Procurement and supplier diversity in the 2012 Olympics

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Innovation and business performance - a provisional multi-regional analysis

Although much attention has focussed on the determinants of firms' innovation performance, the relationship between innovation and business performance is less well defined. In this paper we use data from identical plant level surveys conducted in six regions of the UK, Germany and Ireland to examine this relationship and identify some of the implications for regional innovation initiatives. The survey data used was collected by postal survey during 1999 and 2000. In all over 2000 plants responded to the surveys which provide regionally representative information about innovation activity, IT adoption and a number of indicators of business performance. Four main indicators of business performance are examined here: sales and employment growth, export performance, profitability and productivity (value added per employee). The analysis is based on a simultaneous econometric model explaining plants' innovation activity and business performance. Discussion focuses on a number of key themes. First, core-periphery differences are explored by contrasting analytical results for peripheral (Northern Ireland, Scotland) and 'core' regions (Bavaria, Baden-Wurttemberg) within the sample. Second, attention is focussed on the performance effects of firms, different innovation profiles relating to product and process development but also radical and more incremental innovation activity. Thirdly, contrasts between small and larger businesses are considered and the sensitivity of firms, innovation and performance to their operating environment is explored. The paper concludes with an assessment of the implications of the analysis for regional innovation initiatives and their potential impact on business development.

Entrepreneurship and the role of government in post-socialist economies: some institutional challenges

"Der Artikel behandelt drei miteinander zusammenhängende Themen: die regionale Dimension der Entwicklung von Institutionen und Unternehmenspolitik, den sozialen Dialog und Governance, welche eine enorme Herausforderung in Ländern bedeuten, die über keine Traditionen der Selbstverwaltung der Wirtschaft verfügen; und das Thema der Regulierung in Zusammenhängen, in denen das Verhältnis des Staates zur Wirtschaft zunächst neu definiert werden muss. Das empirische Material, auf das sich der Artikel bezieht, stammt aus einer Reihe von eigenen Forschungsarbeiten der Autoren in Ländern wie Polen, den baltischen Staaten, Russland, Weißrussland, der Ukraine, Usbekistan und Moldawien. Marktwirtschaftliche Reformen erfordern einen fundamentalen Wechsel in der Rolle des Staates, da die staatlichen Aufgaben in der Planung und Allokation von Ressourcen, als Preissetzer, als Eigentümer und Finanzier von Unternehmen abgelöst werden von der Notwendigkeit, privates Unternehmertum zu regulieren und zu ermöglichen, mit allem was dazu gehört. Nicht überraschend variieren die Erfahrungen der osteuropäischen Transformationsländer in dieser Hinsicht, trotz der Tatsache, dass sie auf eine gemeinsame sozialistische Vergangenheit zurück blicken können. Diese Erfahrungen, die in diesem Artikel beschrieben werden, reflektieren Unterschiede in der Einstellungen der Regierungen zu den Marktreformen wie auch im Wissen und den Ressourcen, die den jeweiligen Staaten zur Verfügung stehen, um Reformen voranzutreiben. In denjenigen zentral- und osteuropäischen Ländern, die kürzlich der EU beigetreten sind, hat der Beitrittsprozess zusätzliche Anstöße auf dem Weg zur Marktwirtschaft gegeben. Dagegen hat sich in vielen Ländern der Gemeinschaft Unabhängiger Staaten der Reformprozess verzögert, hauptsächlich aufgrund des fehlenden Willens von staatlicher Seite, adäquate Rahmenbedingungen für unternehmerische Aktivitäten zu schaffen. Privates Unternehmertum existiert unter solchen Bedingungen trotz der staatlichen Wirtschaftspolitik und staatlicher Aktionen, allerdings sind produktive unternehmerische Aktivitäten stark eingeschränkt und unternehmerisches Verhalten notgedrungen beeinflusst und bestimmt von institutionellen Defiziten." (Autorenreferat)"The paper focuses on three interrelated themes: the regional dimensions of institutionalization and entrepreneurship policies; dialogue and governance issues, which present enormous challenges in a situation where there is no recent tradition of self-governing organizations; and regulation, in a context where the role of the state in relation to business needs to be redefined. The data used are drawn from a number of studies of entrepreneurship in countries that include Poland, the Baltic States, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Moldova. The process of market reform requires a fundamental shift in the role of the state in the economy, as government replaces its roles as planner of resource allocation and price setter, owner and financier of enterprise activity through subsidies and transfers, with a role as regulator and facilitator of private enterprise activity, with all that involves. Not surprisingly, the experience in this regard has varied considerably between countries, despite the fact that they may share a common socialist heritage. The contrasting experience described in the paper reflects differences in the level of commitment to market reforms, as well as in the knowledge and resources available to the state to implement what is required. For countries from Central and Eastern Europe that have recently joined the EU, the process of Accession gave added impetus to the ongoing process of market reform. By contrast, in many of the CIS, the process of market reform has stalled, essentially because of a lack of recognition and commitment on the part of the state to creating the conditions to enable entrepreneurs to fulfill their role as generators of wealth and drivers of economic development. In such conditions, private businesses exist despite the policies and actions of government, although the extent of productive entrepreneurship is limited and the behavior of entrepreneurs necessarily shaped by institutional deficiencies." (author's abstract

Entrepreneurial dynamics and institutional changes

Contemporary literature has paid considerable attention to the relationships between formal and informal institutions and early stage firms' behaviours in different institutional settings in recent years. Given a constantly changing business environment in which companies are operating, there is a need to continuously study how they deal with new challenges and how they achieve new goals. It is essential for not only nascent but also experienced entrepreneurs to discover new dynamics in order to stay at a competitive level. This special issue of Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business aims to explore the role of dynamics that interact with institutional changes in surviving and growing ventures. We present the nine articles with a variety of studied contexts, which shed some light on how companies or organisations keep up with institutional changes at both macro and micro level, by actively transforming business practices and entrepreneurial processes

Mainstreaming business support targeted at disadvantaged communities

This Report aims to lay the foundations for criteria which can be used to assess the feasibility of mainstreaming targeted business support initiatives. This will require first, a ground clearing exercise on the concept of mainstreaming, and second, an assessment of these characteristics when applied to five case studies which have experienced some form of mainstreaming. This literature and empirical based approach should help in establishing criteria for gauging the appropriateness and viability of targeted initiatives for mainstreaming. The report then draws on interviews with representatives from four sub-national mainstream bodies in order to understand how initiatives for disadvantaged groups and areas are developed

Cross-border partnerships in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine and the consequences of EU-enlargement : state of the art literature review

This paper is an output of a research project supported by INTAS (04-79-6991) which investigates the extent, nature and forms of cross-border cooperation in border regions in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova with EU new members and upcoming accession states, in order to assess its contribution to entrepreneurship, economic and social transformation. Requirements for successful co-operation, especially the role of trust and learning, will be assessed in relation to other factors influencing the success of these relationships. The paper summarises the results of the literature review undertaken in order to gain a deeper understanding of what constitutes cross-border cooperation and the role trust and learning play herein (chapter 2), the effects of EU enlargement on cross-border co-operation (chapter 3), regional entrepreneur-ship developments in the three countries surveyed after EU enlargement (chapter 4) and policy efforts to support cross-border co-operation (chapter 5)

Regional differences in China:Public policies and entrepreneurship

This chapter focuses on local public policies relevant to SME development and entrepreneurship in China. Previous research has mainly been concerned with specific policies and programmes promoting innovative SMEs and entrepreneurship at the national level. Using the documents of entrepreneurship policy initiatives and datasets on SME development in two contrasting provinces covering a period of 10 years, entrepreneurship policy in China is shown to be more complex than in most other countries, serving not only entrepreneurial activities but also institutional transition. Geographic disparities in SME development and entrepreneurship are demonstrated (see detailed analysis undertaken in Guangdong and Sichuan). As a result, whilst there are marked differences in the policy priorities in Guangdong and Sichuan, all levels of government share a common goal to promote entrepreneurship and innovation

Intellectual capital, organisational climate, innovation culture, and SME performance

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the three components of intellectual capital (IC) (human, structural, and relational), and contextual factors relating to organisational climate (OC) and innovation culture, together with their influence on business performance (BP). Design/methodology/approach: This empirical research is based on an online questionnaire, which collected data from a non-probability quota sample consisting of 253 Croatian SMEs. The scales for IC, OC, and innovation culture were constructed to test the relationship between these dimensions and assess the BP of the SMEs. Findings: Based on a survey on 253 SMEs in Croatia, the analysis shows that the key dimensions of IC, innovation culture, and OC are vital to a company’s success and are strongly inter-correlated. Higher BP is positively related to higher levels of both IC and innovation culture. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of the research is the subjective aspect of the study. The data used in the study were self-reported where respondents in a survey gave their assessment of firm performance. Although this was necessary because of the absence of other data, it is an issue that must be taken into account when interpreting the findings in the study. Practical implications: Understanding the role of IC, OC, and innovation culture in relation to BP, particularly in former transition countries, can have important implications for managers and enterprise owners, as well as policy makers and the academic community. Social implications: The findings emphasise the important role of tacit knowledge in the innovation process, of which IC and OC are good examples. Originality/value: This empirical study brings evidence from the understudied country of Croatia. Croatia is a post-transitional country and the last accessed member of the EU, on the dividing line between a modest and a moderate innovator. This is the first empirical study conducted in Croatia that explores the association between three concepts that are typically investigated separately (IC, OC, and innovation culture)