Dr. Tobias Pret
Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship
Office
SFHB State Farm Hall Of Business 208
Office Hours
FALL 2023: Mondays and Wednesdays 12:30-1:30pm via Zoom and/or by appointment.
Office Phone
Email
Website
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Selected Research
Biography
Born and raised in Germany, Dr. Tobias Pret joined Illinois State University in 2020, after living and working in Scotland, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, and the US for 15 years. He taught at Pace University in New York City from 2017-2020 and received his Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow in 2017.
Current Courses
MGT 223.001 Introduction To Small Business
MGT 223.002 Introduction To Small Business
MGT 224.001 New Venture Creation
Teaching Interests & Areas
Dr. Pret's teaching interests include entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation management, business strategy, business plan development, and social entrepreneurship. He regularly teaches undergraduate courses in new venture creation, small business management, and organizational strategy. While at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Dr. Pret was nominated by his students for university-wide teaching excellence awards for three consecutive years.
Research Interests & Areas
Dr. Pret explores entrepreneurship in the creative industries and the role of context in entrepreneurial practices. His research has been published in a number of journals, such as the International Small Business Journal, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, International Journal of Management Reviews, and International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research.
Dr. Pret is a member of the editorial review board of Entrepreneurship and Regional Development. He also serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for the Journal of Business Venturing, International Small Business Journal, and Small Business Economics, among others. Furthermore, he has repeatedly acted as a reviewer for academic conferences, such as the Academy of Management (AoM) Annual Meeting and the Western Academy of Management (WAM) Annual Meeting.
PhD Entrepreneurship
University of Strathclyde
Glasgow, UK
Best Conference Paper Finalist
Western Academy of Management (WAM)
2023
Best Paper (Entrepreneurship Division)
Academy of Management (AoM)
2023
Outstanding Case Teaching Award
Experiential Classroom XXIII
2023
G. Dale Meyer Best Paper Award
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC)
2020
Past President’s Best Paper Award
Western Academy of Management (WAM)
2018
Best Qualitative Paper Award
Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange (ACERE)
2016
Best Paper Award in Creative Industries Entrepreneurship
Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE)
2015
Teaching Excellence Award
University of Strathclyde
2015
Teaching Excellence Award
University of Strathclyde
2014
Best Paper Award in Creative Industries Entrepreneurship
Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE)
2013
Teaching Excellence Award
University of Strathclyde
2013
Grants and Contracts
University Research Grant
Tobias Pret.
Illinois State University. 2022 - 2022
Summer Teaching and Learning Grant
Tobias Pret.
Department of Management & Quantitative Methods. 2021 - 2021
University Research Grant
Tobias Pret.
Illinois State University. 2021 - 2021
Scholarly Research Grant
Tobias Pret.
Pace University. 2019 - 2019
Research Grant
Tobias Pret.
Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship. 2018 - 2018
Scholarly Research Grant
Tobias Pret.
Pace University. 2017 - 2017
Research Studentship
Tobias Pret.
University of Strathclyde. 2013 - 2015
PhD Scholarship
Tobias Pret.
University of Strathclyde. 2012 - 2013
Conference Proceeding
The development of psychological capital as a metacognitive skill: An entrepreneurship perspective
Aviel Cogan, Tobias Pret.
Academy of Management Proceedings, (2023), 10.5465/amproc.2023.10bp
True Colors: Pursuing Social Entrepreneurship As Verifying Identity Work
Aviel Cogan, Tobias Pret.
Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, (2020)
Presentations
Entrepreneurial imagination: Exploring the perspectives of artisan entrepreneurs
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) Conference, Las Vegas, NV, February, 2025
No money? No problem! Leveraging and converting economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan, Eleanor Shaw.
United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) Conference, Las Vegas, NV, February, 2025
Social entrepreneurship as identity verification work
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
Research in Entrepreneurship (RENT) Conference, Nantes, France, November, 2024
Managing multiple identities through social entrepreneurship
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
Academy of Management (AoM) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August, 2024
Turning water into wine: The capital conversion practices of social entrepreneurs
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan, Eleanor Shaw.
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Munich, Germany, June, 2024
The development of psychological capital as a metacognitive skill: An entrepreneurship perspective
Aviel Cogan, Tobias Pret.
Academy of Management (AoM) Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, August, 2023
Cognitive development as a social-emotional process: How households promote the psychological capital of entrepreneurs
Aviel Cogan, Tobias Pret.
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Knoxville, TN, June, 2023
Entrepreneurial imagination: A processual perspective
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Knoxville, TN, June, 2023
Entrepreneurial cognitive development: A household perspective
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
Western Academy of Management (WAM) Annual Meeting, Reno, NV, April, 2023
Developing Psychological Capital: How Emotional Support from the Household Facilitates the Cognitive Capabilities of Entrepreneurs
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
Western Academy of Management (WAM) Annual Meeting, Waikoloa, HI, March, 2022
In Search of the Self: How Social Entrepreneurship Facilitates Verifying Identity Work
Aviel Cogan, Tobias Pret.
Western Academy of Management (WAM) Annual Meeting, Online, April 24, 2021
True colors: Pursuing social entrepreneurship as verifying identity work
Aviel Cogan, Tobias Pret.
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Conference canceled due to COVID-19, June, 2020
Living an authentic life: Social entrepreneurship as verifying identity work
Aviel Cogan, Tobias Pret.
Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Conference, Newcastle, UK, November, 2019
Raising the tide: Why coopetition persists in the board game industry
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan, Gabby Swab.
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Boston, MA, June, 2019
Household support: An overlooked mainstay of entrepreneurship
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
Academy of Management (AoM) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August, 2018
Impacts of household members’ emotional support on entrepreneurial cognition
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Waterford, Ireland, June, 2018
Entrepreneurial ideation strategies: The role of creativity, personal style and market trends
Tobias Pret, Aviel Cogan.
Western Academy of Management (WAM) Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, March, 2018
Entrepreneurial ideation: Unpacking the relationships between creativity, style and trends
Tobias Pret, Sara Carter, Eleanor Shaw.
Academy of Management (AoM) Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, August, 2016
Why context matters: The influence of embeddedness in multiple communities
Tobias Pret, Sara Carter.
Academy of Management (AoM) Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, August, 2016
Entrepreneurial ideation: Exploring the role of creativity
Tobias Pret, Eleanor Shaw.
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Bodø, Norway, June, 2016
Collaborating to perpetuate an industry: A social responsibility
Tobias Pret.
Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Conference (SIERC), Auckland, New Zealand, February, 2016
The role of creativity in entrepreneurial ideation
Tobias Pret, Eleanor Shaw, Sara Carter.
Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange (ACERE) Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, January, 2016
Stimulating creativity: The key to developing novel ideas
Tobias Pret, Eleanor Shaw, Sara Carter.
Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Conference, Glasgow, UK, November, 2015
Fields of power: Exploring the perspectives of women entrepreneurs in rural communities
Tobias Pret, Eleanor Shaw.
Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Conference, Manchester, UK, November, 2014
Entrepreneurial capital: The effects of household and family on women entrepreneurs
Tobias Pret, Eleanor Shaw, Sara Carter.
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), London, Ontario, Canada, June, 2014