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STUDENT & ALUMNI PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL ABSTRACTS
Williams, R., Seipel, S., Gilbert, J., & Aaron, J. (2025)
Strategic Groups’ Path to the Efficiency Frontier
Kennesaw State University has revolutionized how institutions think about terminal business degrees. For more than 15 years, the Ph.D. in Business Administration has lev - eraged an innovative approach that blends scholarly research and professional develop - ment to prepare students to grow as researchers and pursue careers in both academia and industry. The depth and variety of research featured in this inaugural edition of Business Impact Review reflect the spirit of innovation present in every aspect of this unique doctoral program. From the beginning, the Michael J. Coles College of Business has explored new ways to challenge and inspire the distinguished professionals enrolled in the program. Stu - dents complete research-driven, publication-ready dissertations designed to contribute to meaningful scholarly and practical conversations, and the weekend residency model allows them to remain fully engaged in their careers while preparing for the next step in their journey. These elements position the program as a leader in doctoral business education. That commitment to innovation has only gotten stronger over the years. Among the im - provements to the program was the recent introduction of a summer academy focused on professional development, access to advanced tools like Grammarly and EndNote to strengthen their research, and increased support for participation in conferences and doctoral consortiums. The Ph.D. program also launched the Conference on Advances in Business Doctoral Education, which brought together academics and practitioners from across the country to explore how doctoral programs can evolve to meet the needs of a changing economy. The research highlighted in this publication is a direct testament to the strength of these efforts. It illustrates the depth, relevance, and quality of work being produced by today’s doctoral students. Their insights are shaping conversations in business, informing prac - tice, and advancing knowledge across disciplines. These accomplishments are only the beginning. With continued support, the Ph.D. pro - gram in ways that create new learning experiences, introduce students to new technolo - gies, and provide more opportunities for students to present and showcase their research. We invite you to be part of that progress. Your support helps ensure that the next gen - eration of scholars has the resources and opportunities needed to succeed. For alumni of the program, this is also a meaningful way to remain connected to a community that continues to grow in reach and influence. As a gesture of appreciation, alumni who make a gift of $500 or more will receive a professionally bound copy of their dissertation. With this high-quality keepsake, alumni can celebrate the Ph.D. program’s past successes while actively supporting its future. We hope you will consider making a gift to support the Ph.D. in Business Administration program and ensure the continued publication of research that matters.
Journal of Small Business Strategy, 35(2), 1-19
Scholars have debated the relevance of strategic groups, and some have even questioned their existence. Through exploratory research in the printing industry, we identify logical strategic groups. Based on our review of the litera - ture, and the fact that the printing industry is comprised of diverse companies, we believe that viewing small business - es in an industry homogeneously is not appropriate. From cluster analysis and logical assessment (confirming nomo - logical validity from an empirical view), we found small business strategic groups that are relevant to the printing industry. Our findings indicate that firm performance var - ies among those strategic groups. As a novel approach in small business research, we employ Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to investigate the efficiency of generic strategies the different strategic groups employ. Specific generic strategies appear more effective in different stra - tegic groups. DEA is unique in that organizations are pre - sented in a way that best states their ability to convert in - puts into outputs, in this case, their generic strategies into firm performance.
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