Christian Serarols

Location Decisions of Technology-Based Entrepreneurs: Why Some Catalan KISAs Choose to Be Rural?

Entrepreneurship has currently become an important element of economic, employment and innovation policy. In this context, the promotion of technology-based firms has become the norm, even in rural areas. Thus, the study presented in this paper analyses the variables that influence the choice of location made by rural and urban Knowledge Intensive Service Activity firms (KISA, hereafter), taking as reference three of the most common theoretical frameworks used to analyse location decision-making: neoclassical, institutional, and behavioural. The results of the quantitative study allows for important policy making recommendations, but also offers significant contributions for entrepreneurship and regional development researchers, as well as practical insights for entrepreneurs.

Assessing Technology-Based Spin-Offs from University Support Units

Epure M., Prior D. and Serarols C. Assessing technology-based spin-offs from university support units, Regional Studies. This paper takes a regional studies approach to assess spin-offs from a university-based technology transfer network. It first detects the regional objectives, inputs and outputs needed to assess spin-offs from support programmes. It then provides evidence on regional mechanisms for firm creation. Spin-offs created at Catalan universities are analysed and it is found that many efficient spin-offs have formal technology transfer agreements, and emerge from technology-oriented universities. It is also found that higher innovation levels and experience from the parent university are associated with higher efficiency, which is positively related to future fundamental profitability. Finally, regional policy-making and research directions are proposed.

Location decisions of new ‘Knowledge Intensive Service Activity’ firms: the rural–urban divide

This paper analyses the variables that influence the decision to locate knowledge-intensive service activity firms (KISA firms, hereafter) in a rural or an urban area in Spain. The results indicate that the location decision of entrepreneurs choosing to start their KISA firms in a rural area is mainly driven by personal and location-related motivations, whereas the local economic framework is the main motivation of those entrepreneurs who have chosen an urban location for their KISA firms. This allows for important policy-making recommendations, but it also offers significant contributions for entrepreneurship and regional development researchers.

The process of business start-ups in the internet: a multiple case study

The growing popularity of the internet, accompanied by falling access costs, is provoking an increase in the number of users and buyers in the net and in the appearance of new organisations that commercialise their products and services exclusively on the internet. At present, this type of firms, known as dotcoms or cybertraders, is playing a crucial role in the internet and in the renewal of the economic system and has begun to account for a substantial share of new jobs created in developed countries. However, cyberentrepreneurs and venture creation in internet is still in its emergent phase and further research is needed on this subject. The purpose of this research is twofold. First, we describe and compare the background of the dotcom entrepreneur with the one obtained from the former research. Second, we analyse the entrepreneurial process of the new firms creation in the cyberspace in Catalonia, Spain.

Do dot.com and traditional entrepreneurs succeed in the same way? A multiple case study in Catalonia

The increasing development of Information Technologies (ITs) and especially Internet significantly affects both firms and markets. In this context, two types of firms appear. Firms with a physical presence (traditional companies) that consider Internet as a new distribution channel or a logical extension of their traditional business, and pure dot.com firms (internet start-ups or cybertraders) that operate solely in this environment. This paper investigates whether entrepreneurs background may constitute a success factor for both cybertraders and traditional firms in Catalonia. Also, the characteristics and profiles of digital and traditional entrepreneurs to identify potential differences in their success factors are compared.

Rural Technology-Based Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship is now an important element of economic growth and prosperity for many regions of the world. Entrepreneurial activity has positive repercussions on employment generation (Storey 1982, 1988, 1994; Birley 1985; Kirchhoff and Phillips 1988, 1992; White and Reynolds 1996) and on economic growth (Kent 1982; Sexton 1986; Dubini 1989; Storey 1994; Wennekers and Thurik 1999). But according to a US National Commission on Entrepreneurship report (NCOE 2001) the most important contribution of entrepreneurship at the local level is “innovation.” Entrepreneurship and innovation, combined, have four principal benefits (NCOE 2001, p. 1): Improved quality of life Creation of new jobs Improved economic competitiveness Creation of economic growth and new wealth

NAO International (Spanien)

Es war ein Montagmorgen wie jeder andere. Der Sommer 2010 nahte und Carles, Grunder und Vorstandsvorsitzender von NAO, sas in seinem Buro und suchte nach Alternativen, den 30%-igen Verlust seines Unternehmens abzuwenden. Im August 2009 hatte Presscut, NAOs groster Kunde, angekundigt, dass sie die Leistungen und Dienste von NAO zuruckfahren wurden und diese mittelfristig vollstandig ersetzen wollten. NAO konnte es sich nicht leisten, den Umsatz und den grosten Distributor in Spanien zu verlieren. Carles hatte aber bisher keine Losung gefunden, als Antoine Legrand aus der neu gegrundeten Exportabteilung an seine Burotur klopfte. Antoine betrat das Buro mit den Worten: „Entschuldige die Storung, Carles, aber ich habe gute Nachrichten! Allopress, eine franzosische Presseagentur, mochte unsere Datenbank kaufen!“ „Das ist in der Tat eine gute Nachricht, Antoine! Mochten sie eine komplett neue Datenbank kaufen oder eher kategorisierte Informationen aus der Datenbank? Vielleicht interessieren sie sich auch fur unsere Webplattform-Losung, um Onlinemedien abzudecken.“ „Nein Carles, sie mochten nur unbegrenzten Zugang zu unserer Online-Nachrichten-Datenbank!“ „Haben sie auch nach Gebietsschutz gefragt?“ „Oh ja! Sie mochten vollen Gebietsschutz fur Frankreich, Luxemburg, Andorra, Belgien und den franzosischen Teil der Schweiz.“ Ein Moment der Stille folgte.