Responsible Innovation in Business

This chapter introduces responsible innovation in a business context. The first part explains the basic terms that constitute responsible innovation from a busi-ness perspective. The second part presents tangible business practices that opera-tionalise responsible innovation and introduces two good practice examples that hint at the variety of ways in which responsible innovation can be implemented in companies

Modeling complex ecological economic systems: toward an evolutionary, dynamic understanding of people and nature

Recent understanding about system dynamics and predictability that has emerged from the study of complex systems is creating new tools for modeling interactions between anthropogenic and natural systems. A range of techniques has become available through advances in computer speed and accessibility and by implementing a broad, interdisciplinary systems view

How technology travels from old to new firms: the role of employees’ entrepreneurship in technology ventures

A driving force in the creation of new firms resides in the developments of novel technology by members of current companies. When this happens, an employee gains the incentive to quit the parent company and start a new business venture (i.e. spin-out). Research on entrepreneurial employees and their spin-outs is fragmented and misleading. This chapter finds theoretical gaps and enlarges the understanding of the conditions that allow technological knowledge to give rise to entrepreneurial employees. The analysis of 23 entrepreneurs and 10 spin-out companies in the internet and bio-tech industries shows the pattern of creation of new technological enterprises. It recognizes the role of employees’ entrepreneurship in the formation of innovative ventures. Eventually, the new technology moves again when an existing company acquires the spin-out along with the entrepreneur. This research solves conflicting views in the literature and gives insights into how entrepreneurs actively transfer technologies from one company to another. Entrepreneurial employees create new ventures in a different industry, combine multiple experiences in mature businesses, and pursue acquisition. These conclusions push scholars and practitioners to look at employees’ accumulation of knowledge and business experience as a source of innovation