The Effect of Learning Orientation and Business Model Innovation on Entrepreneurial Performance: Focused on South Korean Start-Up Companies

The purpose of this study is to empirically confirm the importance of learning orientation in the operation of start-up companies. In the literature, it is well known that this learning orientation plays a big role in improving the performance of start-ups by cultivating organizational members’ capabilities in detail, encouraging active learning, and creating new knowledge. To this end, a business model innovation framework for start-ups was established by empirically validating the theoretical research model. For the analysis, 139 questionnaires from start-ups with less than 7 years of business history in the incubation center were used. For the novelty of this work, it investigates the causal relationship between the learning orientation of start-ups, business model innovation, and start-up performance (technology acquisition and market expansion). Our research has contributed to the literature on entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy as follows. First, it contributed to the literature on entrepreneurship by redefining the performance of start-up companies as technology acquisition and market expansion through a review of previous studies and providing insight into the importance of learning orientation for start-ups through empirical studies. Second, it contributed to the innovation literature by confirming the importance of business model innovation for start-ups to achieve start-up performance through empirical research. Third, it contributed to the strategic literature by presenting and empirically confirming business model innovation through learning-orientation improvement as a way to achieve the performance of start-up companies.

Creative Appeals in Firm-Generated Content and Product Performance

Creative and original message appeals stimulate customers, generating arousal through novelties, meanings, associations, inspirations, human emotions and connections, and the degree to which the message appeals resonate and get the attention of the customers. Hedonic appeals imbue desirability around a product, endowing it with mystery or coolness, subtly invoking intentions, anticipation, and agency. Firms should highlight more about the hedonic rather than utilitarian features of products with high quality, highly consistent, or less complex firm-generated messages to persuade consumers to purchase. High-quality content is original and virtuosic, novel and compelling, curated and accurate, insightful and relevant, relatable and credible, authentic and immersive, and engaging and resonating with customers. Message goal consistency calls for alignment to central brand guidelines (i.e., what the brand stands for, its value proposition, and its purpose) and adherence to the brand DNA regarding look and feel, tone and manner in content creation. Writing clearly and concisely in a novel approach creates intrigue by making firm-generated content communications stick. Excellent writing and easy readability make for easy comprehension and consequently better persuasion. Firms stand to gain more by devoting resources, such as employee training for content creation and technology acquisition in getting high quality, easy-to-comprehend, and goal consistent messages to customers.

Internationalization of Chinese Research and Development

The internationalization of Chinese research and development (R&D) is a fairly recent phenomenon and still ongoing process. What makes the rise of international Chinese R&D remarkable is that this is—alongside India—one of the first such endeavors by a developing country with already one of the most substantial global R&D footprints, even including Western countries. Similar motivations and challenges of earlier R&D globalization are replicated and observed also in the recent Chinese internationalization, with a few emerging country-specific nuances, such as the focus on technology acquisition through merger and acquisition (M&A) and suspected central coordination by the Chinese government, which has given rise to challenges of its own for Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs). In this respect, China seems to have been the victim of its own success; the future of Chinese R&D internationalization bears both opportunities and challenges for the global innovation community.

Algorithms and Decision-Making in the Public Sector

This article surveys the use of algorithmic systems to support decision-making in the public sector. Governments adopt, procure, and use algorithmic systems to support their functions within several contexts—including criminal justice, education, and benefits provision—with important consequences for accountability, privacy, social inequity, and public participation in decision-making. We explore the social implications of municipal algorithmic systems across a variety of stages, including problem formulation, technology acquisition, deployment, and evaluation. We highlight several open questions that require further empirical research. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Law and Social Science, Volume 17 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Is foreign technology acquisition to complement or substitute for internal technology development? A case of manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether foreign technology acquisition is complementary to internal technology development in the context of a developing country. Design/methodology/approach The selection model developed by Heckman (1979) was applied with the balanced panel data of manufacturing enterprises from the Annual Enterprise and Technology Surveys from 2012 to 2016 conducted by the Vietnamese General Statistics Organization. Findings The results indicate that foreign technology acquisition and internal technology development are complementary innovation options. Particularly, the number of patents granted for manufacturing enterprises positively affects the probability that enterprises acquire foreign technologies. This effect is stronger in cases of high-tech industries than in cases of low-tech industries. Research limitations/implications Regarding the relationship between internal technology development and foreign technology acquisition, the findings suggest that adoption of foreign technology acquisition and priority in budget allocation for foreign technology acquisition are different in nature and that budget allocation is a more complex issue and may depend on other factors. Practical implications For developing countries, governments should adopt policies supporting domestic enterprises in acquiring technologies from advanced countries that could complement the locally developed technologies. These supports should focus on the high-tech or high-innovation rate industries. Originality/value In the context of a developing economy, the complementary effect of internal technology development and foreign technology acquisition is stronger in cases of the high-tech industries than in cases of the low-tech industries.

Factors Influencing Technology Transfer in Companies at Emerging Economies

One of the ways how to catch up with developed countries is through innovation. Companies can develop innovation in-house, but it has been determined that a more efficient approach is to acquire new knowledge and technology from external parties. In the meantime, relatively few companies choose to cooperate, therefore the aim of this research is to identify the key factors that need to be addressed in order to facilitate new knowledge and technology acquisition. In a systematic literature review, the scientific literature on technology transfer has been analysed, which determines an existing lack of holistic approach on the different impact of factors. Therefore, in this article, through the analysis of different sources, the innovation and technology transfer affecting factors have been summarised. The empirical research is based on a survey of sixty-five companies that hypothetically work with the technology transfer. Besides, an interrelationship analysis of the technology acquisition affecting factors was carried out. The research results indicate that acquisition of new knowledge and technology is closely linked with the internal research and development (R&D) work and presence in a foreign market, as well as indirectly with the fact whether the company is a part of a group. In the final of the article, the acquired results and their implications have been explained.