Sarfraz A. Mian

Assessing and managing the university technology business incubator: An integrative framework

Seeks to develop a framework for assessing and managing university-based technology business incubators (UTBI). Three related areas of knowledge are used to develop this framework: (1) business incubation support, (2) universitys involvement in technology and business development support, and (3) organizational effectiveness approaches. The conceptual model that is created is based on three sets of variables: (1) performance outcomes, (2) management policies and their effectiveness, and (3) services and their value-added. Performance outcomes are further divided into program growth and sustainability, tenant firms survival and growth, contributions to sponsoring-universitys mission, and community-related impacts. Management policies are broken down by goals, structures and governance, financing and capitalization, operational policies, and target markets. Services are examined in terms of shared incubator services and university-related services. In order to test the validity of this model, data were gathered from 30 five-year and older U.S. facilities. Four of these facilities were analyzed using a comparative evaluation approach. Using these four facilities, the analysis shows that the proposed model is flexible and easy-to-use in assessing and managing the performance of UTBIs. This model will help those assessing UTBIs to better understand performance and areas for improvement. (SRD)

Assessing value-added contributions of university technology business incubators to tenant firms

This paper assesses the value-added contributions of university technology business incubators (UTBIs) to their new technology-based tenant firms. The business incubator is widely believed as providing a nurturing environment for new business start-ups. However, the role played by university relationships in supporting the development of new technology-based firms (NTBFs) has escaped systematic review in the US due to a lack of historical data. To fill this gap, this article presents empirical data on UTBIs by focusing on their value-added dimensions which include typical incubator services along with university-related inputs. The study is based on a national survey of six representative UTBI facilities, providing an insight into the value-added aspects as perceived by the clients. It concludes that several UTBI services, specifically some of the university-related inputs such as university image, laboratories and equipment, and student employees add major values to the client firms, making the UTBI a viable strategy for nurturing NTBFs.

US university-sponsored technology incubators: an overview of management, policies and performance

Abstract Despite the increased worldwide interest in the university-sponsored technology incubator (USTI) as a mechanism for supporting the development of new technology-based firms (NTBFs), there is a dearth of empirical evidence on determinants of their best organization and management, and policy practices. This paper presents results from a national survey of more than 30 five-year and older American USTIs. The study focused on a sample comprising three state university-sponsored and three private university-sponsored facilities, generally viewed as being successful. The USTI practices and performance are explored using several key dimensions: organizational design, tenant performance review, funding sources, targeted technologies, strategic operational policies, services and their value-added component, and growth of the client firms. A comparative review of these dimensions reveals that there are no significant differences based on the type of sponsorship — state or private. It is concluded that, given the fuller utilization of university resources by the application of sound policies and business-management practices, the USTIs appear to provide an environment conducive to the development of NTBFs. Finally, it is recommended that universities must build their technology incubator programs by setting reasonable objectives and management policies that will encourage tangible results consistent with the new mission requirements of an entrepreneurial university.

The university business incubator: A strategy for developing new research/technology-based firms

Abstract This article describes the university business incubator (UBI) as a strategy being employed for promoting the development of new research/technology-based firms (RTBFs). The business incubator is widely believed as providing a nurturing environment for new business start-ups, however, the role played by university relationships in providing a nurturing environment for the survival and growth of small RTBFs has escaped systematic review in the U.S. due to a lack of historical data. To fill this gap, this paper presents empirical data on two established UBI programs: the Enterprise Development Inc. at Case Western Reserve University, and the Ben Craig Center at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. These cases provide insights for policy makers and aspiring entrepreneurs into the various facility design, management policy, and value-added aspects of this modem tool employed by some entrepreneurial universities as a strategy for supporting the development of new RTBFs.

Decision-Making over the Project Life Cycle: An Analytical Hierarchy Approach

Modern project management decisions are made in an environment often characterized by complexity, need for flexibility, and inclusion of a decision-makers subjectivity. Typical project management, private or public, involves making decisions on the allocation of resources, project selection, choice of project managers, bid evaluation, vendor selection, and so forth, in an efficient and timely manner. In this paper, we illustrate how these kinds of decisions can be analyzed via a powerful research-based, multicriteria decision-making technique, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Using AHP, the decision problems are delineated into hierarchies in the form of goals, criteria, and alternatives for pairwise comparisons using Expert Choice® software. The judgments are further synthesized to provide ranking of the alternatives for the best choice.

Building sustainable regional platforms for incubating science and technology businesses : evidence from US and French science and technology parks

The authors explore the role played by science and technology parks (STPs) as regional platforms for incubating science- and technology-based businesses. Using multiple case studies of the more established US and French STP facilities, they provide an analysis of the contributions made by STPs as regional drivers of innovative entrepreneurship. The paper concludes that successful STPs can act as platforms for incubating science and technology businesses. If modern STPs are to emerge as sustainable platforms of incubation, their business models must be responsive to changing contextual needs through the pursuit of realistic goals, providing high-quality value-added services, employing professionally competent management and maintaining financial strength.

Building Knowledge Regions in North America

Focusing on emerging technology regions of the US, Canada and Mexico, the authors provide an analysis of firms’ innovative milieus in three contexts: national systems of innovation, knowledge regions and incubation mechanisms. An overview of the evolution of each region over the past quarter century is presented, along with an evaluation of the effectiveness of science parks and technology incubators in various regional and national environments.

How do social skills enable nascent entrepreneurs to enact perseverance strategies in the face of challenges? A comparative case study of success and failure

Purpose – This paper seeks to advance ongoing research in entrepreneurial perseverance. While the concept of perseverance is not new, few researchers paid attention to behavioural persistence in the entrepreneurial context. The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of new technology based firms (NTBF) by focusing on the role of nascent entrepreneurs’ social skills in the meeting the changes of entrepreneurial perseverance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors study the start-up phase of entrepreneurial process. The authors opted for a longitudinal case study approach in order to enhance the knowledge on entrepreneurs’ social skills and perseverance. For triangulation purpose the data were gathered using four different information sources. The use of Nvivo8 as the data analysis tool helped to impose a discipline and structure which facilitated the extraction of core insights. Findings – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the con...

State of entrepreneurship and globalisation in Pakistan

Economists take entrepreneurship as the capabilities of an enterprising person to manage and organise various factors of production, take risk, innovate and imitate new things and meet the unforeseen situations. In Pakistan, non-availability of authentic data on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship, overlapping mission statements of agencies working to promote SMEs and entrepreneurs, non-availability of right BDS2 providers (public and private) and non-professional management of interest groups such as chambers and associations in the industrial clusters have hampered the growth and sustainability of SMEs in Pakistan. The paper also talks about the need to understand the holistic approach based on clusters and networks development methodology to initiate the industrial change management in Pakistan.

Business incubation mechanisms and new venture support: emerging structures of US science parks and incubators

This article surveys the last several decades of the emergence of business incubation mechanisms in supporting the development of innovative small firms. Focusing on the more established business incubation programmes, the paper presents four representative cases of the US science park and their incubator programmes initiated in the 1980s. A longitudinal review of the last three decades of their emerging organisational structures, management policies, and services provided reveal that these incubation mechanisms are responsive to the client firms changing needs and have evolved into sustainable models of new venture support. The article provides lessons for those interested in benchmarking, managing, and assessing the roles of modern science park and incubator mechanisms.