Thesis (Ph.D. (Entrepreneurship))-University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.U.P.)--Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science. Dept. of Landscape Architecture, 1956. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-82).

In 2011 Eric Ries wrote a book called “The Lean Startup” in which he documented inexorable logical and lean concepts applicable to start-up businesses. The Lean Startup principles are not yet widely understood and very little research has been conducted on this topic. This qualitative study explores which principles of the Lean Startup methodology young South African e-retail businesses apply during the start-up phase of the business. By applying a qualitative research strategy, six South African e-retail businesses from different sectors were interviewed. The results from the interviews were compared to the Lean Startup approach and it was concluded that South African e-retail businesses applied nearly all the principles of the Lean Startup methodology and philosophy in the start-up phase of their businesses in the following ways: preferred experimentation to elaborate business plans and forecasts; made use of validated learning in order to test the vision of their start-ups; applied the Minimum Viable Product concept to test their vision; applied Actionable metrics during the measure phase of the build-measure-learn feedback loop; did not apply Innovation Accounting convincingly during the measure phase of the build-measure-learn feedback loop; pivoted or persevered in some way or form during the start-up phase of their business; applied all three of the engines of growth as defined by the Lean Start-up. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / zkgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Small entrepreneurial businesses are widely regarded as important contributors to the economic well-being of countries all over the world as they create value for both the entrepreneur and the economy in which they operate. The value creation process in these businesses often differs from what commonly happens in larger established businesses. Resources available to the entrepreneur are normally much more restricted and decisions are often based on limited information. This thesis focuses on the value that is created by technology-based entrepreneurial businesses, the leveraging of limited resources and the decision-making orientation they adopt during this process. Given the importance of technology-based entrepreneurial businesses in contributing to economic growth and job creation in most global economies, as well as the limited previous research conducted amongst these businesses, the purpose of this study was to identify the human and social capital factors influencing value creation in technology-based entrepreneurial businesses. With this purpose in mind, the primary objective was to identify, investigate and empirically test the relationships between the various identified factors and Perceived value creation in technology-based entrepreneurial businesses, taking into account their decision-making orientation, as well as the uncertain environment under which they operate. This study uses the Resource-Based View of the business as the basis of its theoretical orientation. The literature review revealed five main categories of constructs, namely Knowledge and skills, Experience, Networks, Decision-making orientation and Perceived environmental uncertainty influencing the dependent variable Perceived value creation in technology-based entrepreneurial businesses. Knowledge and skills, Experience and Networks were identified as independent variables while Decision-making orientation was identified as the mediating variable and Perceived environmental uncertainty as the moderating variable. Six demographic variables (type of industry, age of business, number of employees, age of entrepreneur, academic qualifications of entrepreneur and the number of previous businesses started by the entrepreneur) were also identified as potential influencing factors. Various hypotheses were formulated to be tested during the empirical investigation. Each construct was clearly defined and then operationalised. Operationalisation was done by using reliable and valid items sourced from tested measuring instruments used in previous studies, as well as a number of self-generated items based on secondary sources. A structured questionnaire was made available to respondents identified by means of the convenience snowball sampling technique, and the data collected from 313 usable questionnaires was subjected to various statistical analyses. An Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) was conducted which confirmed the different variables, and Cronbach-alpha coefficients were calculated to confirm the reliability of the measuring instrument. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was the main statistical procedure used to test the significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent, mediating, moderating and dependent variables. A number of different models were tested, and the results discussed and explained. The main finding of the study was that technology-based entrepreneurial business can create financial and non-financial value by adopting a decision-making orientation in the business of co-creating the future with other stakeholders. The most important human and social capital factors that influence the decision-making orientation of these businesses are Knowledge and skills, Unstructured networks and Structured networks. The main limitations of the study were firstly the convenience snowball sampling technique used to collect responses, secondly the dependence of reporting on organisation issues by individuals, and thirdly the limited number of influencing factors included in the models. Future research should address these limitations, and could include qualitative analyses. This study has added to the empirical body of knowledge on entrepreneurship research by investigating a particularly important segment of the literature, namely technology-based entrepreneurial businesses. By identifying and developing various models that outline the most significant factors that influence perceived value creation in technology-based entrepreneurial businesses, this study offers recommendations and suggestions for managing these businesses in such a way as to improve the creation of financial and non-financial value in them. It further provides recommendations for business teaching programmes to enhance curriculums by focusing on alternatives to the format of formal business planning.

This thesis is comprised of three essays dealing with the survival and growth of business enterprises. The first paper (Chapter 2) explores a long-standing question in corporate venture management: How closely should a corporate parent link itself with its own venture? We challenge the conventional view that autonomy is best for venture growth by arguing that access to the parent's resources and capabilities (i.e., a "tight fit") is essential if a venture is to demonstrate competitive advantage. Data from 97 Canadian corporate ventures generally support the "tight-fit" hypothesis. We also find empirical support for the proposition that the relationship between a corporate parent and its venture(s) evolves over time; economic ties diminish with venture maturity, relational ties remain intact. The next paper (Chapter 3) models the growth and decline of young firms as a function of their initial asset stocks, initial capabilities, rate of capability development, rate of asset depletion, and failure threshold. Data from 246 Canadian corporate bankruptcies confirm that young firms fail due to insufficient organizational capital at start-up and inadequacies in managerial knowledge, financial management skills, and marketing abilities. Older firms, on the other hand, are more prone to failure due to environmental change. The final paper (Chapter 4) utilizes detailed survey data from a proportionally stratified, representative sample of 3,000 Canadian firms to evaluate industry- and firm-level determinants of young firm growth. The competitive environment is found to be a poor predictor of the growth of young firms. In general, growth of the seven to ten year old firms in our study did not follow the growth trends of the industries in which they operated. Among firm strategies, innovation was the strongest predictor of revenue growth. Also of note was the finding that different types of managerial experience were significant in different sectors. For service firms, general management experience was positively associated with growth, while for goods-producing firms industry experience was a more important factor. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

A sample of two hundred and twenty-five high technology start-up firms located nationwide provided a base for the analysis of characteristics of start-up success. The analysis provides insights into management capabilities which may be generalized to a larger population. For comparison purposes, the sample was divided into two groups: (1) those firms which have not received a venture capital infusion from a formal venture capital company and (2) those firms which have received one or more infusions of venture capital. Aspects of organizational climate, top management team approach, marketing strategy and focus, business planning and the intent to go public as a means of addressing future financing needs were examined. Hypothesis testing was accomplished through the employment of ANOVA and Chi-Square. Based upon the results of the testing of each of the hypotheses, the following conclusions are drawn: 1. Based upon those aspects examined, both the funded and unfunded firms embrace practices which strongly manifest those of an organic organization. The strong propensities toward both open communication channels and participatory decision making are indicative of the lack of formal structure present in these organizations. In addition, creativity is strongly supported, as it should be, by the notion that failure is viewed in a positive context as a necessary component of both being creative and making technological advancements. 2. The team approach to management is practiced by both funded and unfunded firms; although the venture capital funded firms have a higher quality top management team when quality is defined by aggregate primary past functional experience. The funded firm has a larger team which, in turn, brings more years of experience, a higher aggregate level of organizational responsibility, and more diversity of functional capability. This diversity provides balance in terms of complementary functional skills. Additional strength is added to the top management team of the funded firms due to a higher percentage of members whose prior experience is directly related to the functional capacity in which they now serve. Similarly, the funded firm is more likely to have management team members whose previous experience was in a firm whose core technology was the same or very similar to that of the start-up. 3. There do not appear to be significant differences between the venture capital funded and unfunded firms regarding the various marketing oriented characteristics. Both groups tend to be market driven with a solutions orientation. 4. The high technology start-up firm which has received venture capital funding is more likely to go public than the unfunded firm. 5. Business planning is practiced by the majority of all high technology start-up firms, although the funded firms do so to a greater extent. Not only do virtually all funded firms prepare business plans, but the plans themselves appear to be more extensive. Additionally; the primary purpose for which the funded firm prepares the plan is for venture capital acquisition. On the other hand, the unfunded firms perform business plan preparation to a lesser extent, but do so because of operating necessity. The results of this study have implications for the nascent entrepreneur in the high technology arena and researchers alike toward the end of providing a more complete understanding of some of the critical components essential to the success of a start-up.

by Lam Chi-Man. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 32-34). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- DEFINITIONS AND KEY CONCEPTS --- p.3 / Entrepreneurship - a social science --- p.5 / Entrepreneurship abilities --- p.5 / Entrepreneurial intention --- p.6 / New industries --- p.6 / Survival and growth of new ventures --- p.7 / Organizational problems --- p.10 / Chapter III. --- MODEL DISCUSSION --- p.12 / Entrepreneurial Event Formation Model --- p.12 / New Venture Initiation Model --- p.13 / A Simple Model --- p.13 / A Structural Model --- p.14 / The Likelihood Model --- p.15 / A Decision-Making Model --- p.16 / Entrepreneurial Team in New Venture Creation --- p.18 / A Network Model --- p.19 / Social Network of the Entrepreneurship --- p.20 / The Tree of Entrepreneurship --- p.21 / Chapter IV. --- ENVIRONMENTS FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT - THE SELECTED MODEL --- p.22 / Chapter V. --- SITUATIONS IN HONG KONG --- p.24 / Government Policies and Procedures --- p.24 / Entrepreneurial and Business Skills --- p.26 / Hong Kong Trade Development Council --- p.26 / Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre Corporation --- p.26 / Industry Department --- p.27 / Vocational Training Council --- p.27 / Finance Assistance --- p.27 / Non-Financial Assistance --- p.29 / Chapter VI. --- CONCLUSION --- p.30 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.32

Decisions regarding exploration and exploitation are strategically important to Chinese new ventures. Most previous studies have tended to study these two processes in isolation rather than jointly despite the obvious symbiosis between them, not to mention that even less attention has been paid to identify how contextual factors influence how these two processes are managed and controlled. / In conclusion, the evidence noticeably refutes the static or fragmented perspectives on exploration and exploitation, strong and weak ties, and incremental and radical CE and demonstrates that a system dynamics model linking them is warranted. / Study 1 involved system dynamics modeling based on case studies. The findings were as follows: first, performance gap is positively related to exploration and negatively related to exploitation during the early, middle, and late stages of organizational development; exploration is positively related to total knowledge stock and total knowledge stock in turn is positively related to exploitation in the early stage; and exploitation is negatively related to firm-specific uncertainty and firm-specific uncertainty in turn is positively related to performance gap in both the early half of the middle and the late stages. Second, strong ties facilitate exploitation and weak ties facilitate exploration during the early, middle, and late stages; also, firm-specific uncertainty is positively related to weak ties and negatively related to strong ties in the early stage and in the early half of both the middle and the late stages. Third, radical CE directs exploration and incremental CE directs exploitation in the early stage; and total knowledge stock facilitates both incremental and radical CE during the early, middle, and late stages. / Study 2 involved structural equation modeling based on a large sample of new ventures. The findings were as follows: first, most of the recursive positive relationships in Study 1 were supported in the total sample. Second, for three sub-samples of new ventures during different development stages, only the recursive positive relationships between radical CE and exploration and between incremental CE and exploitation were supported among all the three sub-samples, which was not consistent with the findings in Study 1. Third, the change patterns of the significant relationships in different samples were generally consistent with those findings in Study 1. / This thesis develops a system dynamics model of exploration and exploitation. The main propositions are that exploration is dynamically linked with exploitation and social network and corporate entrepreneurship systematically influence the dynamic relationship. Two studies, one qualitative and one quantitative, were conducted in the empirical setting of Chinese new ventures. Generally, supporting evidence was found for the main hypotheses. / Jiang Chunyan. / "February 2006." / Adviser: Shige Makino. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4248. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-171). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

In seeking to account for variation in the performance of new and small firms entrepreneurship theory has experienced a shift away from approaches which attribute success to personal characteristics in favour of approaches emphasizing the social context of resource acquisition and mobilization. This study develops and tests a new theoretical model concerning relations between vision, support and new venture performance based on Sooklal's (1991) grounded theory of visionary leadership. In doing so, it addresses theoretical and methodological weaknesses associated with past efforts. Four stages of data collection were required to execute the study. Phases One and Two were used to develop the instrumentation for measuring entrepreneurial vision. Phase Three was a small-scale pilot study. Phase Four, the main component of the study, was utilized to test the research hypotheses. This final phase entailed semi-structured interviews with a random sample of 50 Newfoundland firms incorporated in 1993. Employing Wold's method of Partial Least Squares analysis, five of the nine hypotheses concerning relations amongst seven theoretical constructs were statistically significant. In general, there was strong support for the contribution of both vision and support in the theoretical model. Higher performance were found to be positively influenced by both vision reach (i. e. the "ambitiousness" of the vision) and the strength of received support. Increased support strength was associated with greater vision reach and greater diversity of value-based (i. e. without expectation of reciprocal benefit) and convenience-based (i. e. relationships based on economic exchange) supporters. Contrary to expectations, visions that focused on either internal or external dimensions were associated with greater insider and outsider supporter diversity. The relative importance of predictor constructs in the model was substantially different for urban versus rural firms. Overall, the model was found to possess useful predictive power. The results of the study indicate that vision and supporter diversity play an important role in the strength of support received by start-up entrepreneurs and that both entrepreneurial vision and the strength of received support contribute to new venture performance. In developing the measurement model for the research, many of the indicators for the theoretical constructs were either adapted from other disciplines or newly developed in the absence of pre-existing measures of vision and to overcome weaknesses associated with past "network" studies of support. This measurement model was found to possess satisfactory validity and provides a substantial base upon which further advancements can be made. Practitioners stand to benefit from the predictive power of the model and the insights the model provides concerning performance-enhancing start-up activities beyond the business plan.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisors: Glynn Harmon and John Butler. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.