University spin-offs: a new framework integrating enablers, stakeholders and results

University spin-offs with patents (USOPs) are entrepreneurial ventures created by exploiting research results and inventions. USOPs are characterized with a high growth potential and are capable of attracting external investments. To explore the challenges apparent in the creation of USOPs, we reviewed the existing framework to identify key missing elements. Our study proposes a new framework that incorporates Key elements that enhance the creation of USOPs. The new framework focused on the interactions of elements such as national intellectual property regimes, national university assessments, the local entrepreneurship ecosystems where the universities are located, the entrepreneurial orientations and strategies of universities, and stakeholders as independent variables with USOPs as the dependent variable. There is therefore a need for a critical reflection on national and university policies and strategies to enhance the creation of USOPs

Developing product platforms:analysis of the development process

Several authors have highlighted the importance of companies enhancing their new product development process through a multiproduct strategy. This means planning the development of a product family upon a platform, which allows shorter lead times in developing new derivative models. The platform itself has proven to be more flexible when given a modular architecture, so this shifts attention onto evaluating product platform architecture. This paper analyses three industrial cases in order to draw conclusions on the implementation of platforms and modularisation, and in particular on how they deal with this issue. First of all, an interpretation framework is proposed which defines the element taking into account managing with platforms. Secondly, the achieved results in terms of platform flexibility are studied. The paper measures them through analysing the way in which the trade-off between distinctiveness and commonality is dealt with. Finally, since the ability of firms to develop robust product platforms resides in NPD process management and organisation, organisational settings and process flows are examined. ? 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

The Role of Perceived University Support in the Formation of Students' Entrepreneurial Intention

Entrepreneurship education is central to student entrepreneurship. Previous research has attempted to understand the role of entrepreneurship education in the formation of students' entrepreneurial intention and behavior, albeit in an isolated manner. Universities can support entrepreneurship in many ways, but it is important to measure students' perception of the support that they receive in order to understand the extent of such support and its impact on students. The current study proposed and tested an integrative, multiperspective framework. We have hypothesized that the three dimensions of university support, that is, perceived educational support, concept development support, and business development support, together with institutional support, shape students' entrepreneurial self-efficacy. In turn, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and individual motivations constitute the fundamental elements of the intention to start a business. A sample of 805 university students took part in the study and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Our findings showed that perceived educational support exerted the highest influence on entrepreneurial self-efficacy, followed by concept development support, business development support, and institutional support. Self-efficacy in turn had a significant effect on entrepreneurial intention. Individual motivations such as self-realization, recognition, and role had an additional impact on intention. However, intention was not related to financial success, innovation, and independence. The findings suggest that a holistic perspective provides a more meaningful understanding of the role of perceived university support in the formation of students' entrepreneurial intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed