The relationship between favorable conditions for innovation in technology parks, the innovation produced, and companies’ performance: A framework for an analysis model

Purpose – Innovation is today considered a competitive differential for improving the performance of companies, and technology parks are seen as environments with favorable conditions for such innovation. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for analyzing favorable conditions for innovation in technology parks, the innovations produced and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach – To this end, the authors conducted bibliographic research and indepth interviews with managers of companies based at the Tecnopuc Science and Technology Park, and managers of the park itself, to establish practical support for previous theoretical findings. Findings – As a result, a framework was developed to link the favorable conditions for innovation, and organizational performance. Research limitations/implications – The analysis model proposed here synthesizes the contributions made by several scholars on the theme, allowing for a more detailed and integrated interpretation of the phenomenon, namely, the ways through which the effective development of innovation takes place in companies residing in technology parks and the contribution of innovation to the specific performance of companies. Practical implications – The use of the proposed framework can help direct park managers’ action towards those relationships or activities that prove to be ineffective in achieving desired goals. Originality/value – The use of the proposed model in empirical surveys will allow for better understanding of the phenomenon involving the features of technology parks and their effects on innovation and the performance of companies installed there, considering that such parks allow them to access resources with lower transaction costs

The mediating effect of personal values on the influence of human capital on the production of artisanal cheeses

This study proposed the identification of personal values and their role as mediation between human capital and the expression of quality. The relationship between these factors in artisanal food production in small companies is still little explored, so this work has the objective of bringing advances in this theme. For the analysis of the results, a quantitative method was used, structural model equations, through the partial least squares regression method (PLS) and the questionnaires were applied to 171 artisanal cheese producers in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The sample population considered was the number of families registered in the state Program of Family Agroindustry, which has a total of 429 registrations. For the collection of responses, an online questionnaire was used, which was sent through emails and WhatsApp. The results found were satisfactory, demonstrating that investments in human capital must be the object of public policies, as their influence overlaps the influence of the personal values of each entrepreneur for the expression of quality conventions. The assumptions about the effect of mediation of values in the relationship between human capital and quality worlds are positive and significant, demonstrating that the values had a complementary partial mediation effect between human capital and quality, but with less importance than the direct impact of human capital in quality. It was possible to verify the importance of personal experience, combined with constant training for the development of human capital in the company. In small companies, as is the case with the production of artisanal Brazilian cheeses, in which production and handling are under the control of the family, the contribution of human capital to quality is even more evident. At the same time, personal values have a strong influence on small companies, where the characteristics, behavior, attitudes and beliefs of the entrepreneur are decisive for the results of the enterprise

Exploring the Entrepreneurial Society: Institutions, Behaviors and Outcomes

International audienceThis timely book explores different aspects of the entrepreneurial society from a theoretical and empirical perspective. Renowned entrepreneurship scholars examine how formal and informal institutions affect the entrepreneurial society. They take examples from particular countries to see how the institutional context affects entrepreneurial behaviour, entrepreneurial finance, economic growth and society. They also investigate how the worldwide economic crisis has affected entrepreneurism in different countries

Influence of university–firm governance on SMEs innovation and performance levels

International audienceThe purpose of this paper is to study how different university–firm governance styles impact SMEs' innovation and performance. In this sense, we differentiate between relational governance – based on interpersonal links of trust – and contractual governance — based on codified scientific and technological knowledge. The empirical analysis is based on data gathered through a questionnaire administered to a sample of 600 Spanish SMEs. The findings show that only contractual university–firm relationships have a direct and significant effect on innovation, whereas relational activities promote and support contractual activities. The findings have managerial implications not just for firms, but also for universities

Exploring the Reasons and Ways to Exit: The Entrepreneur Perspective

Research on entrepreneurial exit has received growing attention recently, attributing to the importance of exit in the entrepreneurial process. Yet, the complex phenomena of exit render the research scattered in the field. This research is aimed at understanding entrepreneurial exit at the individual level, which has received less attention in the scholarly works. This article contributes to the discussion on the level of analysis researching entrepreneurial exit. Furthermore, the empirical work explores the reasons for and ways to exit of young firms. Following Austrian firms from founding until 3–4 years of operation, we are able to track entrepreneurs who exit. Our study reveals that the entrepreneurs who exit have fewer general managerial skills, are less experienced (general job experience, industry), have fewer entrepreneurial skills and less leadership quality, compared to the entrepreneurs who still engage in their founded firms in the sample. These findings indicate the importance of human capital, which plays a role in the continuation of the professional career of an entrepreneur. With regards to reasons to exit, our findings show that entrepreneurs exit due to personal-related reasons (alternative and normative) and firm-related reasons (calculative). Concerning ways to exit, the study reveals the specific context of Austria in which temporary closure is a possible way to exit. In the early stage, this study finds that the voluntary exit occurs in most cases, rather than the involuntary exit