The Blank School engages Babson community members and leads research to create entrepreneurial leaders.

Doctoral Consortium Research Translation Showcase
Sponsored by The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation & SAMS (The Society for the Advancement of Management Studies)
The Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), with generous support from The Kauffman Foundation & SAMS, is tapping leading-edge research conducted by an elite group of doctoral students from top universities around the world. These 25 students have participated in the 2023 BCERC Doctoral Consortium.
We have published their practitioner translations that highlight important implications for entrepreneurs and others involved in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. These translations succinctly highlight key research findings and interpret what these findings mean for an entrepreneur starting or building their business. Please enjoy their short 2-4 page articles with direct practitioner implications in the areas of the External Environment, The Entrepreneur, Growing Your Venture, Managing Your Team, Social Entrepreneurship, and Venture Financing.
Growing Your Venture

Jia Bao
National University of SingaporeResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: “Entrepreneurism is widely regarded as being one way in which women can sidestep the sexism of male-dominated institutionalized work environments and enter into a world in which men and women operate on a level playing field.” – Jones, K. and Clifton, J.

Imge Kaya-Sabanci
IE Business School, GermanyResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: As an entrepreneur, the more trustworthy you are perceived by the investors, the more likely you are to get investment. The research in both management and economics consistently shows that. Is this really the case, no matter who you are?

Izuchukwu Mbaraonye
The University of Nebraska - Lincoln, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Entrepreneurial growth is often met by positive stakeholder reactions as it signifies the output of the hard work by entrepreneurs. However, this reaction may not be extended to entrepreneurs in high identification entrepreneurial spaces, where entrepreneurs and stakeholders define themselves based on both what they “are” and what they “are not”, and there is a “magical” quality to the origins and inspiration of their product or service offering.

Gavin Williamson
University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Have you ever wondered if it would help or hurt your career to start a side venture? Across two studies, I find that employees with side ventures have more success transitioning between employers than employees that do not, but also face unique challenges along the way.
The Entrepreneur

Jia Bao
National University of SingaporeResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: “Entrepreneurism is widely regarded as being one way in which women can sidestep the sexism of male-dominated institutionalized work environments and enter into a world in which men and women operate on a level playing field.” – Jones, K. and Clifton, J.

Fernando D'Andrea
Oklahoma State University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Entrepreneurs deal with the unknown. Before starting a venture, individuals need to assess whether or not they should be going forward. A positive response will happen if they see a market for the solution and if they believe to be technologically able to make the idea become a viable product.

Alex Hamrick
Auburn University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Entrepreneurs can enhance their work by engaging in leisure. By taking time away from work to proactively structure their leisure time to focus on goal setting, social connections, and personal development, referred to as leisure crafting, entrepreneurs can overcome venture-related hurdles, enhance their creativity, recognize opportunities, and perform at higher levels.

Jarrod Humphrey
University of Florida, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: The universe of entrepreneurial activity is as large as it is diverse. When starting a business, or even launching a side-gig, it is vital that you know where you fit in this universe so you choose the right strategy for your unique entrepreneurial context.

Felix Kaysers
Emlyon Business School, FranceResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: In large parts of the developing world, entrepreneurs must secure their livelihood despite the regular occurrence of terror attacks. Through an analysis of Egyptian entrepreneurs, we provide evidence of the effect of terror attacks on entrepreneurs’ choice of entrepreneurship as a permanent occupation. We explain how entrepreneurs’ knowledge, skills and abilities sustain them to keep dreaming about a better future and explore how differences in knowledge, skills and abilities imbued through religion, trade union affiliation and firm size.

Ali Mchiri
New Mexico State University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Entrepreneurship is known to be psychologically taxing. This is exacerbated when individuals simultaneously maintain wage work and self-employment, also known as ‘hybrid entrepreneurship’. To alleviate potential ill-being, hybrid entrepreneurs unleash their “HERO within”, by strengthening their psychological capital resources. Consequently, hybrid entrepreneurs experience superior performance both in their ventures and in employing organizations.

Anke Steinmeyer
Bond University, AustraliaResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Beating rivals is an ever-present aspect of your successful entrepreneurial journey. However, our research found that entrepreneurs' competitiveness changes over time and can have many faces that impact your job enjoyment, psychological health, and goal achievement.

Gavin Williamson
University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Have you ever wondered if it would help or hurt your career to start a side venture? Across two studies, I find that employees with side ventures have more success transitioning between employers than employees that do not, but also face unique challenges along the way.
Managing Your Team

Marieshka Barton
Durham University, UK*Award Winner - Kauffman Foundation Award for Best Research Translation*
Research Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: We know social entrepreneurs are motivated to change the world for the better. For first-time social entrepreneurs, the zeal for social change may even surpass their need for money, affecting how they communicate their missions and how they’re perceived by investors.

Nathan Hayes
Louisiana State University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: IPOs are all about the exchange and interpretation of information. However, recent changes in regulations and technology have shaken up the traditional information exchange model. Hype – or intense group sentiment – plays an important role in how an IPO is established and its long-term performance.

Joyce Nabisaalu
Oklahoma State University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Innovation is important for business success and family firms have a higher conversion rate of innovation inputs into outputs compared to non-family firms. In fact, family firms can attain more innovative behaviors when perceptions of creative nonfamily employees align with the values of family firms.
Social Entrepreneurship

Joel Adams
Indiana University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Mission-first ventures bear authenticity risks that other ventures do not, and commonplace strategic changes can be interpreted as betrayal. Communications justifying these changes can repair, but cannot prevent, perceived inauthenticity and the losses that accompany that perception.

Ryan Bailey
University of Oklahoma, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Does a firm’s purpose matter? How does their purpose affect the kinds of value created in strategic alliances? Do their stakeholders care? This study identifies key success factors that fuel performance within strategic alliances and how firms can leverage specific behaviors to improve customer satisfaction, perceived value, and likelihood to secure future firm-level partnerships.
The External Environment

Fernando D'Andrea
Oklahoma State University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Entrepreneurs deal with the unknown. Before starting a venture, individuals need to assess whether or not they should be going forward. A positive response will happen if they see a market for the solution and if they believe to be technologically able to make the idea become a viable product.

Alex Hamrick
Auburn University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Entrepreneurs can enhance their work by engaging in leisure. By taking time away from work to proactively structure their leisure time to focus on goal setting, social connections, and personal development, referred to as leisure crafting, entrepreneurs can overcome venture-related hurdles, enhance their creativity, recognize opportunities, and perform at higher levels.

(Marie) Madeline Meurer
EBS University for Business and Law, GermanyResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Entrepreneurs highly depend on how others perceive them. Audiences such as entrepreneurial peers,investors, or crowdfunders rate the impression that they have from an entrepreneur as one of the most important criteria when providing resources. Hence, acquiring resources from critical audiences requires skilled storytelling – during pitches, in business talks, or when sharing content on social media. Thereby, one of the biggest challenges is that audiences expect entrepreneurs to stand out from other entrepreneurs and also expect them to make a prototypical impression.
Venture Financing

Devin Burnell
Indiana University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Narratives are key to entrepreneurial success. Within entrepreneurship, an effective narrative generates meaning, captivates listeners, and conveys a message that resonates with venture
audiences. But what narrative strategies can be used to shape effective venture tales?

Ali Mchiri
New Mexico State University, USAResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Entrepreneurship is known to be psychologically taxing. This is exacerbated when individuals simultaneously maintain wage work and self-employment, also known as ‘hybrid entrepreneurship’. To alleviate potential ill-being, hybrid entrepreneurs unleash their “HERO within”, by strengthening their psychological capital resources. Consequently, hybrid entrepreneurs experience superior performance both in their ventures and in employing organizations.

Anke Steinmeyer
Bond University, AustraliaResearch Translation Paper (pdf) »
Summary: Beating rivals is an ever-present aspect of your successful entrepreneurial journey. However, our research found that entrepreneurs' competitiveness changes over time and can have many faces that impact your job enjoyment, psychological health, and goal achievement.