Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Early Stage Firms

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    Investigating the Social Capital Theory in the University-Private Partnership: A Systematic Review
    ( 2022-01-04) Hakami, Maram ; Pradhan, Sojen ; Mastio, Emmanuel
    Literature has recognised ‘university-private partnerships’ as one of the influential contributors to the economic growth towards building the knowledge-based economy. University-private partnerships is still a progressing phenomenon that has been investigated through the lens of different theories, including the social capital theory that comprises structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions. To date, the influence of social capital theory on transferring knowledge has been investigated; but there has been an inconsistency between studies related to the social capital cognitive dimension compared to other related dimensions. This paper aims to explore how the theoretical lens of social capital theory informs research and learnings about partnerships between universities and private sectors. Overall, 23 studies published within the last two decades are systematically reviewed. Findings from this review lead to a fundamental theoretical framework that addresses the abovementioned inconsistency, a reflection on the current related research themes, and a proposition for future research directions.
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    Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Social goals and Sustainability in developing countries
    ( 2022-01-04) Podmetina, Daria ; Albats, Ekaterina ; Rosei, Federico ; Kautto, Daria
    The shift towards a sustainability-driven society includes changes to the educational system, business operations, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems as well as policymaking. Moreover, such a shift demands particularly a combination of top-down policy-making initiatives and bottom-up social entrepreneur-driven changes. Social innovation and entrepreneurship are providing solutions for globally recognized social and sustainability challenges such as poverty, education, environmental and climate change, peace support – worldwide yet also in the particularly challenging context of developing economies. We aim to showcase the best practices of social and sustainability-oriented innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of developing economies. In particular, we address the question of how social entrepreneur and innovator with bottom-up ideas could complement the top-down policymaking initiatives. Our design implies qualitative research aiming to disseminate the inspiring story of a social innovative enterprise, which represents a successful example of complementing policy-making efforts. Accordingly, our findings contribute to the literature on social innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of developing economies and simultaneously informs social entrepreneurs and policymakers on potential opportunities for synergy in their efforts.
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    How startups utilize organizational adaptability in digital innovation
    ( 2022-01-04) Goncalves, Dulce ; Bergquist, Magnus
    In a global digital market, startups must have the capability to handle apprehension of knowledge and utilization of knowledge efficiently to quickly adapt to new realities as these emerge, given their limited resources—this regardless of whether it is customer needs or other events that affect the market. However, we do not know how startups quickly change course and adapt to stay competitive in the market. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative study based on 23 interviews with nine globally active automotive startups to understand startups' fast adaptability and how it impacts their digital innovation capability. The results show that startups with an organizational agility capability efficiently handle the transition between all four stages of innovative thinking. We conclude that dealing simultaneously with a problem from several different perspectives accelerates the apprehension of knowledge through concrete experience and abstract thinking; experimenting with new solutions develops new insights and knowledge.
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    A Confluence of Tech and Talent: Rural Online Entrepreneurship and Return Migration
    ( 2022-01-04) Koo, Wesley ; Eesley, Charles
    The vast majority of those living in poverty reside in rural areas. Prior research indicates that the Internet can elevate the rural economy by connecting rural entrepreneurs to the wider market. However, we have yet to witness much successful online entrepreneurship in rural areas. In this study, we show that return migration is a crucial factor for the performance of e-commerce in rural areas. Using data from a leading ecommerce platform, we set up a natural experiment involving a provincial-level policy change that reduced the barriers for talented rural migrants to return and work in their home villages. In a difference-in-differences design, we find that after the policy change, rural e-commerce businesses in the province that implemented the policy change enjoyed a 22 percent performance gain relative to other rural businesses. This study suggests that policymakers and digital platforms need to create a confluence of talent and technology to spur successful entrepreneurship in rural areas.
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