A review of literature and hypotheses on new technology-based firms

This paper examines the existing literature on new technology-based firms in an attempt to understand how such companies contribute to the vitality of an economy and to see which variables are critical in enabling them to do so. From recent research efforts, we have drawn together a set of hypotheses and organized them around four central questions: (1) What do new firms contribute to the economy? (2) What factors contribute to the success of such enterprises? (3) In what cultural contexts do new businesses succeed? and (4) Which government policies are effective in stimulating and supporting new companies? We found that existing studies suggest (1) that new technology-based firms contribute significantly to an economy in terms of exports, employment, taxes paid, research and development, and innovations; (2) that the founders of these new businesses tend to have a strong entrepreneurial heritage, a development- rather research-oriented background, and a high need to achieve and are young and highly educated; (3) that sector differences may be a more important influence on company location than are regional policies; and (4) that no one government program has proven itself to be more than marginally successful in stimulating industrial innovation.     

Pharmaceutical prospects: biopharming and the geography of technological expectations

The paper explores the role of imagined geographies in the shaping of new technologies. I argue that the role of place in future-oriented visions of technoscience is a neglected topic in studies of the social shaping of technology. The paper proposes an approach that combines the sociology of expectations with the geography of science. It focuses on the interplay between envisaged and current geographies to highlight the recursive dynamics of place and imagination. To illustrate this approach, the paper discusses the example of biopharming, the production of biopharmaceuticals using genetically modified crops. I argue that expectations for biopharming bear the imprint of place, or rather of the places in which they are imagined, as well as those they imagine, and ultimately those they produce. I use this example to suggest how social studies of science and technology can usefully investigate the spaces, places and scales of technological development.     

Intellectual capital and the firm: some remaining questions and prospects

From the publication of seminal works in the 1990s until now, a great deal of theoretical proposals and empirical evidence has been published on intellectual capital (IC) and the firm. Nevertheless, several problems remain as important impediments to the advancement and consolidation of an ‘Intellectual Capital-based View of the Firm’. Most of these issues have to do with the conceptualization and typology of IC, its measurement, and the limitations of the most common statistical methods. This article highlights the most important of these issues as well as some possible directions for future development.     

Public policy measures to support new technology-based firms in the European Union

This paper provides a review of public policy measures implemented in EU countries to support New Technology-Based Firms (NTBFs) during the 1980s and early 1990s. It identifies five policy areas and provides a synthesis of the policy developments during this period and an assessment of their effectiveness. The policy areas examined are: Science Parks; the Supply of PhDs in Science and Technology, the relationships between NTBFs and Universities/Research Institutions; Direct Financial Support to NTBFs from National Governments; and the Impact of Technological Advisory Services on NTBFs. Although considered independently, these issues are clearly part of an interdependent `system' of policies and we conclude with an overview of the whole policy area, together with our personal recommendations for its improvement.     

University spillovers and new firm location

This paper examines the impact of locational choice as a firm strategy to access knowledge spillovers from universities. Based on a large dataset of publicly listed, high-technology startup firms in Germany, we test the proposition that proximity to the university is shaped by different spillover mechanisms—research and human capital—and by different types of knowledge spillovers—natural sciences and social sciences. The results suggest that spillover mechanisms as well as spillover types are heterogeneous. In particular, the evidence suggests that new knowledge and technological-based firms have a high propensity to locate close to universities, presumably in order to access knowledge spillovers. However, the exact role that geographic proximity plays is shaped by the two factors examined in this paper—the particular knowledge context, and the specific type of spillover mechanism.     

Founders’ human capital and the growth of new technology-based firms: A competence-based view

In this paper, we analyze empirically the relation between the growth of new technology-based firms and the human capital of founders, with the aim of teasing out the “wealth” and “capability” effects of human capital. For this purpose, we take advantage of a new data set relating to a sample composed of 506 Italian young firms that operate in high-tech industries in both manufacturing and services. In accordance with competence-based theories, the econometric estimates show that the nature of the education and of the prior work experience of founders exerts a key influence on growth. In fact, founders’ years of university education in economic and managerial fields and to a lesser extent in scientific and technical fields positively affect growth while education in other fields does not. Similarly prior work experience in the same industry of the new firm is positively associated with growth while prior work experience in other industries is not. Furthermore, it is the technical work experience of founders as opposed to their commercial work experience that determines growth. The fact that within the founding team there are individuals with prior entrepreneurial experiences also results in superior growth. Lastly, we provide evidence that there are synergistic gains from the combination of the complementary capabilities of founders relating to (i) economic-managerial and scientific-technical education and (ii) technical and commercial industry-specific work experiences. We conclude that the human capital of founders of new technology-based firms is not just a proxy for personal wealth.     

智力资本报告:大学评价与管理的新工具

智力资本报告是知识经济时代管理无形资产的一种战略工具,可以满足大学管理和评价智力资本的需求。分析大学智力资本的构成以及智力资本报告在欧洲的发展,阐述大学智力资本报告的主要内容,并就我国大学智力资本报告提出相关建议。     

The process of technology transfer to the new biomedical and pharmaceutical firm

This paper applies the theories of technological innovation to the process of technology transfer to biomedical and pharmaceutical start-ups. It is based on detailed data gathered from 26 firms, founded between 1968 and 1975 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.The routes of technology transfer were traced, and the comparative impact of entrepreneurial professional experience, and the continuous flow of information to the firm were evaluated. In this context, the dominant role of the hospital and the medical school were elicited. Even weak contacts with universities and hospitals were found conducive to transferring technology from research to industry, enhancing technological innovativeness of the young biomedical firm. On the other hand the relation between technological attributes and economic success of the biomedical firm is more complex: (a) contacts with the clinical environment do not significantly facilitate its economic performance; (b) technological sophistication and advancedness of firm's products are not dominant factors in determining its economic success.     

Establishment of higher education institutions and new firm entry

The presence of universities has generally been associated with technological entrepreneurship. But what is the real impact of new universities on the levels of firm creation in a region? The present paper uses policy evaluation methodologies and longitudinal data on the establishment of higher education institutions in Portuguese municipalities for the period 1992-2002 to examine its effect on entry rates of new firms in different sectors. We find that the establishment of a new university has a positive and significant effect on subsequent levels of knowledge based firm entry in municipalities, and a negative effect on the levels of entry in other sectors, such as low-tech manufacturing.     

技术转移、新产品开发与企业绩效

本文聚焦中国情境下制造业和高新技术企业的新产品开发过程,研究合作伙伴间两种不同的技术转移方式对技术接受企业绩效的影响,并探索新产品创新性及新产品开发速度在其中扮演的中介作用。同时,引入实际吸收能力作为调节变量,从而构建了本研究理论模型。之后,运用249家企业的调研数据进行模型验证,并采用AMOS和SPSS软件进行数据分析。研究结果表明,相对于技术交流而言,技术转移对新产品开发速度及企业绩效的正向影响均更加显著。相对于技术转移而言,技术交流对新产品创新性的正向影响更加显著。新产品创新性在技术交流与企业绩效之间起中介作用。新产品开发速度在技术转移与企业绩效之间起中介作用。同时,实际吸收能力增强了新产品创新性对技术交流与企业绩效的中介效应。     

技术转移、新产品开发与企业绩效

本文聚焦中国情境下制造业和高新技术企业的新产品开发过程，研究合作伙伴间两种不同的技术转移方式对技术接受企业绩效的影响，并探索新产品创新性及新产品开发速度在其中扮演的中介作用。同时，引入实际吸收能力作为调节变量，从而构建了本研究理论模型。之后，运用249家企业的调研数据进行模型验证，并采用AMOS和SPSS软件进行数据分析。研究结果表明，相对于技术交流而言，技术转移对新产品开发速度及企业绩效的正向影响均更加显著。相对于技术转移而言，技术交流对新产品创新性的正向影响更加显著。新产品创新性在技术交流与企业绩效之间起中介作用。新产品开发速度在技术转移与企业绩效之间起中介作用。同时，实际吸收能力增强了新产品创新性对技术交流与企业绩效的中介效应。     

科技型小微企业协同创新能力增进机制研究

网络与知识已成为提升科技型小微企业协同创新能力的关键,探索不同属性网络与知识促进协同创新能力提升是否存在差异?通过系统文献梳理,构建了协同创新网络、知识整合与协同创新能力之间关系的理论模型。以198家浙江科技型小微企业为样本,采用多元回归、结构方程、中介效应检验等方法对相关假设进行实证检验。研究结果表明：（1）协同创新网络中的异质性网络与同质化网络均能提升科技型小微企业协同创新能力,但前者的作用明显大于后者;（2）异质性知识整合在异质性网络与协同创新能力之间存在完全中介的作用,而同质化知识整合在同质化网络与协同创新能力之间存在部分中介效应。     

科技型新创企业的创业行为中介作用研究

探索科技型新创企业创业能力维度、创业行为维度及其对创业绩效的影响,深入分析创业行为在创业能力对创业绩效影响的中介作用。基于访谈和问卷调查,通过对233家科技型新创企业创始人/创始团队成员的数据分析,并结合SPSS软件研究创业行为各维度对创业绩效的中介作用。研究表明:科技型新创企业的创业能力及其维度,可以通过创业行为的创始人及团队的资源利用与分配和目标市场战略选择维度来实现创业绩效,并且会直接和间接地影响科技型新创企业的创业绩效;创业行为各维度在创业能力与创业绩效之间具有部分中介作用。     

Novelty-oriented value propositions for new technology-based firms: Impact of business networks and growth orientation

To perform, new technology-based firms (NTBFs) need to develop value for customers that distinguish them from others in the market. Therefore, the development of novelty-oriented value propositions are important, and may be influenced by several factors. We argue that the propensity to become more novelty-oriented can be influenced by an internal drive to grow (growth orientation) and by external contributions (business networks). Hence, the purpose of this paper is to analyse how business networks and growth orientation effects on the novelty orientation of NTBF value propositions. Based on survey data from 401 NTBFs founded between 2013 and 2015, in the nascent start-up phase novelty-oriented value propositions of NTBFs positively relate to informal (management) networks, as well as founders' attitudes towards growth. Thus, such networks and attitudes from founders should be supported in the very early phases of start-up if novelty orientation is to be preferred as a performance determinant.     

Schumpeter's legacy: A new perspective on the relationship between firm size and R&D

This paper shows that firm heterogeneity in technological competence, rather than differences in industry-specific characteristics, is the primary condition determining the long-debated relationship between firm size and R&D. Specifically, by utilizing a formal model of firm R&D that shows that profit-maximizing firm R&D intensity is determined jointly by firm-specific technological competence and consumer preference regarding quality and price, this paper suggests that firm size affects firm R&D intensity not directly, but through its influence on firm-specific technological competence. In particular, four predictions are drawn and tested empirically: (1) in general, the size-R&D relationship is less-than-proportional or inverted U-shaped, especially for low-technological-competence firms; (2) however, the common less-than-proportional relationship disappears, and a more-than-proportional relationship becomes increasingly likely, for firms with high levels of technological competence, plausibly due to competence-enhancing, learning economies of scale and/or scope in R&D; (3) firms with larger accumulated R&D experience are, ceteris paribus, less likely to exhibit the common less-than-proportional relationship; (4) among industries, a greater within-industry departure from the proportional size-R&D relationship is expected for industries with seemingly high, rapidly changing technological-opportunity conditions. These predictions, especially pertaining to the conditioning role of technological competence in the size-R&D relationship, are empirically supported by the unique data by the World Bank.     

企业“集群化成长”理论的重新研究：基于核心企业的视角

 从集群中核心企业成长的角度出发,通过对核心企业成长影响因素的重新分析和梳理,分别从规模成长和创新增长两个方面,对集群理论中一直得到肯定的企业“集群化成长”理论重新进行了研究,结果显示,在集群中出现某种程度的行业性核心企业的背景下,现有文献思路中十分强调的集群因素已经不再是影响核心企业成长的关键因素,且对企业的规模成长和创新增长表现出不对称的影响;反过来,研究发现,企业自身因素以及产业因素,才是对于核心企业成长有着重要影响的因素。这一结果不仅不支持既有的“企业集群化成长”定论,而且显示出,集群理论研究的重心应该重新从集群层面回到企业层面上来,且需要更多地重视集群外部产业（行业）越来越重要的影响作用。     

The incidence of cross-licensing: A theory and new evidence on the firm and contract level determinants

This paper examines the firm and contract level determinants of the incidence of cross-licensing among manufacturing firms. It develops a simple stochastic theory explaining such incidence, which implies that cross-licensing, compared with unilateral licensing, is more prevalent between large and symmetric firms under a reasonable set of assumptions. We find strong empirical support to these implications, based on a new dataset of more than 1100 licensing contracts by Japanese manufacturing firms. We also find that the incidence of cross-licensing is higher when the contract covers only patent than when it covers only know-how, consistent with the theory. The licensing probability between two firms depends primarily on the size of a potential licensor, which, according to the theory, is consistent with the fact that a licensor is larger than a licensee on the average.     

激励相容与新技术企业知识型员工团队成长的博弈分析

引用一个无限重复博弈模型探讨新技术企业知识型员工团队激励相容条件,以及新技术企业知识型员工团队形成与扩张对新技术企业绩效的影响,得出结论：当信息不对称或不可验证,新技术企业知识型员工有背叛团队动机时,就需要设计激励相客机制,规范由于信息不对称、责任不对等所导致的机会主义行为。     

创新开放度、组织学习、制度环境与新创企业绩效

创新开放度与创新绩效之间的关系是创新管理领域研究的热点问题,但已有研究在创新开放度如何影响企业创新绩效获取上的机理分析仍不够深入和综合。本文以新创企业为研究对象,引入组织学习和制度环境两个重要变量,构建起全新的理论模型,研究创新开放度、组织学习和制度环境对新创企业绩效的作用机制,并采用多元回归分析等方法对354份有效问卷进行了实证分析。研究结果表明:创新开放度、组织学习、制度环境均对新创企业绩效有正向影响;创新开放度对组织学习有正向影响;组织学习对创新开放度与新创企业绩效的关系起正向调节作用;制度环境对创新开放度与新创企业绩效的关系起正向调节作用;制度环境对组织学习与新创企业绩效的关系起正向调节作用。