The effect of human capital, innovation capacity, and Covid-19 crisis on Knowledge-Intensive Enterprises’ growth within a VC-driven innovation ecosystem

2022 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 1177-1191
Author(s):  
Dimosthenis Kotsopoulos ◽  
Angeliki Karagianaki ◽  
Stratos Baloutsos
Author(s):  
N. Ivanova ◽  
D. Kucherenko ◽  
Т. Kuznetsova ◽  
N. Hurzhyi ◽  
L. Lutay

Abstract. The radical changes that took place at the end of the last century contributed to the emergence of a creative economy. Unlike previous economies, in which the main factors of production were production capacity, land and labor, the basis for the development of the creative economy was the creative potential of man. The current economic situation in Ukraine faces many challenges that need to be confronted with viable solutions. The occupation of Crimea cost Ukraine 3.6% of GDP, and the occupied territories of Donbass cost another 15% of GDP and 25% of all Ukrainian industry. In addition, many industries and factories in Ukraine are physically and morally obsolete and require large capital investments. These problems, which, as the experience of Ukraine shows, are not solved by traditional tools, force us to look for non-standard ways to solve them. Such approaches are offered by the creative economy.To assess the opportunities provided to Ukraine by the development of the national creative economy, the article considers the positive effects of the creative economy as evidenced by the successful experience of other countries. Such effects are the formation of creative human capital, increasing incomes, increasing tolerance, the revival of depressed regions. However, the realization of these positive effects is possible provided that there are components of the creative economy in Ukraine. Research by Ukrainian scientists proves that in Ukraine there are the main features of the creative economy, namely: creative industries; creative class as a basis of the creative lever of development of creative economy; young, creative, ambitious entrepreneurs — startups. A key factor in the development of the creative economy is creative human capital, an essential component of which are entrepreneurs — innovators who establish startups to implement their ideas. Analyzing the various definitions of the category «startup», the authors concluded that the most acceptable is one that reflects the fundamental difference between startups and other businesses, namely: a startup is a business structure based on revolutionary innovations, the purpose of which is to solve a specific problem presentation of a new product or service in conditions of extreme uncertainty. Taking into account the innovative nature of startups, their impact on the creation and development of creative industries and the creative economy in general allowed the authors to conclude that startups are a strategically important component of the development of the creative economy. Research has shown that the Ukrainian startup ecosystem has good potential for development. However, the Government of Ukraine is not yet paying due attention to the development of the ecosystem for the successful creation and operation of domestic startups. Only in the last few years has Ukraine begun to support innovative products at the state level. Examples of such support are the creation of the Invention Support Fund of the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ukrainian Startup Fund. In addition, according to the strategy for the development of innovation for the period up to 2030, startups are a structural part of the national innovation ecosystem. However, intensive long-term work is needed to create an effective startup support ecosystem. Even with large investments and the desire to replicate the successful ecosystems of Silicon Valley or New York, it is very difficult, because their infrastructure was formed over 30 years. Keywords: creative economy, positive effects, creative human capital, startup, ecosystem of startups. JEL Classification М11 Formulas: 0; fig.: 1; tabl.: 1; bibl.: 14.


2021 ◽  
pp. 630-648
Author(s):  
Lior Tabansky

The long-standing pillars in the grand strategy of Israel—namely, the qualitative edge principle and self-reliance in defence—enabled considerable cybersecurity achievements. Israel, the sole developed nation facing existential threats, has carried out audacious cyberspace operations yet never suffered material damage from cyberattacks. ‘Made in Israel’ inventions have long been embedded in building blocks of the global digital technologies, and drive much of the economic boom. As high-technology innovation flourishes, strategic choices taken over many decades created the foundations of Israel’s vibrant innovation ecosystem. Power, the currency of international relations, undergoes technology-driven change. Innovation capacity grows in importance in periods of profound change. Cyber power must be smart, integrating hard and soft power. The official Israel now shares sensitive cybersecurity expertise with foreign stakeholders, aiming to advance a range of foreign policy goals from counterterrorism to sustainable development. The milestones in Israel’s national cybersecurity evolution include the 2002 state-guided Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP); the 2011 official national cybersecurity strategy with ambitious goals and comprehensive scope; and the most recent developments in the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). However, Israel’s cybersecurity journey is far from complete. Harnessing digital transformation, in particular narrow artificial intelligence and intelligent systems, requires further profound innovation in national security. This chapter outlines four guiding principles and forces shaping Israel’s cybersecurity, and sketches three long-term policy challenges for Israel. As long as a coherent strategy guides innovation, Israel as well as other small nations can gain and utilize ample cyber power.


Author(s):  
Sarah Robertson

The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of Knowledge Management (KM) and Human Capital Valuation (HCV) as it is applied in credit unions. Knowledge has been recognized as one of the most important assets, which if appropriately managed, provides a foundation for creating core competencies and competitive advantages for organizations. KM applications and strategies have become critical and significant in the credit union industry, as they operate in a highly competitive and knowledge-intensive financial marketplace. A few factors depict the level of KM maturity within an organization, the priority of implementation, and the availability and affordability of resources. HCV is the balance sheet metric from a development of systems and infrastructure, which can tie metrics of employee behavior of value offering back to the member owners (stakeholders). The case studies described in this chapter are based on the business experience of the author, a credit union CEO of 12 years and a business consultant to the Midwest-region of the United States, in the credit union industry for 6 years. A KM audit and an HCV were conducted in a mid-sized credit union. The appreciation of KM and HCV are developing in the credit union industry; however, it is found that organizations have not been able to capitalize on the expected benefits and leverage their performances with KM solutions and HC Strategies, unless it is priority and a planned event. This is a developing industry with signs of future improvement. There are examples siting various Midwest credit unions, where KM applications and HC Strategies are evident at various stages with opportunities for intellectual growth and learning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Cunha Schmidt ◽  
Micheline Gaia Hoffmann

Purpose Despite the increasing availability of financing programs for innovation, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) often find it difficult to access credit for their projects. Among the reasons, the lack of the types of guarantees required by financial institutions stands out. Focused on this problem, in 2013, the Regional Bank for the Development of the Extreme South (BRDE) created a policy to stimulate innovation, making the required guarantees for financing operations of innovative companies more flexible: the BRDE Inova Program. This paper aims to analyze the guarantees used in the bank operations since the beginning of the program. Design/methodology/approach In the first stage of the research, the authors identified the guarantees used in each of the signed contracts, through a documentary survey. Next, semi-structured interviews showed the perceptions of the players involved in the innovation ecosystem of the state of Santa Catarina, regarding aspects related to the guarantees. Specifically, the authors investigated the following elements: strengths and limitations of the programs regarding access to credit for innovation; adequacy of existing guarantee mechanisms. To strengthen the conclusions, they used triangulated data collection in different stages. Findings The results showed that, on the one hand, the initiative helped BRDE to consolidate itself as the main financing agent of innovation in MSMEs; on the other hand, the need for traditional guarantees still plays a significant role for innovative MSMEs to access credit. Originality/value In addition to practical implications for the bank and other financing agents’ policies, this paper contributes to fill a gap in the literature on guarantee systems applied to the specificities of knowledge-intensive MSMEs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 736-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Ivanov

Do human capital endowments trump location for knowledge-intensive industries? This article takes advantage of a natural experiment created by the end of the Soviet planned economy in 1991, which had geographically distributed R&D manpower according to planned needs as opposed to a distribution determined by a market economy. It examines the extent to which the planned economy created a path-dependence in the location of post-Soviet human-capital intensive production. The study finds that regions with more R&D personnel in 1991 did better in the development of modern market-oriented knowledge-intensive business services, like engineering and IT. Several explanations are offered for this path-dependence, with an emphasis on human capital externalities being the most plausible.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Boni ◽  
Diana Joseph

Four models are identified for organizations to pursue simultaneous core growth and transformative innovation leveraging open innovation principles: 1) corporate accelerators —engage with or create autonomous startups; 2) external startup platforms — engage with startups through established third parties, 3) consortia or alliances — leverage resources of peers and emergent players across the innovation ecosystem; and; 4) direct entrepreneurial approach -- work from within the organization to develop new units. We identify “innovation maturity” as the key factor to select which model is most appropriate for the organization. Additional considerations include the resources, processes and values of the organization, and the developmental status of the transformative technology. Model choice(s) are dynamic and can evolve over time as the innovation capacity of the organization matures and adapts to change.


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