University capability as a micro-foundation for the Triple Helix model: the case of China

This paper aims to advance our understanding of the Triple Helix model from a micro-foundational perspective by articulating the notion of university capability. From an external evaluative viewpoint we suggest that university capability consists of (1) resource base, (2) motivation/objective, (3) resource allocation and coordination mechanisms, and (4) regional outcomes. Based on qualitative data collected from two leading cities in innovation and regional development in China, our study unpacks university capability by distinguishing resources and capabilities. Furthermore, this paper empirically elucidates two different approaches to deal with university capability. Our conceptualization of university capability may be a useful analytical tool to better understand the role of ‘university’ and its relationship with the other actors in the Triple Helix model

Job demands–resources:a gender perspective on employee well-being and resilience in retail stores in China

Organisational resilience can be promoted through human resource management (HRM) practices that enhance individual employees’ well-being and ability to cope with adversity. However, the extant literature tends to neglect the influence of gender on employee well-being and resilience. Shop floor employees in retail stores often undertake demanding roles, characterised by considerable pressure and low pay, and attendant high levels of employee turnover. Drawing on the job demands–resources model, by analysing data collected from 697 employees at foreign-invested retail stores in China, this paper found that workload and employee participation in decision-making had a similar impact on the well-being of both male and female employees. However, the impact of job security and emotional demands on employees differed by gender. This paper extends the job demands–resources model by articulating the influence of gender on employee well-being. Additionally, its empirical insights, drawn from an emerging economy context, enable a contribution to the literature on employee well-being and resilience. Relevant implications for HRM and resilience are discussed

Contextualization in Chinese entrepreneurship research: An overview and some future research directions

In this article, we briefly identify seven evolving characteristics of Chinese entrepreneurship that capture either the essential contextual elements or the outcomes of the contextual influences in China and provide a fertile ground for entrepreneurship research in China. We then present three approaches to contextualization in Chinese entrepreneurship research and map extant research with these approaches to assess the current state of contextualization in Chinese entrepreneurship research. Following the discussion we introduce the five contributions to the Special Issue that advance a more nuanced understanding of entrepreneurship in China from five diverse perspectives. We finally argue that the next stage of entrepreneurship research in China needs to explore four contextual parameters

When is entrepreneurial orientation beneficial for new product performance?:The roles of ambidexterity and market turbulence

Purpose: Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is an exploratory orientation because its dimensions such as innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking are the essence of exploration that entails uncertain returns. While literature suggests firms might need to counterbalance and complement EO with another orientation for organisational success, research on this area remains limited. Drawing on organisational learning theory, the purpose of this article is to explore whether and how the EO dimensions and organisational ambidexterity complement each other to enhance new product performance. More specifically, the authors explore the configurations of innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking and ambidexterity for superior new product performance under different levels of market turbulence. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a configurational perspective, the authors applied fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on a sample of 88 small and medium-sized firms from the UK. Using fsQCA allows the authors to uncover the potential complementary role between the EO dimensions and ambidexterity for superior new product performance. Findings: The results of this paper reveal three configurations that are sufficient to produce superior new product performance. The results suggest that the EO dimensions and ambidexterity can complement each other to enhance new product performance. Further, under the turbulent market environment, the EO dimensions are also sufficient to produce superior new product performance. Originality/value: By adopting a configurational perspective using fsQCA, the study provides a more holistic understanding of how the EO dimensions work together to influence new product performance. It also contributes to the literature by uncovering the complementary role of the EO dimensions and ambidexterity in shaping new product performance

The role of opportunity feasibility beliefs and bribery on resource acquisition speed and new venture emergence

Venture creation is an entrepreneurial process initiated by nascent entrepreneurs to identify and exploit opportunities. Beliefs of opportunity feasibility are found to facilitate new venture emergence in developed economy contexts. This paper examines how opportunity beliefs influence venture creation in an emerging economy context. The results of the Chinese Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics show that opportunity beliefs are negatively related to new venture emergence and the speed of resource acquisition, respectively. Further, entrepreneurs’ bribery behavior moderates the relationship between opportunity beliefs and the speed of resource acquisition. Our research provides important theoretical and policy implications for entrepreneurs and policy makers, especially in emerging economies

Why are some graduate entrepreneurs more innovative than others? The effect of human capital, psychological factor and entrepreneurial rewards on entrepreneurial innovativeness

This study investigates the innovation behaviour of graduate start-ups at the individual level. It bridges the graduate enterprise literature and innovative entrepreneurship literature to put forward three arguments that ascertain why highly educated graduate entrepreneurs are not always innovative in starting new businesses. First, anchoring on the individual opportunity costs–entrepreneurial rewards nexus, it argues that graduate entrepreneurs will exploit opportunities innovatively if they expect the levels of entrepreneurial rewards that match their high human capital and high opportunity costs. Second, it is argued that entrepreneurial innovativeness is conditional on psychological factors such as students’ managerial self-efficacy and overconfidence. Third, it is also argued that the nonlinear relationship between entrepreneurial innovativeness and entrepreneurial rewards will drive graduate entrepreneurs to exploit even riskier opportunities in search for high rewards. This study operationalizes the theoretical framework with an empirical model and estimates it using a graduate entrepreneur sample from a questionnaire survey in China. Our results suggest that innovation behaviour of graduate start-ups is influenced by the quantity of human capital, psychological make-up and expectations of entrepreneurial rewards