Small businesses represent over 99% of all United States businesses and are engines of economic growth and job creation. In 2018, the Small Business Administration estimated that a total of 30.2 million small businesses employed over 58.9 million workers. Small businesses are known to face significant challenges, and most fail within 5 years of startup. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that owners of small accounting businesses used to sustain their organizations for longer than 5 years. The population in this study consisted of 5 owners of small accounting businesses in Michigan. The conceptual framework for the study was human capital theory. Data were collected through face-to-face, semistructured interviews and review of documents. The analysis of collected data yielded themes that included market research and competitive analysis, excellent customer service, passion for accounting and arduous work, and retention of skilled and competent employees. The findings of this study may be applied to bringing about positive social change by enhancing small business owners' competence and promoting business growth. Additionally, the use of the results of this study may promote economic activities and sustainability by stimulating job creation and reducing unemployment.

This research explores perceptions of the context, contribution, challenges and critical success factors in the adoption of sustainability footprint strategy amongst Scottish SMEs. Critics of sustainability footprint measurement insist that by nature it records historical impact and does not incorporate the views of future generations and are a luxury for most firms except those achieving near monopolistic profits. Recent UK greenhouse gas policy initiatives are specifically targeted at large organisations and do not provide the institutional support required to assist SME's in greenhouse gas emissions reporting. Despite overwhelming evidence as to the benefits of sustainability footprint tools such as carbon footprints very few companies set emissions targets. Surprisingly still there is limited research conducted as to the benefits of sustainability footprint tools to SMEs and their perceptions as to its contribution to business success. Interviewees highlight that case study Scottish SMEs are driven to implement sustainability footprints to pre-empt future GHG legislation, process improvement, cost reduction, senior management commitment, emissions reduction, CSR and waste reduction. However the emphasis on GHG emissions has contributed to “carbon myopia” an exclusive focus on carbon footprint measurement. This research supports the view of senior management commitment as critical to the success of sustainability footprint measurement initiatives but policymakers also have an enabling role by ensuring fair competition, access to grants, mandatory guidelines for SMEs, tax incentives, fines, legislation, emissions league table and carbon reporting as a pre-qualification criteria for government tenders. Scottish SME interviewees adopt a sustainability negative perceptual orientation suggesting barriers to placing sustainability on the agenda such as implementation cost, lack of knowledge, sustainability competing with other issues on the agenda, time constraints, the transience of sustainability, inability to recoup carbon footprint costs, failure to recognise benefits, generational issues and communication Scottish SME case studies however reveal an ambivalent “love hate” relationship amongst interviewees with sustainability which varies depending on the proximity of the individual to the economic, social or environmental issue. Thereby underlining the importance of management's ability to influence stakeholders to remain sustainability positive in orientation through training, instruction and supervision that promotes sustainable behaviour. The Sustainable Strategic Growth Framework is proposed as a solution to the Sustainability/CSR Dilemma and to align employee behaviour with sustainability objectives.

A sustentabilidade é um tema aceito pelo mercado e que vem ganhando destaque em várias áreas. Este trabalho traz a sua aplicação na área financeira com o intuito de contribuir para desenvolvimento das empresas. Dessa forma, foi realizada a análise de conteúdo para esclarecer as concepções do tema, que ainda não são claras. Para isso, duas técnicas complementares foram utilizadas: Revisão Sistemática e Categorização. A Revisão sistemática permitiu compreender os conceitos influentes na sustentabilidade e a sua aplicação. Já a Categorização foi utilizada para analisar os principais modelos de previsão de insolvência citados na literatura brasileira. O objetivo geral foi verificar se o desconhecimento dos fatores da sustentabilidade financeira contribui para o insucesso das empresas. Os objetivos específicos deste trabalho foram a) apresentar as concepções da sustentabilidade b) identificar as causas do insucesso empresarial c) extrair as principais variáveis dos modelos de previsão de insolvência d) apresentar os fatores do sucesso financeiro e) Compilar os fatores e desenvolver um modelo de Sustentabilidade Financeira. Os resultados contribuíram para o esclarecimento do tema e permitiram a elaboração de um modelo teórico de Sustentabilidade Financeira Empresarial, aplicável às empresas brasileiras. / Sustainability is accepted by the market and that has been gaining attention in several areas subject. This work brings its application in the financial area in order to contribute to business development. Therefore, content analysis was performed to clarify the concepts of the subject, which are not yet clear. For this, two complementary techniques were used: Systematic Review and Classification. A systematic review has allowed to understand the influential concepts in sustainability and its application. Categorization already been used to analyze the main insolvency prediction models cited in the Brazilian literature. The overall objective was to determine whether the lack of financial sustainability of the factors contributing to the failure of companies. The specific objectives of this study were a) to present the concepts of sustainability b) identify the causes of business failure c) extracting the main variables of the model prediction of insolvency d) present the factors of success and financial e) to compile the factors and develop a model Financial Sustainability. The results helped to clarify the issue and allowed the elaboration of a theoretical model of Financial Sustainability Company applicable to Brazilian companies.

BACKGROUND. Researcher have identified a relevance for profit-seeking new ventures to implement “Business Sustainability 3.0” standards in order to face current social and environmental challenges, like scarcity of resources. Research, moreover, suggest that new ventures would me more open to implementing the standards of “Business Sustainability 3.0”. The authors of this thesis initiate this field of research in the context of a new venture in the form of a single case study. PURPOSE. The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation process of “Business Sustainability 3.0” standards in a new venture. The aim is to identify challenges in the implementation process and how they can be approached by new ventures. METHODOLOGY. The implementation process of “Business Sustainability 3.0” standards was researched based on a single case study in a new venture striving to achieve the standards. The authors conducted a semi-structure interview with a sustainability manager within the company. The empirical data was analyzed based on the translation process of the Actor-Network Theory. RESULTS. The authors conclude that a new venture cope with “Business Sustainability 3.0” by making use of being a new venture founded with a specific purpose and by addressing challenges that appear during the implementation process. Two measures are suggested to support addressing these challenges: striving for transparency and internalizing the standards for the company’s compartments. The Actor-Network translation process is considered to be a suitable method when analyzing the integration process of “Business Sustainability 3.0”.

African American entrepreneurs in Houston, TX, lack the emotional intelligence required to be self-employed and remain in business. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to gain a robust understanding of what strategies African American entrepreneurs can adopt to increase emotional intelligence, which will aid them in remaining in business beyond the first 5 years. The central research question focused on common understandings of the strategies African-American entrepreneurs in Houston, TX, adopt to increase their emotional intelligence such that it contributes to them remaining in business beyond the initial 5 years. The conceptual framework that grounded the study was the emotional intelligence theory. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample consisting of 15 African American entrepreneurs from Houston, TX who have been in business for a minimum of 5 years. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions. A thematic analysis was conducted on 15 interviews. Eight themes were developed from the data analysis: emotional intelligence, leadership styles, emotional reactions, maturity level, training, business sustainability, communication, and flexibility. Consistent emotional intelligence training emerged as useful in African American entrepreneurs' business sustainability. The potential implications for positive social change stem from African American entrepreneurs developing more sustainable organizations. The findings of this study may be used by stakeholders and organizational leaders to provide the opportunity to build more emotionally intelligent organization.

Small businesses make up about 90% of all business entities and employ about 60% of the total workforce, yet 50% of small businesses fail within their first 5 years. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how SBOs use the appropriate product diversification strategies to remain sustainable. The sample population were 3 small retail business owners in a large-sized county in the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area who employed fewer than 19 people and have successfully used product diversification strategies to remain sustainable beyond 5 years. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and company document reviews. Data analysis entailed using an alphabetic coding process to identify the frequency and importance of themes. Grounded in the conceptual framework of the model of market orientation, this study revealed 4 themes that could help small business owners use the appropriate product diversification strategies to remain sustainable: customer-centric decision-making, market-trend orientation, resource orientation, and complementary products and services. The implications for positive social change include the potential to give small business owners a decision-making framework to achieve sustainability and growth, which would contribute to healthy economic conditions through consumerism, higher employment rates, and a reduction in poverty. The findings of this study could benefit local, small businesses and communities.

Small business owners generate jobs within the local community, but half of new business owners often fail to sustain operations for the first five years. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore strategies that small business owners in central Texas used to sustain their businesses beyond the first 5 years. Schumpeter's theory of economic development grounded the study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of 20 small business owners due to their success in creating strategies resulting in sustaining their businesses beyond 5 years in a postrecession business environment. All interpretations from the interview data included member checking to validate the credibility of the findings. Using the van Kamm method for thematic analysis, four themes emerged that included conducting business near federal and state organizations, having a business mentor, improving competitive positioning by focusing on improving both the quality of goods and services as well as innovating the customer experience, and adapting to rapidly changing economic conditions and destabilizing events with optimism and perseverance. Of these, the two most successful strategies entrepreneurs employed to improve survivability was conducting business near federal and state organizations with concentrated levels of workforce employees for sustained levels of returning business, as well as having one or more business mentors as an external source of entrepreneurial mentorship or information. Social change implications for small business owners include the potential to provide new strategies for small business sustainability, reductions in local unemployment rates, and improved community-based networks.

This thesis research analyzes why and how Software as a Service (SaaS) ventures can succeed or fail using the two forms of free business models: freemium and free based on a multi-sided platform. Software as a Service ventures nowadays need a strong market presence and visibility to be financially sustainable, and that is why they are constantly innovating methods to reach solvency. Many of those companies chose free business models to reach that market presence and economic growth. Academic research in this subject is very limited, and there is no framework or guide that shows how companies using these business models can succeed. The aim of this research is to address that gap and determine the key factors that lead to success for ventures using these business models. The researchers‘ approach of understanding, analyzing and deciphering these business models stands on a qualitative open-ended research strategy with case studies, backed by interviews of companies using these business models. The findings are based on the gathered and analyzed data from the case studies and the interviews. The result of this research is the classification of key factors in three major groups: Customers, Development Strategy, and Business Sustainability. This research expands the information and understanding in the field of business models, and more precisely freemium and free based on a multi-sided platform. Also, it demonstrates that both free business models can be a viable choice for SaaS ventures.

Yes / The digital transformation is an accumulation of various digital advancements, such as the transformation of the web phenomenon. The participatory web that allows for active user engagement and gather intelligence has been widely recognised as a value add tool by organisations of all shapes and sizes to improve business productivity and efficiency. However, its ability to facilitate sustainable business-to-business (B2B) activities has lacked focus in the business and management literature to date. This qualitative research is exploratory in nature and fills this gap through findings arising from interviews of managers and by developing taxonomies that highlight the capability of participatory web over passive web to enable different firms to engage in business operations. For this purpose, two important interrelated functions of business i.e. operations and marketing have been mapped against three dimensions of sustainability. Consequently, this research demonstrates the ability of big data and social media analytics within a participatory web environment to enable B2B organisations to become profitable and remain sustainable through strategic operations and marketing related business activities. The research findings will be useful for both academics and managers who are interested in understanding and further developing the business use of participatory web tools to achieve business sustainability. Hence, this may be considered as a distinct way of attaining sustainability.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Lebanon are at risk of failure because of the geoeconomic crisis. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that successful leaders of SMEs use to sustain their businesses during tenuous economic conditions. The target population for the research comprised 6 business leaders of SMEs in Beirut, Lebanon: 3 in the civil security field and 3 in the facilities management field. Kotter's change model theory provided the conceptual framework for this research. Data were gathered from company documents and interviews with SMEs leaders in Beirut. Data were analyzed using Yin's data analysis method, which included compiling the data, disassembling the data, reassembling the data, interpreting the meaning of the data, and concluding the data. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to add consistency and rigor to the findings. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) leaders of SMEs embedded change management in their organizations to sustain their businesses, (b) leaders of SMEs increased awareness in their organizations, (c) leaders of SMEs succeeded in creating solid organizational and financial structures to ensure a sustainable cash flow, and (d) leaders of SMEs formed niche markets to grow. Leaders of SMEs achieved their strategies by (a) establishing a sense of urgency, (b) forming a powerful guiding coalition by creating awareness in leaders' organizations, (c) empowering others to communicate both organizational and financial visions, and (d) generating short-term wins. The implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce unemployment rates and create new job opportunities by sustaining businesses of SMEs during tenuous economic conditions.