Marc Grünhagen

Development of Cooperation in New Venture Support Networks: The Role of Key Actors

Purpose – New venture support networks (NVSN) are an instrument of enterprise policy with the aim of effectively coordinating the activities of different organisations involved in new venture support. This paper aims to illuminate the role of certain key actors in facilitating and maintaining cooperation in such networks, which are characterised by a heterogeneous actor structure and a lack of a network culture due to having been established by political initiative.Design/methodology/approach – This paper discusses case studies in five German NVSN, which are all part of the governmental initiative “EXIST – Entrepreneurs from Universities”, established in 1998.Findings – Identifies three general functions for key actors: generating benefits for the member organisations from without and within the network; communicating these benefits to the member organisations; and maintaining a balance between the heterogeneous interests of the network partners.Research limitations/implications – The study identifies the...

Modelling the antecedents of innovation-based growth intentions in entrepreneurial ventures: the role of perceived regulatory conditions in the German renewable energies and disease management industries

This paper develops a model of regulatory and policy support effects on innovation-based growth intentions of entrepreneurs. Our empirical study consists of multiple embedded case studies from the German renewable energies and medical disease management industries, including 6 firm cases, 20 expert interviews and a survey of 47 entrepreneurs and managers. The results suggest regulatory complexity and reliability as well as the degree of policy supportiveness as the central influence constructs on the perceived feasibility and desirability of growth aspirations. For innovation and entrepreneurship policy, this implies (1) that regulatory frameworks and incentives should feature long-term continuity so as to reduce product development and investment risks, (2) that this may be flanked by demand- and supply-side instruments to address market anomalies and (3) that the implementation of regulatory and policy measures should be kept transparent and accessible to reduce perceived administrative complexity.

Organization and Personnel

Specific questions of organization and personnel planning and management are not relevant for all newly founded enterprises. However, for those start-ups aiming at growth, organizational and personnel aspects are of central importance within the context of a target-oriented and systematic growth management. Generally speaking, for all emerging enterprises, initial organizing activities seem to be critical to their survival [Brush et al. (2008)].

Johannes Kepler University Linz: Inspiring Teaching and a Support Network for Academic Entrepreneurs

The main hub for entrepreneurship education at Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), Upper-Austria, is the university’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Organisational Development (IUG). Entrepreneurship teaching is delivered by the IUG team and an established network of external lecturers. The institute’s landmark approach to delivering entrepreneurship to students from all faculties entails a concentrated portfolio of courses in entrepreneurial management based on real-world entrepreneurial challenges for students to learn from. These courses are offered in cooperation with university patent scouts and academic entrepreneurs (the “patent-based business planning” and “innovation lab” courses are highlighted in the case). The flexible integration of external lecturers enables: (a) offering a sustained hands-on entrepreneurship teaching in concert with IUG staff and, since it is based on the same people, (b) a seamless coaching of potential entrepreneurs from the university within a network of regional start-up support and incubator institutions in Upper-Austria.

Insights for Entrepreneurship Educators, Education Managers, and University Leaders

The final chapter of this book aims at highlighting lessons learned from the 20 examined cases on higher education institutions in Europe. Selected implications are derived in the areas of curricular and extra-curricular offers as well as institutional aspects and stakeholder management of EE. Knowledge on EE can be relevant for educators, university managers, politicians and entrepreneurs alike. The insights provided in this book serve to stimulate exchange of best practices, discussion and constant development of EE in Europe.

Technical University of Kosice: Extra-curricular Entrepreneurship Education Activities and Start-up Coaching Within the Region

The Technical University of Kosice (TUKE), Slovakia, is located in Kosice, the main city in Eastern Slovakia and the European Capital of Culture 2013. TUKE is a fully-fledged university with a strong technical tradition. It offers curricular EE mainly through its Faculty of Economics, in particular courses in entrepreneurial management and developing entrepreneurial skills. The main emphasis of EE at TUKE is on extra-curricular activities. These include a training programme and a linked start-up weekend for students to develop their own business ideas and start-ups (the AZU initiative), as well as infrastructure to coach individual student start-up projects and regional entrepreneurs (in the Start-up Centre). Within these activities the university integrates regional and national co-operation partners and their knowledge resources in supporting entrepreneurial ventures. This enables a flexible integration of university members with entrepreneurial motivation (staff, students, alumni) as well as a scaling of EE on campus. At the same time, it brings about the task of co-ordinating and sustaining single activities over time. Institutionalisation of an infrastructure for extra-curricular EE is currently mainly indirect. It has developed through start-up coaching and training for individual student or staff teams within general technology transfer activities in the university’s start-up centre and the prospective science park.

Erasmus University Rotterdam: Building the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship and Advancing Corporate Entrepreneurship

Erasmus University Rotterdam has a long track record in entrepreneurship teaching and research, notably both in entrepreneurial management and also in the economics of entrepreneurship through its Rotterdam School of Management and Erasmus School of Economics. The central hub for extra-curricular EE, training, and coaching offers is the new Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship within the university. Erasmus University has recently expanded its already well-established EE profile by adding corporate entrepreneurship to its agenda of master degree programmes in entrepreneurship and targeting small business owners and corporate intrapreneurs also in its entrepreneurship training offers within the entrepreneurship centre. This entrepreneurship portfolio and the organisation of corresponding education activities in cooperation with a community of entrepreneurs contribute to the valorisation of the university’s expertise in entrepreneurship through the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship. This provides instructive insights and options for transfer to one’s own university in terms of further developing existing curricular entrepreneurship programmes as well as building self-sustainable entrepreneurship centres based on a resource-efficient set-up of premium education activities together with external entrepreneurs as educators.

Social Entrepreneurship in the Market System

Learning goals Upon completing this chapter, you should be able to accomplish the following: Explain the potential role of social entrepreneurship in market economies. Recognize the function of social entrepreneurs in addition to commercial entrepreneurs and the state as suppliers of goods and services. Explain the scope of activity of social enterprises in relation to their potential for value creation and appropriation. Characterize typical areas of activity of social entrepreneurs and provide examples.

Wandel als Chance – Innovationsimpulse und institutionelles Unternehmertum

Wenn es in der Wirtschaft um Innovationen geht, kommt Entrepreneuren als Unternehmern, die Neuerungen auf dem Markt etablieren, eine wesentliche Motorfunktion zu. Und auch im Bereich der Unternehmensinternationalisierung spielen innovative Grundungsunternehmen, die rasch in eine weltweite Prasenz hineinwachsen, als Born Globals eine wesentliche Rolle. Die Phanomene des Wandels, die sie dabei einerseits nutzen und andererseits selbst anstosen, bedingen, dass sich die Wirtschafts-Welt standig in einem „Unruhezustand“ befindet. Wer es als traditioneller Ukonom gewohnt ist, in Gleichgewichtskategorien zu denken, musste insofern zur Einsicht gelangen, dass moderne Marktwirtschaften sich – wenn uberhaupt – als „Ungleichgewichtsokonomien“ kategorisieren lassen. Anpassungen an veranderte Umweltbedingungen avancieren von der gelegentlichen Notwendigkeit zur Routineaufgabe auf allen okonomischen Handlungsebenen, was sich seit dem Jahr 2008 beispielsweise in fortwahrenden Bemuhungen um einen neuen Regulierungsrahmen in Zuge der weltweiten Finanzkrise zeigt. Entsprechend geraten organisationale und managementliche Qualitatskriterien, wie Anpassungsflexibilitat, Beschleunigungsbewaltigung und Wandlungskultur mehr und mehr ins Rampenlicht des wissenschaftlichen und praktischen Interesses.

The Business Plan and Formation of the Enterprise

The future of an enterprise depends on sound prior planning; business planning contains the intellectual anticipation of the future of an enterprise, forming the nucleus for the later development of the enterprise. In advance of working out a comprehensive business plan, a short feasibility study is often carried out in order to investigate the fundamental practicability of the envisioned venture project by means of a preliminary rough analysis [Allen (2003)]. If no customer demand or willingness of customers to pay is detected for the intended product or service offer, this particular venture-project should, if considered realistically, already be abandoned in the phase of the feasibility study. Alternatively, after a successful rough analysis a detailed business plan can be prepared.