Students often rely on the experiences of their educators, and that includes professors. For three NSU instructors, their newly published research into the business field aims to offer new insights for future business leaders.
The case study was published in the collaborative Journal of Case Studies by Kristi Bockorny, Sal Villegas and Daniel Shannahan of the Northern State business department.
The study is called “Modes of Entry: The Best Choice for a Boutique Owner.”
“We see a lot of big Fortune 500 company cases, and for our students that may seem a long way away from them," Bockorny said. "Where if we can pull in relevant examples and data for businesses in our backyard, they can see themselves like ‘you know what, I can start this business.’”
Namely, businesses like the ever-popular boutique retailer seen in many small-town storefronts, unaffiliated with larger enterprises and staying true to the spirit of local entrepreneurship.
Villegas said that spirit of local entrepreneurship is a motivating factor.
“We’ve got a lot of students that are really excited to hit the ground running and want to start their own business, but a lot of them don’t know how," Villegas said. "There’s this old idea that if you open your store on Main Street, click the open sign, and people will come – and we realize looking at the data that’s not true. We want to give our students real practical tools on different ways they can go and start their business. Different ideas to let their creativity go to work.”
For Shanahan, it’s not just about research. It’s an effort to engage both students and the Aberdeen community.
“We’re also engaged in this, and the instructional methods in the class will be a combination of cutting-edge research from the top researchers in the field, but also the scholarship we’re engaged with, with those local businesses Kristi just alluded to,” Shanahan said.
This research appears in the 42nd volume of the journal, published last autumn.