scholarly journals Start-ups initiating business relationships: process and asymmetry

IMP Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Aaboen ◽  
Leena Aarikka-Stenroos
Keyword(s):  
Business Relationships ◽  
Business Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Marketing ◽  
Relationship Initiation ◽  
Initiation Process ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of how start-ups initiate business relationships and to identify the subprocesses that characterise business-relationship initiations in a start-up context. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds on business-relationship initiation models, develops a theoretical framework of relationship initiation and its subprocesses and, in a multiple-case study, applies this framework to seven relationship initiations by start-ups. Findings The key findings of this study describe the process of business-relationship initiation by start-ups, which comprise six subprocesses. The authors’ detailed and structured initiation-process analyses show how the initiation process occurs in a start-up context and how start-ups develop their relationships. The authors’ analyses also reveal typical patterns and critical issues, such as asymmetry, that characterise start-ups’ business-relationship initiations, particularly with bigger players. Research limitations/implications This paper develops a model of the relationship-initiation process, uses it in a start-up context and identifies the critical characteristics, including asymmetry, of start-up initiations; these contributions address both the literature on start-ups and the literature on relationship initiation and development. Originality/value This paper is the first to focus on how start-ups initiate business relationships; previous studies of business-relationship initiation have focussed on mature firms. Using the industrial marketing and purchasing approach, the paper contributes to shifting the focus from interactions between resource entities to relationship-initiation processes in the context of start-ups.

scholarly journals Serial crowdfunding in start-up development: a business network view

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (13) ◽  
pp. 250-262
Author(s):  
Fulvio Fortezza ◽  
Alessandro Pagano ◽  
Roberta Bocconcelli
Keyword(s):  
Business Network ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Marketing ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Start Up ◽  
New Business ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose Even though the crowdfunding (CF) literature is rapidly reaching its maturity phase, the topic of serial CF (i.e. the participation in more than one CF campaign) is as much promising as still largely under explored. This study thus aims to offer a thorough view of the dynamic and complex processes characterizing the participation of the start-ups to more than one campaign adopting a business network perspective. Design/methodology/approach In line with an explorative research aim, a multiple case study analysis is performed by taking into consideration four start-ups engaged in more than one CF campaigns with different combinations of equity and non-equity CF, adopting the actor–resource–activity (ARA) model as theoretical framework. Findings Multiple CF campaigns are embedded in the overall changing startup’s network and are affected by the concurrent and overlapping startup’s development processes. From this standpoint, the adoption of the ARA model suggests to reconsider the “serial” dimension of multiple CF campaigns. These processes can be more or less “linear” as they could be affected by the combination of CF schemes and by the degree of alignment of actors, activities and resources, whose “assembly” can be facilitated by learning processes and impaired by unexpected circumstances. Originality/value This paper explores in depth the startup’s serial CF journey, building on recent studies calling for stronger analyses of the directions and outcomes of innovative funding trajectories pursued and implemented by new business ventures. From this standpoint, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to consider a complete spectrum of combinations between CF schemes within serial CF, thus allowing for a better understanding of the role of such a factor within a dynamic and contextual view, that is, that offered by the business network perspective. This paper also contributes to the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing research on start-ups.

Exploring the role of business relationships in start-ups’ life cycles

IMP Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-543
Author(s):  
Chiara Cantù ◽  
Sepe Giorgia ◽  
Alessandra Tzannis
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Resources ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose Differently from previous works that focused on the entrepreneur and on his ability to manage social relationships, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of business relationships in the different stages of the life cycle of a start-up. Design/methodology/approach Since the paper aims to explore startups’ evolutionary phenomenon, it adopts a qualitative abductive methodology, presenting an in-depth study of two innovative Italian start-ups. The research is based on two steps. In the first one, the authors collected secondary data from start-ups’ reports and documents, financial indicators (when available) and processed them to understand their background. In the second one, the authors conducted ten semi-structured interviews, including face-to-face interviews, phone interviews and video conferences. Findings The paper presents a relationship-based life cycle model composed of four different stages, depending on the number and role of relationships developed. Indeed, since the beginning, start-ups adopt a relational approach and their evolution involves the shift from the focus on the entrepreneur to the centrality of a network approach based on interconnected relationships. The entering into a new stage of life cycle depends on relationships, mainly based on connected actors and resources shared and combined. Even if a key role is assumed by technology, the main resource is identified in the knowledge concerning the customer/user’s needs that require marketing competencies, human resources, relational capabilities. Thus, the shift from one stage to the next in the start-up’s life cycle is possible thanks to a parallel shift from a focus on the activities to a focus on those strategic and heterogeneous actors that ensure activities. Originality/value In a traditional perspective, the start-up’s life cycle depends on activities, financial resources and revenues, as stated by previous life cycle models. In a different perspective, as depicted in our analysis, the evolution of a start-up depends on the portfolio of their business relationships. The role of business relationships is hence to facilitate the interconnections within specialized key actors, which allow start-ups to access strategic resources. These resources are essential in order to develop the activities that characterize the specific stage of the life cycle.

Discovering the collective entrepreneurial opportunities through spatial relationships

IMP Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Cantù
Keyword(s):  
Digital Fabrication ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Business Partners ◽  
Entrepreneurial Opportunities ◽  
Start Up ◽  
New Business ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose Even if in a traditional perspective the discovery and the exploitation of opportunities are associated to the entrepreneur’s capabilities, a relational perspective is required to better analyze the phenomenon of starting up a new venture. The growing attention to interaction with the external environment has been emerging as a precondition of the entrepreneurial processes as it creates the knowledge and the experience necessary to perceive the opportunity. The entrepreneurial opportunities are created through joint acts with others through social relationships. Shifting the attention from social to business relationships, the main aim of this paper is to investigate the discovery and the exploitation of collective entrepreneurial opportunities in starting up new business. In particular, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of relational proximity in the entrepreneurial journey considered as an emergent process of transforming potentiality into actuality. Design/methodology/approach The paper applied a qualitative methodology (Dubois and Araujo, 2004) and a case study approach (Barrat et al., 2011). The case concerns the dyadic spin-off relationship between the innovative start up, ShapeMode (the generated firm), and the Milan FabLab (the generating firm) located in Lombardy Region (Italy). Findings The emerging of collective entrepreneurial opportunities could be analyzed at two levels: the first one concerns the dyadic spin-off relationship, while the second one is founded on the business relationships that the start-up can activate with the business partners of the generating firm. The collective entrepreneurial opportunities are positive influenced by jointness of the actors and their co-evolution, founded on the shared values and goals. Research limitations/implications Although the case study approach allowed the researcher to gain detailed information about the spin-off relationship, this effort does not measure the performance outcomes of the relationships and actions that were taken to improve the competitiveness of the start-up. Future studies would benefit from a large-scale questionnaire given to the members of the start-up and to the actors of its Entrepreneurial Network, so to analyze all of its performance implications for the start-up and the network as a whole. In addition, it could be of interest for future research to investigate the effects of collective entrepreneurial opportunities in order to examine this topic more deeply. Practical implications From a managerial point of view, even if the growing number of start-ups has been associated to a temporary phenomenon, the development of new ventures is now consolidated. A new managerial approach is required to promote the birth and the growth of the start-ups. The development of a new venture requires to shift the attention from the collection of financial resources to the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities generated by interconnected business relationships. In this way a relevant attention should be recognized to the new role of organizations that can be considered as facilitators of business relationships, such as the FabLab. This paper sheds light on the relevance of the strategic networking that sustains the generation of collective entrepreneurial opportunities. The networking involves actors that belong to different geographic area and different countries but that are focused on the same business dream related to the exploitation of potentialities of digital fabrication. The policymakers should recognize the role of the FabLab as facilitator of knowledge diffusion concerning digital fabrication. Originality/value The entrepreneurial opportunities such as the starting up of a new business and its evolution, are enacted, discovered and exploited through interconnected business relationships. In particular the main entrepreneurial opportunities are generated by the activation of business relationships with new business actors. Focusing on the dyadic spin-off relationship, the exploitation of collective entrepreneurial opportunities depends on the sharing of third actors. The business partners of the generating actor (FabLab) became business partners of the generated actor (start-up). The evolution of the generating firm (FabLab) influenced the birth and the evolution of the generated firms (start-up). The dyadic relationship allows the generated firm to discover entrepreneurial opportunities and to exploit them, accessing to the business partners of the generating firm. The effectiveness of the spin-off relationship sustains the replication of the model of new firm generation, that could benefit from the relationships of the two actors of the dyad. Moreover the strong relationships are founded on relational proximity that is characterized by the sharing of values, vision and business dreams.

Circular start-up development: the case of positive impact entrepreneurship in Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Boleslaw Rok ◽  
Monika Kulik
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how circular start-ups design and implement innovation into their business models to increase their positive impact. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study is based on an exploratory multiple-case study involving six circular start-ups with positive impact in Poland. Data gathering took place via in-depth interviews with start-up founders. Findings The analysis demonstrates that three factors, which are strongly interconnected, can significantly influence the development of a circular start-up. The first is the purpose-led motivation for circularity as a solution, mostly concentrated on the environmental education of different market actors. The second factor is built on the aim to increase the positive impact by addressing the most pressing social and environmental problems. It determines the impact on society as well as on the environment and the extent to which its model can be scaled up. The third factor is driven by the understanding of the purpose of the innovation, concentrated on the business model innovation regarding circularity. Practical implications This paper demonstrates the benefits for diverse stakeholders and the importance of using circular business models in start-up development. Circularity can be perceived as a main part of the new approach to improve sustainability. Originality/value Circular start-ups represent a new phenomenon in the entrepreneurial market. While the structure and logic of the circular business model in start-ups are significantly unexplored in the management literature, this model is viewed as a crucial step in the direction of increasing the positive impact of start-ups. From a theoretical and practical perspective, it is important to understand the differences and similarities in this area within different markets.

Student entrepreneurship ecosystems at Australian higher education institutions

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Maritz ◽  
Quan Nguyen ◽  
Sergey Ivanov
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
University Student ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Entrepreneurship ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Entrepreneurship Ecosystems ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
The Impact

PurposeDespite the significance, university student start-ups and student entrepreneurship ecosystems (SEEs) have been subject to little research. This study aims to apply a qualitative emergent enquiry approach to explore best practice SEEs in Australia, complimented by narratives from leading scholars in higher education institutions with the aim of delineating the integrative components of SEEs.Design/methodology/approachAdopting the entrepreneurial ecosystem framework and aligned to the social cognitive theory, this paper explores the components and dynamics of SEEs, contributing to an understanding of how such components can better support the growth, sustainability and success of student start-ups. The authors extend entrepreneurship research on social construction using narrative research.FindingsThe findings provide guidelines for researchers, entrepreneurship scholars and educators, entrepreneurship students, policymakers and practitioners to enhance the impact and success of university student start-ups by adopting a student ecosystem approach.Research limitations/implicationsThe narratives represent a limited number of universities with an opportunity for further research to empirically measure the impact and outcomes of SEEs. The research is exploratory, inherently conceptual and emergent, providing an opportunity for validation of narrative frameworks in future studies.Practical implicationsThe findings may assist university managers to be more aware of their own subconscious preferences to student entrepreneurship and start-up initiatives, which may be useful in refining their impact and offerings regarding a quest toward the entrepreneurial university.Social implicationsFrom social perspectives, the alignment of the components of SEE has the ability to enhance and shift the entrepreneurial mindset of entrepreneurship students, notwithstanding enhancement of intentionality and self-efficacy.Originality/valueThis is the first study of SEEs in Australia, highlighting the importance of the integration of entrepreneurship education programs, entrepreneurship education ecosystems, the entrepreneurial university and specific start-up initiatives such as university accelerators. Furthermore, students may enhance their entrepreneurial mindset by actively engaging in such ecosystems.

The knowledge interconnection process: evidence from contract manufacturing relationships

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tibor Mandják ◽  
Zsuzsanna Szalkai ◽  
Erika Hlédik ◽  
Edit Neumann-Bódi ◽  
Mária Magyar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Business Relationship ◽  
Contract Manufacturing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Different Types

Purpose The main goal of the paper is to describe the knowledge interconnection process embedded in an interactive business relationship. The purpose of this study is to understand the knowledge interconnection inside the supplier-buyer relationship in the field of contract manufacturing. The knowledge interconnection process is defined by the authors as a process linked to business relationships, which contains different types of knowledge and various sub-processes related to them. Design/methodology/approach The Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) research framework has been applied and the contribution is a better understanding of the role of knowledge in the interactive business world. The empirical evidence is based on a case study of a Hungarian contract manufacturing company. This paper describes empirical, qualitative research about knowledge interconnection processes applying an abductive research design. Findings The knowledge interconnection process is linked to business relationships. It is a complex process, which contains three types of knowledge and five sub-processes. The knowledge evolution indicates the links between the different types of knowledge. The sub-processes relate to different types of knowledge and allow the flow of knowledge between the supplier and the buyer. In the business relationship, this flow of knowledge makes possible the new knowledge creation. A model of the knowledge interconnection process has been developed. Research limitations/implications Single case studies can create rich descriptions of complex phenomena, but the possibility for generalization is limited. Another limitation is that the knowledge interconnection process has been studied only from the supplier’s perspective. The present research extends IMP’s knowledge of embedded knowledge. In addition, empirical research contributes to the emerging field of IMP research that explores knowledge as a resource but lacks an empirical foundation. Practical implications The knowledge interconnection process is a decisive factor in the development and maintenance of long-term customer relations in the field of contract manufacturing. The evolution of knowledge types – from the body of knowledge to knowledge in use – demands the management of different sub-processes. Knowledge selection, knowledge recombination, knowledge mobilization and new knowledge creation processes are more strongly related to the supplier-customer dyad, while the knowledge relocation process has a network character. The knowledge interconnection process influences the company’s body of knowledge and its relationship management capability. Originality/value The originality of the study is, on the one hand, an empirical examination of the process of knowledge interconnection. On the other hand, the development of a model of the knowledge interconnection process. A further feature is that empirical research has been conducted in the field of contract manufacturing.

The cooperation-competition interplay in the ICT industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilene Leite ◽  
Cecilia Pahlberg ◽  
Susanne Åberg
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Project Leader ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Business Network ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Marketing ◽  
Technology Industry ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Industry

Purpose Building on a business network perspective, the paper addresses the following question: Why do firms move between cooperation and competition in the context of high-tech industry? Hence, the purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the complex cooperation–competition interplay between actors in a business network. Design/methodology/approach A single case study within the information and communication technology industry is undertaken and illustrates the cooperation–competition interplay in projects of technology. Findings The authors discuss the implications of interdependence on relationship dynamics. The main argument is that business relationships survive despite periods of competition if interdependence is high. Thus, firms move between a state of cooperation and a state of competition within business relationships, rather than ending the relationships when starting to compete. Practical implications This study suggests that managers need to pay attention to how different degrees of interdependence lead firms to be embedded in cooperative or competitive forms of relationships. Originality/value The paper contributes to the ongoing debate about cooperation, competition and coopetition within international business and industrial marketing literature. An interesting aspect in the paper is the cooperation–competition interplay, which is associated with positioning. A centrally positioned actor will choose who to bring into the partnership, with positioning concomitantly changing from project to project. The willingness of being a central actor, i.e. a project leader, places traditional buyer–supplier partners in competition. Thus, cooperation and/or competition becomes contextual.

Design incubatees' perspectives and experiences in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-496
Author(s):  
Tiffany W.M. FONG
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Business Incubation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
The Government ◽  
Start Ups

PurposeThis paper discusses the services and support from one of the government design-based business incubators in Hong Kong. The characteristics of a design business incubator are explained, and a multiple-case study indicates the perspectives of incubatees from different design disciplines after their graduation from the incubation programme.Design/methodology/approachThe research under discussion in this paper was based on eight design incubatees in different design disciplines within two years of incubation period, all of whom had participated in one of the government-funded business incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong. The programme is unique because there are no other government-based incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect feedback from incubatees in areas ranging from terms of service to support of the incubation programme.FindingsThe services of training, mentorship and finance were found to be the most important to design start-ups. Financial support and flexible funding allocation were another important issue for design incubatees, but training in these subject areas was not included in the incubation programme. However, it was confirmed that funding provided may have helped a number of the incubatees in developing their start-up businesses as a result of the reduced financial burden and office allocation.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focused on one incubation programme because of the lack of incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong, therefore future research which compares different types of business incubation programmes is suggested.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of the research not only identified the possible areas of development and improvement of business incubation in entrepreneurship but they will also be useful for the government, universities, institutions, designers, policy makers, entrepreneurs and practitioners. These, in addition to industry stakeholders who want to evaluate their entrepreneurship programmes and develop their plans for potential development in incubation- or entrepreneurial-related programmes or training, especially in the area of design, will find the results useful.

Technology business incubation for start-up generation

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1471-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bala Subrahmanya Mungila Hillemane ◽  
Krishna Satyanarayana ◽  
Deepak Chandrashekar
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Business Incubation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
Goals And Objectives

Purpose Technology business incubators (TBIs) form an indispensable part of an entrepreneurial ecosystem for the promotion of tech start-ups across the global economy. However, they have evolved in varied forms over a period of time, in terms of typologies, sponsors and stakeholders, goals and objectives, functions and services offered, process of incubation support provided through hard and soft infrastructure, outcomes and achievements and even in terms of theoretical bases. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to review the extant literature on TBIs to arrive at a framework that explains how TBIs contribute to start-up generation. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews extant empirical literature for a systematic evaluation to throw light on the various dimensions of TBIs: typology, goals and objectives, functions and services, process and provision of incubation support, outcomes and achievements. Further, after critically reviewing some of the theoretical propositions, it develops a conceptual framework combining pre-incubation, incubation and post-incubation processes of TBIs. Findings Based on literature understanding and some of the key theoretical constructs, a conceptual framework is developed comprising pre-incubation, incubation and post-incubation stages of start-up formation and graduation. The paper also identifies some prospective areas for future research. Research limitations/implications Any empirical research on technology business incubation must focus on pre-incubation and post-incubation processes as much as on the incubation process, to derive meaningful implications and enhance the productivity of TBIs. Originality/value The conceptual framework derived out of the systematic literature review will enable further research and exploration of micro-aspects of pre-incubation, incubation and post-incubation phases across multiple dimensions.

How innovation intermediaries support start-up internationalization: a relational proximity perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Schepis
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Innovation Intermediaries ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Stage Analysis ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose This paper aims to examine how innovation intermediary activities increase relational proximity between start-ups and foreign partners to support start-up internationalization. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies a case study methodology to examine an international network of innovation intermediaries in the resources sector. Interviews were conducted with 59 start-ups, corporate and intermediary managers in four countries, supplemented by secondary data. A two-stage analysis process was performed to first identify activities relating to start-up internationalization and then apply a theoretically derived coding framework based on five proximity dimensions. Findings The case identifies several innovation intermediary activities, which facilitate relationship development between start-ups and partners in new markets. Findings outline how activities increase relational proximity across different dimensions, while also indicating a number of interrelations between dimensions, given the complexity of international business relationships. Originality/value This paper establishes interdisciplinary bridges between business networks, international business and economic geography perspectives. It provides a valuable empirical foundation for relational proximity, demonstrating its application to understanding start-up internationalization and its influence by intermediary-led activities.

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