University Spin-off Fundraising: The Impact of Entrepreneurial Capabilities and Social Networks Of Founding Teams during Start-ups

University spin-offs have increasingly received attention from academia, governments, and policymakers in studying the financing policies, venture capital investment decision making, the roles of venture capitalist in the development of new ventures, and the contributions of entrepreneur’s social capital to the fundraising activities. However, the limited number of studies in understanding of the contribution made by the entrepreneurial capabilities and social networks of a founding team to its fundraising ability still remains, especially within university spin-off context. Employing resource-based view theory and social networks approach, this paper enriches the knowledge by exploring university spin-offs in Spain. The results of this study empirically demonstrate that by exploiting social networks a founding team can improve its entrepreneurial capabilities, which in turn enhance its fundraising ability

When does centrality matter? Scientific productivity and the moderating role of research specialization and cross-community ties

The present study addresses the ongoing debate concerning academic scientific productivity. Specifically, given the increasing number of collaborations in academia and the crucial role networks play in knowledge creation, we investigate the extent to which building social capital within the academic community represents a valuable resource for a scientist's knowledge-creation process. We measure the social capital in terms of structural position within the academic collaborative network. Furthermore, we analyse the extent to which an academic scientist's research specialization and ties that cross-community boundaries act as moderators of the aforementioned relationship. Empirical results derived from an analysis of an Italian academic community from 2001 to 2008 suggest academic scientists that build social capital by occupying central positions in the community outperform their more isolated colleagues. However, scientific productivity declines beyond a certain threshold value of centrality, hence revealing the existence of an inverted U-shaped relationship. This relationship is negatively moderated by the extent to which an academic focuses research activities in few scientific knowledge domains, whereas it is positively moderated by the number of cross-community ties established

Scientific (Wo)manpower? Gender and the Composition and Earnings of PhDs in Sweden

Although the share of female PhDs has increased explosively since the 1980s, little research has focused on the utilisation and remuneration of female versus male scientific human capital. Using rich Swedish cross-sectional register data on the stock of PhDs in 2004, this paper analyses to what extent men and women choose academic versus non-academic employment, and to what earnings differences these choices lead. Results show that women are significantly less likely than men to be academically employed in the natural sciences and medicine, whereas no significant gender differences prevail for the social sciences and the humanities. On average, women earn 15 per cent less than men, and the academically employed earn 24 per cent less than PhDs outside academia. Gender earnings differences are larger in the academic than in the non-academic labour market in the humanities and the natural sciences, whereas the opposite holds in the social sciences and medicine.gender, earnings, scientific human capital

Are We Really Bowling Alone? Family Changes and Social Capital in American Society

I explore the relationship between family changes and social capital in American society. Since the mid-20th century, new types of and additions to the family structure have emerged, including cohabitation family, single-parent family, employed women, and NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, and Training). Although new types of families symbolize a more flexible definition of family, some problems have emerged which are worthy of studying. In fact, these families have recently become a primary focus of study in academia, but their social lives are rarely mentioned. I argue in my dissertation that these new types of arrangements not only changed how we define family, but also brought about changes in how we are involved in society. Members of these new types of families have difficulty accumulating social capital due to some unique conditions which stem from these family types. The unstable relationship between cohabitating couples, the scarcity of family resources in single-parent families, the heavy burdens for employed wives, and the indifferent attitudes among non-employed young people may explain why they have less social capital. The results indicated a complicated relationship between family changes and social capital. In general, family changes negatively affected social capital acquisition to some degree. However, different family changes may make different impacts on social capital. It is my hope that my research will encourage social scientists to seriously (re)examine the social life of people involved in these new types of families

Careers Patterns in Greek Academia: Social Capital and Intelligent Careers, but for Whom?

International audiencePurpose: To develop a comprehensive account for careers within the Greek academic system. Historical, cultural and geographical features of the country have created a unique context that has shaped the way academic careers evolve. Design/methodology/approach: The primary methods of data collection were retrospective participant observation and discussions in interview form with individuals who have had various types of experience with the Greek Higher Education system. Findings: The major factor that shapes careers in Greek academia is social capital or Know-whom that operates within a broader cultural environment where institutional collectivism is extremely low, the in-group - out-group distinction is a major element, and political party affiliation plays a key role in everyday affairs. As a result academic careers in Greece are almost exclusively determined by membership, a priory or earned, to an "in-group" that is linked via blood, family friendship, business and political party ties. This "in-group" uses its social capital to control academic careers across all stages for the benefit of its members. Research limitations/implications: There are method limitations, but relevant concerns were largely alleviated by precautionary measures and the way data were utilized. Ethnography may be the most appropriate method to disentangle the way networks and social capital impact careers. Practical implications: Achieving substantive change, such as increasing meritocracy, within a sector may be impossible without considering the broader cultural context that encapsulates it. Originality/value: The study is amongst the very first to unveil the "dark side" of social capital, and show how social capital may benefit the interests of in-groups at the expense of the collective.Objectif : développer un compte-rendu complet des carrières au sein du système scolaire grec. Les caractéristiques historiques, culturelles et géographiques du pays ont créé un contexte unique qui a façonné la manière dont les carrières universitaires évoluent. Conception / méthodologie / approche : les principales méthodes de collecte de données sont l'observation participante rétrospective, ainsi que des discussions sous forme d'interview avec des personnes qui ont eu différents types d'expérience au sein du système d'enseignement supérieur grec. Conclusions : le principal facteur qui façonne la carrière dans le milieu universitaire grec est le capital social ou le "connaître-qui", à l'oeuvre dans un environnement culturel plus large où le collectivisme institutionnel est extrêmement faible, la distinction "en-groupe" - "hors-groupe" est un élément important, et l'appartenance à un parti politique joue un rôle-clé dans la vie quotidienne. En conséquence, les carrières universitaires en Grèce sont presque exclusivement déterminées par l'affiliation, a priori ou acquise, à un "en groupe", lié par le sang, les relations familiales et amicales, les affaires et l'appartenance à un parti politique. Cet "en groupe" utilise son capital social pour contrôler les carrières universitaires, à toutes les étapes et au bénéfice de ses membres. Limites de la recherche / implications : des limites méthodologiques existent, mais elles ont été largement atténués par des mesures de précaution et par l'usage effectif des données. L'ethnographie est peut-être la méthode la plus appropriée pour démêler la façon dont les réseaux et le capital social influent sur les carrières. Implications pratiques : parvenir à un changement substantiel dans un secteur particulier, par une méritocratie accrue, semble impossible sans tenir compte du contexte culturel plus large de ce secteur. Originalité / valeur : cette étude est parmi les premières à dévoiler le "côté sombre" du capital social, et montre comment le capital social peut servir les intérêts des "en-groupes", au détriment du collectif

Estranged students in higher education: navigating social and economic capitals

Family is widely regarded as a cornerstone of student support. When family support exist as an essential form of social capital making, rupture of family ties places students in a disadvantageous position. This paper focuses on estranged students’ accounts of their experiences of higher education, highlighting how capital dynamics shape their academic trajectories. Based on interviews with 21 estranged students, our research uncovers different dimensions of estranged students’ struggles and successes as they move through academia. This paper explores the social imagination that surrounds the university student, or ‘student experience’, as resting upon family support. The authors propose that widening participation policies and practices need to be more attuned to the realities that mark estranged students’ experiences, as they are not only impacted by the scarcity of either economic or social capital, but also by the instability of interrelated capitals that contribute to precarious and volatile experiences

Information-Sharing in Academia and the Industry: A Comparative Study

This paper investigates how scientists decide whether to share information with their colleagues or not. Detailed data on the decisions of 1,694 bio-scientists allow to detect similarities and differences between academia-based and industry-based scientists. Arguments from social capital theory are applied to explain why individuals share information even at (temporary) personal cost. In both realms, the results suggest that the likelihood of sharing decreases with the competitive value of the requested information. Factors related to social capital, i.e., expected reciprocity and the extent to which a scientist’s community conforms to the norm of open science,either directly affect information-sharing or moderate competitive interest considerations on information-sharing. The effect depends on the system to which a scientist belongs.information-sharing; social capital; reciprocity; open science; bio-sciences; IP protection mechanisms

Consolidation Measures of Industry-Academia Cooperation for Human Resources Development of the Vocational Education Institutes

Government, industry and colleges have insufficient understanding of the meaning of and strategy for industry-academia cooperation, which is essential in building an innovative economy and searching for substantive public policies and practices. They also do not have a proper grasp of the overall situation, performance and problems of the cooperative relationship between them. This research is aimed at shedding some light on which direction should vocational education institutions, including junior colleges, polytechnics and vocational high schools, take in establishing industry-academia cooperation system in developing human resources as a major step toward becoming an innovative economy. It also intends to develop models for reinforcing mutual relations and collaboration between the three parties leading innovation, and to draw up schemes for promoting cooperation of them. Industry-academia cooperation refers to cooperative activities between academic bodies, government, municipal government, government-sponsored institutes and industries, including developing manpower customized to meet the demands of industries and future industrial development, R&D for creating and expanding new knowledge technology, technology transfer to industrial sectors, and industrial consulting. It is not a purpose itself but a way to facilitate research and technology development, and produce competent human resources. For the construction of an innovative economy, it is necessary to procure and utilize human resources from regional sectors, which form the foundation of social and knowledge capital clusters. For effective cooperation to take place, it is also necessary to be equipped with useful hardware (e.g. institution, law, finance, and facility), human ware (e.g. professionals, organization and leadership), software (e.g. industry-academia cooperation programs), and mind ware (e.g. cognizance and will of participation). Central and local governments should guide the way for developing human and knowledge capital in colleges and industries, and by supporting law, adminstration, and finance to them, show long- and mid-term programs overlooking the supply and demand of human and knowledge capital...

Information-Sharing in Academia and the Industry: A Comparative Study

This paper investigates how scientists decide whether to share information with their colleagues or not. Detailed data on the decisions of 1,694 bio-scientists allow to detect similarities and differences between academia-based and industry-based scientists. Arguments from social capital theory are applied to explain why individuals share information even at (temporary) personal cost. In both realms, the results suggest that the likelihood of sharing decreases with the competitive value of the requested information. Factors related to social capital, i.e., expected reciprocity and the extent to which a scientist’s community conforms to the norm of open science, either directly affect information-sharing or moderate competitive interest considerations on information-sharing. The effect depends on the system to which a scientist belongs.information-sharing; social capital; reciprocity; open science; bio-sciences; IP protection mechanisms