Inger Beate Pettersen

Continuity and change in path-dependent regional policy development: The regional implementation of the Norwegian VRI programme

Despite being promoted as a fresh start, new innovation programmes tend to inherit structures and procedures from previous initiative. The authors examine the regional implementation of the Norwegian VRI programme (Programme for Regional R&D and Innovation). Using insights from evolutionary theory, they elaborate on the coexistence of continuity and change in programme practice. Characteristics of previous programmes that have been followed in the new VRI programme are outlined, and new elements and procedures that have been introduced are tracked. The authors find that the new programme does not mark a radical break with the past, and clearly shows path-dependent evolution. Based on the assumption that ‘history matters’, the article contributes towards a more nuanced understanding of the various dimensions of path dependency.

Entrepreneurial experience and access to critical resources: a learning perspective

Purpose – Previous studies demonstrate that novice entrepreneurs access fewer resources than experienced portfolio entrepreneurs. From an entrepreneurial learning perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate why they differ in terms of accessing critical resources. Design/methodology/approach – The authors studied entrepreneurs in the Norwegian offshore petroleum industry, which is conservative with strict regulatory regimes and overall high-entry barriers, and in which a good reputation is crucial. Hence, the authors argue that the industry is well suited for a study of the research questions. Findings – The novices’ mind-sets were anchored in technological ideas and they had problems in prioritizing the critical business relationships and market opportunities. They were also unwilling to compromise on ownership control and to disclose business secrets. Portfolio entrepreneurs, on the other hand, acknowledged that technology had had little value if they could not convince market actors. There...

Exploring open innovation collaboration between SMEs and larger customers: The case of high-technology firms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore open innovation (OI) collaborations between high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large customers. The research aims to add new insights into how smaller firms attract and build trusting relationships with larger customers for the purpose of innovation, and to highlight customers’ contribution in SMEs’ innovation process. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory research is based on three case studies and adopts a process perspective to gather qualitative data on OI collaborations, focusing on the inherent dynamics, and evolution in long-term relationships. Findings The study provides insights into how SMEs develop OI relationships with both industry and research customers by building trust through various mechanisms. Motivated by the potential benefits of OI in strengthening the firms’ technological edge, the SME managers proactively and strategically developed and managed their OI relationships. The results proved that large customers contributed greatly to the SMEs’ innovation processes both directly and indirectly. Practical implications The research provides advice for smaller firms which are considering adopting an OI strategy with customers through mechanisms such as trust building and enhancing legitimacy. Originality/value The research adds to the OI literature on SMEs by exploring how smaller firms manage OI challenges, exploit benefits, and develop trusting relationships with larger customers and research institutions.

Assessing drivers of export orientation in the subsea oil and gas industry

The purpose of this short study was to identify the drivers of export orientation of firms in the subsea oil and gas industry in Western Norway. As the oil fields in the North Sea are approaching a stage of maturity, gaining knowledge of these drivers is crucial. An online survey was conducted of firms operating in the subsea oil and gas industry in the region. Consistent with previous research, the data reveal that product innovation and a majority share of international ownership increase firms’ export rates. The use of instrumental variables indicates that both product innovation and international ownership are causes of subsea petroleum exports. The study moreover finds that subcontractors have a lower rate of direct exports than system providers, but international ownership in particular boosts subcontractors’ export rates, probably by decreasing their market dependency on regional system providers. A clear recommendation for managers and stakeholders is that they should encourage foreign investments throughout the value chain. The results of such a strategy appear to be especially positive for subcontractors.

Entrepreneurial Causation vs. Effectuation in a Business Incubation Context: Implications for Recruiting Policy and Management

Abstract Many business incubators aim to provide network resources and to stimulate the sharing of ideas, but previous research has shown that limited knowledge exchange takes place between incubated firms. In this paper, we examine if an entrepreneurial approach of causation vs. effectuation is associated with the proclivity to share ideas between firms and the perceived value of such inter-tenant network resources. A causation approach implies that entrepreneurs focus on a predefined goal and then aim to find the means to reach this goal. An effectuation approach implies that entrepreneurs focus on the means at hand, which they aim to materialize into one or more goals that were not necessarily predefined. We carry out a multiple case study of start-ups in a business incubator and find that entrepreneurs taking an effectuation approach have a proclivity to share ideas and they perceive such network resources as having a high value. Entrepreneurs taking a causation approach, on the other hand, have limited proclivity to share ideas with other incubator firms and they perceive such network resources as having a relatively low value. The findings are striking since many incubators implicitly or explicitly tend to recruit firms taking a causation approach by selecting candidates with a rigorous and predefined business plan. We discuss the findings’ implications for incubator recruiting policy and management.

Returning to the Spanish Salted Fish Market: An Institutional Approach to a Seafood Value Chain

cooperation rather than on the border itself. Chapter 3 consists largely of a history of the concept of civil society. As with the focus on borders, the aim is to deconstruct our notion of civil society, and to highlight the “fuzzy borders” that exist between different organizational forms, and between the metaconcepts of market, state, and family against which civil society is defined. However, this effort to complicate our notions of “civil society” removes rather than provides firm foundations upon which to situate the empirical study of CSOs in CBC. The following chapter on Europe (Chapter 4) is similarly exhaustive, as the history of European border strategies, neighborhood policies, and relations with Russia are all investigated. As the author emphasizes, the EU has come to see CBC across its external borders as a crucial means of developing transnational linkages that both complement those occurring within the Union as well as promoting “neighborliness” to aid in the management of its external border. The impression that comes through most strongly is of the EU hindering the Finnish funding of CBC, and hence impeding the spread of a Finnish model of civil society across the border (p. 199). The bureaucratic requirements put in place by the European Union tend to exacerbate the problems associated with a lack of Russian capacity for CSOs and the consequent positioning of Russia as an object rather than partner in CBC. Chapter 5 gets to grips with “discursive practices” related to CBC (the second theme) by examining the presentation of Russia from 1990 to 2010 in the editorial and letters pages of Finland’s largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat. The analysis is exhaustive, in both qualitative and quantitative form, but is essentially summed up as “Finnish attitudes [are] stable” (p. 380). Thereafter, the short Chapter 6 focuses on institutional forms of CSOs in Russia and the difficulties of exporting a Finnish social economy across the border. The results reproduce the investigation’s premise that Finland has a culture of civil society and a network of CSOs, whereas Russia has neither. This is shown in CBC, whereby Finnish CSOs link together to work within Russia, whilst the Russian organizations examined in the study remain domestically isolated from one another, their links solely with partner organizations across the border. The financial and organizational resources also largely originate from the Finnish and European Union side. The concluding chapter (Chapter 7) emphasizes the importance of social economy and the need to develop financially viable CSOs within Russia, rather than grant-dependent ones. This is very good in theory, but given the “disquieting actions that the state structures have placed upon civil society in Russia” (p. 388) and the lack of “financial viability” of social contracting in Russia (p. 371), the extent to which a promotion of “social entrepreneurship” (p. 393) is viable is not clear from the material presented in Chapter 7. In terms of the averred themes, this reviewer was left with the impression that: 1. The role of Finnish CSOs in CBC has changed little, since due to the continued weakness of Russian civil society, Finnish CSOs will continue to provide the expertise and finance 2. The image of Russia is “stable” and essentially unaffected by CSO cooperation.