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The research article looks at how well China is managing its tech skills resources in major industries.

The IBM Institute for Business Value in collaboration with Oxford Economics recently conducted a specific survey of more than 5,600 global business, government and education leaders on the topic of global workforce skills. More than 400 of the 5,600 executives surveyed were from China, representing 18 specific industries from across all major regions. The insights and opinions of these 400-plus Chinese executives inform this report about tech skills resources in China.

Seventy-one percent of corporate recruiters in China, say they cannot find applicants with sufficient practical experience, and 72 percent of the Chinese industry leaders surveyed report that gaps evidenced in the core skills of newly recruited employees is the single most significant business challenge they face.

The interviews were performed in 2016 and the data analyzed in 2017 and 2018.

Seventy-one percent of Chinese executives believe that individuals should bear significant personal responsibility in developing and maintaining work skills.

This is a large sample of executives in major Chinese corporations and some representatives of Chinese educational institutions. Their insights about China’s talent gaps and what it is doing on many fronts to modernize its talent resources should be of interest to players in all competitive economies.

Bangalore has gained international recognition as a technology start-up hub for its vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to explore the structure and gap that exist with respect to the entrepreneurial ecosystem for tech start-ups in Bangalore.

A Delphi technique based four stage interaction with the experts/stakeholders belonging to different components of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (as identified from the literature) in the context of Bangalore is conducted, to gather primary data. This enabled us to define the structure of entrepreneurial ecosystem and analyse the gap that exists between an ideal ecosystem feasible in the Indian context and that one that prevailed in Bangalore.

The prevailing entrepreneurial ecosystem for tech start-ups in Bangalore is significantly different (lower) relative to an ideal ecosystem feasible in the Indian economic environment, as prescribed by the Delphi experts, both at the aggregate level and at an individual component level. The step-wise (backward) logistic regression analysis revealed that Bangalore ecosystem is primarily lacking in terms of one of the Triple Helices, namely, role of education and research institutions, and two of the five indispensable components, namely, market maturity and mentorship.

It is essential to strengthen and promote the Triple Helix base and the five indispensable components in an entrepreneurial ecosystem, to accelerate the emergence and growth of tech start-ups.

It brings out the nature of entrepreneurial ecosystem structure and the gap between what can be considered an ideal ecosystem and what prevails in Bangalore currently.

This is a primary data based study, which has value for regional policy makers in strategizing to promote Bangalore ecosystem, and for researchers in undertaking “ecosystem gap analysis”.

This paper aims to explore the dynamics of entrepreneurial ecosystems with both rural and urban features, as well as the varied system requirements of differing types of entrepreneurs within such an ecosystem.

Using a mixed-methods case study approach, the study examined the Roanoke–Blacksburg region in western Virginia. Researchers conducted quantitative analysis of entrepreneurial metrics and network relationships, as well as qualitative analysis of data collected through entrepreneur surveys and stakeholder interviews.

Findings suggest entrepreneurs of different types faced disparate challenges and uneven access to resources and networks. Innovation-driven “gazelle” enterprises (IDEs) had numerous growth-related resource needs, including angel, venture and scale-up funding; prototyping equipment and facilities; and translational research by local universities. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) required more entrepreneurial education programming, subsidized main street office space and clearer pathways through the government regulatory system. A key finding was also concerned with the different ways by which IDEs and SMEs accessed key resources within the ecosystem, illustrated through social network analysis, and supported through qualitative feedback.

Study findings were limited by a relatively low survey response rate from some entrepreneur demographic segments, particularly minorities.

The study represents an in-depth, multi-methods approach that offers insight into two under-researched areas in the ecosystem literature: the dynamics of urban – rural ecosystems and the varied system requirements of different entrepreneur types. The paper includes three overarching recommendations for policy and practice: improved collection and sharing of regional metrics; differentiated approaches to entrepreneurial support based on entrepreneur type; and enhanced efforts to advance inclusive entrepreneurship.

Tech startup is the new hope for sustaining economic growth and job creation in a knowledge-based economy. However, research on the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) is always constructed upon macro-level analysis and is still very limited to the developed economies. This study aims to tackle those issues by exploring the connections within an EE in an emerging economies context with a micro and meso-level social network approach to unravel the pattern of networks and interactions between each actor in the EE.

This research used multi-layered social network analysis, exploring actors in the ecosystem and their interactions. The authors conducted interviews with startups, support organizations and government agencies. The authors used Atlas.ti software to visualize the network structures.

The authors found that the content of interaction within the EE in the emerging economies differs greatly with EE in the developed economies and they produced distinctive characteristics as follows: lack of a dense network, resource scarcities and structural gaps and weak institutional policies.

The research is based on a case study of tech-based EE in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Therefore, the authors encourage other researchers to investigate networks and connections in other EEs in emerging economies. This research contributes a conceptual framework to better understand the network of connections in an emerging-economies-based EE.

The research shows grants provision alone cannot contribute to the functioning of EE. The authors argue strategic networks which promote collaboration among actors can reduce holes and structural gaps, as well as resource scarcities in the ecosystem. In addition to that, strong institutional policies and effective policy integration are needed to create a successful EE.

This research promotes the importance of networks, particularly networks between tech startups and strategic organizations to provide resources and support productive entrepreneurship in hopes of sustaining and accelerating tech startup growth within an EE.

The research proposes to add to the existing EE literature by shedding light on governance of EE, as well as exploring network of connection and interaction among actors within the ecosystem. As a result, the study addresses the need for a more micro or operational-level understanding of an EE. Recent calls for EEs literature have also focused on a certain actor’s dynamic function in the ecosystem. By focusing on the role of the government, the research added to the underdeveloped EE literature.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting startup development and the entrepreneurship ecosystem's contribution to it.

A quantitative methodology is used for data collection from different startup owners working across Pakistan. It is a cross-sectional descriptive study, which investigates the causal effect of variables at a definite point in time. Non-probability convenient sampling was used for selecting available startups from the incubation centers. The sampling framework consists of the founders of the startups that have been previously incubated at any of the selected incubation centers.

Regression analysis results from 165 responses of entrepreneurs and incubation centers demonstrate that the most important factors affecting startup development were financial access, government support, marketing challenges, education, technology and managerial skills in order of occurrence. Entrepreneurship ecosystem also proved to have a very positive impact on the relationship of these factors with startup development.

In this paper, the factors that affect the development of startup are analyzed and recommendations are provided.

This research is comprehensive, as we have collected data from actual entrepreneurs and incubation centers to explain how entrepreneurs initiate their startup business by considering their managerial skills. As such, this study is unique in that the data comes from newly developed incubations centers in one of South Asia's fastest-growing economies.

Despite the significance, university student start-ups and student entrepreneurship ecosystems (SEEs) have been subject to little research. This study aims to apply a qualitative emergent enquiry approach to explore best practice SEEs in Australia, complimented by narratives from leading scholars in higher education institutions with the aim of delineating the integrative components of SEEs.

Adopting the entrepreneurial ecosystem framework and aligned to the social cognitive theory, this paper explores the components and dynamics of SEEs, contributing to an understanding of how such components can better support the growth, sustainability and success of student start-ups. The authors extend entrepreneurship research on social construction using narrative research.

The findings provide guidelines for researchers, entrepreneurship scholars and educators, entrepreneurship students, policymakers and practitioners to enhance the impact and success of university student start-ups by adopting a student ecosystem approach.

The narratives represent a limited number of universities with an opportunity for further research to empirically measure the impact and outcomes of SEEs. The research is exploratory, inherently conceptual and emergent, providing an opportunity for validation of narrative frameworks in future studies.

The findings may assist university managers to be more aware of their own subconscious preferences to student entrepreneurship and start-up initiatives, which may be useful in refining their impact and offerings regarding a quest toward the entrepreneurial university.

From social perspectives, the alignment of the components of SEE has the ability to enhance and shift the entrepreneurial mindset of entrepreneurship students, notwithstanding enhancement of intentionality and self-efficacy.

This is the first study of SEEs in Australia, highlighting the importance of the integration of entrepreneurship education programs, entrepreneurship education ecosystems, the entrepreneurial university and specific start-up initiatives such as university accelerators. Furthermore, students may enhance their entrepreneurial mindset by actively engaging in such ecosystems.

Prior research has extensively explored the dynamics of knowledge creation and transfer within entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs). However, the research on knowledge integration within EEs, particularly by entrepreneurs, remains scant. Garnering and effectively using knowledge in such a dynamic and complex environment can provide entrepreneurs with a valuable asset for gaining a competitive advantage. To address this gap, this study aims to explore how entrepreneurs garner and capitalise on knowledge within the EE environment by using a transactive memory system lens.

This study is based on 26 semi-structured interviews with different actors and members of the same ecosystem – the northern Finnish health tech ecosystem. The data were analysed using the Gioia methodology.

This study results found that transactive memory processes (i.e. knowledge specialisation, credibility and coordination) and structures (i.e. differentiated-, shared- and meta-knowledge) influence knowledge organising in EEs.

This study provides a conceptual interplay between the EE and the transactive memory system’s processes and structures.

Purpose: Economic development agendas usually drive innovation, and it is an essential tool for government institutions to promote economic growth. The Quadruple Helix Model of Innovation captures the process by integrating and overlapping knowledge and technology, forming an aggregate output invested in producing more products and services, innovation, and technology. This chapter focuses on how the quadruple helix supports the linkage between knowledge creation, innovation output, and enhancing regional and national competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach: The chapter also illustrates the triple helix concept and then the quadruple helix model of innovation, focusing on the four main aspects, i.e., Government, Universities, Industry, and Civil society. The authors aim to simulate the economic significance of evolving, rapidly adaptive, and interdisciplinary knowledge and innovation ecosystems.

Findings: The findings and examples stated in several different MENA regions can boost the economy as various platforms provide digital transformation, encourage culture awareness in schools, encourage youth empowerment, and support tech start-ups. They can drive forward the index of creativity and innovation within entrepreneurs and the general members of society. Recommendations include a further study to modify the model and customize it based on the country’s needs.

Originality/value: This chapter of the book focuses on the four main aspects of the quadruple helix model of innovation with specific examples in several countries. The chapter would be beneficial for the upcoming entrepreneurs and students who progress in developing tech start-ups and digitization.

This paper aims to address which resources provided by an entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) are necessary for deep technology entrepreneurship.

The authors used a novel approach known as necessary condition analysis (NCA) to data on EEs and deep-tech startups from 132 countries, collected in a global innovation index and Crunchbase data sets. The NCA makes it possible to identify whether an EEs resource is a necessary condition that enables entrepreneurship.

Necessary conditions are related to political and business environment; education, research and development; general infrastructure; credit; trade; diversification and market size; and knowledge absorption capacity.

The results show that business and political environments are the most necessary conditions to drive deep-tech entrepreneurship.

Policymakers could prioritize conditions that maximize entrepreneurial output levels rather than focusing on less necessary elements.

Some resources require less performance than others. So, policymakers should consider allocating policy efforts to strengthen resources that maximize output levels.

Studies on deep-tech entrepreneurship are scarce. This study provides a bottleneck analysis that can guide the formulation of policies to support deep-tech entrepreneurship, as it allows to identify priority areas for resource allocation.

This paper concerns the pivotal role that entrepreneurial universities can play in developing knowledge transfer and translation processes tailored to the cultural ecosystem.

The paper examines IncubiAmo Cultura, an innovative project that aims to mentor potential entrepreneurs and offer incubation and acceleration for cultural start-ups. The research methodology is based on action research and theory building from cases. An interventionist approach has been adopted, as one of the authors is also the founder of the ongoing project.

The in-depth collection of first-hand information on this pilot project has allowed the authors to formulate an analytical reflection and generate the design of a knowledge translation model driven by an entrepreneurial university that manifests itself through the creation of cultural and creative start-ups.

This article offers an original contribution to scholarship by offering a conceptual model for knowledge translation in cultural ecosystems. Common values (i.e. social, cultural, ethical and aesthetic ones) emerge as the basis on which to build open innovation and knowledge circulation.

For local policymakers, this study provides a clue to understand the need for both an integrated vision of knowledge translation and policies that aim to make an impact at the cultural ecosystem level. For entrepreneurial university governance, our investigation offers suggestions on the design and implementation of knowledge translation processes that fit with the specificity of the cultural ecosystem. For practitioners in the cultural field, a change of mindset is required to combine resources, energies and knowledge.

This work fills several gaps in the literature, as research generally concerns knowledge transfer from entrepreneurial universities to the market with regard to high-tech sectors. In contrast, the cultural sector is often neglected, despite its importance in the renewal and development of a territory.