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Purpose: To identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of business incubator models and their potential use in worldwide. Methodology: We studied two international cases: (a) United States, (b) United Kingdom. Findings: The results highlight the similarities and differences between the countries. It adds knowledge for both academics and practitioners who are interested in business incubation. Value: This paper is the first to utilize the SWOT technique to analyze the business incubation field and provides recommendations to implement successful adoption of the incubator’s strengths. The potential of Business Incubators who act as models in worldwide and their contribution to the economy, the active role they play in the local, regional and national economic development are discussed. Implications: Adaptation of a Business Incubator Model leads to (1) the support of diverse economies, (2) the commercialization of new technologies, (3) job creation and (4) increases in wealth, given that weaknesses can be overcome.

The importance of fit between the endorser and the endorsed product has been described as the “match‐up hypothesis”. Much “match‐up hypothesis” research has focused on physical attraction. We present two studies which collectively suggest that, while attractive endorsers do positively affect attitude toward the endorsed brand, expertise is a more important dimension for driving the fit between an endorser and a brand. Study One examines physical attractiveness as a match‐up factor. Results indicate a general “attractiveness effect”, but not a match‐up effect based on attractiveness. Study Two considers expertise as the match‐up dimension. A match‐up effect was found based on expertise.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and identify three categories of incubators in the USA located in New York (NY). The incubator categories are: technology commercialisation; economic development; and entrepreneurship.

The study uses a qualitative approach based on interviews concerning three incubator programmes selected for their successful outcomes.

The research findings suggest four priorities for incubators: to be dynamic models of self-sustainable, efficient business development; to provide helpful tools for generating jobs; to foster and support enterprise and innovation to create the best environment for the start-up and smart growth of businesses; and to support value-added businesses through various means, such as developing the region’s science parks and R&D centres, improving collaboration between universities, and supporting business investment and growth.

The research adds value to academicians and practitioners such as government, funded organisations, institutions and policy makers.

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, discuss and analyse the successful adoption of incubators worldwide; and second, the lessons learned from successful incubators towards the twenty-first century.

The research methodologies adopted in this study are a mixed-methods approach: quantitative (survey) and qualitative (five international case studies).

Incubators contribute to the international economy and play a vital role not only in the economic recovery but also in smart growth and economic development. These findings will assist incubator managers, policy makers and government parties in successful implementation of incubator policies.

This research focuses on specific lessons. More in-depth research may find additional positive traits.

This research will be of benefit to countries establishing business incubators in order to avoid mistakes and increase the likelihood of success.

This paper contributes to the current literate on the best practices worldwide. Furthermore, it presents future perspectives for academicians and practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and identify the ranking of innovation program landscape in the UK. The identification will focus on the average of four categories: policy, culture, economy, and industry.

The nature of this research is mainly qualitative. This investigation uses two semi-structured interview based in the UK, combined with an examination of organizational documents.

The research findings indicated highest ranking of the Petchey Center of Entrepreneurship located in University of East London present culture 60 percent, policy 75 percent, industry 80 percent, and economy 100 percent.

The authors conclude with several recommendations for academia and practitioners such as governments, policy makers, funded organizations, and strategic institutions.

The financial crisis has had a devastating impact on financial markets in the US and other western countries. Particularly hard hit were investors who purchased mortgaged backed securities, since as the value of the asset declined below the amount of debt, investors took large losses. Countries that follow Islamic Banking and Finance (IBF) have largely been spared this loss due to the types of bonds that are allowed. This research summarises the problem in the Western World and then compares it to a similar problem faced by Dubai World who had a (standstill) when they were unable to make a required payment. It appears that holders of Dubai World sukuk will be spared losses because of Islamic banking laws. We examine both the short term and long term effects.

The purpose of this paper is to show an optimum income tax policy, given that the government must raise sufficient tax revenue to fund public goods and services as well as income transfer programmes. The paper examines the different types of taxes and then suggests a policy that is efficient, equitable, easy to administer and leads to a higher level of economic growth.

A literature review has been done to find all scholarly work that relates to income tax policy and its effect on economic growth. Results from endogenous growth models have been utilised to determine both the significance and the magnitude of income tax policy's effect on the growth rate of real GDP.

After examining the benefits of each type of taxation and reviewing the principles of capitalism, a proportionate (single rate) tax of 12 per cent on all income would be approximately revenue neutral in the USA, and would add to the growth of real GDP, thereby improving the standard of living.

The paper concentrates on income tax policy in the USA. While it is believed that the conclusions apply to virtually all market-based economies, cultural differences in some countries may result in a modification of the conclusion to fit the society.

In the USA today, the majority of people favour changing the current income tax code. The debate is about what to change and how to change it. This debate is also important to developing nations who try to set an income tax policy that reaches the goals while encouraging growth.

While the literature shows varying studies concerning the impact of tax policy, there is a gap when searching for an optimum policy. Many scholars have made suggestions but none of them seem to be optimal. This topic is of particular interest in the USA and the rest of the developed and non-developed world, since the recent performance of GDP growth has been very slow and in many instances negative. Most countries have tried combinations of monetary and fiscal policies to encourage growth, but none seem to be working effectively. The solution may be to change income tax policy. The proposal for an optimum income tax policy is new and different from any that has been suggested as yet.

The purpose of this paper is to find the characteristics that determine the success of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in promoting economic development and specifically to determine the long- and short-term public involvement.

A grounded theory approach is utilized, involving desk research and a review of the current literature, as well as examining case studies. This reduction in data collection was based on the availability of literature and case studies which can be assimilated to develop theoretically justifiable conclusions.

In less-than-developed countries (LDC), the lack of private investment capital severely hinders economic development. In developed countries it is often high risk factors and very large capital investment that slows economic development. In both cases, an input from the public sector is needed. The findings suggest that government involvement should be time limited, so that to achieve long-term success, a public sector exit strategy should be formulated. The length of time for public sector involvement varies but is generally longer in the LDC.

While the current literature provides some conclusions regarding the effect of PPPs on economic development, there is a gap when examining the proper structure particularly for developing countries.

While the current literature provides some conclusions regarding the effect of PPPs on economic development, there is a gap when examining the proper structure. This paper also provides some guidance for participants to determine the optimum length of time that public involvement is needed. Both academics and practitioners should find this to be valuable information.

Although endorsers are thought to be highly effective when they match-up with a product, the current understanding of endorser match-up offers little insight for distinctions between equally attractive and trustworthy endorsers who have equivalent expertise in the product category, yet still diverge in their performance. Therefore, the main purpose of this research is to understand how a match between social judgments (i.e. warmth vs competence) of a celebrity endorser and specific advertising appeals (i.e. symbolic vs utilitarian) can improve consumer responses to an endorsement.

A preliminary study empirically distinguishes perceptions of warmth and competence from prevailing celebrity endorser evaluative criteria. Then, the authors conduct multiple 2 (warmth vs competence) × 2 (symbolic vs utilitarian) between-subjects experiments to demonstrate the effect of matching social judgments and advertising messaging, across celebrity genders (i.e. male and female), forms of marketing communications (i.e. print ads and interactive online ads) and types of brands (i.e. well-established and new/unknown).

The findings demonstrate that matching celebrity endorser social judgments with the appropriate type of advertising messaging positively influences consumer response to the brand for both male and female endorsers. Additionally, despite a commonly held belief that celebrity endorsements are more effective at changing attitudes than actual behaviors, for interactive online ads, the authors find that the match strategy can motivate consumer response through two different pathways. For well-established brands, the match improves overall brand response predominately through cognitive and behavioral mechanisms. Alternatively, for new or unknown brands, the match initially impacts affective responses, which are subsequently related to consumers shopping a brand’s product category, rating a brand higher in customer recommendations, choosing a brand’s products over top competitors and paying more for the brand’s offerings.

The main contribution of this research is the demonstrated support for an alternative and effective application of the match-up hypothesis, based on a fit between the endorser and the advertising messaging itself.

The purpose of this study is to contrast athlete endorsement vs athlete sponsorship from a power imbalance perspective when a scandal strikes the athlete.

A first study was conducted with a probabilistic sample of 252 adult consumers where the type of brand–athlete relationship (endorsement or sponsorship) and the level of congruence between the two entities (low or high) were manipulated in a mixed experimental design. A second study with a probabilistic sample of 118 adult consumers was conducted to demonstrate that consumers perceive that the balance of power between the brand and the athlete is not the same in endorsement and sponsorship situations.

The results of the first study showed that when an athlete is in the midst of a scandal, the negative impact on the associated brand is stronger in the case of an endorsement than in the case of a sponsorship. However, this occurs only when the brand–athlete relationship is congruent. The results of the second study showed that the athlete’s power relative to the brand is greater in an endorsement than in a sponsorship context.

The findings suggest that a company that worries about the possibility that the athlete with whom it wants to build a relationship be eventually associated with some negative event (e.g. a scandal) should consider sponsorship rather than endorsement as a strategy.

This study is the first to compare the athlete endorsement and sponsorship strategies in general and the first to put forward the notion of power imbalance in brand–athlete partnerships, its impact on how the two entities are represented in consumers’ memory networks and the consequences on brand attitude when the athlete is associated with a negative event.