University-industry collaboration in the automotive, biotechnology, and electronics firms in Malaysia

This paper seeks to examine existing explanations of drivers of university-industry collaboration. The Probit regression results support prevailing theory on the importance of R&D intensity, partner diversity and access to wider channels of information matter for university-industry collaboration. However, categorizing size as a dichotomous dummy variable of SME and large firms showed an inverse relationship, while actual employment size was not statisti- cally significant. Size was inversely correlated with university- industry collaboration. Separate Probit estimations for the specific industries of automotive, biotechnology and electronics indicate the following as the important drivers. First, R&D intensity, importance of university as a source of knowledge and age were important in automotive firms. Second, R&D intensity, channels of R&D information and R&D partner diversity were important in biotechnology firms. Third, the channels of R&D information and R&D partner diversity were important in electronics firms. Size was statistically significant in automotive and electronics firms but the coefficients were negative when a dummy was used and not statistically significant when the actual employment was used. Closer examination showed higher university-industry collaboration means among medium size firms

Triggering the internationalization of Malaysian quantity surveying firms

Although there is an increasing trend of services being traded across borders, quantity surveying (QS) firms in the construction sector remain under-researched. The triggers for the increasing globalization of QS firms are not clear, nor how these triggers are perceived by managers at different levels. A questionnaire was administered in over 84 QS consultancy firms, and the results were analyzed using the repertory grid technique, allowing a comparison between the general respondents and a focus group of senior managers. The findings show that senior managers with significant experience realize the importance of a strong internal capability of the QS firm and the capability to develop innovative offerings, coupled with an awareness of the target market and the ability to secure revenue through key contracts. Firm- and location-specific factors were more important than other competitive advantages or foreign markets’ characteristics when deciding to globalize

University-industry collaboration in the automotive, biotechnology, and electronics firms in Malaysia

The study identifies important drivers of university-industry collaboration in automotive, biotechnology, and electronics firms in Malaysia. Results indicate that R&D intensity has a significant relationship with university-industry collaboration. The research tends to support the view that only those firms engaged in R&D activities are willing to collaborate with universities. The highest likelihood of collaboration is with medium-sized firms. The positive image created by universities could attract more industrial collaboration