A sample of Dr. Simon's articles published in scholarly journals:

Cognitive Biases, Risk, Perception, and Venture Formation: How Individuals Decide to Start Companies

Despite the high risk involved, thousands of individuals decide to start ventures. Past research, however, has found that entrepreneurs do not have a high-risk propensity, that is, a great willingness to knowingly take risks. This study, therefore, explores how individuals cope with the risks inherent in their decisions, and suggests that entrepreneurs may not perceive the riskiness of starting ventures.

The Successful Product Pioneer: Maintaining Commitment while Adapting to Change

Introducing pioneering products is an important entrepreneurial activity and the lifeblood of small businesses, yet, previous literature on pioneering and performance in small firms has been inconclusive. Based on data gathered from entrepreneurs in 51 small computer firms, this study found that commitment (entrepreneurial confidence) and adaptability (corporate entrepreneurship and environmental dynamism) were especially beneficial to pioneers. The other three variables (product championing, marketing emphasis, and technological newness) contributed to performance across all new product introductions but did not have modifying effects on pioneering introductions in particular.

How Data Integration Systems Affect Strategic Decision Making in Small Firms

Small companies increasingly use computer information systems to gather data to improve decision correctness. Therefore, it is important to determine if a type of information system is effective. This study focused on systems which integrate data from multiple sources. Although unquestionably aiding large companies, integrated data systems may not help smaller companies. This study explores, in a small company context, the relationship among data integration systems, information availability and strategic decision correctness.

La Vida Local: Planting the Seeds for Growing an Organic Food Delivery Business (Case Study)

La Vida Local is a small organic food delivery business which was started with an investment of under $1,000. In 2008, less than two years after its inception, the company is grossing over $80,000. As is typical of most early startups, profits are small and the owner/operator, Julie LaPorte, works extremely long hours. Although Julie is more interested in increasing people's consumption of organic foods than making money, she now wants to hire an employee to help out, but may need to increase profits to do so.

This article has been accepted in the journal, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice; and will published in the near future. The paper differs from Dr. Simon's other articles in that it does not directly recommend specific business practices. Instead it tells the story of how a company evolved. Under the guidance of their instructors, entrepreneurship students around the world, including those in Dr. Simon's classes, analyze the case to derive general lessons about startups.

Out of the Frying Pan. . .? Why Small Business Managers Introduce High-Risk Products

Some managers in small firms, who are disappointed with their firm’s current performance, will introduce new products to improve the situation. Although untested in a small business context, prospect theory suggests that managers who are less satisfied may be more likely to introduce products with riskier characteristics. The current study confirmed this finding that managers who were less satisfied introduced products into less familiar markets and required more resources. The study also provided tentative evidence that these characteristics may decrease the product’s economic performance and the manager’s subsequent satisfaction with the business, suggesting that a dangerous downward spiral may occur.

The Relationship Between Overconfidence and the Introduction of Risky Products: Evidence From a Field Study

To date, no field research has examined the effects of overconfidence on ill-structured decisions made by managers, such as product introductions. This study explored this gap in the literature and found, in a study of high-technology firms, that overconfidence was positively related to the degree to which product introductions were pioneering(risky). Further, managers introducing pioneering products were more apt to express extreme certainty about achieving success, but these products were less likely to achieve success.