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- Title
- RESOURCE ACCUMULATION DYNAMICS DURING THE NEW VENTURE FORMATION PROCESS.
- Creator
-
Gresock, Amy, Ford, Cameron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As described by the resource-based view, resource accumulation is a key concern for new ventures. Although we know that getting the right resources is a critical issue to organizations, we know far less about how fledgling firms assemble these resources over time. The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics of resource accumulation and their effect on performance and growth during new venture formation. In particular, I examine the constructs of financial capital, human capital, and...
Show moreAs described by the resource-based view, resource accumulation is a key concern for new ventures. Although we know that getting the right resources is a critical issue to organizations, we know far less about how fledgling firms assemble these resources over time. The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics of resource accumulation and their effect on performance and growth during new venture formation. In particular, I examine the constructs of financial capital, human capital, and performance, and will test relationships using a sample from the Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS) that provides the necessary data to test my longitudinal proposals. I predict that that the constructs of human capital and financial capital impact performance, and that performance later impacts these constructs. I use latent curve analysis to examine the growth and decline of resource classes, and also cross-lag analysis to see how performance affects the acquisition of subsequent resources. This work has potential implications for strategy and entrepreneurship scholars alike. The document is organized as follows: Chapter 1 will serve as the introduction of the work and describe my research question and intent. Chapter 2 will serve as a relevant literature review and gives detail to theoretical perspectives guiding the study at hand. Chapter 3 presents the methodology, including information about the sample and the statistical methods utilized. Chapter 4 explains the results of the testing of hypotheses. Finally, Chapter 5 gives conclusions, limitations, and provides direction for future research.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003181, ucf:48600
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003181
- Title
- Comparative Analysis Of Centers For Entrepreneurship At Two Central Florida Universities.
- Creator
-
Blencke, Carl, Boote, David, Sivo, Stephen, Katzenmeyer, Conrad, Ford, Cameron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Studies have attempted to explain the linkage between achieving success in the field of entrepreneurship and the pedagogy instituted to teach the skills entrepreneurs need to achieve success in their chosen endeavors. It is widely known and well documented that people have experienced entrepreneurial success with limited, and sometimes no formal entrepreneurial training. The ever present question of (")can entrepreneurship be taught(") has been debated from many varying perspectives. The late...
Show moreStudies have attempted to explain the linkage between achieving success in the field of entrepreneurship and the pedagogy instituted to teach the skills entrepreneurs need to achieve success in their chosen endeavors. It is widely known and well documented that people have experienced entrepreneurial success with limited, and sometimes no formal entrepreneurial training. The ever present question of (")can entrepreneurship be taught(") has been debated from many varying perspectives. The late Peter Drucker pragmatically once said (")The entrepreneur mystique? It's not magic, it's not mysterious, and it has nothing to do with the genes. It's a discipline. And, like any discipline, it can be learned(") (Drucker, 1985).A study conducted by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity recently determined that almost half of Americans with college degrees are overqualified for their jobs. Many studies have also concluded that college graduates accumulate greater lifetime earnings than non-college graduates. Yet the escalating costs of attending college and the diminishing prospects of job security after attaining a college degree have brought the cost of education to the precipice of a potential (")education bubble("). Student loan debt exceeds One Trillion Dollars and the typical student loan needs to be repaid over ten years at nearly seven percent interest. Similar to the recently experienced (")housing bubble(") there is a genuine concern, as it relates to education, that today's populace is paying too much for something that yields limited value. Therefore, the question of (")can entrepreneurship be taught(") should be supplanted with (")can entrepreneurship be learned?(") (")Are graduates capable of applying their academic training to produce tangible results?(")If there are too many academic degrees being generated that are unable to be absorbed into a stagnant job market, it would stand to reason that a college degree, from a business school or any co-curricular discipline, without significant concentration in the study of entrepreneurship, serves only a limited purpose in a growing, capitalistic society that is predicated on job growth. Centers for entrepreneurship provide an excellent foundation for invigorating new college graduates from multiple academic disciplines with the motivation and desire to achieve success in business as entrepreneurs. This comparative analysis of two thriving and vibrant Centers for Entrepreneurship at major universities in the growing central Florida region examines their best practices and compares them to current national guidelines established by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, a 200 + member organization domiciled in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana that serves as the key junction for university-based entrepreneurship centers across the United States to collaborate, communicate and jointly advance excellence in entrepreneurship (www.globalentrepreneurshipconsortium.org).The evaluator and author of this dissertation implemented procedures similar to those used in accreditation reviews and applied professional judgment techniques to design a connoisseurship evaluation of entrepreneurship centers at two major universities --- The Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL and The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL.We have all heard the Horatio Alger (")rags to riches(") stories of entrepreneurs who (")bootstrapped(") their business ideas without benefit of any formal business or entrepreneurial education. But it is just as great a likelihood in the coming years that we will admire those who give the credit for their success to the concepts they mastered in an entrepreneurial studies program and how their alma maters provided mentors through their centers for entrepreneurship who saved them from committing an abundance of mistakes by trial and error as they transported their business ideas from conceptualization to realization.This research will assist centers of entrepreneurship as they strive to incorporate standards of excellence to benefit students who endeavor to become business and job creators in the future.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004819, ucf:49755
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004819
- Title
- DYNAMIC ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORKS: AN INVESTIGATION OF ENTREPRENEURS, NEW VENTURES AND THEIR NETWORKS.
- Creator
-
Sullivan, Diane, Ford, Cameron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Entrepreneurs need resources to organize new venture offerings into marketplace-acceptable forms. Entrepreneurs use others' assistance via networks to obtain these resources. Research indicates that firms face resource dependencies, that likely change over time, where they must respond to those controlling resources. Although some work has investigated implications of new ventures' networks at one time period, little work has investigated the dynamic nature and associated outcomes of networks...
Show moreEntrepreneurs need resources to organize new venture offerings into marketplace-acceptable forms. Entrepreneurs use others' assistance via networks to obtain these resources. Research indicates that firms face resource dependencies, that likely change over time, where they must respond to those controlling resources. Although some work has investigated implications of new ventures' networks at one time period, little work has investigated the dynamic nature and associated outcomes of networks as they change due to different resource requirements as the venture develops. This research examines the dynamic nature of networks, due different resource requirements over time, and how these changes impact entrepreneurial outcomes via interactions with entrepreneurs' existing networks. In order to account for the dynamic nature of entrepreneurial new ventures and their networks of resource providers, a model is presented that investigates antecedents to subsequent entrepreneurial network characteristics. The model also anticipates changes eminent to the founder as a consequence of interactions with their networks due to experiences associated with the new venture development process. This work relies on network theory integrated with resource dependence theory arguments, work that examines founder attributes as associated with entrepreneurial outcomes and research that investigates the stages of new venture development. Predictions developed from the model were tested in two studies. The first study utilized the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, an existing panel database containing information about nascent entrepreneurs, as its data source to test predictions examining the dynamics of entrepreneurs' networks across two time frames. The second study used a cross-sectional mass mail survey design to investigate all of the model's predictions on a random sample of newly incorporated firms in the state of Florida. The results of the studies provided support for about one third of the predictions and there were a few contrasting findings across studies. Overall, the results of the studies suggest that some conceptualizations presented in the theoretical model should be reevaluated and that the applicability of some constructs when studying firms in the organizing stages of development should be reconsidered.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001173, ucf:46863
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001173
- Title
- HUMAN CAPITAL EFFECT ON SECOND GENERATION IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS.
- Creator
-
Mazahaem Flores, Ali, Kutkut, Nasser, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Interest in entrepreneurship has increased in the past few years as more schools are beginning to incorporate subject and degrees specializing in the area as well as individuals mobilizing into an entrepreneurial lifestyle due to the lack of opportunities in the standard workplace environment. Historically, immigrants have made up a large majority of entrepreneurs and it has been their primary way of upward mobility in society. The boom in high tech start-ups and other small businesses in the...
Show moreInterest in entrepreneurship has increased in the past few years as more schools are beginning to incorporate subject and degrees specializing in the area as well as individuals mobilizing into an entrepreneurial lifestyle due to the lack of opportunities in the standard workplace environment. Historically, immigrants have made up a large majority of entrepreneurs and it has been their primary way of upward mobility in society. The boom in high tech start-ups and other small businesses in the last decade have primarily been driven by children of immigrants. As a result of these recent trends this study analyses the foreign born children of immigrants and their entrepreneurial capacity. The intent of this study is to find to what extent human capital affects the entrepreneurial capacity of immigrant children, if any. By analyzing the Theory of Human Capital in Entrepreneurship and its main variables, the study aims to find their level of human capital. Through the gathering of recent population data, analysis of research journals, publications and books, we evaluate the level of human capital and how it affects the capacity of the individual. Historically, evidence has shown a correlation between the two and we hope to contribute to the research and better understand its role in our subject matter as well as bring more awareness to a topic that lacks information.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004401, ucf:45145
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004401
- Title
- A MEASURE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL RISK PREFERENCE AND OPTIMISM USING FIELD EXPERIMENTS.
- Creator
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Schneider, Mark, Elston, Julie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Previous studies have underscored the economic importance of the role of the entrepreneur, and empirical studies testing the nature of the entrepreneur are notably lacking. This study directly addresses this issue by examining newly gathered field data which captures the decision making and risk behaviors for a group of high-technology entrepreneurs. Two decision making tasks were used to elicit risk aversion measures and to test for any 'joy of winning' or judgmental errors, possibly in the...
Show morePrevious studies have underscored the economic importance of the role of the entrepreneur, and empirical studies testing the nature of the entrepreneur are notably lacking. This study directly addresses this issue by examining newly gathered field data which captures the decision making and risk behaviors for a group of high-technology entrepreneurs. Two decision making tasks were used to elicit risk aversion measures and to test for any 'joy of winning' or judgmental errors, possibly in the form of over optimistic behavior. These elicitations were made with the use of multiple price formats and winner's curse experiments. 62 responses were collected from subjects at the 2004 national Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) conference in Atlanta, March 2004. From these 62 responses a subject pool of 33 entrepreneurs and 29 non-entrepreneurs were identified. Statistical methods were employed to assign risk aversion measures and identify any 'joy of winning' or judgmental errors for the entrepreneur (treatment) group compared with the non-entrepreneur (control) group. Findings show that entrepreneurs exhibit less risk aversion, but show no statistically meaningful difference in judgmental errors compared to their non-entrepreneur counterparts. However, there is evidence to support the claim that both entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs exhibit a 'joy of winning', and that the size of the effect is larger for entrepreneurs.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000549, ucf:46426
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000549
- Title
- Modeling the innovation ecosystem and development of a dynamic innovation index.
- Creator
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Schoen, Henriette, Karwowski, Waldemar, Hoekstra, Robert, Shumaker, Randall, Akbas, Mustafa, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The topic of innovation currently generates a tremendous amount of interest around the world. Innovation is considered an essential part of the solution to creating more jobs and improving the socio-economic conditions of many countries around the globe. Innovation comes about through the existence of many interrelated solutions to socio-economic problems in an extensively interconnected network, which create value for each other. Such a complex creativity and innovation value-creating...
Show moreThe topic of innovation currently generates a tremendous amount of interest around the world. Innovation is considered an essential part of the solution to creating more jobs and improving the socio-economic conditions of many countries around the globe. Innovation comes about through the existence of many interrelated solutions to socio-economic problems in an extensively interconnected network, which create value for each other. Such a complex creativity and innovation value-creating network is here called an Innovation Ecosystem (IE). The main objective of this dissertation research is to improve the current understanding of the IE by developing a simulation model that uses a broad set of relevant static and dynamic variables and incorporates the principles of system dynamics (SD). The proposed model, which is named the IECO-model is based on the relationships between 91 variables and the combined influences of the 43 parameters. Available data for 32 countries, representing a full span of GDP worldwide, was used to study the level of innovation in each of these countries. The result of the developed IECO-model is a novel ranking of the level of innovation through a dynamic innovation index, called the DII. The DII is a new tool to evaluate the innovation and entrepreneurship level of a given country in the context of the global economy. The most significant differentiator from other existing indices of innovation is that the DII is focusing more on the entrepreneurship qualities in 19 of the 43 parameters by looking at cultural values and belief systems, the social context, existing entrepreneurial culture, innovation attitudes, and mentality of each of the considered countries. According to DII-based ranking, the ten most innovative countries in the world are 1. Switzerland, 2. USA, 3. Finland, 4. Netherlands, 5. Iceland, 6. Sweden, 7. Germany, 8. Denmark, 9. The United Kingdom, and 10. Austria.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007586, ucf:52537
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007586
- Title
- What's your focus? The impact of regulatory focus on resource acquisition.
- Creator
-
Stevenson, Regan, Ford, Cameron, Schminke, Marshall, McKenny, Aaron, Short, Jeremy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Entrepreneurs need resources. Previous research has established that entrepreneurs send signals of (")quality(") to potential resource providers in order to obtain resources. However, a behavioral research approach would contend that resource acquisition depends on much more than venture quality signals. In this dissertation, I extend beyond the signaling paradigm and investigate the resource acquisition process using a framework contingent on entrepreneur signals, resource provider...
Show moreEntrepreneurs need resources. Previous research has established that entrepreneurs send signals of (")quality(") to potential resource providers in order to obtain resources. However, a behavioral research approach would contend that resource acquisition depends on much more than venture quality signals. In this dissertation, I extend beyond the signaling paradigm and investigate the resource acquisition process using a framework contingent on entrepreneur signals, resource provider dispositional differences, and their interactive effects. Specifically, I leverage regulatory focus theory and regulatory fit theory to augment and move beyond the signaling theory approach. Methodologically, I undertake two studies. The first study uses archival field data consisting of a sample of 895 new venture pitches. In each of these pitches, I analyze the displays of promotion and prevention focus sent by entrepreneurs across video and textual narratives. To complete this analysis I develop novel measures of promotion and prevention focus suitable for computer-aided textual analysis (CATA). In the second study, I use a sample of 120 investors and a quasi-experimental approach to assess the moderating role of investor-level promotion and prevention focus on the relationship between entrepreneur displays of promotion and prevention focus and resource acquisition. The findings and their implications are discussed in relation to extant new venture resource acquisition literature and regulatory focus theory.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006185, ucf:51139
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006185
- Title
- MIA-mi: Exploring the Affect of Digital Cinema Through Micro-Budget Production Techniques.
- Creator
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Lima, Yesenia, Mills, Lisa, Peterson, Lisa, Underberg-Goode, Natalie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
MIA-mi is a feature-length, micro-budget, and digital motion picture, produced, written, and directed by Yesenia Lima in pursuit of the Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema from the University of Central Florida. The film is a satirical and naturalistic look at the standing global image of a city, Miami, FL, and its inhabitants. The guiding question behind the production is whether a portrayal of a city, outside of its stereotypical portrait in mass media, could spark and...
Show moreMIA-mi is a feature-length, micro-budget, and digital motion picture, produced, written, and directed by Yesenia Lima in pursuit of the Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema from the University of Central Florida. The film is a satirical and naturalistic look at the standing global image of a city, Miami, FL, and its inhabitants. The guiding question behind the production is whether a portrayal of a city, outside of its stereotypical portrait in mass media, could spark and affect a dialogue on the global image of the city and its inhabitant's ability to adjust that image rather than conform to it. The film was produced in a micro-budget (under $50,000) model, following the program's guidelines. It was shot on location in Miami, FL, with a volunteer cast and crew. This thesis is a record of the film's development from inception to post-production, in preparation for distribution.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005649, ucf:50182
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005649
- Title
- Pembroke Circle: A Portrayal Of Social Themes Using Micro-budget Cinema.
- Creator
-
Rousseau, Max, Stoeckl, Ula, Sandler, Barry, Peterson, Lisa, Gay, Andrew, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Pembroke Circle is a feature-length, micro-budget, digital motion picture, written, produced and directed by Max Rousseau as a part of the University of Central Florida's Masters in Fine Arts program in Digital Entrepreneurial Cinema. The filmmaker engaged some very difficult material in the micro-budget paradigm and grew personally and professionally in the process. This thesis documents the writing process, pre-production, fund-raising, production and post-production; all leading to the...
Show morePembroke Circle is a feature-length, micro-budget, digital motion picture, written, produced and directed by Max Rousseau as a part of the University of Central Florida's Masters in Fine Arts program in Digital Entrepreneurial Cinema. The filmmaker engaged some very difficult material in the micro-budget paradigm and grew personally and professionally in the process. This thesis documents the writing process, pre-production, fund-raising, production and post-production; all leading to the completion of a festival-ready feature film. It is the hope that this thesis will create an understanding of what it takes to make a micro-budget film and offer some help to future filmmakers embarking on a similar path.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005243, ucf:50605
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005243