Experimentation and Start-up Performance: Evidence from A/B Testing

Recent scholarship argues that experimentation should be the organizing principle for entrepreneurial strategy. Experimentation leads to organizational learning, which drives improvements in firm performance. We investigate this proposition by exploiting the time-varying adoption of A/B testing technology, which has drastically reduced the cost of testing business ideas. Our results provide the first evidence on how digital experimentation affects a large sample of high-technology start-ups using data that tracks their growth, technology use, and products. We find that, although relatively few firms adopt A/B testing, among those that do, performance improves by 30%–100% after a year of use. We then argue that this substantial effect and relatively low adoption rate arises because start-ups do not only test one-off incremental changes, but also use A/B testing as part of a broader strategy of experimentation. Qualitative insights and additional quantitative analyses show that experimentation improves organizational learning, which helps start-ups develop more new products, identify and scale promising ideas, and fail faster when they receive negative signals. These findings inform the literatures on entrepreneurial strategy, organizational learning, and data-driven decision making. This paper was accepted by Toby Stuart, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Kewirausahaan Berbasis Pendidikan Karakter di Dayah Ummul Ayman, Samalanga

This study aims to describe an entrepreneurial strategy based on character education for students in Dayah Ummul Ayman, Kec. Samalanga, Kab. Bireuen. This study used descriptive qualitative methods. Informants in this study were selected through purposive techniques, and data were collected through interviews, observation, and literature studies. The results showed that to give birth to future Muslim businesspeople, Waled Nu, as the entrepreneurship coach of Dayah Ummul Ayman, developed three strategies. First, integrating the Dayah into an entrepreneurial center by facilitating students with various facilities and infrastructure to support entrepreneurial programs. Second, implementing seven procedures in entrepreneurial activities, and Third, inculcating character values included in entrepreneurial activities. These three things are used as a "Road Map" by Waled Nu in supporting and producing to the future generation of Muslim businessmen. Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan strategi pemberdayaan kewirausahaan berbasis pendidikan karakter bagi santri di Dayah Ummul Ayman, Kec. Samalanga, Kab. Bireuen. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif deskriptif. Informan dalam penelitian ini dipilih menggunakan teknik purposive, dan data dikumpulkan menggunakan teknik wawancara, observasi dan studi dokumen. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa dalam upaya melahirkan calon pebisnis muslim masa depan, Waled Nu selaku pembina wirausaha Dayah Ummul Ayman membangun tiga strategi yaitu mengintegrasikan dayah menjadi balai wirausaha dengan cara memfasilitasi santri dengan berbagai sarana dan prasarana untuk mendukung program wirausaha. Kedua, mengimplementasikan 7 strategi dalam kegiatan wirausaha, dan Ketiga; penanaman nilai-nilai karakter yang dimasukkan dalam kegiatan kewirausahaan. Tiga hal tersebut dijadikan “Road Map” oleh Waled Nu dalam mencetak dan melahirkan generasi pebisnis muslim masa depan.

Resilient Entrepreneurial Strategies Adopted by Zimbabwean Small and Medium Enterprises During Economic Crisis

Resilient entrepreneurial strategy is a concept of great importance as it captures how entrepreneurs can ensure business sustainability in the face of harsh economic conditions of a market. In the wake of the economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not surprising to observe that scholars and practitioners are shifting their attention towards entrepreneurial resilience especially in the context of SMEs. With this in mind, this chapter focuses on the resilient entrepreneurial strategies adopted by Zimbabwean SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study established five strategies, namely strategic alliance, product differentiation, cost containment, innovation, and product differentiation. It is, therefore, recommended that SMEs should harness online technology and constantly re-evaluate entrepreneurial strategies in order to augment their agility to shocks emanating from the business environment.

Investigation of Correlation between Entrepreneurial Strategies and Resistance Economics Policy in Copper Company

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between entrepreneurial strategy and resistance economy policy in Kerman Copper Company. The research is applied and descriptive. The statistical population consisted of 400 experts, supervisors and managers of Shahid Bahonar Copper Company in Kerman. Based on Morgan table, the sample size was 196 people. The standard questionnaire was used for data collection. The validity of the questionnaires was 0.93 and 0.91 respectively and the reliability of the questionnaires was higher than 0.7. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and structural equation modeling test by Amos software. The findings showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between entrepreneurial strategy and resistance economy policy in Kerman Copper Company. On this basis, it can be said that the promotion of entrepreneurial strategies will facilitate the implementation of the Resilience Policy.