Entrepreneurship-Educated Black Entrepreneurs and their impacts Provided to Black Communities
| Abstract:
Entrepreneurship is a foundational component for community economic development and a pathway to alleviate poverty; therefore, increasing the number of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial businesses in Black communities should boost economic growth and Black wealth creation. However, entrepreneurship alone has not proven to be the complete solution to equalizing the economic status of Black people in America. Higher education, like entrepreneurship, is touted as the means to promote Blacks into higher economic strata. Entrepreneurship education specifically leads to improved entrepreneurial performance and should have significant relevance in Black communities because of the increased possibility of producing higher-skilled entrepreneurs who can create greater economic prosperity within Black communities. Entrepreneurship education is a highly researched topic, yet its impact on Black entrepreneurs has not been fully explored. The intrinsic value of entrepreneurial learning can ideally only be ascertained post-learning and academic careers. However, much of the research focuses on undergraduate students, but few studies track students post their collegiate entrepreneurship education to ascertain if the education is the antecedent to the creation of entrepreneurial ventures. Additionally, while entrepreneurship is touted as an integral component of economic development for Black people and Black communities, there is a scarcity of studies explicitly examining Black graduates who studied entrepreneurship or their entrepreneurial impact on Black communities. This research helps fill that gap and explores the economic and social impact on Black communities provided by Black collegiate 4-year entrepreneurship-educated entrepreneurs contrasted with the impact of Black entrepreneurs without a formal collegiate entrepreneurship or business education. The individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) construct is utilized to assist in accounting for differences across entrepreneurs’ impact. Dissertation Committee:
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April 14, 2023 Zoom link 
Scorpio Rogers Scorpio Rogers research interests are in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education and their impact on Black communities. His study explores the efficacy of entrepreneurship education, specifically for Black entrepreneurs, and the impacts they provide Black communities in America. Scorpio is the Vice President of the Bronx and Manhattan campuses of Mercy College in New York. His research motivation originated during his nearly 20 years as a professor of entrepreneurship, teaching multiple undergraduate and graduate courses. He created the Mercy Business Incubation Center (MIC), which aids emerging entrepreneurial businesses. Additionally, he founded Entrepreneurial Consultant, LLC, a management consulting firm for start-up and burgeoning entrepreneurial firms. He has earned an MBA in Management from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, concentrating on Entrepreneurship and Strategy, an MS in Applied Business Research from the University of Denver, and a BA from Dartmouth College in Computer Science. Contact: SKRogers@wpi.edu |
