Search results
1 – 10 of 115Rosivalda Pereira and Mário Franco
This study aims to investigate how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) perceive the benefits and obstacles with university cooperation for themselves and regional…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) perceive the benefits and obstacles with university cooperation for themselves and regional development, setting out from the personal relations the parts have formed.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative approach was adopted, using a sample of 336 Brazilian SMEs that had undertaken some cooperation with universities in the past years.
Findings
From structural equation modelling, results show that interpersonal relations interfere in the type of cooperation formed, these being a catalyst in formalizing the cooperation. These relations also interfere in the perception of barriers and benefits of cooperation for the firm.
Practical implications
The results are clearer in the firm domain and less so in the region, implying that university-SME cooperation does not yet present clearly disseminated benefits so that firms can be more aware of the results. The barriers to cooperation seem to be overcome by interpersonal relations but also by the contracts established since they were more evident in the informal type of cooperation.
Originality/value
This study provides more empirical evidence about these relations in a context of low socio-economic development, a topic which is still under-explored in the field of university-firm cooperation.
Details
Keywords
João Marques, Mário Franco and Margarida Rodrigues
This study aims to understand in what way international cooperation between universities and/or firms can be seen as a vehicle in the transfer of knowledge and innovation for…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to understand in what way international cooperation between universities and/or firms can be seen as a vehicle in the transfer of knowledge and innovation for implementation of environmentally sustainable practices.
Design/methodology/approach
To do so, a qualitative approach was adopted, resorting to the case study method: the EdgeWise project. Data were obtained from interviews, documentation provided by partners and observation, and the content analysis technique was also used.
Findings
The results lead to the conclusion that this type of international cooperation is supported by solid dimensions, such as knowledge transfer and appropriate choice of partners. In addition, the dimension related to organisational culture is not considered a barrier in the cooperation process studied here, but rather as a form of learning among partners.
Practical implications
The empirical evidence suggests that it will add value to the understanding of the various issues surrounding resources (water and energy) that differ from country to country. However, the administrative-bureaucratic dimension is identified as a barrier to this type of cooperation/project, with its analysis being suggested for future studies.
Originality/value
This innovative study shows that the literature and the case study made identified various dimensions; motivations, barriers and drivers, of knowledge transfer, choice of partners and organisational culture. In addition, this study contributes for international universities-firms cooperation in sustainability area.
Details
Keywords
Rafael Sartor de Oliveira, Mário Franco and Margarida Rodrigues
Cooperative agreements between universities and firms (U–F) have gained prominence. However, the literature on organisational culture and the formation of cooperation agreements…
Abstract
Purpose
Cooperative agreements between universities and firms (U–F) have gained prominence. However, the literature on organisational culture and the formation of cooperation agreements is scarce. This study aims to analyse, from the perspective of the managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and those in charge in universities, the perceptions of the influence of organisational culture on this type of U–F cooperation.
Design/methodology/approach
To this end, multiple case studies were adopted, involving cooperation agreements between a Portuguese and eight SMEs incubated in UBImedical. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather information, aiming to understand the meaning, importance and possible obstacles caused by organisational culture in this U–F cooperation agreement.
Findings
Content analysis of the results obtained leads to the conclusion that cultural compatibility is a crucial factor for successful U–F cooperation. The exchange of knowledge, mutual trust and flexibility between those involved are identified as key determinants to build shared norms that allow a more productive, assertive union.
Practical implications
The study represents an important tool to support SME managers and those in charge of universities, as the evidence obtained can help them to define policies and actions with regard to the U–F cooperation process. More precisely, these SME and university managers could give more attention to culture in future cooperation agreements.
Originality/value
This study advances understanding of the role of organisational culture in a cooperation agreement since this was a gap identified in the literature on the topic. It also contributes to the existing body of work on U–F cooperation, demonstrating that organisational culture is considered important by partners in these agreements and should be adjusted towards compatible alignment of each party’s expectations.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to generate additional insight into how the Triple Helix approach can be practiced in a regional context.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to generate additional insight into how the Triple Helix approach can be practiced in a regional context.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes an attempt to develop innovation in a Swedish region, using the Triple Helix approach. The case study is based on a variety of data sources, including a number of semi‐structured interviews.
Findings
In implementing the Triple Helix approach, a key role was that of boundary spanners who scanned and pooled ideas for, and interest in, specific projects, building relevant networks and bridging the various involved cultures by semantically translating domain‐specific knowledge. The case also illustrates institutional entrepreneurship as the actors changed the system in which they acted.
Research limitations/implications
The data come from one country and one region only. The use of other data and other research methods would shed more light on the studied issues.
Practical implications
The driving and integrating role of boundary spanners in the case highlights the importance of this role in Triple Helix approaches.
Originality/value
The Triple Helix approach does not offer detailed advice on how to support development and innovation. This study fills a gap by analyzing how theory can be transformed into practice.
Details
Keywords
Sarika Sharma, D.P. Goyal and Archana Singh
Sustainable entrepreneurship education (SEE) is a field, which mingles two imperative fields of research, sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable entrepreneurship education (SEE) is a field, which mingles two imperative fields of research, sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education. This emerging area has gained momentum in recent years, and various quantitative and qualitative studies are carried upon to explore its diverse dimensions, literature remains scattered. This paper aims to explore the holistic picture of SEE by compiling the research articles, through a systematic literature review of prior research studies.
Design/methodology/approach
Two prominent databases are considered, and these databases then are searched with appropriately designed search strings. Based on an exclusion and inclusion criteria developed by the authors, 59 research papers are selected for further investigation. These research papers are then studied rigorously for review and qualitative content analysis.
Findings
A conceptual framework comprising of the areas of these research contributions is proposed as an outcome. This framework provides insights about the existing state and areas of SEE research namely: (1) Institutional framework, (2) Teaching/learning approaches and (3) External interactions and provides further direction for research.
Research limitations/implications
The present study makes a significant contribution both in theoretical and in practical sense. (1) Compiled the extant literature on sustainable entrepreneurship education; (2) Developed a protocol to conduct the systematic review of literature on sustainable entrepreneurship education; (3) Reported the status of research on sustainable entrepreneurship education, and proposed a framework on existing work; (4) Presented the emerging topics, issues and challenges that need to be addressed in future research.
Originality/value
This article seeks to present a systematic literature review of the research field on sustainable entrepreneurship education. A review of existing literature in this field would certainly help to advance future research efforts as it presents a comprehensive picture of the status quo of this research field.
Details
Keywords
Sinead Earley, Thomas Daae Stridsland, Sarah Korn and Marin Lysák
Climate change poses risks to society and the demand for carbon literacy within small and medium-sized enterprises is increasing. Skills and knowledge are required for…
Abstract
Purpose
Climate change poses risks to society and the demand for carbon literacy within small and medium-sized enterprises is increasing. Skills and knowledge are required for organizational greenhouse gas accounting and science-based decisions to help businesses reduce transitional risks. At the University of Copenhagen and the University of Northern British Columbia, two carbon management courses have been developed to respond to this growing need. Using an action-based co-learning model, students and business are paired to quantify and report emissions and develop climate plans and communication strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on surveys of businesses that have partnered with the co-learning model, designed to provide insight on carbon reductions and the impacts of co-learning. Data collected from 12 respondents in Denmark and 19 respondents in Canada allow for cross-institutional and international comparison in a Global North context.
Findings
Results show that while co-learning for carbon literacy is welcomed, companies identify limitations: time and resources; solution feasibility; governance and reporting structures; and communication methods. Findings reveal a need for extension, both forwards and backwards in time, indicating that the collaborations need to be lengthened and/or intensified. Balancing academic requirements detracts from usability for businesses, and while municipal and national policy and emission targets help generate a general societal understanding of the issue, there is no concrete guidance on how businesses can implement operational changes based on inventory results.
Originality/value
The research brings new knowledge to the field of transitional climate risks and does so with a focus on both small businesses and universities as important co-learning actors in low-carbon transitions. The comparison across geographies and institutions contributes an international solution perspective to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Details
Keywords
Nuria Calvo, Jacobo Feás, David Rodeiro-Pazos, Braulio Pérez and Sara Fernández-López
This paper aims to explore the determinants of firms’ attitudes to R&D cooperation with universities with the goal to propose a model of knowledge transfer university-firm.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the determinants of firms’ attitudes to R&D cooperation with universities with the goal to propose a model of knowledge transfer university-firm.
Design/methodology/approach
By understanding university-industry cooperation as a process, the model in this study is based on two factors: the “promoter of university-industry relations” (PUIR) and a technological system that is able to match the research supply of universities with the demand for innovation of the firms. A total of 375 firms, 420 research groups and 18 experts in knowledge transfer from Spain, Portugal and France have been involved in this study.
Findings
This study provides the first evidences of the relation between the number of matches’ demand-supply of research, the number of university-firm relations and the willingness to cooperate; all of these presented in the knowledge transfer model. Results also reinforce the utility of the role of PUIR and the matching system in the open innovation process.
Research limitations/implications
However, more evidences are necessary to get a complete validation of the model. In the future, the continuous utilization of the matching system by the PUIRs of the selected regions will allow the authors to evaluate how well the system is working by analysing the possible increases in formal collaboration university-firm in the area of R&D.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature through aligning the open innovation and intellectual capital theories in the specific and complex context of university-firm collaboration. Also, little research regarding this topic has been noticed in SUDOE European Union (EU) countries (SUDOE is an EU territorial cooperation programme that supports regional development by funding transnational projects).
Details
Keywords
Marcia Siqueira Rapini, Tulio Chiarini, Pablo Bittencourt and Thiago Caliari
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the academic side of university–firm linkages, reporting the results of research (called the “BR Survey”, a primary database) conducted…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the academic side of university–firm linkages, reporting the results of research (called the “BR Survey”, a primary database) conducted in Brazil with leaders of research groups that interacted with firms. The authors analysed the answers from 662 research groups (from both universities and research institutes) to investigate whether the intensity of private funds affects the results of the interactions. The main intent is to answer the following question: Is there a difference between funding sources and the type of results achieved by research groups when interacting with firms?
Design/methodology/approach
To verify the impact of some variables on the perception of the main results of university–firm interactions, highlighting the impact of funding sources, the authors present a Logit Model defined with binary dependent variables. The null value is categorized as a “scientific result” (new scientific discoveries and research projects; publications, theses and dissertations; human resources’ and students’ education) and the value 1 is classified as an “innovative/technological result” (new products, artefacts and processes; improvement of industrial products and processes; patents, software, design and spin-off firms).
Findings
The authors found that the modes of interaction (relationship types) and some knowledge transfer channels, besides the number of interactions with firms, have statistically significant coefficients, so their values present different impacts on the results of the interaction. The results suggest that the Brazilian innovation policy towards a more active and entrepreneurial role of universities is fostering innovative/technological results from university–firm interactions.
Originality/value
The originality of the study lies on the results found that given the fact that private funding sources do not affect the conventional mission of Brazilian universities – teaching and research – university research groups should be even more incentivized to search for private funds to carry out their research. This may be a solution to the public fund scarcity and may help in reducing the historical distance between universities and firms in Brazil.
Details
Keywords
How does university-firm collaboration affect the performance of both universities and firms? The purpose of this paper is to evaluate university-firm collaborations aimed at…
Abstract
Purpose
How does university-firm collaboration affect the performance of both universities and firms? The purpose of this paper is to evaluate university-firm collaborations aimed at expanding the treatment effects of collaboration ambition on university academic performance as well as collaboration ambition focused on the firm’s production of innovation and financial performance for the top 110 US universities and the top 200 US R&D performing firms.
Design/methodology/approach
“Two studies, based on the three archival data sets (National Bureau of Economic Research-Rensselaer Scientific Papers Database and the Harvard Dataverse Network (DVN) US Patent Citations database and Compustat database), are undertaken in the top 110 US universities and the top 200 US R&D performing firms.” The study introduces a theoretical model that explicitly addresses collaboration diversity, number of collaborations, knowledge stock and the endogeneity problem that is generated by self-selection of collaboration ambition in university and firm’s performance.
Findings
The results suggest that the effects of adopting proactive collaboration decision on academic performance are insignificant in the firm subsample. However, more interestingly, the authors find supporting evidence of the negative impact of collaboration on university groups. The authors also find that collaboration diversity, knowledge stock and collaboration ambition lead to stronger firm performance but the number of collaborations is smaller on firm performance. Furthermore, the authors find that collaboration ambition moderates the positive effect of the number of collaborations on firm performance.
Practical implications
University-firm collaboration is a multifaceted relationship, suggesting that the empirical analysis can be interpreted through the university and the firm view to enhance the understanding of the collaboration for performance creation. This study articulates the positive role of collaboration diversity, knowledge stock and collaboration ambition and the negative role of the number of collaborations on university-firm collaboration in terms of university and firm performance. Moreover, proactive collaboration ambition has the positive effect of a higher number of collaborations on firm performance. The authors conclude that policy should refrain from overly focusing on collaboration diversity, number of collaborations, knowledge stock and collaboration ambition, and the authors consider the interactions between the number of collaborations and collaboration ambition on university-firm collaboration when discussing their effects on mutual performance.
Originality/value
This study demonstrates the effects of university-firm collaboration on academic performance. In addition, the authors discuss the factors that influence collaboration to help the firm to increase its innovation and financial performance. Therefore, it would be interesting to see simultaneously how university-firm collaboration affects the performance of both partners.
Details
Keywords
Farhan Muhammad Muneeb, Amir Karbassi Yazdi, P. Wanke, Cao Yiyin and Muhammad Chughtai
This study focuses on the Critical Success Factors (CSF) for developing sustainable entrepreneurship in the Pakistani telecommunication industry. Despite the efforts made by…
Abstract
Purpose
This study focuses on the Critical Success Factors (CSF) for developing sustainable entrepreneurship in the Pakistani telecommunication industry. Despite the efforts made by governments and stakeholders to stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship initiatives, contributions in the telecommunications sector are lacking. Therefore, this study has the major objective of identifying a transformation path for these firms. This is done by providing a theoretical framework for sustainable entrepreneurship in the telecommunications industry, focusing on managerial and operational practices that should be modified according to a set of CSFs identified by experts in Pakistani firms.
Design/methodology/approach
This article proposes a novel Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) approach based on Grey Systems Theory (GST) and Best-Worst Method (BWM) while unveiling endogenous relationships among current managerial/operational practices and the CSFs for sustainable entrepreneurship in the telecommunications industry.
Findings
CSFs for achieving sustainable entrepreneurship in the Pakistani telecommunications industry were found to rely on a tripod, based on effectiveness, transparency, and accountability that are embedded within the ambit of managerial and operational practices, such as focusing and reducing digital illiteracy, targeting poor communities, helping the young in structuring start-ups.
Originality/value
This article contributes to the MADM research stream by proposing a novel use of the BWM technique based on GST to promote sustainable entrepreneurship CSFs in Pakistani telecommunications firms.
Details