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Research Reports


Cheetahs Continue: Lessons on How to Survive and Thrive from Missouri’s Fastest Growing Businesses
The Chasing Cheetah project (phase 2) continues to look at fast growth business and how they have been able to prosper and grow in an economic recession. "Cheetahs Continue" outlines lessons learned from in-depth interviews with business owners who continued to hire new employees through the recession and focusing on four categories: Reasons for their success, their views on the business climate in their markets, their relationship to their local communities and their perspectives on key policy issues. Findings indicate that these companies have an innate market orientation that gathers intelligence about their customers' needs, shares those needs throughout their firms, and responds in meaningful ways to those customer needs. They also have a willingness to embrace change as it relates to responding to their markets, an intrinsic desire to serve others and a down-to-earth simplicity. The report provides insight and recommendations that can inform local, regional and statewide economic development and job creation efforts.
  Full Report PDF document

Chasing Cheetahs: Lessons from Missouri's Fastest Growing Businesses
The Chasing Cheetahs project looks at fast growth businesses located in Missouri that have doubled in employment within five years. Based upon job creation as the key indicator for business growth. The report outlines many of the characteristics of these fast growth or "cheetah" businesses that are making a large impact on their communities. Aspects that these "cheetah" companies attributed to their success: customer service, economic opportunity, focus/goals and workforce rate at the top. The report provides insight and recommendations that may add value to local, regional and statewide economic development and job creation efforts.
  Full Report PDF document

Market Research, People and Money: Needs to Technolgy-Related Companies
This report focuses on influencing factors that impact small technology related companies located in Missouri with emphasis on the Columbia-Rolla tech corridor. The six areas that 101 small technology companies gave insight to during the study were: talented labor, access to capital, networking opportunities, availability to research resources, marketing strategy and finance. Other insights gained are the hindrances that these small technology firms face either based upon location, market size or the ability to export.
  Full Report PDF document

Identify and Define: Locating, Describing and Categorizing Missouri Technology Companies
This project is the first phase in identifying, categorizing and connecting with Missouri area technology companies. The project findings lend a detailed perspective of the technology industry in Missouri for future work and research opportunities. For a more complete, in-depth understanding of the influencing success and hindrance factors facing these companies please also read the follow up report, Market Research, People and Money: Needs to Technology-Related Companies.
  Full Report PDF document

From Gravel Roads to Uniform Product Codes: Mississippi River Hills Vintners
The Missouri Regional Cuisines Project is targeted at promoting Missouri wines and other specialty food products by focusing on regional identity. This report covers a study based on interviews with seven vintners near the Mississippi river in southeast Missouri. The primary purpose of these interviews was to gather information that would inform both the Regional Cuisines project and University of Missouri Extension. We were interested in determining what, if any, services, programs, or products would add value to the vintners operations and could be offered in cooperation with the Missouri Regional Cuisines Project. The report provides recommendations that may add value to the efforts within the Regional Cuisines Project as well as to University of Missouri Extension.
 

Full Report PDF document


A Report on Entrepreneurs' Attitudes and Beliefs about Time
This report covers a study that focused on entrepreneurs' attitudes and beliefs about time. The project uncovered some important relationships between time and entrepreneurs' general life stress. It also provided a much more precise understanding of entrepreneurs' time horizons (by time horizons we mean how far into the future or into the past people typically think about things). Results are based on a survey of approximately 1000 Missouri entrepreneurs.
  Full Report PDF document

Emerging Themes in Entrepreneurship Research
This summary provides a review of the academic literature on entrepreneurship for the past three years (1999-2003). Twenty-two themes emerged from a total of 77 articles from five peer-reviewed journals. Abstracts for each article along with a bibliography are included. Text of full articles may be available on the internet or through your local library.
  Full Report PDF document
Abstracts PDF document

Learning Experiences & Preferences of Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs in the State of Missouri
Descriptive analysis of the Learning Experiences & Preferences (LE&P) of Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs in the State of Missouri is now available. This industry-stratified, random survey of business owners was conducted in 2002 and describes the demographics, firmographics, content interests, learning experiences, styles, and preferences. The LE&P All Regions Total Report represents the descriptives for the entire state. The data are also available for each U/OE region: Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, West Central, East Central, South Central.

 

All Regions Total Report PDF document
Central Region Report PDF document
Southwest Region Report PDF document )
West Central Region Report PDF document
South Central Region Report PDF document
Northeast Region Report PDF document
Southeast Region Report PDF document
East Central Region Report PDF document
Northwest Region Report PDF document


Problems Entrepreneurs Face
The "Problems Entrepreneurs Face" study was undertaken in fall of 2002 by BRIDG. It is the first study in Missouri to take an in-depth look at the various types of operational problems entrepreneurs face when they begin their businesses and after they have been in business for a number of years.
  Full Report PDF document

Study of Latino/a Business Owners in Greater Kansas City
This research report focuses on the learning experiences and preferences of Latino business owners in the Greater Kansas City area. Using both survey and interview methods, the study finds that the most common problems they face in their businesses at the current time are cash flow, sales volume, marketing, competition, and control of their own time. Several opportunities for business assistance services emerged from the study. Among those are: the need for business mentoring, specific services for companies in the mid-stage of development, family businesses, exit strategies, combining business and community, and developing future business owners who are currently working in a Latino small business.
 

Full Report PDF document


Technology Company Resource Needs
A study of technology companies in Missouri undertaken in 2003 by BRIDG yields valuable information and insight into the entrepreneurs, their companies, capitalization issues, and preferences in learning. The study utilized survey methodology and an eleven percent response rate was garnered. Opportunities for business service providers include SBIR/STTR grant assistance, as well as management, marketing and financial assistance.
 

Full Report PDF document


Economic Development Funding & Research
This report highlights the major funders of economic development initiatives at the federal level. In addition, the report highlights recent economic development research including how the topic is framed and who are the major researchers in the arena.
 

Full Report PDF document


Minority Entrepreneurs: A Review of Current Literature
This report represents a review of the secondary literature on "minority entrepreneurs" and "minority entrepreneurship" from the major academic journals and books for the past five years. The books and articles reviewed were focused on minority, ethnic, or immigrant entrepreneurship. The disciplines included in this review are business, economics, and sociology. The focus is on the United States and does not include work that is primarily global or international. In addition, some of the latest statistical information available on minority entrepreneurs is included.
 

Full Report PDF document


Small Business Environmental Scan
This report takes a close look at what has affected Missouri's businesses during 2001. External and internal, global and local changes set the stage for what small business owners face as well as creating the boundaries for decision-making.
 

Executive Summary PDF document
Full Report PDF document
PowerPoint presentation PowerPoint document


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