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Sarah Owens

MCO 4318

Dr. CJG

29 November 2016Annotated Bibliography

Digital Marketing

Vranica, S. (2016, September 22). Facebook Overestimated Key Video Metric for Two Years. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-overestimated-key-video-

metric- for-two-years-1474586951

1. The central idea of this text is that Facebook overestimated its video metrics, causing the data

to be inflated due to calculating videos viewed only for more than three seconds. This has caused

great commotion for marketers, media companies, and publishers who are now questioning their

investments in digital marketing. One of the downfalls to this marketing movement is that tech

companies are not letting third party members measure their platforms, and according to Keith

Weed, chief marketing officer of Unilever, that is equivalent to “letting them mark their own

homework.”

2. Suzanne Veranica is the Advertising Editor for the Wall Street Journal, holds 15 years’

experience at the Journal covering marketing and the inner workings of Madison Avenue. Jack

Marshall is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal covering marketing and media and previously

worked as a staff writer for Digiday covering digital media and marketing. Both authors are

clearly well versed in this particular field of study.

3. This text was published in the business section of the Wall Street Journal which means it will

be viewed by large corporate decision makers, small business owners, and up and coming

college students looking to be informed about the field they are preparing to enter into. The Wall

Street Journal is a big hitter publication, and will inevitably reach many eyes and minds.

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4. This article questions the validity and methods behind a digital marketing approach, which is

much needed as we take a deeper look into the future of this marketing strategy.

5. This text supports my topic because it identifies the flaws and potential dangers that digital

marketing could propose to the business market. Will tech companies such as Facebook

eventually need to hire on a third party to fact check their proposed metrics? How will this shift

the business market, as well as marketing strategies? Do these flaws cause tech companies to

lose credibility in their push for growth in digital marketing, or are they simply mistakes within a

system that needs correcting, and have potential to completely transform the way we do business,

and market products?

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A brand new game. (2015, August 27). Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/

business/21662543-people-spend-more-time-social-media-advertisers-are-

following- them-brand-new-game

1. This article address chief marketer' struggles to detangle the complexities of societies digital

platform advancements, causing them to reassess marketing strategies to advertise products to

target customers effectively. Because, as the article addresses, social media has become “a pillar

of the advertising industry” it has become increasingly important that businesses stay on the

forefront lines of these advancements. This will allow companies to critically predict and prepare

to navigate around the potential flaws within these new marketing strategies.

2. This article was published by The Economist newspaper, which leads me to trust its

credibility; however, I am hesitant not knowing exactly who the author is.

3. The audience for this article is going to be similar to The Wall Street Journal. Leading

business men and women uses this source to stay up to date with the latest, and the greatest.

College students look to this source as well. It is a public publication, with a particular focus on

politics, business and finance, economics, science and technology, culture, blogs, debate, and

multimedia.

4. To compare this article to The Wall Street Journal’s address to Facebook, The Economist

acknowledges that Facebook is the favorite among marking folk, which prompts me to ask if

Facebook should take these flawed metrics more seriously than they have? It is interesting to me

that this article says there is still a limit to how much advertising will shift to digital media.

Granted, it takes time for changes to make it’s way through social structures; however, Moore’s

Law, created by the co-founder of Intel, Gordon Moore, predicts an exponential increase in

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technological advancement in the next 40 years. These advancements have already taken place at

a rapid rate, and if that still holds to be true, will it take much longer for these trends to continue

to occur?

5. This particular text supports my selected topic because it specializes in multimedia, business,

and technology, which are all intertwined within the research study of digital marketing.

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Simonite, T. (2016, May 13). Moore's Law Is Dead. Now What? Retrieved from https://

www.technologyreview.com/s/601441/moores-law-is-dead-now-what/

1. The central thesis of this text is addressing the death of Moore’s Law while analyzing what

steps need to be taken to encourage the advancement of technology in our society continuously.

2. The author, Tom Simonite, is MIT Technology Review’s San Franciso bureau chief, and well

versed in algorithms, Internet, and human-computer interaction with chips on the side. He has

studied at the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and has five years experience

writing and editing technology news coverage at New Scientist magazine.

3. The audience reading this would most likely be academic, and technologically savvy. Students

and professors studying at MIT would follow this kind of publication, as well as any inquisitive

individual looking to gain a deeper understanding of technological advancement.

4. I found this article to be very controversial, as Simonite is claiming that Moore’s Law is dead,

which is not necessarily an agreeable statement in his particular field of study. He contributes his

argument to Intel stating that they are going to put the break on Moore’s Law due to new chip-

making technology slowing down as they search for a successor to silicon transistors, which is

reasonable, but a provoking thought in terms of analyzing the growth of social media, and digital

marketing.

5. This text may seem a bit out of the bounds of my topic; however, I am going to argue

otherwise! Digital marketing is heavily dependent on social media, which in turn is heavily

dependent on computers and IT development. It will be empirical that digital marketers remain

intermingled with the shifts happening in this specific field of study because it will indirectly

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affect the, whether they like it or not. If our basic technological devices change, then this will

dramatically affect how chief marketers approach social media marketing.

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TODOR, R. D. (2016). Blending traditional and digital marketing. Bulletin Of The Transilvania

University Of Brasov, Series I: Engineering Sciences, 9(1), 51-6.

1. The central idea of this article is to acknowledge to the realities of the digital era, internet

marketing, and social media while learning how to blend traditional marketing methods with

digital marketing methods to achieve set goals. This article argues that the integration of old and

new marketing methods can both boost customer retention and brand awareness.

2. Raluca Dania wrote this scholarly article for the Bulletin of the Transilvania University of

Brasov, Technological Engineering/Product Design, and Environment Faculties.

3. The is an academic article direct to students and researchers.

4. The article embraces the realities of the digital marketing ear, by acknowledges that while we

have made significant progress in technological development, we are not moving as quickly as

previously suggested in Moore’s Law, which Simonite addressed in his MIT Technology

Review. Due to the slower pace we are experiences, this article proposes marketers integrate a

blend of traditional and digital marketing while society drifts through this somewhat awkward

transition from one way of doing things to another. It is refreshing to read an article that lands in-

between two worlds and seeks to bring a sense of cohesion.

5. This text was incredibly reasonable and addressed the pros and cons of both traditional

marketing and digital marketing. I think the greatest flaw of digital marketing is the instability

that technology presents businesses. Technology can always glitch, were tangible pieces of

traditional marketing create a concrete approach; however, there is always the danger of

stagnation. Digital marketing seems to be the avenue taken by the risk takers. It is new,

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innovative, and provides quick and timely data for organizations to analyze to make timely

decisions in how they market products.

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PATRUTIU BALTES, L. (2016). Digital marketing mix specific to the IT Field. Bulletin Of The

Transilvania University Of Brasov, Series I: Engineering Sciences, 9(1), 31-44.

1. This article addresses the monopolization of businesses due to digitization while analyzing the

shifts in the marketing mix (product, price, placement, and promotion policies) which has

undergone extensive transitions.

2. Loredana Patrutiu Baltes wrote this scholarly article for the Bulletin of the Transilvania

University of Brasov, Technological Engineering/Product Design, and Environment Faculties.

3. The is an academic article direct to students and researchers.

4. This article assumes digitizations will have exponential growth in the future, while the

previous article, as well as the MIT Technological Review, assumes that these transitions will

take place at a slower rate. However, this article does take into consideration the monopolization

of businesses, specifically IT companies, which is interesting in light of the Facebook

controversy. This brings the third party suggestion back into the equation to create an ethical

environment from digitization to grow within. This article states that because of the endless of

advantages digital marketing has to offer, that, therefore, makes it indispensable, but is it?

5. This article is mixing up the marketing mix by throwing (CRM) customer relationship

management into the equation and using that as the primary driver behind the differences found

in tradition and digital marketing. It discusses how a powerful brand image psychologically

affects the brain. An example being that “neuroscientist have used MRI scans to discover that in

the case of Apple fans, Apple products trigger in their brain the same reactions as the image of a

deity in the minds of religious people.” (Gallo, 2015). What is interesting is that despite the

ethical controversy within the expansion of digital marketing, is that one of the benefits of this

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shift in the marketing mix is the intentional focus on the social environment. It is as if the

movement is wanting to build beyond just consumer relationships onto social responsibility. It

seems like an honest way of having consumers best interest in mind. In many ways, it is taking

the customer relationship to the next level.

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(n.d.). Retrieved from https://thinkrevivehealth.com/2015/10/dangers-of-digital/

1. Bevolo, a massive advocate for digital marketing, analyzed several key dangers within the

movement while providing suggestions on how to mitigate these proposed barriers.

2. Chris Bevolo was the owner and lead strategist of Interval, a Minneapolis-based healthcare

marketing firm, which gained a national reputation for dismantling the status quo in healthcare

marketing. He is a frequent keynote speaker, featured presenter on the topics of healthcare

marketing and branding, and has authored two books, as well as a popular blog and numerous

articles and papers.

3. The audience for this blog will most likely be those in the healthcare system, researchers, and

the curious general public.

4. This article states that the Association of National Advertisers showed fake traffic would cost

advertisers $6.3 billion this year; however, it encourages advertisers to account for inflated

results by paying closer attention to click-through rates and conversions rather than impressions,

which is an interesting suggestion in light of the Facebook controversy.

5. A unique point Bevolo made, which supported my topic of research was that brand journalism

is highly saturated within digital marketing; however, to mitigate that, he encourages digital

marketers to think vertically, rather than horizontally. While horizontal content such as blogs are

great and sound continually be invested in, the next step beyond that is vertically thinking such

as campaigns, and compelling content marketing programs to drive long-term results.

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(n.d.). Retrieved from http://blog.tailwindapp.com/risks-of-social-media-marketing/

1. This article's thesis is to analyze the risks in developing social media marketing strategies for

business entities.

2. Craig Robinson is a writer for qwaya.com - a Facebook campaign tool and writes about social

context and customer engagement online.

3. This article would be read by researchers, students, and marketers looking to gain a variety

opinions on social media marketing strategies. By analyzing the risks posed to a brand in

developing a digital marketing strategy, companies can; as a result plan to avoid potential

catastrophes.

4. While Raluca Dania writes that personalization, active engagement with users, and dialog

among users as a benefit to digital marketing, Robinson mentions the dangers of a public

relations crisis. He suggests that if a company is caught in dishonesty, it can go viral and cripple

that validity and credibility of a brand. This emphasizes the negative ramifications of published

content on social media. While digital marketers can use these methods to their advantage, they

must be incredibly thorough in reviewing their content before posting to avoid dishonesty, false

information, or an inappropriate post.

5. This article broke down the risks of running digital marketing campaigns into categories such

as the following: a public relations crisis, a security breach, offending your audience, sticky-

fingered competition, and legal implications.

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(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2015/04/14/10-top-trends-

driving-the-future-of-marketing/

1. The central idea of this text is to address the top driving forces for the future of marketing.

2. Daniel Newman is a principal analyst at Futurum Research and CEO of Broadsuite Media

Group; he spends his life learning to know what drives people to adopt new technology so he

can share those secrets with companies to turn disruption and threats into business models

for success.

3. Forbes.com is undoubtedly one of the leading online go-to sources for businessman,

entrepreneurs, college students, and business leaders within academia. It is a well credit

public source.

4. Newman seems to be team Moore’s Law, suggesting that digitalization will continue to

expand and a rapid rate, leading to mobile being the social source used by consumers. He

emphasizes content marketing, which is interesting after reading Bevolo encouragement of

“thinking vertical rather than horizontal” to get ahead of competitors. However, I had to say

that while Bevolo may have a point regarding digital journalism, content marketing is a bit

more visually driven, and is typically linked to a microblogging approach. Fewer words,

more imagery seems to be what is going to sell concerning digital marketing according to

Newman. He also emphasized the need for genuine brand-customer transparency, which

once again is building on the trend of being socially responsible, and being more intentional

to truly build upon the previously established relationships with customers to continue long-

term results.

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5. In understanding the stability of digital marketing, this article provides insights into the

future of marketing, which thus supports my topic.

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@. (2015, March 05). 25 Predictions For What Marketing Will Look Like In 2020. Retrieved

from https://www.fastcocreate.com/3043109/sector-forecasting/25-predictions-

for-what- marketing-will-look-like-in-2020

1. This article projects the evolution of brand landscapes within the next five years by elite

businesses to decision makers.

2. This article by Jeff Beer was suggested and link to in Daniel Newman’s article. He is a staff

editor and writer for Co.Create., and a former staffer at Advertising Age, Creativity, and

Canadian Business magazine.

3. This articles audience would be college students, marketers, and the general public. It is an

excellent resource for the endlessly curious individual, as well as those seeking a thorough

understanding of the future of marketing.

4. Taco Bell Crop. Marketing officer, Chris Brandt, is cobelligerent with Daniel Newman is

believing that mobile is going to lead the digital marketing movement. He says that content

marketing will be directed by consumers, rather than simply produced by companies. He also

emphasizes the critical aspects of transparency, which is a continual trend in the development of

digital marketing. Additionally, Noah Brier, co-founder of Percolate, says that “Over the next

five years we’ll see technology…become a part of the core fabric of marketing itself.” Which

causes me to question whether or not companies should play it safe and slowly integrate

traditional marketing methodologies with digital marketing methods with Moore’s Law’s

original predictions slowing down? At this point, it almost seems as though business owners, and

IT specialists are on different pages concerning what the future of technology is going to look

like, and how that will directly affect businesses (digital marketing in our case, specifically).

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5. This article is pure gold! It has taken elite players from the most innovate companies and asks

them to list what they believe the brand landscape will looking like in 5 years. This is business

forecasting at its finest, and it important to know in understanding the value and direction of

digital marketing in businesses.

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(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2015/12/05/3-trends-and-one-

recommendation-for-the-future-of-web-development/

1. The central idea for this short article is predictions for the future of web development.

2. William Craig is a well-accredited writer, and founder/president of WebpageFX which

specializes in internet marketing, social media management, search engine optimization, and

digital public relations. His success and specialty in the fields previously stated makes his

predictions about web development worth paying close attention too.

3. This article is directed toward businesses decision makers, chief marketers, web developers,

and the like. Once again, because it is a forbes.com article, it is highly revered by the public and

looked to as a reliable source.

4. Several elite business men and women in Jeff Beer’s article discusses the importance of

mobile being the leading media tool regarding digital marketing, but Craig takes this prediction a

step further. He emphasizes (RWD) Responsive Web Design being a tool that will make

developer’s lives much easier since social media platforms needed to not only design but be

geared toward desktop users, and mobile users simultaneously. This new development is

apparently also having a large impact on how websites are ranked, which brings back in our

previously discussed important of SEO. All in all, RWD will be an important part of the future of

web development, which will intern amplify technological advancement, and add more value and

weight to the importance of digital marketing for brands worldwide.

5. This supports my selected topic because web development is intricately woven into the fabric

of digital marketing. The changes that happen in that field are necessary to know in light of the

development of digital marketing in specific.

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Annotated Bibliography IISmall Business Growth

Source One: TANCOCK, K., TRELEAVEN, S., & LORINC, J. (2016). 7 ways to build the perfect small business. Canadian Business, 89(13), 47-51.

1. This article addresses the importance of small businesses investing in a strong brand to

achieve successes. The author discusses the tragedy that most small businesses undervalue the

importance of this investment and that it is foundational to small business growth. The constant

theme throughout this article is slow and steady wins the race. The author encourages the readers

to take their time with branding, and allow themselves to sit on certain ideas, statements, and

designs. In the same token, the author acknowledges that branding is a journey, and while it is

good to be focused, you must be willing to pivot.

2. While I cannot find any detailed information on the authors Tancock, Kat, Treleaven, Sarah,

and Lorinc, John, the reason I am comfortable with using this article as a source is because they

are not putting explicit opinions out in the air, but rather are sending their readers to other small

business owners by expanding on their experiences. It seems to be an article of collective

knowledge and information rather than bias opinion.

3. This article was located through the Academic search complete and is geared toward those in

academia. It is also relevant for entrepreneurs looking to bust into the small business industry.

4. This source takes a similar approach to source two; however, it gives a broader, more strategic

perspective whereas Jasmine Star provides a more tactful application.

5. This article supports my topic by providing tangible, and applicable tasks for small business

owners to implement right away. However, I think it goes beyond the genetic “to-do” lists of

creating a successful small business and challenges the reader to dig deep into the heart of their

company. That seems to be the key to small business success these days - having a genuine,

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heartfelt, mission behind the business you are seeking to create, and then letting that drive your

decision making.

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Source Two: JASMINE STAR. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://jasminestar.com/successful-businesses-arent-the-best-theyre-the-most-valuable/

1. This is a short, simple, blog post that addresses the character traits that make entrepreneurs

successful, which are those that show their value to their customers. The author talks about how -

just like anything in life - people do not care about what you are selling until they know what

kind of value you are offering to them.

2. Jasmine Star is a law school dropout, pursued her dream of becoming a professional

photographer, built a business of her dreams, and a decade later has transitioned her work to

leverage other entrepreneurs within the creative industry to do the same thing.

3. This article is tapping into an audience of entrepreneurs of all ages within the creative

industry.

4. Jasmine’s statement that “Successful businesses aren’t the best. They’re the most valuable.”

works in tandem with my article from source one, in that small businesses must dig deep into the

heart of the company they are creating to be sure they are producing a brand of value and

success.

5. This text supports my topic of research by reinforcing a particular quality that any small

business must embody to achieve growth.

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Source Three: The #1 Thing I Wish I would Have Done Years Ago. (2016, November 02). Retrieved from http://jennakutcherblog.com/the-1-thing-i-wish-i-would-have-

done-years-ago/

1. This blog discusses the importance of a small business focusing on building a consistent email

list, rather than building a large social media following. The author believes that this is the best

way to achieve one of the key statements to small business growth, which is the “know, like,

trust” factor. This method is supposed to grow, and foster community/client relationships that

will directly drive profits.

2. Jenna Kutcher has built a successful photography business and now uses her social media

platform to leverage others. She describes herself as a photographer, educator, and artist.

3. The text seems to tailor itself to a female audience because of the blogs branding/voice;

however, the information provided applies to all small business owners looking for new

strategies to grow their company.

4. This article is interesting in comparison to the rest because it focuses on a much more narrow

topic, while the other articles have been a bit broader. I think source one gave a few specific

tasks for readers to practice that would complement the email list strategy.

5. This text supports my topic of research by addressing a particular strategy to implement for

small business growth that is not commonly dealt with by most resources.

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Source Four: (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140527233956-2490424-the-10-most-common-growing-pains-of-small-business-likely-to-leave-a-mark-if-

unattended

1. This article talks about the key stressors that small business owner experience when

navigating growing pains. These are typically encountered in the first stage of business growth,

and cover topics including the following: Burnout, ad hoc planning, overly positive, weak cash

flow, underpricing, under earning, poor system development, undefined roles, inadequate

funding, and missed opportunities.

2. Jackie Nagel is a small business strategist and strategic business coach at Synnovatia. She has

written several articles posted all over LinkedIn.

3. The audience for this article will be small business owners that are not confined to a particular

gender, race, age, or ethnicity. Its publication on LinkedIn adds another level of ethos to the

author and article topic.

4. this article is distinct from the previous sources because it is pinpointing specific potential

fatal flaws within business growth, and is more informative rather than solution oriented.

5. This text directly supports my topic of interest because it identifies the real hurdles that small

businesses will face when pursuing growth.These are important facts to understand to navigate

successfully.

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Source Five: How Big Data Can Help Small Businesses Grow. (2016, October 21). Retrieved from https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/big-data-can-help-

small-businesses-grow/?linknav=us-of-article-ymal

1. This text argues that all small businesses should pay close attention to big data. It expands on

the topic of key performance indicators (KPI), and that the end results of breaking these analytic

pieces down can produce tremendous growth opportunities for small businesses. It acknowledges

that the information can be vast and overwhelming, so narrowing your focus on what can be

addressed and adjusted in your business is essential to avoid drowning in information.

2. The author, Mike Periu, is President of Proximo, LLC, but apart from this, there is no

additional information on what makes him a reliable writer.

3. This text is geared toward the go-getter entrepreneur who is in the midst of small business

growth and is working to walk out strategies tactfully. The source is not incredibly established;

however, it does not offer any immediate red flags that should suggest a reader dismiss the

information.

4. This text is similar to source four in that the author is covering a variety of topics, with few

immediate takeaways to implement. It is ideal for gaining a broad perspective on small business

growth; however, is requires additional research for the reader to apply any of these ideas.

5. The article is relevant to my topic because it calls out small business owners, and encourages

them to take the time and energy required to analyze KPI, analytics, and big data, which is often

overlooked.

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Source Six: (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrismyers/2016/11/23/why-small-business-saturday-matters-now-more-than-ever/#3b0133fa3b9d

1. The central idea of this text is essentially a rebuttal to a previous article that attempted to

downplay the “Small Business Saturday” movement. I will address this original article in my

next source; however, Chris Myers discusses how even the silliest, artificially created holiday,

can be greatly influential and increase traffic for small business owners.

2. Chris Myers is a first-time CEO and startup founder who writes for forbes.com, which is a

well-accredited source for information pertaining to business.

3. I believe the primary audience for this article would be small business analysts and marketers

who are seeking to make well-informed decisions when creating strategies for small businesses

they may be doing consulting work for.

4. This article does not have much to compare and contrast to the previous articles, only because

it is analyzing a PR movement concerning small businesses, whereas the other articles are

directly discussing effective practices small business owners can implement to achieve

substantial growth.

5. This source should probably be a secondary support source, rather than a primary one. It is

relevant to my topic because the idea of the text is related to small businesses; however, it is not

providing any tangible takeaways for small business growth. It is insightful knowledge in that

the marketing strategy it addresses is worth understanding and analyzing when looking to make

advertisement decisions for a small business.

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Source Seven: Marks, G. (n.d.). It's Naive for Small Business to Expect Much From Small Business Saturday. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252951?utm_campaign=Feed%3A%2Bentrepreneur%2Flatest%2B%28Entrepreneur%29&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner

1. The central idea of this text is devaluing the “Small Business Saturday” movement, claiming

that it is nothing more than a PR stunt that even politicians use for their gain. The author argues

that the movement is in many ways insulting to small business owners, and states that they do

not need such artificial holidays to be successful.

2. The author, Gene Marks, is the president of The Marks Group, which is a Philadelphia-based

consulting firm. He is also the author os six books, and a contributor to LinkedIn articles. He is a

keynote speaker, and columnist for Forbes, The Washington Post, Fox Business, Entrepreneur,

Inc., and The Huffington Post.

3. This article is directed toward the same audience as source five. Analysts, marketers, and

small business owners looking to craft wise business strategies with the intentions of growth.

4. I think Meyers was correct in stating that Marks has taken a cynical approach to this

movement. While Marks is offended by the campaign, I believe he has failed to acknowledge to

good that does come of it for small business owners, even if the original intentions behind the

movement has nothing to do what it became. Marks had an informal writing voice that comes

across as angry and disengaged with his reader whereas Meyers have a peaceful, and reasonable

writing voice that is rhetorically more persuasive.

5. This text supports my topic because it is a dissenting argument about a tool that several small

business owners strategically use to grow their companies.

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Source Eight: @. (2015, November 18). The Five Stages of Small Business Growth. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1983/05/the-five-stages-of-small-business-growth

1. The purpose of this text is informational, and the idea is centered around what business models

work for small businesses, and which ones do not. It's hard to categorized growth patterns for

small businesses because they vary widely in size, yet the author argues that if we take a closer

look, small businesses do in fact have similarities that can help entrepreneurs gain an

understanding of the characteristics, nature, and problems that could arise.

2. The authors Neil C. Churchill, and Virginia L. Lewis are writing for the Harvard Business

Review, underneath entrepreneurial management. Both are well-known authors discussing topics

such as management ideas while writing consistent content for the Harvard Business Review.

3. The audience for this text would be those who are entrepreneurial minded or are currently

managing small businesses.

4. This article addressed a wider range of small business owners. The first there sources are

geared toward creative small business owners, and provide physical tasks to implement for

growth, while this article discusses strategic business models that can function for sole

proprietorships, small businesses with employees, creative, service oriented, etc.

5. This text supports my topic of small business growth by providing a variety of strategic

business models that will help navigate the intricacies of the first stages of growth.

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Source Nine: M. (2012). The Growth of Small Businesses: Towards A Research Agenda. American Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 4(1), 105-115. doi:10.3844/

ajebasp.2012.105.115

1. This text, like several of the others, provides a thesis designed to define a framework for

understanding, and researching small business growth. The author analyzes the characteristic of

the entrepreneur, and standard business model strategies to come to his conclusions. He argues

that case-based methodologies are the answer to understanding the behaviors behind small

business growth.

2. Akin Fadahunsi is from the Department of Business Administration, School of Arts and

Science, Baptist Bible College. He wrote this article for the American Journal of Economics and

Business Administration. Given the nature of the article, I was not able to identify any further

information on Fadahunsi.

3. The audience for the text will be academic. It is geared toward business students, and

entrepreneurs seeking knowledge and understanding in their field of expertise.

4. Fadahunsi is realistic, as Churchill and Lewis are in source seven. He addresses the reality that

there is no overarching business model that small business owners can implement for success. It

is highly determinate upon the character traits of the entrepreneur, the nature of the firm, and

must take into possible consideration pivots within companies goals and direction.

5. This article is relevant to my topic of research because it studies the mixed characteristics that

can be found in individual entrepreneurs. It is essential for small business owners to understand

their personal characteristics to achieve maximum growth. It all seems to tie back into this idea

of a marketing SWOT analysis, meaning, know your strengths, weakness, opportunities, and

threats, then weave these pieces together in a way that targets a particular market. That is how

small business growth happens - strategy.

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Source Ten: Biederman, R. (n.d.). 7 Key Steps to a Growth Strategy That Works Immediately. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240853

1. This article addresses a solution to a problem. The problem being that half of the startups

survive more than five years, and one-third make it to ten, and the way to tackle these potential

small business killers is to be throughout and intentional in deciding on a business model

strategy. The author discusses the importance of understanding the value of your idea, knowing

the ins and outs of your ideal customer, paying close attention to revenue streams, and not

getting caught up in trying to strength your weaknesses, but rather strengthening your strengths.

2. Rob Biederman is the Co-Founder and CEO of HourlyNerd. He is known as a critical thinking

that excels in helping entrepreneurs solve small business problems. Additionally, he writes

frequently for entrepreneur.com

3. This online website is directed toward entrepreneurs but could be used as a source of

information for academics studying the intricacies of business.

4. I think the article is broad enough that it pulls similarities from sources eight and seven;

however, I believe that it offers more because it provides the reader with tangible takeaways or

action steps.

5. This article supports my topic because it provides seven strategic steps that a small business

can take to pursue growth.

Owens 30

Source Eleven: @. (2016, July 06). With 'phenomenal' job growth, Dallas ranks No. 2 in small business index  | Business | Dallas News. Retrieved from http://www.dallasnews.com/business/business/2016/07/06/paychex-small-biz-index-texas-still-tale-two-cities

1. This article uses analytics to track small business job numbers and claims that when small

businesses are growing that is typically a good indicator of economic vitality and diversity.

Business - small or large - always need to have long-term, sustained growth in mind when

building their organizations, and understanding demographics is a vital part of that success.

2. Jill Cowan is an economy reporter, who works for The Dallas News. It is difficult trying to

find additional information on her; however, according to her twitter profile she is a California

alumni, and seems to be new to the journalist industry. She is most likely still building up her

ethos as a journalist/reporter.

3. The audience for this article would be Dallas, Texas locals, as this is a favorite Dallas News

site. Additionally, entrepreneurs, small business owners, business students, and marketing

analysts would use this source as a reference.

4. Source four discussed the importance of small businesses paying close attention to big data,

and this article is a little glimpse into the data that small business owners should be aware of. It

breaks down the national small business job index, which shows Seattle, Dallas, and Atlanta as

the leading cities in small business development, and employment. It is crucial for a small

business to have an understanding of their demographics, and location plays a huge part in that.

5. This article provides information for small business growth, and give direction as to what

cities are thriving as a result.