Technology-Based Entrepreneurship

Technology-based firms (TBFs) have an innovative role in the emerging knowledge economy (RAE, 2012), especially at an international level (EC, 2005; BERR, 2008). Indeed, the effective use of technological innovation is considered to be a prerequisite for business survival (Packham, 2002; Packham et al, 2005). It has long been recognised that technology-based entrepreneurship is important for economic growth and it has been noted that there is a need for an international focus on businesses having access to international markets (OECD, 2005). Within this context it has been acknowledged that business development programmes and assistance should enable firms to take advantage of innovative global technologies (OECD, 2005). Although significant opportunities are presented to businesses through the adoption of new technologies there needs to be awareness to the barriers of implementation and this has led researchers to focus on adoption factors (Parasuraman, 2000). In fact, there has been little success linking the determinants of adoption in businesses with expected outcomes such as innovation, apart from specialised research and development (R&D) intense sectors (Thomas and Simmons, 2010).

TBFs with an above average absorptive capacity tend to exhibit experience, knowledge, a skills base, knowledge creation and sharing processes (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990; Zahra and George, 2002; Gray, 2006). Their effective use of networking and an optimal use of technological innovation are the focus of this book. Here an approach appropriate to TBFs is taken by considering technology transfer policy, the diffusion of innovation into TBFs, technology clusters, university technology small firms, university business collaborations and partnerships, and the growth of a technology concept. Given this exciting new approach to technology-based entrepreneurship it is a pleasure to commend this text not only to students, researchers and scholars of entrepreneurship but also to policy makers, small business practitioners and owner managers. In this way it is hoped that this textbook will provide a greater understanding of technology-based entrepreneurship (Hsu, 2008) in the emerging knowledge economy.

Professor Gary Packham

Deputy Dean

Lord Ashcroft International Business School

Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK

• Preface
• Acknowledgements

1. Introduction
   1. Overview, Definitions and Background
   2. Technology-Based Entrepreneurship Education
   3. Technology-Based Entrepreneurship and Regional Development
   4. Organisation of the Book
2. Technology Transfer Policy
   1. Introduction
   2. Views of Policy Makers
   3. Technology Transfer Processes
   4. Discussion
   5. Conclusions: Policy Implications
3. Diffusion Of Innovations Into Technology-Based Firms
   1. Introduction
   2. Technology Diffusion
   3. Technology Transfer Networks
   4. A Model of Technology Diffusion
   5. “Best practice”
   6. Implications for Policy
   7. Conclusions
4. Technology Clusters
   1. Introduction
   2. Clusters and Knowledge Flows
   3. Mobility within clusters
   4. Conclusions
5. University Technology Small Firms
   1. Introduction
   2. Factors influencing University Technology Small Firms
   3. Conceptualising University Technology Small Firms
   4. Conclusions
6. University Business Collaboration
   1. Introduction
   2. Organisational aspects of university/business collaboration
   3. Motivations for university/business relationships
   4. Formation Process
   5. University/business Inter-organisational relationships
   6. Conclusions
7. University Business Partnerships and Models of Technology Transfer Offices
   1. Introduction
   2. The Management of University Business Partnerships
   3. Models of Technology Transfer Offices
   4. Networking Activities
   5. Discussion
   6. Conclusions
8. Growth of a Technology Concept: A Case Study
   1. Introduction
   2. Methodology
   3. Findings
   4. Conclusions
9. Conclusions
   1. Introduction
10. References
11. Index
12. About the Author