bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organization of Area hV5/MT+ in Subjects with Homonymous Visual Field Defects
Authors: Papanikolaou Amalia , Keliris Georgios A. , Papageorgiou T. Dorina , Schiefer Ulrich , Logothetis Nikos K. , Smirnakis Stelios M.
Published: January 2018

Damage to the primary visual cortex (V1) leads to a visual field loss (scotoma) in the retinotopically corresponding part of the visual field. Nonetheless, a small amount of residual visual sensitivity persists within the blind field. This residual capacity has been linked to activity observed in the middle temporal area complex (V5/MT+). However, it remains unknown whether the organization of hV5/MT+ changes following V1 lesions. We studied the organization of area hV5/MT+ of five patients with dense homonymous defects in a quadrant of the visual field as a result of partial V1+ or optic radiation lesions. To do so, we developed a new method, which models the boundaries of population receptive fields directly from the BOLD signal of each voxel in the visual cortex. We found responses in hV5/MT+ arising inside the scotoma for all patients and identified two possible sources of activation: 1) responses might originate from partially lesioned parts of area V1 corresponding to the scotoma, and 2) responses can also originate independent of area V1 input suggesting the existence of functional V1-bypassing pathways. Apparently, visually driven activity observed in hV5/MT+ is not sufficient to mediate conscious vision. More surprisingly, visually driven activity in corresponding regions of V1 and early extrastriate areas including hV5/MT+ did not guarantee visual perception in the group of patients with post-geniculate lesions that we examined. This suggests that the fine coordination of visual activity patterns across visual areas may be an important determinant of whether visual perception persists following visual cortical lesions.
Benchmark of lncRNA Quantification for RNA-Seq of Cancer Samples
Authors: Zheng Hong , Brennan Kevin , Hernaez Mikel , Gevaert Olivier
Published: January 2018

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) emerge as important regulators of various biological processes. Many lncRNAs with tumor-suppressor or oncogenic functions in cancer have been discovered. While many studies have exploited public resources such as RNA-Seq data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to study lncRNAs in cancer, it is crucial to choose the optimal method for accurate expression quantification of lncRNAs. In this benchmarking study, we compared the performance of pseudoalignment methods Kallisto and Salmon, and alignment-based methods HTSeq, featureCounts, and RSEM, in lncRNA quantification, by applying them to a simulated RNA-Seq dataset and a pan-cancer RNA-Seq dataset from TCGA. We observed that full transcriptome annotation, including both protein coding and noncoding RNAs, greatly improves the specificity of lncRNA expression quantification. Pseudoalignment-based methods detect more lncRNAs than alignment-based methods and correlate highly with simulated ground truth. On the contrary, alignment-based methods tend to underestimate lncRNA expression or even fail to capture lncRNA signal in the ground truth. These underestimated genes include cancer-relevant lncRNAs such as TERC and ZEB2-AS1. Overall, 10–16% of lncRNAs can be detected in the samples, with antisense and lincRNAs the two most abundant categories. A higher proportion of antisense RNAs are detected than lincRNAs. Moreover, among the expressed lncRNAs, more antisense RNAs are discordant from ground truth than lincRNAs when measured by alignment-based methods, indicating that antisense RNAs are more susceptible to mis-quantification. In addition, the lncRNAs with fewer transcripts, less than three exons, and lower sequence uniqueness tend to be more discordant. In summary, pseudoalignment methods Kallisto or Salmon in combination with the full transcriptome annotation is our recommended strategy for RNA-Seq analysis for lncRNAs.

AUTHOR SUMMARY

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) emerge as important regulators of various biological processes. Our benchmarking work on both simulated RNA-Seq dataset and pan-cancer dataset provides timely and useful recommendations for wide research community who are studying lncRNAs, especially for those who are exploring public resources such as TCGA RNA-Seq data. We demonstrate that using full transcriptome annotation in RNA-Seq analysis is strongly recommended as it greatly improves the specificity of lncRNA quantification. What’s more, pseudoalignment methods Kallisto and Salmon outperform alignment-based methods in lncRNA quantification. It is worth noting that the default workflow for TCGA RNA-Seq data stored in Genomic Data Commons (GDC) data portal uses HTSeq, an alignment-based method. Thus, reanalyzing the data might be considered when checking gene expression in TCGA datasets. In summary, pseudoalignment methods Kallisto or Salmon in combination with full transcriptome annotation is our recommended strategy for RNA-Seq analysis for lncRNAs.
Finding the balance between model complexity and performance: Using ventral striatal oscillations to classify feeding behavior in rats
Authors: Dwiel Lucas L. , Khokhar Jibran Y. , Connerney Michael A. , Green Alan I. , Doucette Wilder T.
Published: January 2018

The ventral striatum (VS) is a central node within a distributed network that controls appetitive behavior, and neuromodulation of the VS has demonstrated therapeutic potential for appetitive disorders. Local field potential (LFP) oscillations recorded from deep brain stimulation electrodes within the VS are a pragmatic source of neural systems-level information about appetitive behavior that could be used in responsive neuromodulation systems. Here, we recorded LFPs from the bilateral nucleus accumbens core and shell (subregions of the VS) during limited access to palatable food across varying conditions of hunger and food palatability in male rats. We used standard statistical methods (logistic regression) as well as the machine learning algorithm lasso to predict aspects of feeding behavior using VS LFPs. These models were able to predict the amount of food eaten, the increase in consumption following food deprivation, and the type of food eaten. Further, we were able to predict whether the initiation of feeding was imminent up to 42.5 seconds before feeding began and classify current behavior as either feeding or not-feeding. In classifying this behavior, we found an optimal balance between model complexity and performance with models using 3 LFP features primarily from the alpha and high gamma frequencies. As shown here, unbiased methods can identify systems-level neural activity linked to symptoms of mental illness with potential application to the development and personalization of novel treatments.

Author Summary

As neuropsychiatry begins to leverage the power of computational methods to understand disease states and to develop better therapies, it is vital that we acknowledge the trade-offs between model complexity and performance. We show that computational methods can elucidate a neural signature of feeding behavior and show how these methods could be used to discover neural patterns related to other behaviors and used as therapeutic targets. Further, our results helps to contextualize both the limitations and potential of applying computational methods to neuropsychiatry by showing how changing the data being used to train predictive models (e.g., population vs. individual data) can have a large impact on how model performance generalizes across time, internal states and individuals.
Active avoidance requires inhibitory signaling in the rodent prelimbic prefrontal cortex
Authors: Diehl Maria M. , Bravo-Rivera Christian , Rodríguez-Romaguera Jose , Pagán-Rivera Pablo A. , Burgos-Robles Anthony , Quirk Gregory J.
Published: January 2018

Much is known about the neural circuits of conditioned fear and its relevance to understanding anxiety disorders, but less is known about other anxiety-related behaviors such as active avoidance. Using a tone-signaled, platform-mediated active avoidance task, we observed that pharmacological inactivation of the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL) delayed initiation of avoidance. However, optogenetic silencing of PL neurons did not delay avoidance. Consistent with this finding, inhibitory, but not excitatory, responses of rostral PL neurons to the tone were correlated with initiation of avoidance. To oppose inhibitory responses, we photoactivated rostral PL neurons during the tone to maintain pre-tone firing rate. Photoactivation of rostral PL (but not caudal PL) neurons at 4 Hz (but not 2 Hz) delayed or prevented avoidance. These findings suggest that the initiation of active avoidance requires inhibitory neuronal responses in rostral PL, and underscores the importance of designing behavioral optogenetic studies based on neuronal firing patterns.
Phospholipid flipping facilitates annexin translocation across membranes
Authors: Stewart Sarah E , Ashkenazi Avraham , Williamson Athena , Rubinsztein David C , Moreau Kevin
Published: January 2018

Annexins are phospholipid binding proteins that somehow translocate from the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane to the outer leaflet. For example, Annexin A2 is known to localise to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane (cell surface) where it is involved in plasminogen activation leading to fibrinolysis and cell migration, among other functions. Despite having well described extracellular functions, the mechanism of annexin transport from the cytoplasmic inner leaflet to the extracellular outer leaflet of the plasma membrane remains unclear. Here, we show that phospholipid flipping activity is crucial for the transport of annexins A2 and A5 across membranes in cells and in liposomes. We identified TMEM16F (anoctamin-6) as a lipid scramblase required for transport of these annexins to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. This work reveals a mechanism for annexin translocation across membranes which depends on plasma membrane phospholipid flipping.
Representativeness and robustness of TCR repertoire diversity assessment by high-throughput sequencing
Authors: Chaara Wahiba , Mariotti-Ferrandiz Encarnita , Gonzalez-Tort Ariadna , Florez Laura , Six Adrien , Klatzmann David
Published: January 2018

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) has the potential to decipher the diversity of T cell repertoires and their dynamics during immune responses. Applied to T cell subsets such as T effector and T regulatory cells, it should help identify novel biomarkers of diseases. However, given the extreme diversity of TCR repertoires, understanding how the sequencing conditions, including cell numbers, biological and technical sampling and sequencing depth, impact the experimental outcome is critical to properly use of these data. Here we assessed the representativeness and robustness of TCR repertoire diversity assessment according to experimental conditions. By comparative analyses of experimental datasets and computer simulations, we found that (i) for small samples, the number of clonotypes recovered is often higher than the number of cells per sample, even after removing the singletons; (ii) high sequencing depth for small samples alters the clonotype distributions, which can be corrected by filtering the datasets using Shannon entropy as a threshold; (iii) a single sequencing run at high depth does not ensure a good coverage of the clonotype richness in highly polyclonal populations, which can be better covered using multiple sequencing. Altogether, our results warrant better understanding and awareness of the limitation of TCR diversity analyses by HTS and justify the development of novel computational tools for improved modelling of the highly complex nature of TCR repertoires.
Comprehensive mapping of Cystic Fibrosis mutations to CFTR protein identifies mutation clusters and molecular docking predicts corrector binding site
Authors: Molinski Steven V. , Shahani Vijay M. , Subramanian Adithya S. , MacKinnon Stephen S. , Woollard Geoffrey , Laforet Marcon , Laselva Onofrio , Morayniss Leonard D. , Bear Christine E. , Windemuth Andreas
Published: January 2018

Background

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, of which over 2000 have been reported to date. Mutations have yet to be analyzed in aggregate to assess their distribution across the tertiary structure of the CFTR protein, an approach that could provide valuable insights into the structure-function relationship of CFTR. In addition, the binding site of Class I correctors (VX-809, VX-661, C18) is not well understood.

Methods

Exonic CFTR mutations and mutant allele frequencies described in three curated databases (ABCMdb, CFTR1 and CFTR2, comprising >130,000 data points) were mapped to two different structural models: a homology model of full-length CFTR protein in the open-channel state, and a cryo-electron microscopy core-structure of CFTR in the closed-channel state. Immunoblotting confirmed the approximate binding site of Class I correctors, and molecular docking generated binding poses for their complex with the cryo-electron microscopy structure.

Results

Residue positions of six high-frequency mutant CFTR alleles were found to spatially co-localize in CFTR protein, and a significant cluster was identified at the NBD1:ICL4 interdomain interface. Further, Class I correctors VX-809, VX-661 and C18 were shown to act via a similar mechanism in vitro, and a putative multi-domain corrector binding site near residues F374-L375 was predicted in silico.

Conclusions

Our results confirm the significance of interdomain interfaces as susceptible to disruptive mutation, and identify a putative corrector binding site. The structural pharmacogenomics approach of mapping mutation databases to protein models shows promise for facilitating drug discovery and personalized medicine for monogenetic diseases.
A review of emergency department visits made by youth and adults with autism spectrum disorder from the parent perspective
Authors: Lunsky Yona , Tint Ami , Weiss Jonathan A. , Palucka Anna , Bradley Elspeth
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Past research has shown individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) visit hospital emergency departments (ED) at high rates. In order to assist individuals with ASD, their families and health care providers to improve ED care, it is important to understand these encounters in greater detail. The purpose of this paper is to provide a descriptive summary of the ED experiences of adolescents and adults with ASD, from the perspective of their families.

Design/methodology/approach

A subset of data from a larger prospective cohort study was used. Specifically, 46 parents of adolescents and adults with ASD provided details concerning 49 ED visits over a 12-month period.

Findings

Results suggest a range of presentations requiring ED use, and also diverse profiles of those with ASD who visited the ED, in terms of age, gender, and ASD severity. While overall degree of satisfaction with care received in the ED was high, parents provided recommendations to improve the ED experiences for their family members with ASD.

Originality/value

This is the first study to provide detailed accounts of ED visits from the perspective of parents of adolescents and adults with ASD. Families play an important role in the lives of individuals with ASD across the lifespan and it is important to include their perspective to improve hospital-based care for those with ASD.
Moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the entrepreneurial orientation of international performance of family businesses
Authors: Hernandez-Perlines Felipe
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the entrepreneurial orientation of international performance of family businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample for this study was collected from 218 family firms associated with the Family Business Institute (IEF). This paper used a structural equation model through PLS-SEM technique to test the proposed model and for contrasting the moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the entrepreneurial orientation of international performance of family businesses.

Findings

The main result of this work is that international performance of family businesses is determined, to a great extent, by the entrepreneurial orientation. In addition, this effect is reinforced by the absorption capacity, exerting a positive moderating role.

Practical implications

If family firms want to improve their international results, they must act in the entrepreneurial orientation through the effect of absorption capacities.

Originality/value

The originality of this work comes from the discovery of the new moderating role of absorption capacities in family firms.
Take full advantage of unlabeled data for sentiment classification
Authors: La Lei , Cao Shuyan , Qin Liangjuan
Published: January 2018

Purpose

As a foundational issue of social mining, sentiment classification suffered from a lack of unlabeled data. To enhance accuracy of classification with few labeled data, many semi-supervised algorithms had been proposed. These algorithms improved the classification performance when the labeled data are insufficient. However, precision and efficiency are difficult to be ensured at the same time in many semi-supervised methods. This paper aims to present a novel method for using unlabeled data in a more accurate and more efficient way.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors designed a boosting-based method for unlabeled data selection. The improved boosting-based method can choose unlabeled data which have the same distribution with the labeled data. The authors then proposed a novel strategy which can combine weak classifiers into strong classifiers that are more rational. Finally, a semi-supervised sentiment classification algorithm is given.

Findings

Experimental results demonstrate that the novel algorithm can achieve really high accuracy with low time consumption. It is helpful for achieving high-performance social network-related applications.

Research limitations/implications

The novel method needs a small labeled data set for semi-supervised learning. Maybe someday the authors can improve it to an unsupervised method.

Practical implications

The mentioned method can be used in text mining, image classification, audio processing and so on, and also in an unstructured data mining-related field. Overcome the problem of insufficient labeled data and achieve high precision using fewer computational time.

Social implications

Sentiment mining has wide applications in public opinion management, public security, market analysis, social network and related fields. Sentiment classification is the basis of sentiment mining.

Originality/value

According to what the authors have been informed, it is the first time transfer learning be introduced to AdaBoost for semi-supervised learning. Moreover, the improved AdaBoost uses a totally new mechanism for weighting.
Learning How to Learn: Nurturing Professional Growth Through Cognitive Mapping
Authors: Mockler Robert J. , Dologite Dorothy G.
Published: January 2018

This article examines the professional development of entrepreneurs. It describes how cognitive mapping tools drawn from knowledge engineering can be employed to help entrepreneurs both to make decisions and to grow professionally.
The New Pioneers: The Men and Women Who Are Transforming the Workplace and Marketplace
Authors: Vega Gina
Published: January 2018

Gina Vega reviews The New Pioneers: The Men and Women Who Are Transforming the Workplace and Marketplace by Thomas Petzinger Jr.
Good Stuff Cheap
Authors: Ellis Jerry
Published: January 2018

Gina Vega interviews Jerry Ellis, Founder and CEO, Building #19
A Strategic Model of the Franchise Form of Business Organization
Authors: Bronson James B. , Faircloth James W.
Published: January 2018

In this article, a franchise model is proposed which integrates aspects of external growth with internally generated growth outcomes of lowered costs and differentiation.
eBrands: Building an Internet Business at Breakneck Speed
Authors: Callister John
Published: January 2018

John Callister reviews Phil Carpenter's eBrands: Building an Internet Business at Breakneck Speed
Antecedents of small business performance
Authors: Rutherford Matthew W. , Oswald Sharon L.
Published: January 2018

This article focuses on what makes small businesses successful and whether consistent patterns of success can be identified.
Lessons from the Sandbox
Authors: Chung Ed
Published: January 2018

Ed Chung reviews Alan Gregerman's Lessons from the Sandbox
Who Moved My Cheese?
Authors: Roy Matthew H.
Published: January 2018

Matthew H. Roy reviews Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese?
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Authors: Blau Shawn
Published: January 2018

Shawn Blau reviews David Allen's Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
A Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Emerging v. Nonemerging Industry Initial Public Offerings
Authors: Finkle Todd A. , Lamb Reinhold P.
Published: January 2018

This study fills a gap in previous research by investigating differences between the short- and long-run aftermarket performances in a sample of emerging v. nonemerging industries.
Peak Performance: Business Lessons from the World's Top Sports Organizations
Authors: Blau Shawn
Published: January 2018

Shawn Blau reviews Peak Performance: Business Lessons from the World's Top Sports Organizations, written by Clive Gilson, Mike Pratt, Kevin Roberts, and Ed Weymes.
Encouraging technology-based ventures: Entrepreneurship education and engineering graduates
Authors: Menzies Teresa V. , Paradi Joseph C.
Published: January 2018

This article examines entrepreneurship courses offered by engineering faculties in Canada. The venturing rate of engineering students, whether the venturing rate increases if students have taken a course in entrepreneurship, and the type of ventures created are also explored. A recent census and an empirical study of two groups of engineering graduates from a Canadian university were utilized. Findings have implications for educators and administrators and for policy-makers interested in encouraging economic growth.
The value and impact of seminary training
Authors: Shuart R. Stephen
Published: January 2018

The Reverend R. Stephen Shuart is an Episcopal priest by profession. He is rector of two parishes and serves on the Diocesan Financial Committee and as a rural dean. However, he has spent most of his wage-earning life as owner/operator of Stephen Shuart Export Co., an internationally known photographic business, located in Kane, Pennsylvania. Shuart℉s unique entrepreneurial endeavor has been the subject of a televised news feature, and the object of camera collectorsʼ attention since his company℉s inception in the early 1970s.
Turning a hobby into millions
Authors: King Philip
Published: January 2018

Before Philip King sold his five bookstores in Christchurch roughly 10 years ago to Whitcoulls, a large Australian-owned bookstore and office supplies operation, he hardly fancied himself as an entrepreneur. Books were his passion: He loved to read. However, his first job was selling barbeque charcoal to New Zealand℉s South Island residents.
Jade software: Getting ready to tackle america
Authors: Simpson Sir Gilbert
Published: January 2018

Sir Gil Simpson is one of New Zealand℉s pioneers in software development, having started in the field in 1967. He holds steadfast to his dream that one day his approach to software programming will take hold around the world. Simpson has just opened up the company℉s first office in the United States; he expects his first significant foray into this country will be a successful one.
The region and the smaller enterprise: A discussion of appropriate investigative methodologies
Authors: Pownall Ian
Published: January 2018

Regional policy instruments are typically driven by economic rationales, from either a firm or industrial perspective. Yet too often, these rationales are taken as ex ante to the contexts within which firms and industries compete. Recent regional development research has urged a better link be developed between the individual, the firm, and their context, so as to understand the role of regions in supporting effective competitiveness of organizations. In this article, recent research themes are explored that may shed light on the nature of this relationship and that can be developed into an investigative methodology that could aid policy practitioners in generating policy instruments that reflect differing societal constructions of SME reality.
Musings of a serial entrepreneur‐ reconciling theory with practice
Authors: Levangie Joseph E.
Published: January 2018

To reminisce about my entrepreneurial career with appropriate self-importance, I might note that I have helped create companies and jobs. This contributes in a small way to economic growth. Economic growth is, however, an often illusive concept to characterize. Job growth is an essential component of a dynamic, innovative process. In the late 1970s jobs growth research suggested that the vast majority of new jobs are created by small business formation. Such empirical research is difficult to support with theoretical constructs. Classic macroeconomics analysis discounts size-offirm as irrelevant. Entrepreneurial contribution is therefore difficult to assess.
The lizard king of sobe beverages
Authors: Bello John
Published: January 2018

John Bello, aka the “Lizard King,” has been lionized in the business press as having been the brilliant entrepreneur who started a beverage company from scratch in early 1995 with his partner, Tom Schwalm, and then sold the product line to PepsiCo seven years later for a reported $375 million. What many people do not know is how close Bello came to failing with his SoBe line of innovative drinks.
Cashing in on seafood
Authors: Heard Stephen
Published: January 2018

Stephen Heard graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1970 with a degree in business administration. He started his career by signing up as a management trainee at Woolworth℉s Department Store in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It didn℉t take him long to realize he missed his calling: being by the Rhode Island shoreline and employed in the fishing industry. Nearly 35 years later, Stephen is a self-made multimillionaire, having followed both his passion for entrepreneurship and for living his life on the Atlantic coast.
Employee equity, incentive compensation, and growth in entrepreneurial firms
Authors: Arbaugh J. B. , Cox Larry W. , Camp S. Michael
Published: January 2018

We examined the relationship between employee equity compensation, incentive compensation, and firm growth using a sample of 480 privately held firms from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s database of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) winners. Using frameworks from agency and motivation theories, we argued that larger percentages of both equity- and incentivebased compensation allocated to top managers and employees would be associated with firm growth. After controlling for firm and industry effects, the results of the study showed that while the firms in the sample preferred providing incentive compensation, providing equity compensation for employees was a positively significant predictor of firm growth over a three-year period. These findings suggest that prescriptions for growth in larger firms developed from agency theory also may be applicable to entrepreneurial firms, and founder/CEOs seeking to grow their firms should consider using equity compensation to motivate their current employees and to attract new ones.
Elements of infrastructure: Factors driving international entrepreneurship
Authors: Callaway Stephen K.
Published: January 2018

This article focuses on “born globals” (Knight and Cavusgil 1996) and interfirm resources to explain international entrepreneurship. The theory posed here challenges the traditional image of international business as a long, gradual process not occurring until later in the life cycle, and applying only to large multinational corporations (MNCs). Increasingly, new ventures must expand their operations internationally early in their history in order to be competitive (Oviatt and McDougall 1994), and require infrastructure (Van de Ven 1993), or interfirm resources, for success. Specifically, firms may rely on three factors to expand internationally: cost factors, unique global resources, and networks.
Juliska: Filling a niche with imports
Authors: Gooding David
Published: January 2018

David and Capucine Gooding are completing their third year in business, directing the growing activities of their import business located in Stamford, Connecticut. Their niche is marketing handblown glass which is historically accurate and inspired by such disparate designs as 14th-century French, 16th-century Dutch, and 19th-century Venetian glassware. We interviewed David on a “quiet” day when the phones didn℉t seem to be ringing constantly.
Omitted variable bias in the link between planning and performance
Authors: Heriot Kirk C. , Campbell Noel D. , Finney R. Zachary
Published: January 2018

This article argues that existing research poorly specifies the link between planning and performance because of omitted variable bias. Researchers agree planning is a critical part of creating any new venture. Many researchers assess planning by whether a small firm has a written business plan. Unfortunately, efforts empirically to validate this relationship have been inconclusive. This article proposes that researchers should assess business plans both on the quality of the plan (and the planning process that produced it), and on the quality of the underlying business opportunity. Failure to account for both aspects of a business plan amounts to omitted variable bias, frustrating attempts to accurately estimate the true relationship.
No Mulligans: When good entrepreneurs make bad decisions
Authors: Levangie Joseph E.
Published: January 2018

Some of the best entrepreneurs fail early and often. Less talented or less committed entrepreneurs do not even get a second chance. Failure and setbacks, however, can be instructive.What lessons can be learned from these experiences? How can the entrepreneur (and investors) navigate around the potholes on the New Venture Highway? Read on.
Collecting oral histories for entrepreneurship research
Authors: McKenzie Brian
Published: January 2018

Oral history collections can offer a wealth of detailed information for entrepreneurship researchers. The stories that entrepreneurs tell provide researchers with insight into both perspective and into substantive issues of entrepreneurial behavior. The life stories of entrepreneurs offer students of entrepreneurship insight into both the explicit and the tacit knowledge of working entrepreneurs.
Preparing your business for valuation
Authors: Nowicki Margaret D. , Lewis Eric E. , Lippitt Jeffrey W.
Published: January 2018

There is a tremendous need for the valuation of small businesses. Oftentimes, small businessowners do not have the wherewithal to gather the data and keep it up to date for use in situations that require valuation. Formal valuations are necessary because they provide objective evidence of value, in contrast to value set by markets on which public companies are traded. This article focuses on some factors that impact the valuation of the business and will help small businessowners feel more comfortable talking with financial professionals about how the business might be valued.
Everything you always wanted to know about ipos* *Abut were afraid to ask
Authors: Levangie Joseph E.
Published: January 2018

Many entrepreneurs want to reach high to the heavens to achieve unlimited success. These hardworking, often underappreciated, venturers often crave fame and fortune as they strive to create their personal business legacy. One strategic path many have wandered down is that of the Initial Public Offering (IPO), whereby shares of the company are sold to the public. The IPO has many strong attractions. Large amounts of capital can be brought into the company.The company's stock can be used as currency to acquire other companies. Early investors realize a good ROI. Employees can perceive real value in their stock options. Customers, banks, vendors, and other stakeholders pay more respect to the company. Is this truly the entrepreneurʼs nirvana? Or is it a case of “Be careful of what you wish for because it may really come true?” Read on.
Entrepreneurship research through databases: Measurement and design issues
Authors: Wennberg Karl
Published: January 2018

This article provides an account of how databases can be effectively used in entrepreneurship research. Improved quality and access to large secondary databases offer paths to answer questions of great theoretical value. I present an overview of theoretical, methodological, and practical difficulties in working with database data, together with advice on how such difficulties can be overcome. Conclusions are given, together with suggestions of areas where databases might provide real and important contributions to entrepreneurship research.
Entrepreneurial hunger–shall we try chinese?
Authors: Levangie Joseph E.
Published: January 2018

Many entrepreneurs are able to manage their businesses within relatively contained and familiar geographical and cultural circles. With a world economy shrinking every day amid a flood of digital information, todayʼs entrepreneur is increasingly confronted with opportunities to consider new ways to secure vendors and recruit customers. Many unfamiliar possibilities emerge. Should the entrepreneur venture beyond “comfortable” surroundings to consider international connections? Specifically, what about China? How practical is this fetching business temptation of larger markets and lower-cost subcontractors? What are the social, trade, financial, and political issues? Should a “China strategy” be a true entrepreneurial offensive, or rather a defensive response to competition? Is this “China strategy” the promise of yet another entrepreneurial nirvana? Or is it perhaps again a case of “Be careful of what you wish for; it may really come true?”
Capital accessibility, gender, and ethnicity: The case of minority women-owned firms
Authors: Lucas Leyland M.
Published: January 2018

Minority women continue to make significant gains in economic activity, particularly as entrepreneurs through the creation of small businesses. Despite this increased role in small business activity and an admirable rate of success, minority women-owned businesses continue to experience problems in acquiring capital. This difficulty, which some have attributed to discriminatory practices, forces a large number of these businesses to rely on governmental support programs for assistance in meeting their capital needs. Building on the idea that things are not as simple as commonly presented, a case is made that access to capital for women-owned businesses is affected by a number of other factors tied to the inability to join important networks.
Simplified Data Analytics for the Accurate Evaluation of a New Venture's Market Potential
Authors: Mattei Michael D. , Hellebusch Stephen
Published: January 2018

This article examines the creation of an accurate market projection designed with easy-to-use, cost-effective data analytic techniques. Many of the techniques explored are derived from the subdisciplines of decision support and data warehousing found in the information technology arena. Two significant contributions are presented: a simple mathematical technique that eliminates the need for heuristics, and the simplification of the process to the point where no computer or sophisticated statistical analysis is needed.
Entrepreneurs test the market: Got (goat's) milk soap?
Authors: Weinstein Laurence M. , Bodrato* Kelli
Published: January 2018

Sitting around the kitchen table one late-winter morning, Lisa and Rick Agee were discussing which direction to take their small, home-based business located in rural New Milford, Connecticut, over the next three to five years. The couple was making and selling “Goatboy” brand bathroom soap using goatʼs milk as the key ingredient, and they were now trying to reconcile very different points of view on how to grow the business in early March 2006.
Problems encountered by ethnic entrepreneurs: A comparative analysis across five ethnic groups
Authors: Brenner Gabrielle A. , Filion Louis Jacques , Menzies Teresa V. , Dionne Lionel
Published: January 2018

Despite growing interest in the difficulties encountered by ethnic entrepreneurs, very little research has yet been done on the subject. This article attempts to fill the gap. A total of 715 Chinese, Italian, Indian/Sikh, Jewish, and Vietnamese entrepreneurs from Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver were surveyed for the research. The results show that ethnic businesses tend to face the same problems as other businesses, which consequently does not appear to justify the development of support programs specifically for ethnic entrepreneurs. However, this study of established businesses does not consider failed or nascent businesses, which may have experienced additional problems. Further research is required to examine these issues. Also, given the unique social and business dynamics that exist within the ethnic communities studied, support programs should be directed through the networks of these communities.
Entrepreneurial financing–alternatives for raising capital
Authors: Broude Paul D. , Levangie Joseph E.
Published: January 2018

Most entrepreneurs are continually concerned about their finances. Their companies perhaps not yet profitable, they may have a fear of “running out of dry powder.” These entrepreneurs often have fallen in love with their company's technologies, products, and potential markets, but they require more resources. Invariably these emerging ventures shroud their fear of the grueling capital raising marathon by presenting voluminous business plans to potential investors. They often flaunt their “optimized business models.”” Investors, however, typically want to know why the potential investment is such a good deal. The entrepreneur often wants guidance regarding what to say to whom in a changing financing environment.

In this article, our “Practitioner's Corner” associate editor Joe Levangie collaborates with a long-time colleague Paul Broude to address how businesses should “make their capital-raising initiatives happen.” Levangie, a venture advisor and entrepreneur, first worked with Broude, a business and securities attorney, in 1985 when they went to London to pursue financing for an American startup. They successfully survived all-night drafting sessions, late-night clubbing by the company founder, and even skeet shooting and barbequing at the investment banker's country house to achieve the first “Greenfield” flotation by an American company on the Unlisted Securities Market of the London Stock Exchange. To ascertain how the entrepreneur can determine what financing options exist in today's investing climate, read on.
Exploring the effects of corporate venturing on new business creation
Authors: Sciascia Salvatore , Alberti Fernando G. , De Vita Riccardo , Poli Alberto
Published: January 2018

One of the main problems of large firms is that they tend to lose their entrepreneurial orientation (EO) once they have grown.The launch of corporate ventures (CV) has been adopted by managers, and studied by scholars, as the means to create new businesses within large companies with a low level of EO. Extensive research on CV has been carried out to understand how these projects can effectively lead to new business creation. However, there are no studies on the effect of CV projects on new business creation after the project has ended. More specifically, scholars have overlooked the prospect that a CV project may continue to influence new business creation and how this is possible. This article explores how CV projects have an effect on new business creation after they end, if any.The discussion builds on the analysis of the case study of Riso Gallo, an Italian company operating in the rice industry, which developed a CV project between 1988 and 1996 to sidestep a poor EO.
Toward a typology of new venture creators: Similarities and contrasts between business and social entrepreneurs
Authors: Vega Gina , Kidwell Roland E.
Published: January 2018

This article advances a conceptual typology delineating the differences and similarities between business- and social-sector new venture creators. Our classification scheme differentiates business and social entrepreneurs, considering characteristics of social entrepreneurs in a larger entrepreneurial context.Within a conceptual 2x2 typology based on two dimensions: drive (passion vs. business) and desired return (financial ROI vs. social ROI), we identify and classify 80 examples of new venture creators into one of the quadrants of an enterprise model of entrepreneurs. Preliminary results reveal similarities between social and traditional entrepreneurs and differentiate social entrepreneurs in terms of traits, goals, tendencies, and motivational sources.
Separated at birth: An inquiry on the conceptual independence of the entrepreneurship and the leadership constructs
Authors: Becherer Richard C. , Mendenhall Mark E. , Eickhoff Karen Ford
Published: January 2018

Entrepreneurship and leadership may flow from the same genealogical source and the appearance of separation of the two constructs may be due to differences in the contexts through which the root phenomenon flows. Entrepreneurship and leadership are figuratively different manifestations of the need to create. To better understand the origin of entrepreneurship and leadership, research must first focus on the combinations or hierarchy of traits that are necessary, but perhaps not sufficient, to stimulate the two constructs. Factors that trigger a drive to create or take initiative within the individual in the context of a particular circumstance should be identified, and the situational factors that move the individual toward more traditional leader or classic entrepreneurial-type behaviors need to be understood.
Are you an innovator or adaptor? the impact of cognitive propensity on venture expectations and outcomes
Authors: Johnson Kevin LaMont , Danis Wade M. , Dollinger Marc J.
Published: January 2018

In this study we confirm the often assumed but largely untested belief that entrepreneurs think and behave differently than others. We examine a group of more than 700 nascent entrepreneurs and 400 nonentrepreneurs. We determine the entrepreneurs’ cognitive style propensity for problem solving (Innovator versus Adaptor); we compare their expectations; and, we examine the outcomes (performance and start-up) of their ventures. We find that nascent entrepreneurs are more likely to be overly optimistic Innovators, most people are Adaptors, and oneʼs cognitive style can indeed play a role in the initial development and outcome for the venture, but not always as expected.
TransLighting group, inc. a small town, family business
Authors: Lowenthal Jeff
Published: January 2018

TransLighting Group, Inc. consists of two companies all centered around the transportation industry. The original company, TransLighting, was started in 1962 by Henry Phillips. Henry was an engineer with Ford Motor Company specializing in braking wiring systems. Over an eight-year period, he designed and patented several wiring and harness systems that are used in cars as of the 2006 model year. Back in the 1950s Henry had the opportunity to learn about and use LED technology. He even came up with a process using this technology to increase brake light visibility (i.e., the third or middle brake light on most cars). In June 1961 over dinner with another engineering buddy, Bill Acken, Bill figured that they could use this same technology to display roadside messages for motorists. Following license approval from Ford, Bill and Henry started TransLighting in White Lake, Michigan.
Growing pains
Authors: Masterfano Michele K.
Published: January 2018

Book review by Michele K. Masterfano. Flamholtz, Eric G. and Yvonne Randle. Growing Pains: Transitioning from an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. ISBN 9780787986162
Strategic flexibility and SMEs: The role of information technology for managing internal and external relations
Authors: Callaway Stephen K. , Celuch Kevin , Murphy Gregory B.
Published: January 2018

The purpose of the current study was to assess the impact of information technology on strategic flexibility for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Results of the study show that under conditions of low environmental dynamism, IT capabilities are associated with greater reactive strategic flexibility. Specifically, IT capabilities enabling the management of internal activities was significant. Under conditions of high environmental dynamism, IT capabilities are associated with greater proactive strategic flexibility. Specifically, IT capabilities enabling the management of competitor information was significant. Managerial as well as future research implications are discussed.
Designing clothes: Culture and organization in the fashion industry
Authors: Hayes Lisa
Published: January 2018

Book review by Lisa Hayes. Manlow, Veronica. Designing Clothes: Culture and Organization in the Fashion Industry. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2007. ISBN 9781412810555
How a Plane Crash Changed My Life
Authors: Leonsis Ted , Davis Miles K.
Published: January 2018

In 1983 Ted Leonsis survived a crash landing of a plane he was on.This fateful event proved to be a pivotal point in his life. One of the byproducts of that near-death experiences is Leonsisʼ list of 101 things to do before he died‐a “bucket list” before the movie of that title came out. Leonsis has managed to accomplish more than two-thirds of the things on his list including owning a sports franchise (the Washington Capitals), changing someoneʼs life via a charity, sailing the Caribbean, and being on the cover of a magazine. As impressive as these accomplishments are, they do not reveal the person underneath these accomplishments or what has driven this serial entrepreneur. In previous interviews appearing in NEJE, we have explored how a personʼs faith tradition impacts how they run and manage their businesses. In this interview Leonsis reveals how his life was shaped by both his early childhood and the transformational experience of a crash landing. This interview examines not only what drove Leonsis to success, but also why he feels failure is important. Along, the way he offers his perspective on corporate social responsibility and why it is so critical for individuals and companies to give back to society. And finally, Leonsis shares what he has learned about the secret to happiness.
Mason biodiesel: A family℉s new venture in a new industry
Authors: Eriksen Matthew , Tompson George H.
Published: January 2018

This case describes a real family that has been running a labor-intensive business since 1992. The father, Phil Mason, runs the business with the help of his wife and two of his sons in southwestern Rhode Island. The business is a franchisee of ServiceMaster Clean. In 2006, the franchise employed 20 full-time employees and was the 50th largest ServiceMaster Clean franchise among the approximately 1,200 franchises located in the United States. Annual revenue is approximately $2.5 million. In late 2005, one of Phil℉s sons began researching the biodiesel industry. As he was growing weary of the labor-intensive nature of his franchise business, Phil fully researched the industry himself. By the middle of 2006, Phil was convinced that he could profitably manufacture biodiesel in his spare warehouse space. In July 2006, he formed Mason Biodiesel, LLC and financed the $1.5 million start-up costs through a combination of personal savings and bank debt.