1. 1 S MALL B USINESS S OLUTIONS Jade Lee Elizabeth Ahn Estefi Medina Mike Andrews Esther Blinkoff Vidya Sathyamoorthy Nick Deckard Taylor Schulz Lauren Ficco Max Koehler Akhila Iruku Jeff Lue

2. 2 Importance of Small Business 2 “There are approximately 23 million small businesses in the United States, representing more than 99% of all firms...collectively, these firms generate almost 50% of the sales revenues of all U.S. companies and employ more than half of the private-sector workforce.” - U.S. Small Business Administration

3. 3 Research Problem 3  Small retailers are underperforming  Various business functions have been cited as problem source  Researchers have not yet identified most significant problem source

4. 4 Research Question 4  What is the major pain point affecting small retailers today?  Can a technological solution addressing this problem improve small business performance as measured by overall sales, net profit, and customer retention?

5. 5 Hypothesis 5  If small businesses implement a technological solution to improve their customer relationship management, they will improve their sales, net profit and customer retention.

6. 6 Methodology 6 Mixed Method Design Multiple Case Study Product Development

7. 7 Progress Update 7  Conducted in-store interviews  Attended International Toy Fair  Established relationship with software developer: Rolotrak  Distributing surveys  Translating survey to Spanish  Gathering past sales data from existing small business owners

8. 8 Fall 2009 8 Survey Retailers Conduct Focus Group Determine Solution

9. 9 Winter 2009 9 Determine Requirements for System and Develop Design Rolotrak Programs System Contact Stores and Finalize Case Study Participants

10. 10 Spring 2010 10 Pre-TestImplement Prototype for 3- 4 Months Monitor Store Data

11. 11 Summer 2010 11 Post-Test Analyze Data Begin Writing Thesis

12. 12 Fall 2010 12 Continue Writing Final Thesis

13. 13 Spring 2011 13 Finalize Thesis

14. 14 Data Collection  Distributing surveys online and in-person  Targeting communities with large numbers of mall businesses in one area  Not limited geographically

15. 15 Survey Distribution = Survey Distributed

16. 16 Obstacles Encountered  Managers often unavailable  Language barrier  Limited scope  Only surveying retailers with nonperishable goods  No services  Retailer hesitancy to provide data  Difficult to distribute surveys

17. 17 Preliminary Results If you do not currently have a retail management system, how much would you be willing to pay for one? I use my current checkout system for: What kind of checkout system do you use?

18. 18 Team Composition  Topical Teams  CRM, Finance/Accounting, Inventory  Administrative  Grants Team, IRB Team  Functional (Future)  One sub-team for each case study participant  Software development subteam

19. 19 Research Goals 19  Pinpoint major problem area  Determine method to address problem  Enable small businesses to be more competitive in marketplace.

20. 20 Advice for Freshmen  Propose a project  Be passionate  Be problem-oriented, not solution-oriented  GEMS102 section leader is important  Be open minded  Don't get discouraged  Team cohesiveness is important  Celebrate the little achievements

21. 21 Image Credit 21 http://www.primelifeenrichment.org/volunteers/Volunteers.jpg http://www.majestictheatre.net/images/200805182208060.survey.jpg http://www.syspro.com.au/img/financial.jpg http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/images/ContactUs-1_1.jpg http://www.luxuryhomesmaryland.com/images/Maryland%20Map%207-30-2008.gif http://www.cinestatic.com/infinitethought/uploaded_images/focus-group-719407.jpg http://www.wendi.com/assets/images/lightbulb.jpg http://beverlyheights.org/files/blueprint.jpg http://planet-iphones.com/wp-content/filez/upload/heart-monitor-500.jpg http://blog.sunvalleyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/mom_pop_3a3.jpg http://www.themarketingbuzz.co.uk/userimages/RelationshipMarketing.jpg http://melissabushman.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/

22. 22 Any Questions? 22