Specialization versus Diversification: Perceived Benefits of Different Incubation Models
Michael Schwartz, Christoph Hornych
International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management,
No. 3,
2012
Abstract
Business incubator initiatives are a widespread policy instrument for the promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation and the development of new technology-based firms. Recently, there has been an increasing tendency for the more traditional diversified incubators to be superseded by incubators focusing their support elements, processes and selection criteria on firms from one specific sector, and its particular needs. Despite the increasing importance of such specialized incubators in regional innovation strategies, the question of whether they are advantageous has neither been investigated empirically nor discussed theoretically in detail. Drawing on large-scale survey data from 161 firms incubated in either diversified or specialized incubators in Germany, we investigate the benefits to firms of being part of a specialized business incubator as opposed to being part of a generalized business incubator. The investigation of the value-added contribution of specialized incubators, in particular regarding hardware components, business assistance, networking and reputation gains, reveals considerable differences compared to the more diversified incubation model.
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Incubator Organizations as Entrepreneurship and SME Policy Instrument in Transition Economies: A Survey among six Countries
Michael Schwartz, Sebastian Blesse
Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
No. 3,
2011
Abstract
Within incubator-incubation research, there is a predominant focus on incubator organizations located in industrialized or developed economies. Knowledge regarding the evolution of incubators located in transition economies is almost non-existent. However, meanwhile a significant number of incubators have been established since the fall of the iron curtain in many Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries as well. Here, the present paper sets in through providing evidence on the development, distribution and structural characteristics of incubators in six selected CEE countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia). We show that incubator organizations have become a central element of support infrastructure for SME and entrepreneurship in CEE countries during the past 20 years. We further argue that by drawing upon the accumulated experience with incubators in developed Western (European) economies, there are important lessons to be learned for incubator stakeholders in transition economies. We, therefore, outline particular suggestions considered to be vital for long-term successful incubation processes in transition economies.
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Internationalisation Theory and Technological Accumulation - An Investigation of Multinational Affiliates in East Germany
Björn Jindra
Studies in Economic Transition, London,
2012
Abstract
The integration of post-communist countries into the European and global economy after 1990 has led to a renewed interest in the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in economic restructuring and technological development. This book explains the expansion of MNEs into a transition economy from the technology accumulation perspective. Key assumptions of the technological accumulation approach towards firms' internationalisation are tested, using the examples of foreign and West German MNEs in East Germany. The effects of technological externalities on MNE location choice are analysed, in addition to an exploration of the factors driving the location of foreign affiliates' research and development (R&D) and innovation activities. The book provides a novel and comprehensive empirical approach to assess the developmental role of MNEs, deriving significant economic policy implications for transition and emerging economies.
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University Cities: Including Universities and Research Institutes into Strategies for Urban Growth
Peter Franz
International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development,
2011
Abstract
The topic of this special issue refers to the observation that many larger and middle-sized cities dispose of a considerable potential of institutions creating and disseminating knowledge. This kind of endowment seems to be especially valuable in an upcoming knowledge-based economy. Recent strategic concepts and inter-city competitions referring to ‘knowledge-based urban development’, ‘knowledge city’, ‘creative city’, ‘science city’ or ‘entrepreneurial university’ indicate that urban planners and politicians are beginning to search for strategies to take advantage and to make use of this potential. The papers in this special issue a) present case studies of cities trying to activate their knowledge resources for local economic growth, b) deal with regulatory barriers and problems for cities applying ‘knowledge city’ strategies, c) analyze the university support for entrepreneurial activities, and d) discuss some implications of ‘knowledge city’ strategies for architecture and urban planning.
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Entrepreneurial Opportunity and the Formation of Photovoltaic Clusters in Eastern Germany
Matthias Brachert, Christoph Hornych
R. Wüstenhagen, R. Wuebker (Hrsg.), Handbook of Research on Energy Entrepreneurship,
2011
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to explain the evolution of the spatial structures of one particular type of renewable energy in Germany – the photovoltaic (PV) industry. We first demonstrate how environmental movements have contributed to institutional change and government action, leading to changes in the legal and regulative structure in Germany. We describe how these changes opened up a window of locational opportunity (WLO), thus combining the WLO concept with the entrepreneurial opportunity concept. As market entries occurred mainly in Eastern Germany, the paper also explores the factors leading to a concentration of economic activity related to the new PV industry in this part of the country. Based on the WLO concept, we combine this framework with the industrial dynamics literature by Klepper (2007) and illustrate the spatial evolution of the PV industry.
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What Drives FDI in Central-eastern Europe? Evidence from the IWH-FDI-Micro Database
Andrea Gauselmann, Mark Knell, Johannes Stephan
Post-Communist Economies,
No. 3,
2011
Abstract
The focus of this paper is on the match between strategic motives of foreign investments into Central-Eastern Europe and locational advantages offered by these countries. Our analysis makes use of the IWH-FDI-Micro Database, a unique dataset that contains information from 2009 about the determinants of locational factors, technological activity of the subsidiaries, and the potentials for knowledge spillovers in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The analysis suggests that investors in these countries are mainly interested in low (unit) labour costs coupled with a well-trained and educated workforce and an expanding market with the high growth rates in the purchasing power of potential buyers. It also suggests that the financial crisis reduced the attractiveness of the region as a source for localised knowledge and technology. There appears to be a match between investors’ expectations and the quantitative supply of unqualified labour, not however for the supply of medium qualified workers. But the analysis suggests that it is not technology-seeking investments that are particularly content with the capabilities of their host economies in terms of technological cooperation. Finally, technological cooperation within the local host economy is assessed more favourably with domestic firms than with local scientific institutions – an important message for domestic economic policy.
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Endogenous Selection of Comparison Groups, Human Capital Formation, and Tax Policy
Oded Stark, Walter Hyll, Y. Wang
Economica,
No. 313,
2012
Abstract
We consider a setting in which the acquisition of human capital entails a change of location in social space that causes individuals to revise their comparison groups. Skill levels are viewed as occupational groups. Moving up the skill ladder by acquiring additional human capital, in itself rewarding, leads to a shift in the individual’s inclination to compare himself with a different, and on average better-paid, comparison group, in itself penalizing. We shed new light on the dynamics of human capital formation, and suggest novel policy interventions to encourage human capital formation in the aggregate and reduce inter-group income inequality.
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The Attractiveness of East Germany as Investment Location for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)
Andrea Gauselmann, Björn Jindra
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 6,
2010
Abstract
Der vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet zum einen die grundlegenden Investitionsmotive multinationaler Investoren in Ostdeutschland. Zum anderen wird
untersucht, wie diese Investoren die Qualität ausgewählter Standortfaktoren in den Neuen Ländern bewerten. Im Gegensatz zu bisherigen Studien wird die Heterogenität multinationaler Unternehmen in der Analyse eingehend berücksichtigt. Die Untersuchung basiert auf der dritten Befragungswelle der IWH-FDI-Mikrodatenbank aus dem Jahr 2009, die eine repräsentative und umfangreiche Stichprobe multinationaler Investoren in der ostdeutschen Wirtschaft bietet. Die Ergebnisse belegen einen Paradigmenwechsel in der relativen Bedeutung grundlegender Investitionsmotive im Laufe der Transformation in den Neuen Ländern. Seit Mitte der 1990er Jahre ziehen sie verstärkt Investoren an, die auf die Produktdiversifikation oder technologische Vorteile abzielen, statt primär auf Kostenvorteile bei den Produktionsfaktoren oder die Ausdehnung ihrer bestehenden Produktion zu setzen. Dabei unterscheidet sich die Bedeutung der Investitionsmotive in Abhängigkeit vom Herkunftsland, der Art des Markteintritts und dem Wirtschaftszweig des multinationalen Investors. Was die Bewertung der gegebenen Standortfaktoren aus Sicht der Investoren betrifft, so schneidet die Qualität des soziokulturellen Umfelds am besten ab, gefolgt von Faktoren im Zusammenhang mit dem Potenzial für technologische Kooperationen, dem Angebot an Arbeitskräften sowie der Verfügbarkeit staatlicher Förderung. Auch in der Bewertung der Standortfaktoren zeigt sich, dass signifikante Unterschiede in Abhängigkeit vom Herkunftsland, aber auch je nach dem vorrangigen Investitionsmotiv des Investors bestehen. Abschließend identifiziert der Beitrag politischen Handlungsbedarf auf den Feldern Fachkräfteangebot sowie Technologie- und Investitionsförderung, um den Wirtschaftsstandort Neue Länder nachhaltig zu sichern.
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Cooperation Patterns of Incubator Firms and the Impact of Incubator Specialization: Empirical Evidence from Germany
Michael Schwartz, Christoph Hornych
Technovation,
2010
Abstract
The article examines cooperation patterns of 150 firms located in German business incubators (BIs). More specifically, this study distinguishes between networking within the tenant portfolio and the academic-industry linkages of the tenant firms. We further contribute to the relevant literature by explicitly considering differences in cooperation patterns between firms located on diversified and specialized incubator facilities. Empirical results do not support the common assumption that specialized incubation strategies increase the effectiveness of incubator-internal networking compared to diversified BIs. Also, incubator specialization is not superior to diversified incubators with respect to the promotion of linkages of their tenants with academic institutions. For academic linkages, industry effects matter more than incubator characteristics.
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