2-Minute Insights
2-Minute Insights is a curated collection of concise research summaries to inform managers about the latest developments in key business areas. These insights draw from recently published research and aim to enhance awareness and understanding of various topics, including business strategy, entrepreneurship, international expansion, marketing, pricing, and more. Each 2-Minute Insights article or video provides a quick, accessible overview that can be easily consumed on the go. For those interested in diving deeper, links to more detailed resources are included, allowing readers and viewers to explore the subject further. Whether you’re looking for a brief update or a starting point for in-depth learning, 2-Minute Insights offers timely, actionable knowledge to help managers stay ahead in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Current Year (2024)
Entrepreneurs as Prime Targets: Insights from Mexican Ventures on the Link Between Venture Visibility and Crime of Varying Severity
This research highlights a very troubling reality that typical business routines associated with a growing business tend to attract crime, which can result in entrepreneurs deciding to shut down a successful business venture.
Past 2-Minute Insights
VIDEO: How a founder's role evolves through scaling (2023)
with Dr. Nicola Breugst
Designed to defy the status quo: entrepreneurs as rule-breakers (2023)
Founders and their companies often chart into novel territory to introduce business models that bend or overtly defy legal constraints. This research work offers a foundation to think about and reconcile these tensions.
Are women-only networks helpful or harmful for women technology founders? (2021)
The importance of social connections is well established as vital to entrepreneurial success. But if you are a woman technology entrepreneur, will joining a women-only network help or hinder your success? To find out, authors Meredith Woodwark, Alison Wood and Karin Schnarr investigated how women founders use formal external entrepreneurial networks to build their companies.
Why streets matter: Infrastructure and innovation (2021)
In this study, Dr. Roche examined how the physical layout of neighbourhoods affects innovation by influencing the organization of knowledge exchange. Her analysis and results suggest that variation in street network density may help explain regional innovation differentials beyond the traditional location externalities found by other researchers.
How to craft social media posts that earn both clicks and profits (2021)
Abhishek Borah and his co-authors liken marketing in social media to jazz music; its beauty is not in the expected notes, it is in the improvisation. They argue that the latest technological and interactive tools are needed to create swift, agile, and interesting content.
Can an advertising algorithm lead to gender-based discrimination? (2021)
Computer algorithms are used to automate decision-making in an increasing number of areas, including the delivery and distribution of advertising. However, there are concerns that algorithmic decision making could lead to outcomes that may disadvantage certain populations, especially minority groups.
Is there a CAGE around cyberspace? How digital innovations internationalize in a virtual world (2021)
This research paper shows that while most digital innovations are globally available from inception via online platforms, substantial user adoption barriers persist in cyberspace as users may find foreign digital innovations less relevant to their specific needs.
Do new technology ventures need to adapt when they serve international markets? (2020)
This article examines how the goal orientations of managers are linked to whether new technology firms adapt as they internationalize.
Do consumers' racial biases affect the bottom line of founders launching new products? (2019)
The authors use experimental methods to survey consumer attitudes towards new products launched by founders when the race of the founder is known.
How can you leverage your work experiences into an entrepreneurial career? (2019)
The majority of entrepreneurs work for companies prior to launching their own ventures. Employing organizations provide employees with opportunities to prepare for entrepreneurial careers by involving them in exploration as well as exploitation activities within the company.
Explore or exploit: Strike the right balance for the best outcome (2019)
Should your marketing activities focus on retaining current customers and sustaining current products? Or, should you spend more time going after new customers and developing new products?
What's in a logo when it comes to crowdfunding? (2019)
Visual cues such as logos, illustrations, photos, and images are pervasive on digital equity crowdfunding platforms. However, they are perceived to have low or no association with venture survival and profitability. This research dispels this perception by showing that visual cues can influence investors' funding decisions.
How do alliances formed by technology conglomerates facilitate innovation? (2019)
In this paper, researchers create a new method to measure the extent of a firm's technology conglomeration. This is then used to offer evidence as to what accounts for the increased innovation output by such a technology conglomerate.
How do you convince someone to take a leap of faith with an early-stage invention? (2019)
This study reveals that language choices alone can determine whether or not early-stage scientific inventions receive resource support.
What should happen to launch timing and production when start-ups compete with established firms? (2018)
This research develops a game theory model to predict how a start-up's timing and production decisions are influenced by whether or not the firm is focuses on maximizing survival vs. profit and how an established competitor behaves.
Do customers across cultures react similarly to experiential value online? (2018)
As e-retailers strive to expand their customer-base by targeting customers internationally, this study looked at how consumers across different cultures react differently to experiential value offered by e-retailers.
What do we mean by 'design thinking'? (2018)
Design thinking promises an effective approach to innovation and problem-solving. However, the term is ill-defined, and thus considerable ambiguity and disagreement regarding the attributes, applicability, and outcomes of design thinking. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of existing conceptualization and study and consolidates the knowledge on the subject.
Can understanding Facebook use help online news providers? (2017)
Understanding the interplay between social networks and online news providers becomes fundamental for digital marketers. This research confirms that online news consumption is a shared experience, with the news consumption activity of social network friends associated with similar behavior by other network members.
Does the language used in online recommendations lead to worse decisions? (2017)
Word of mouth has become increasingly important for firms as consumers turn to one another online for product recommendations. This research looks at the language consumers use to endorse products, and how this language impacts persuasion.
What impact do new product rumors and pre-announcements have? (2017)
This paper examines the potentially positive role of rumors in generating curiosity about new products. It also shows how prior knowledge generated through rumors affects consumer responses to later official pre-announcements about these products.
How should you bundle services with products? Insights from the Finnish mobile phone sector (2017)
An effective and widespread strategy in many industries is to bundle different products and services together as a package. This study explored how the perceptions and behavior of customers that purchase such bundles differ compared to the ones who buy the components separately.
How do serial entrepreneurs impact a tech ecosystem? (2016)
Technology ecosystems are known throughout the world to be important for generating innovative and entrepreneurial businesses. This research studies entrepreneurs within the Waterloo Region ecosystem to determine similarities in their experiences and share learning from their ventures.
How do foreign ties affect international market attractiveness? (2016)
When considering international expansion, entrepreneurial firms use their network of social ties to gain information about which foreign markets to enter. Their assessment of each opportunity depends on many factors. This research examines three such factors.
What's the influence of your website's personality? (2015)
The increasingly competitive landscape in online shopping has set the bar higher than ever before for e-retailers. This research investigated the relationships between website personality and two key outcomes for e-retailers, website involvement and website attitudes.
Can founder passion impact employee commitment? (2012)
How an employee perceives the founder's passions impacts how committed they are to the organization. Employee commitment is also affected by their understanding of firm goals, though to a lesser degree than their perceptions of leadership.
What types of new features add value for technology products? (2008)
Technology firms deliver innovation by adding new features to their base products. These features are either similar in nature to the base, or distinct from base functionality. This research considers the impact on the value of a product based on select factors.
How do small software firms use their networks for international expansion? (1997)
Small firms need to determine when and how to expand internationally, particularly in the global, fast-growing technology sector. Now considered a classic article, this research examines how network relationships influence the small firm’s approach to internationalization. The focus is on software developers.