Startups – Tom Eisenmann analyzes the most prevalent failure patterns and how to avoid them

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Leavy
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Failure Patterns ◽  
Discovery Phase ◽  
Fail Safe ◽  
Reality Distortion ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The Fail-Safe Startup: Your Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success, the new book by entrepreneurship researcher Tom Eisenmann, sets out to help improve the odds by looking more closely at the most prevalent causes of startup failure and how to avoid them. Design/methodology/approach Eisenmann research led him to identify six distinct patterns that explain a large proportion of startup failures, three relating to early stage failures and three to late stage. Findings Strong demand from early adopters may lead a founder to scale up prematurely. Practical/implications Entrepreneurs must research differences in the needs of likely early adopters and mainstream customers during the upfront customer discovery phase. Originality/value Entrepreneurs must research differences in the needs of likely early adopters and mainstream customers during the upfront customer discovery phase. 10; 10;The line between visionary entrepreneur and cult leader can become blurry, and a founder?s ?reality distortion field--useful for motivating others to help pursue the founder?s dream?can become a liability.

Entrepreneurial selling in context

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-125
Author(s):  
Linden Dalecki
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Feedback ◽  
The Core ◽  
Four Quadrant ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a general review of the existing academic and practitioner literatures, pertaining to entrepreneurial selling with a view to articulate major entrepreneurial selling practices, patterns and principles that lead to entrepreneurial success and to propose two four-quadrant matrices. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores commonalities and distinctions in the entrepreneurial selling concepts articulated by Deutsch and Wortmann and Onyemah and Rivera-Pesquera – and relevant writings by Blank as well as Sarasvathy – are explored and analyzed. Findings It was found that the early stage entrepreneurial selling activities of founders – as a means of gleaning prospective customer feedback for product prototyping – form the core of contemporary entrepreneurial selling conceptualizations. Two provisional four-quadrant entrepreneurial selling matrices are proposed corresponding to the literature reviewed. Research limitations/implications It is hoped that the two four-quadrant matrices might serve as a springboard for future researchers interested in exploring entrepreneurial selling. The notion of preliminary selling as a valuable form of marketing research is also worthy of future research. Practical implications Given the extent to which the perspectives of entrepreneurship practitioners, clinical professors and consultants are cited and explored, manifold aspects of entrepreneurial selling are put forth. The various approaches to preliminary selling that are explored are of especially high value to practitioners. Originality/value This is the first paper to fully explore the commonalities and distinctions across the entrepreneurial selling conceptualizations developed by Deutsch and Wortmann, as well as by Onyemah and Rivera-Pesquera, and the first to propose a conceptual framework focused specifically on entrepreneurial selling.

Kit preparation for mixed-model assembly: efficiency impact of confirmation methods

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrik Fager
Keyword(s):  
Learning Curve ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Time Efficiency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Order Batching ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mixed Model Assembly ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeConfirmations are applied in kit preparation for mixed-model assembly to promote quality, but research that explains the impact on time efficiency has been lacking. The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which the type of confirmation method relates to time-efficient kit preparation when order batching is applied.Design/methodology/approachAn industrially relevant laboratory experiment is applied, simulating kit preparation with order batching for mixed-model assembly. The time efficiency is studied as associated with four confirmation methods – barcode ring scanner, button presses, voice commands and RFID-reading wristbands – when applied as pick-from and place-to confirmation. Furthermore, the paper also considers the quality outcome.FindingsEfficiency is promoted by methods that minimise interrupting the picker’s motions when performing pick-from confirmations and with methods that allow each hand to place components and perform place-to confirmations simultaneously – here represented by button presses and RFID-reading wristbands. Moreover, combining various methods for the tasks of pick-from or place-to confirmation can benefit efficiency.Research limitations/implicationsPickers at an early stage of the learning curve (one shift of training) were considered.Practical implicationsThe findings promote the customised applications of picking information systems in industry.Social implicationsCombining various methods for the tasks of pick-from and place-to confirmation can provide more fitting applications that better align with the picker’s preferences.Originality/valueCombinations of various methods when applied as either pick-from or place-to confirmation, or both, are studied.

How does cooperation affect innovation in micro-enterprises?

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1390-1409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiayu Tu ◽  
Shiuh-Nan Hwang ◽  
Jehn-Yih Wong
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Final Questionnaire ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Micro Enterprises ◽  
Night Markets

Purpose – This research investigates how micro-enterprises cooperate with external parties in order to promote innovation and entrepreneurial success. The purpose of this paper is to describe supplier and consumer cooperation and analyzes how these two behavioral modes influence the product and service innovations of micro-enterprises. Based on the resource-based view of the firm, the authors show that micro-enterprises help the source of innovation by tapping into the resources and abilities of suppliers. Design/methodology/approach – This research used a questionnaire to randomly sample micro-entrepreneurs that run stalls at night markets. Before distributing the final questionnaire, the authors in-depth interviewed ten micro-entrepreneurs and asked them to openly describe their entrepreneurial processes and success stories. Findings – The results of this study show that cooperation with consumers does not improve product and service innovations. By contrast, the cooperation of micro-enterprises with suppliers was found to increase the generation of product and service innovations in the present study. And the findings show that the effect of innovation approaches on entrepreneurial success indicates that product innovation positively improves firm performance. Last, from the perspective of cooperation behavior, product innovation mediates entrepreneurial success through cooperation with suppliers. Research limitations/implications – Because of respondents were night market vendors and thus the results are not necessarily generalizable to other types of micro-enterprises. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test multiple types of micro-enterprises. Second, this research aimed to differentiate the relationships between innovation approaches and entrepreneurial success by focussing exclusively on product and service innovations. Therefore, other variables should be included in future studies. Practical implications – As for practical implications in the field of cooperation behavior, the authors have shown that it is crucial to maintain long-term cooperative relations with trusted suppliers. Social implications – As for practical implications in the field of cooperation behavior, the authors have shown that it is crucial to maintain long-term cooperative relations with trusted suppliers. Originality/value – This paper fulfills an identified need to study how innovation in micro-enterprises.

Leadership development strategy: the missing links

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shilpa Kabra Maheshwari ◽  
Jaya Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Competitive Growth ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Leadership Development Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Business Complexity ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Current volatile environments, business complexity, and leadership gaps are compelling organizations to deploy effective leadership development strategies. Fueled by competitive growth and people challenges, efforts continue to scale up but fail to create the desired leaders. This paper aims to address the missing links and calls for new ways of deploying leadership development strategy. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data on experiential feedback have been collected from participants and stakeholders of leadership development programs in Indian organizations. Findings An integrated six-step approach to leadership development has been proposed for scholars and practitioners. Practical implications From the practitioner’s perspective, this study contributes to the field of leadership development by challenging the relevance of current approaches. It also adds to the scholarly literature on leadership development in the context of the organization and the individual. Originality/value Current studies in the area of leadership development in the Indian context are scarce.

Your winning business model agenda: four questions to shape growth

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladyslav Biloshapka ◽  
Oleksiy Osiyevskyy
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
The Other ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
Growth Planning ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Defines clear steps for growth planning that support answers to the crucial question: How and where are you planning to scale up the business and what talent do you need to implement this? Design/methodology/approach As the “Business model value matrix” shows, having ‘happy customers’ is only one determinant of a business model’s success. The other essential block of diagnostic questions deals with the current state and prospects of the firm’s growth. Findings We found that companies that have found ways to keep their business models in a winner’s state can provide clear, evidence-based answers to questions about growth opportunities and risks, while their less successful peers have difficulty addressing the issues. Continuous collecting and analyzing of this information allows successful companies to embrace the strategy-as-learning model of development, built around active learning and proactive adjustment to evolving environment. Practical implications To develop a strategy for moving to and sustaining the Winner state, managers must clearly articulate and test a set of hypotheses about the mechanisms of their company’s growth. The first step on this path is related to obtaining a clear view on the factors that underpin the current financial performance. Originality/value High-performance cultures make sure that each manager has the clear answers to the questions of value, growth and digitization in order to learn, experiment and implement the company business model agenda. The unproductive cultures, on the other hand, are sustained by managerial teams that usually do not have the answers to these crucial questions, but are very good at political games.

Creating space and time for innovation - a methodology for building adaptation design appraisal using physics-based simulation tools and interactive multi-objective optimization

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheida Shahi ◽  
Philip Beesley ◽  
Carl Thomas Haas
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Building Adaptation ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
Physics Based Simulation ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeIt is crucial to consider the multitude of possible building adaptation design strategies for improving the existing conditions of building stock as an alternative to demolition.Design/methodology/approachIntegration of physics-based simulation tools and decision-making tools such as Multi-Attribute Utility (MAU) and Interactive Multi-objective Optimization (IMO) in the design process enable optimized design decision-making for high-performing buildings. A methodology is presented for improving building adaptation design decision making, specifically in the early-stage design feasibility analysis. Ten residential building adaptation strategies are selected and applied to one primary building system for eight performance metrics using physics-based simulation tools. These measures include energy use, thermal comfort, daylighting, natural ventilation, systems performance, life cycle, cost-benefit and constructability. The results are processed using MAU and IMO analysis and are validated through sensitivity analysis by testing one design strategy on three building systems.FindingsQuantifiable comparison of building adaptation strategies based on multiple metrics derived from physics-based simulations can assist in the evaluation of overall environmental performance and economic feasibility for building adaptation projects.Research limitations/implicationsThe current methodology presented is limited to the analysis of one decision-maker at a time. It can be improved to include multiple decision-makers and capture varying perspectives to reflect common practices in the industry.Practical implicationsThe methodology presented supports affordable generation and analysis of a large number of design options for early-stage design optimization.Originality/valueGiven the practical implications, more space and time is created for exploration and innovation, resulting in potential for improved benefits.

A mapping analytic approach to trace development of multidisciplinary research field

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Zhang ◽  
Xiangda Yan ◽  
Patricia Ordóñez de Pablos ◽  
jinghuai She ◽  
Yang Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Future ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to provide clear domain knowledge and recent progresses on electronic healthcare (e-healthcare). Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors use citation analysis to describe the trends of study on e-health with the help of CiteSpace II, a software for visualizing citation-based analysis. By analyzing the 2,752 publications and their citation data in ISI database, the authors proposed renewable figures and tables on ranking critical people, institutes, keywords and journals. Through the most influential articles given by CiteSpace, the authors can grasp the main direction in e-health researches. Furthermore, the authors analyzed the literature at e-health literacy as a case, to better understand the development of research viewpoints. Findings – Through the analysis, the authors found that e-health is a multi-disciplinary research field and the major research about it has changed. During the early stage, health information quality on the Internet dominates. Gradually, the role of information technology (IT) becomes more important. The authors also found that some researchers, recently, have proposed the effects of IT on e-health literacy which can then improve the ability to use health information on the Internet. Research limitations/implications – This paper has some research limitations, such as using an ISI database with most English publications. The future research may be conducted for collecting local publications data in China. It also has some implications. Based on the results, the authors claimed that IT may significantly improve people’s healthcare variance, e.g. e-health literacy. It is necessary to build new IT-based healthcare theories. Practical implications – This paper also has some practical implications. Practitioners and institute may easily come to know which are the hot topics, top institutes and tendencies in the e-healthcare field. Social implications – This paper may help practitioners to find common interests with other institutions and societies. Originality/value – This paper reported the status and trend of research in this field visually, and the result will help researchers to do more in-depth research in the future.

Morgan Stanley raises women’s interest in investment banking

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 12-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pollitt
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Investment Banking ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Investment Bank ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Outreach Work ◽  
Female Specific ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to observe how Morgan Stanley is seeking to overcome misconceptions about the nature of investment banking, concern over work–life balance and fears of the existence of a glass ceiling. Design/methodology/approach – It outlines the bank’s various initiatives to connect with women during their studies or at an early stage in their careers. Findings – It highlights the importance of outreach work with schools and universities, plus the key role played at the bank by women’s networking groups. Practical implications – It reveals that the company won the 2013 Opportunity Now inspiring the workforce of the future award for its initiatives aimed at increasing the proportion of women in its top jobs. Social implications – It reveals how a major investment bank is seeking to challenge the macho image of investment banking. Originality/value – It explains that Morgan Stanley reached more than 1,600 women at female-specific events in 2012 alone. It views this approach to building a female talent pipeline as a multi-year strategy.

scholarly journals A “new” response to anti-social behaviour: early reflections on the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 161-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Hopkins-Burke ◽  
Sean Creaney
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Local Decision Makers ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the “new” approach to tackling anti-social behaviour outlined in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Despite it being difficult to ascertain whether such measures will be more inclusive and appropriate than those previously introduced – certainly at this early stage – the authors set out to evaluate the strengths, limitations and challenges of this “new” agenda and in doing so drawing upon the propositions insights from radical moral communitarianism in order to inform the discussion. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a conceptual analysis of government policy. The authors draw on the work of a number of key academics and commentators to enhance the discussion. Findings – In many respects, the authors have rehearsed some familiar lines of argument and analysis. Indeed, many of New Labour's anti-social behaviour measures were in many cases counterproductive, particularly in the case of children and young people invariably increasing the likelihood of offending rather than curtailing it. Understanding this, the authors propose that it would appear logical where at all possible to deal with anti-social behaviour informally, that is, outside the formal anti-social behaviour framework and through the comprehensive balanced intervention proposed from a radical moral communitarian perspective which seeks to avoid formal criminalisation except as a last resort. With regard to the “new” anti-social behaviour measures the authors argue that rather than punishing the actions as a contempt of court practitioners need to devise suitable, more appropriate ways of dealing with the matter before them. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act (2014) provides practitioners with the space to do this particularly with the process being streamlined and much of the previous bureaucracy removed. Practical implications – By focusing on the introduction of the “new” anti-social behaviour measures the paper will be of use to local decision makers (i.e. Youth Offending Team practitioners, Police and Crime Commissioners, and Directors of Children's Services). The paper highlights some potential issues and ambiguities that practitioners working within the new anti-social behaviour framework may face. Originality/value – The authors set out to critically reflect on the “new” powers set out in the recent Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act (2014). Nevertheless, the authors are not offering the paper as an alternative blueprint for dealing with anti-social behaviour but rather seeking to provoke further discussion on some of the potential issues and ambiguities the authors have identified within the new legislation. At the same time, the authors incorporate insights from the radical moral communitarian perspective which promotes a fairer, more equal world, based on mutual respect between all citizens, founded on the notion of commitment to and involvement in society.

Towards a sustainability reporting guideline in higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Huber ◽  
Alexander Bassen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Reporting Guideline ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Framework ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose So far, sustainability reporting in higher education is in a very early stage – partly, because of the lack of an established and widely recognized sustainability reporting framework for higher education institutions (HEIs). Therefore, a modification of the sustainability code for the use in the higher education context was recently developed in Germany. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate this modification from an academic point of view. Design/methodology/approach The evaluation of the sustainability code is based on selected reporting principles drawn from frameworks of sustainability and financial reporting. Findings The evaluation shows that to a large extent, the modification of the sustainability code for HEIs contributes to the fulfillment of the selected reporting principles. However, it also became evident that there is still room for improvement, especially in terms of clarity and the inclusion of material aspects. Practical implications The need for an implementation manual regarding the modified HEI-specific sustainability code is emphasized, as the sustainability code requires further clarification to be manageable for HEIs. Originality/value This paper provides suggestions for the further development of a sustainability reporting guideline for HEIs to enhance its alignment with both sustainability reporting principles and the needs of HEIs.

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