Poston, BillShealy, Quinn Kent2021-06-032021-06-032021-05Shealy, Q. K. (2021). Disruption and upheaval in the global business environment: How computer technology and cloud computing have enabled small businesses to combat large corporations (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/13736This research study looks at the great bounds in technology created by man and how the business environment has been forever changed due to such advances. I will lay out the shift from an advantageous scale of economies into the new and sleeker business model of a scale of diseconomies and how this has allowed for the growth of countless small businesses. According to “the American Dream”, one must attain an education, find a company for which all their needs are met, and work that job until the age of retirement; however, the great spike in technological advances is calling this preconceived notion of the “American Dream” into question. Along with an explanation of the shift in the business environment, I aim to provide my audience with the knowledge of what is required of a small business to be able to truly compete with the large conglomerates who have etched their place in business history. This work draws upon first-hand interviews with business owners/executives of varying company sizes, academic articles, and scholarly business books as a basis of identifying potential upsides and downsides to all avenues for a business endeavor. Through this research, I provide an optimistic hope to any entrepreneur or business owner as they can find their own slice of the pie among this new, digital landscape.Text55 pages1 file (.pdf)ensoftwaretechnologybusinesssmall businessHonors College