{"title":"Valorisation of knowledge: preliminary results on valorisation paths and obstacles in bringing university knowledge to market","authors":"M. van Geenhuizen","doi":"10.3990/2.268486584","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268486584","url":null,"abstract":"The current paper is concerned with exploring the outcomes of valorisation of technology focused research projects in the Netherlands. Drawing on an evaluation of 240 projects at universities in three cities and on in-depth knowledge of almost 50 projects, the paper explores to what extent technology inventions are brought to market and which factors hamper such development. An evaluation after 10 years indicates that a quarter of the projects could be brought to market and that in almost 30% of the projects research is still continuing. Looking back to factors hampering knowledge valorisation, it appears that shortage in the organizational situation at the university at that time is the most important factor. Problems in interaction with the business world are in second place The most important regional factor appears a shortage of financial incentives including easy access to (regional) venture capital. The implications of the results for policymaking and further research are discussed.","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134369519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Small firms more often develop strategies for opportunities instead of opportunities for strategies, which frequently leads to no-go decisions: a comparative case study on foreign entry into China","authors":"M. Oortwijn","doi":"10.3990/2.268486279","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268486279","url":null,"abstract":"In an uncertain, unknown foreign business environment small firms face a high chance of faillure, as they base international expansion more often on one local opportunity. A total of 25 Dutch firms are studied while making Go/No-Go decisions for 54 business activities in or with China. The research is unique in that it follows firms of different size over time, while they make highly strategic choices in an uncertain and unknown foreign business environment. Insight is gathered on firm characteristics, opportunity identification, the strategic advantage, the Go/No-Go decision and the strategy process leading to these choices. The study shows how small firms more often build an international business strategy around one concrete opportunity in China. Other firms first identify a strategic advantage beneficial for the firm, after which they search for opportunities in China to fulfill these. When faced with disappointment, firms who seek opportunities in China for a strategic need, frequently postpone plans or continue to search for opportunities elsewhere. Small firms who develop a strategy that is triggered by a concrete opportunity in China, cancel the internationalization plan entirely when the opportunity considered is disappointing.","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"353 4","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"113956062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Approaches to Delivering Entrepreneurship Education","authors":"Ari-Pekka Kainu","doi":"10.3990/1.268472141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/1.268472141","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121901696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prior business experience and start-up success: the moderating role of helpers explored (summary)","authors":"J. Heuven, P. Kirwan","doi":"10.3990/2.268485374","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268485374","url":null,"abstract":"The prior functional business experience of an entrepreneur is shown to have a positive impact on entrepreneurial outcomes. Multiple arguments have been made that explain this positive relation. For example, entrepreneurs with more functional business experience are believed to be better skilled, to be more reputable and have wider networks in place when starting a business (Campbell, 1992; Kim, Aldrich and Keister, 2006; Reuber and Fischer, 1994; Westhead, Ucbasaran and Wright, 2005). In the current paper we want to create a more precise understanding on the network argument that influences the relation between functional experience and start-up success (Aldrich & Zimmer, 1986; Lockett, Ucbasaran & Butler, 2006). More specifically we focus in depth on the role that key helpers play in the very early stages of the start-up process. We hypothesize that the relation between the functional business experience of a nascent entrepreneur and subsequent start-up success is moderated by the use of helpers during the start-up process. Hereby we study (1) the effectiveness of helpers for nascent entrepreneurs with a variety of experience levels in general and (2) the actual network properties that can explain helper effectiveness for nascent entrepreneurs with a variety of experience levels (when nascent entrepreneurs do use helpers).","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127700773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cycles in causation and effectuation: a case study of four metal-music ventures","authors":"L. Laaksonen, A. Ainamo, T. Karjalainen","doi":"10.3990/2.268473692","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268473692","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper we apply the entrepreneurial effectuation theory (Sarasvathy 2001) and theories in expertise (Read & Sarasvathy 2005) in an empirical study in a particular context: musicianship as a form of entrepreneurship in the popular music industry. We apply the theories and empirical evidence in our framework by using a qualitative case study to analyze four ventures, four Finnish music groups. Based on the analysis we find extensions on Sarasvathy’s (2001) and Read and Sarasvathy’s (2005) work on three levels. First we find that the causation process is more typical in the “deliberate practice” (Read & Sarasvathy 2005) that forms the foundation for superior expert practice, which is a requirement for building novel and authentic cultural products. Secondly, we find that in the beginning of the business activities, these ventures are more effectual, when the situation tends to be resource-poor. We also find that even though the companies’ core teams are relatively small, once the business grows and the number of international partners increases the business processes and decisionmaking becomes inevitabely more causation driven.","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"196 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124382737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Managing the essential strategic entrepreneurial production resource for the 21st century: Foundaries at the Interface","authors":"R. Tierney, S. Walsh, J. Linton","doi":"10.3990/2.268476668","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268476668","url":null,"abstract":"Twenty first century economies are increasingly being fueled by regional entrepreneurial and intreprepreneurial solutions to global problems such as water purity, global warming, health care, energy, and nutrition. However, the tradition al single technology or “Silo” approach to solving one of these problems while negatively affecting others are increasingly being eschewed. Multi technology solution sets, often comprised of both emerging and more established technologies, are increasingly embraced. Many utilizing these types of solution bases seek to leverage the more established management practices centered on the established technologies in order to manage their entire production process. Yet is this approach appropriate? One such multi technology solution set is comprised of the more emergent technology basis of nanotechnology and micromachining (MEMS) combined with the more established semiconductor microfabrication. This “Small Tech” solution base is seen by many as theb next “Shumpeterian Wave” of economic development. Yet they require costly “Foundaries at the Interface” or Multi Technology, High Product Mix, Low Volume fabrication facilities (MT-HMLV). These fabrications facilities have adopted for the most part the more established management practices of High Volume Semiconductor Faciltiy (HVSF) management proacticeses. We show that the results practice have been less than optimum. Our case study effort shows that these facilities use of taditonbal HVSF managment practices do not convey the strategic value of a MT-HMLV, nor do they adequately assist in their operational management. These facilities often funded by governmental action are essential to regional and firm based economic growth are now atrisk. If this is so there is cause for concern.","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114079084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Female high technology entrepreneurs: an exploration of their pre-entrepreneurial careers and motivations for venture creation","authors":"S. Cooper, Alison Hampton, P. McGowan","doi":"10.3990/2.268475404","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268475404","url":null,"abstract":"The changing business environment and its growing acceptance of women have influenced the motivations of women to consider entrepreneurship as an alternative career path. Women are well-represented as entrepreneurs in some sectors; however, they remain heavily underrepresented in areas such as science, engineering and technology (SET). While studies have been conducted amongst female entrepreneurs in traditionally female sectors, such as retail and personal services, little attention has been paid the motivations and pre-entrepreneurial careers of women who establish ventures in technology-based areas. The pre-entrepreneurial career is important in influencing an entrepreneur’s social, human and financial capital which plays a pivotal role in shaping the start-up venture and growth. Greater understanding of the motivations and pre-entrepreneurial pathways of women in technology might help identify ways of encouraging more women to consider taking that career-path. Research reported here addresses the gap in the literature by exploring the pre-entrepreneurial careers and start-up motivations of 18 female technology entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland, using data collected through an exploratory, interview-based study. Implications for theory, policy and practice are explored.","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129439275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From Firm Network to a Sector-System of Production and Innovation: A Case Study of Innovation Policy Initiative","authors":"Carl-Otto Frykfors, M. Klofsten","doi":"10.3990/2.268475509","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268475509","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines innovation policy making during the transition of innovative ideas into mature industries within building/construction and mineral extraction/mining industries. The main focus is how interaction occurs between major stakeholders and intermediating actors and how industrial change processes are orchestrated. A case study approach examines the rather complex processes occurring within industrial sector development. Two main success criteria were observed: (1) continuity in initial vision and leadership and (2) a clear intention to achieve strategic interplay and knowledge fusion between heterogonous industrial sectors. Currently, this has been achieved in a classic way using R&D and technology development approaches combined with explorative market development to co-ordinate and allow knowledge fusion between the sectors. The transition process is illustrated in four phases: (1) idea and start-up, (2) formation of a technical R&D programme and networking, (3) consolidation of actor networks and formation of an embryological innovation system, and (4) development of a more sector-based production and innovation system.","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"153 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127520918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of market orientation on the performance of the Vietnamese software firms","authors":"U. Dornberger, N. Nabi, Ly Diep Linh","doi":"10.3990/2.268486891","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268486891","url":null,"abstract":"paper focuses on the exploration of the relationship between the market orientation of the managers/entrepreneurs of the Vietnamese software firms and their business performances. However, research on market orientation is a mature area of research in the Western nations‟ perspectives, there are little knowledge about how the entrepreneurs and managers in the transition perspectives get along with the market and how this process effect on the performances of their ventures. Results of this research show that there is a positive relationship between the market orientation of the Vietnamese software firms and their business performances. This research also reveals that firm size has an influencing role on the performance setting effect of the market orientation in the firms. Furthermore this research shows that in the case of the Vietnamese software firms, „organization wide dissemination of market intelligence‟ and „organizational responsiveness to the disseminated intelligence‟ has more influence on business performance. Results of this research contributes to the knowledge for understanding about how the managers and entrepreneurs in new markets are adjusting their focuses to the market and how such adjustments are contributing o the performances of their ventures.","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121741456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Toward a dynamic perspective on exploative and exploitative innovation activities: a longitudianl study of innovation in the wind blade industry","authors":"M. de Visser","doi":"10.3990/2.268486540","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3990/2.268486540","url":null,"abstract":"Innovation requires a combination of explorative and exploitative innovation activities. Previous studies have provided valuable insights in the antecedents of investing in explorative and exploitative activities, the structural governance of exploration and exploitation and the performance implications of engaging in exploration and exploitation. These studies are dominated by cross-sectional research, largely ignoring the evolution of exploration and exploitation over time. Several scholars, however, provide first indications that the allocation of time and resources across exploration and exploitation might change over time. In order to examine the dynamics of explorative and exploitative innovation activities, we conducted an indepth case study in one particular company in the wind blade industry, applying a novel approach to measure the evolution of the amount of R&D resources allocated to explorative and exploitative activities over a 5 year time period. Our results show that the relative amount of resources and time invested in exploration versus exploitation is not static, but changes over time. The pattern of the evolution of exploration and exploitation at our case company shows phases in which exploration and exploitation activities are well balanced, and phases where one type of innovation dominates innovation activities. Based on additional qualitative data we found first indications of antecedents of the dynamics of exploration and exploitation. Together, our findings provide an interesting starting point for future research on the antecedents, structural governance and performance implications of the evolution of exploration and exploitation over time.","PeriodicalId":350992,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 18th Annual High Technology Small Firms Conference","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131182621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}