7 research outputs found
The inhibiting factors that principal investigators experience in leading publicly funded research
Securing public funding to conduct research and leading it by being a principal investigator (PI) is seen as significant career development step. Such a role brings professional prestige but also new responsibilities beyond research leadership to research management. If public funding brings financial and infrastructure support, little is understood about the inhibiting factors that publicly funded PIs face given the research autonomy offered by publicly funded research. Our study finds that there are three key PI inhibiting factors (1) political and environmental, (2) institutional and (3) project based. Traditional knowledge, skills and technical know-how of publicly funded PIs are insufficient to deal with the increasing managerial demands and expectations i.e. growing external bureaucracy of public funding agencies. Public funding is no longer the 'freest form of support' as suggested by Chubin and Hackett (Peerless science: peer review and US science policy. Suny Press, New York, 1990) and the inhibiting factors experienced by publicly funded PIs limits their research autonomy. We also argue that PIs have little influence in overcoming these inhibiting factors despite their central role in conducting publicly funded research
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Strategic reorientation and business turnaround: The case of global legacy airlines
Abstract
Purpose - We illustrate how legacy airlines can reorientate to achieve sharp
recoveries in performance following prolonged periods of stagnation, decline and
eroding competitiveness.
Design/methodology/approach - The authors use a qualitative analysis of five
longitudinal case studies of legacy airlines that embarked on strategic change
between 1997 and 2006. Data collection spanned ten years and included archival
data, public documents, news clippings, accounts in specialist books and
internal company documentation.
Findings - The paper identifies two distinct approaches for reorientation in the
legacy airline industry. Companies that have fallen behind and are in risk of
failure focus on regaining customer trust and loyalty, and restructuring route
networks, business processes and costs in an âimprovement and innovation'
reorienting approach. Underperforming airlines, for whom growth has declined in
traditional markets and who note that opportunities exist elsewhere, focus on
product and service development and geographical growth in an âextension and
expansion' reorienting approach.
Practical Implications - The paper develops a framework for successful
reorientation in the legacy airline industry. This framework encourages
executives to focus on and leverage profit maximization, quality, leadership,
alliance networks, regional consolidation and staff development during periods
of strategy formulation and reorientation.
Originality/value - This research addresses the dearth of understanding and
attention afforded to the concept of reorientation in the literature on
strategic turnaround. The research also serves to emphasize the presence and
importance of reorientation as a strategy of change within the legacy airline
industry. Furthermore, in demonstrating how this strategy can be implemented in
a sharpbending or performance improvement context, this study illustrates how
reorientation is intertwined with the broader turnaround process
The brokering role of technology transfer offices within entrepreneurial ecosystems: an investigation of macroâmesoâmicro factors
Previous studies have identified the importance of entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems, however, few have considered in an integrated multi-level way, the key influencing factors on technology transfer mechanisms within these ecosystems. In particular, none have considered such factors from a technology transfer office (TTO) perspective. To address this gap, this research examines how macroâmesoâmicro factors shape the role of TTOs within an entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. Taking an in-depth exploratory approach set in the New Zealand context, data for this study was collected over two time periods, 4 years apart, and included inputs from all eight university TTO offices. Incorporating the perspective of TTO executives, our study unearths novel insights on a range of macro, meso and micro factors influencing their office, and how TTOs respond by synthesizing and balancing these factors across levels. The primary contribution of our research is extending the framing of TTO executives as typically portrayed in the literature, beyond important intermediaries between universities and industry, to pivotal cross-level brokers within entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems
At the frontiers of scientific advancement: the factors that influence scientists to become or choose to become publicly funded principal investigators
This paper aims to unearth the factors that influence scientists in becoming and choosing to become publicly funded principal investigators (PIs). PIs are the linchpins of knowledge transformation and bridging triple helix actors, particularly academia-industry. At a micro level, PIs are at the nexus of engaging and interacting with other triple helix actors. No study to date has specifically focused on the factors that influence scientists to become or choose to become publicly funded PIs. For scientists taking on the role of a PI represents an important landmark in their research career. Set in an Irish research system we found two main categories of influencing factors-push and pull. Pull factors are where the PI has more choice in choosing to become a PI, where as push factors is where the PI has less choice in choosing to become a PI. Pull factors we identified were control, career ambition and advancement, personal drive and ambition. Pull factors we identified were project dependencies and institutional pressures