Tommy Shih

State actors’ mobilisation of innovation: The Chinese state-business nexus and the development and commercialisation of a vaccine

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore how state actors mobilise resources in business networks to facilitate innovation. Design/methodology/approach - A single case study method is used ...

Marketing for start-ups

The chapter focuses on marketing activities of start-up firms. While this is traditionally understood as analyzing the customer needs and how to bridge that gap, for example, through segmentation and branding activities, this chapter has focused on bridging the gaps between industrial actors in order to build networks. The rationale behind this focus relates to the fact that science- and technology-based start-ups often do not sell directly to the end consumer or user; instead marketing activities are often targeted toward industrial actors. The formation of network relationships is necessary for value creation. However, network-building activities can be particularly troublesome for newly formed firms as they often lack resources and business legitimacy. This chapter discusses how start-up firms interact, how their networks are built, and what contributions various actors have in terms of how they add to the possibility of the start-up developing in the long term. Two cases are presented and particular interest is aimed at the actors with whom the start-ups interact in the innovation support and business spheres, respectively. The chapter describes how the logistics of these two spheres differ and how they affect the start-up firms.

MANAGING INDUSTRIALIZATION: A RESOURCE INTERACTION PERSPECTIVE

Researchers continue to seek understanding of industrialization as a state managed process. How to create and implement new industries based on advanced knowledge is on the policy agenda of many advanced nations. Measures that promote these developments include national capacity building in science and technology, the formation of technology transfer systems, and the establishment of industrial clusters. What these templates often overlook is an analysis of use. This chapter aims to increase the understanding of the processes that embed new solutions in structures from an industrial network perspective. The chapter describes an empirical study of high-technology industrialization in Taiwan that the researcher conducts to this end. The study shows that the Taiwanese industrial model is oversimplified and omits several important factors in the development of new industries. This study bases its findings on the notions that resource combination occurs in different time and space, the new always builds on existing resource structures, and the users are important as active participants in development processes.

The challenging life of university start-ups - The different view of value creation in a policy setting compared to a business setting

University start-ups are, in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Union (EU) policy setting, viewed as important means to transform scientific advances into innovations, corresponding both to market and societal needs (Mowery & Sampat, 2005; Rider, Hasselberg, & Waluszewski, 2013). The high expectations on the ability to directly transform social and material resources, valuable in an academic research setting, into new products/services to contribute possible value in a business setting are rooted in the so-called 1990s science and innovation policy doctrine, with the OECD as its most prominent advocate (Eklund, 2007; Waluszewski, 2011). The doctrine points to university research as an important but underutilised direct source of innovation for growth and societal welfare. In the wake of this policy regime, a number of measures have been undertaken to stimulate the commercialisation of research results, with the establishment of university start-ups as a key measure.

Introduction: Starting Up in Business Networks—Why Relationships Matter in Entrepreneurship

Few people would object to the contention that relationships matter in entrepreneurship. In the research field of entrepreneurship, there has been increasing attention to the social relationships of the entrepreneur and to the role of networking in starting up a business (e.g. Fayolle, Jack, Lamine & Chabaud, 2016; Hoang & Antoncic, 2003; Hoang & Yi, 2015; Jack, 2010). Research has shown that social relationships and the networks of entrepreneurs matter because they are resource entrepreneurs that can leverage in the starting-up process. Instead of focusing on the social relationships, this book focuses on the initial customer and supplier relationships of a start-up developed at an early stage and examine why these are important in starting up a new business venture.

10 The Coordinating Role of Chinese Policy Actors in Developing New Biotechnology Start Up Companies to Promote Industrial Development

All around the world there is an increased understanding among policymakers that the establishment of start-up companies is the backbone of future economic growth. It is argued that the development of new companies can increase the innovation rate and contribute to industrial change. This belief is also championed by the Chinese government, which has especially emphasised the possibility of start-up companies to facilitate the establishment and development of strategically important industries. The promotion of high-tech industries already started in the late 1980s; however, since the 1990s, policy attention towards developing some strategically important sectors has been apparent.

Strategy in an ambiguous innovation environment. The case of a Taiwanese biopharmaceutical firm

Purpose: An ambiguous environment indicates how rules and interests may not be outspoken or clear. In an emerging industry sector, such ambiguity may follow from different sets of rules to adapt to ...