and as contributors to American society. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Entrepreneurial Community College Presidents: An exploratory qualitative and quantitative study

This study examined the entrepreneurial, nontraditional fundraising behaviors and activities of 23 community college presidents using interview and survey data. The institutional characteristics that facilitate entrepreneurial action and how presidents are raising these new revenues were explored. “Best practices” and implications for future research and practice are provided. The results of this analysis revealed meaningful information that is beneficial for community college presidents seeking to transform their colleges through entrepreneurial leadership. These findings indicate entrepreneurial presidents do exist and their practices can be identified. The findings also indicate that presidents’ engagement in certain specific entrepreneurial practices do result in increased nontraditional funding secured. A summary of these key findings may be used as a guide for current and future community college leaders who desire to become more entrepreneurial.

Researching Black Entrepreneurship: Exploring The Challenge Of Response Bias

The reasons for the long term lagging rate of black entrepreneurship are not well understood. Although there has been growing research on black entrepreneurship, race related research can be challenging and may be susceptible to bias resulting from socially desirable responses. Using survey data collected on consumer perceptions of white and black entrepreneurs from 843 white and black respondents by white and black data collectors, we found evidence of response bias. The paper illuminates research methodology issues that should be factored into race-based entrepreneurship research. The important practical and academic implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities as the Heart of Entrepreneurship Research: A Reflection on Venkataraman (1997)

In this chapter we review the seminal article of Venkataraman (Adv Entr Firm Emerg Growth 3:119–138, 1997), which clarified the role of entrepreneurial opportunities in entrepreneurship research. The article also offered a framework to identify the boundaries of entrepreneurship as a distinctive domain of research by explaining the processes evolving around opportunities. We start by summarizing the paper and by reviewing the core ideas in the article. We also explain why we believe the article is a classic. Then we review the opportunity research that appeared before Venkataraman as well as some of the research built upon Venkataraman’s argument. Finally, we discuss how future research can continue to build on the insights from the article and in ways that continue to resonate in the field.