BALANCED GIVE AND TAKE — AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE SURVIVAL OF CORPORATE INCUBATORS

Author(s):  
MICHAEL GAMBER ◽  
TOBIAS KRUFT ◽  
ALEXANDER KOCK

Many companies have created corporate incubators to deal with the increasing pace of innovation and to foster innovation activities beyond their current business. Since these corporate incubators demand considerable resources, the parent companies continuously evaluate the incubators’ performance and then decide on their survival. This decision depends on the balance between incubator’s contributions and the hosting company’s financial investment (top-level), while the incubator’s contributions again depend on the balance between incubator investment and the supported new business contributions (bottom-level). We apply the Barnard-Simon theory of organisational equilibrium to investigate the resource flow balance on both levels and to predict the resulting incubators’ performance, which determines their future survival. The analysis is based on a sample of corporate incubators surveyed in 2019. Results show that incubators with a top-level equilibrium and a bottom-level disequilibrium perform better. These counterintuitive yet insightful results are discussed in detail.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Magdalena Pichlak ◽  
Adam R. Szromek

The paper aims to analyze the environmental aspects of innovation activity undertaken by companies and, in particular, to assess sustainable business leaders’ propensity to generate eco-innovation. The research described in the paper was descriptive and, to some extent, diagnostic. It was based on a non-random sample and was conducted—using the Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) method—in 2019 among 54 of the most eco-innovative Polish companies. The results of the research indicate that they are more likely to generate radical rather than incremental changes. Moreover, the most eco-innovative companies are those developing technologies for biodiversity protection. The results further indicate that companies with more than 50 employees have a higher propensity to develop incremental and radical eco-innovation than smaller firms with relatively fewer resources. Finally, this study shows that adopting an open innovation strategy strengthens the propensity to generate eco-innovation, especially radical ones. Moreover, developing such changes is dominated by the adoption of strategic and operational forward supply chain collaboration, involving the absorption of knowledge and information streaming directly from the market. The results can provide a frame for developing new business models incorporating collaboration in eco-innovation activities, especially in the situation of a post-pandemic recovery of the economy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (07) ◽  
pp. 1750061 ◽  
Author(s):  
NOMITA SHARMA

The aim of this paper is to explore innovative behaviour of Indian Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. It is interesting to study innovative behaviour of microsmau and medium enterprises (MSMEs) since they try to innovate while surrounded by many barriers. They also face high failure rate in doing so. This failure is due to presence of barriers that MSMEs fail to manage. But it has been observed that many MSMEs are now awakening to their potential and becoming innovative. They tend to respond to environmental factors in an innovative way, either by cutting cost or changing ways of management. This innovative way defines their innovative behaviour. The innovative behaviour of MSMEs is studied through three variables, i.e., size, age and barriers faced by them. The result shows that size does influence innovation activities undertaken by MSMEs and statistically, there is no correlation between age and innovative behaviour. Their innovative behaviour is affected by barriers like shortage of technical skilled manpower, technology and shortage of funds or complex funding procedure. The paper is concluded by summarising the key findings, discussing implications, limitations and further scope of study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-29
Author(s):  
Ouelid Ouyeder ◽  
Julia Hitzbleck ◽  
Henning Trill

Abstract The aim of this paper is to introduce an end-to-end development process for non-biomedical innovation and new business models of a Life Science company that integrates different methods such as Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Agility and others within one framework. Since 2016 this innovation process is an essential part of the internal Employee Innovation program and proves its applicability in a real-life setting. Projects teams develop and implement their new digital business models successfully by taking the introduced innovation process as guideline. This process enables the Life Science organization to run two global entrepreneurship programs (Catalyst Fund and Catalyst Box) that foster customer focus with fast and evidence-based experimentation. The article encompasses a real-life case study out of the Catalyst Fund program about the Farm Advisory Team from India. By using this example each phase of the innovation process is described schematically. Idea generation is easy-to-apply, but the implementation of ideas is one of the biggest challenges in larger corporations. The proposed end-to-end innovation process connects the dots of different innovation methods and provides guidance to company decision makers and project teams in order to structure their business model innovation activities/strategy and discussions. Zusammenfassung Das Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, einen durchgängigen Innovationsprozess für nicht-biomedizinische Lösungen und Geschäftsmodelle eines Life-Science-Unternehmens vorzustellen, der verschiedene Methoden wie Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Agilität und andere innerhalb eines Gestaltungsrahmens integriert. Seit 2016 ist der Innovationsprozess ist ein wesentlicher Bestandteil des internen Employee Innovation Programms und beweist seine Anwendbarkeit in einem realen Umfeld. Projektteams entwickeln und implementieren ihre neuen digitalen Geschäftsmodelle erfolgreich, indem sie den vorgestellten Innovationsprozess als Leitfaden nutzen. Dieser Prozess ermöglicht es dem Life-Science-Unternehmen, zwei globale Entrepreneurship-Programme (Catalyst Fund und Catalyst Box) durchzuführen, die den Kundenfokus mit schnellen und evidenzbasierten Experimenten fördern. Der Artikel umfasst eine reale Fallstudie aus dem Catalyst Fund Programm über das Farm Advisory Team aus Indien. Anhand dieses Beispiels wird jede Phase des Innovationsprozesses schematisch beschrieben. Die Ideengenerierung ist leicht anwendbar, aber die Umsetzung von Ideen ist eine der größten Herausforderungen in größeren Unternehmen. Der vorgeschlagene End-to-End-Innovationsprozess integriert die verschiedenen Innovationsmethoden und bietet Entscheidungsträgern und Projektteams in Unternehmen eine Anleitung, um ihre Aktivitäten bzw. Strategie und Diskussionen zur Geschäftsmodellinnovation zu strukturieren.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1(63)) ◽  
pp. 139-144
Author(s):  
O.I. Laiko ◽  
V.S. Ivanchenkov ◽  
I.V. Strutynska

It is considered the essence of the terms of innovations and innovative activity of the canning industry enterprise, on example of enterprises of the Ukrainian Black Sea region. It is improved the classification of types of innovations and innovative processes for canning enterprises, by allocating relevant classification groups, that are actual in the aspect of modern scientific and practical approaches. The economic essence of the category of innovative susceptibility of enterprises is determined. According to the modern requirements and challenges that arise in the process of transformation of the national economic system it is determined the need of update of the theoretical basis for the study of innovation processes, and it is proved the necessity of formulation of the objective definitions and classifications of innovations, of the types of innovation activities that make key-point in the research process of the current realities of economic development. As a result of the research of various types and definitions of innovations, it is established that the most important for the analyzing process of innovations for enterprises in the canning industry are such classifications, which are based on the degree of participation in the production process (production and non-productive innovations: administrative, in other processes of internal management, in the processes of supply-sales, in circulation processes, financial services), on the functional purpose of innovations (production and technological, personnel, economic, logistic, marketing, financial, investment, infrastructure innovations). The definition of innovations for canning enterprises is given in the article, it is developed the classification of types of innovation for the canning enterprise that is oriented on objective features and distinguishes of the innovation process, which is actually carried out by domestic enterprises that allows to take into account the aspect of actuality.


2009 ◽  
pp. 277-297
Author(s):  
Maria Alice Frontini

The decisions about IT investments are increasingly more complex, due to technical uncertainties and to the dynamics of organizational and strategic issues. One promising alternative for solving this problem would be the use of real options. Thus, this chapter intends to apply a relatively new methodology, called real options, used in corporate strategy for evaluating and deciding about new investments in IT. In order to do so, an analytic review of the literature is presented. The real options methodology is particularly recommended in two situations: in the case of the existence of a significant level of uncertainty about the benefits to be achieved by IT investments, or when IT benefits do not impact directly the current business but create a platform for future investments, capable of producing future new business impacts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 482-504
Author(s):  
Min-Ren Yan ◽  
Haiyan Yan ◽  
Lingyun Zhan ◽  
Xinyue Yan ◽  
Mengen Xu

Science parks and innovation policies have a major mission in driving innovative resources and nurturing emerging industries, while the government-academia-industry collaborations and the establishment of an ecosystem are essentials. To investigate the key driving forces for sustainable development of the collaborative ecosystem, this article evaluates the technological innovations and the ecosystem of Science Parks in Shanghai based on historical data obtained from Shanghai Zhangjiang Science Park (Zhangjiang Park in short). Systems thinking and causal loop analysis are adopted to explore the structure of the collaborative ecosystem and reflections of the policy impact on the science park. The role of the government in science parks and innovation ecosystems is identified with systems mapping and empirical study. The economic impact of Zhangjiang Park policies and the performance of innovation activities in Shanghai are further evaluated. Lessons learnt from the benchmarked science parks and policy implications for facilitating the innovation ecosystem are addressed.


2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 344-358
Author(s):  
J. H. Mostert ◽  
S. J. Steel ◽  
F. J. Mostert

In the long-term insurance industry, sound financial investment decisions depend largely on the portfolio management practices of the investment practitioners concerned. The ability of the investment practitioners to make well-informed decisions, as well as the strategies and policies underlying portfolio management practices, are the main issues of this research. Important correlations amongst various aspects of the financial investment decisionmaking process, as well as their association with the general information pertaining to the long-term insurers (which were disclosed during the empirical study), emerge in the closing section of this paper. The conclusions should be of prime interest to long-term insurers as well as investment practitioners who are working in that industry.


2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (04) ◽  
pp. 615-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
VALENTINA LAZZAROTTI ◽  
RAFFAELLA MANZINI

Starting from the several conceptual and empirical studies about open innovation modes, this paper attempts to integrate them by suggesting a framework which reveals four basic ways to collaborate. Two variables are considered that represent the degree of openness for a company: (i) the number/type of partners with which the company collaborates, briefly labelled as "partner variety"; (ii) the number/type of phases of the innovation process that the company opens to external contributions, briefly labelled as "innovation funnel openness". By crossing these two variables, four basic modes of open innovation are identified: closed innovators, open innovators, specialized collaborators and integrated collaborators. The framework shows its practical validity in an empirical study that is conducted in Italy with the specific aim at verifying whether companies can really be mapped using this framework, i.e. whether the four modes of open innovation can be found in real companies (framework applicability); whether different modes correspond to different companies' strategies, capabilities, organisational and managerial processes (framework explicative power and usefulness). The framework shows that, in some cases, being totally open in innovation activities is not the only and most suitable option, but that different degrees and ways of "openness" can be implemented successfully, as well as the totally closed option.


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