Four students and faculty from UALR’s College of Business presented tax credit research at the Small Business Institute National Conference, leading to publication in its proceedings as well future publication in an entrepreneurship journal.

MBA students Don Martin, a native of Murfreesboro, and Brittany Blair of North Little Rock collaborated with Joe Bell, associate professor of entrepreneurship, and John Hendon, instructor of management and Small Business Institute program chair-elect, collaborated on the paper. Their research is entitled, “Angel Investment Tax Credits: Implementation and Effectiveness in a Sample of States Representative of Differing Geographical Areas of the United States.”

Following the February conference presentation, the group was invited to do a revised version of the paper, “Angel Investment Tax Credits: A Discussion of State Programs,” which was accepted for publication in the Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy (JEPP) in 2012.

“Having the opportunity to interact with so many established academics from around the country and hear their feedback is invaluable as we continue to refine our paper,” said Martin, a senior customer relations representative with Southwest Power Pool Inc.

Martin and Blair, students in Bell’s MBA course “Issues in Entrepreneurship,” asked him to help them set up a research project with broad spectrum interest and current relevance to the entrepreneurship community.

“This is a topic of interest I had begun to pursue and thought it would be a great project to partner with the students,” said Bell, a past president and current fellow of the Small Business Institute.

“The students were so engaged by the project, and through the support generated at the conference, that an additional revision to the paper led to the JEPP publication.”

The follow-up paper attempts to gauge the effectiveness of state tax equity credits on state-specific entrepreneurial activity.

“The student portion of the project has stretched well beyond course work into a personal research endeavor impressing me with both their competency and level of commitment.” said Bell, a 2011 Faculty Excellence nominee in Public Service.

The College of Business dean’s office funded the faculty and student trip to the conference in Bonita Springs, Fla.

The Small Business Institute® is the premier organization dedicated to field-based student consulting and outreach to small businesses. Its members are actively involved with small businesses, entrepreneurial firms, and organizations in their communities and regions. The organization recognizes members whose accomplishments are particularly noteworthy as fellows ─ its highest honor.