Incubation Programs Research Articles

Understanding refugee entrepreneurship incubation – an embeddedness perspective

Purpose Recent years have seen a wave of immigration in western countries. Entrepreneurship can foster refugees’ integration in the labour market. Hence, the authors observe an emergence of incubators with social purpose, addressing the key challenges of refugee entrepreneurs. The purpose of this paper is to look at the particularities and the impact of business incubation on entrepreneurial development and embeddedness of refugee entrepreneurs in the host country by applying the theoretical lens of mixed embeddedness theory. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a qualitative case study approach exploring one business incubation model for refugee entrepreneurs in Germany. For a multi-stakeholder perspective, the data were collected through a participatory focus group workshop and semi-structured interviews of refugee entrepreneurs and incubator stakeholders (e.g. incubator management, mentors and partners) contributing to the incubation. The data collection extends over the duration of five months of the incubation programme. Findings The empirical results emphasise the impact of the business incubator on refugee entrepreneur’s development and embeddedness. In this analysis, the authors identify key themes of a particular incubation process addressing the lack of embeddedness and barriers to refugee entrepreneurs in the host country. From the results, the authors elaborate a particular business incubation process framework of refugee entrepreneurs. Originality/value The findings enhance the understanding how business incubation contributes to the embeddedness of refugee entrepreneurs in their new hosting environment. Thus, this research contributes to the existing literature by extending incubation model frameworks towards refugee entrepreneurship and embeddedness perspectives. Furthermore, the study emphasises the role of the incubator in the context of the dimensions of the mixed embeddedness of the refugee entrepreneurs.

Evaluating Business Accelerator Participants’ Experiences: Effectuation at Play?1

Responding to the new phenomena in entrepreneurship ecosystems in Poland, the author undertakes the study that aims to explore experiences of the participants of (pre)accelerator programme for start-ups. Clipster is a business acceleration and incubation programme, where participants have a unique co-living opportunity and work on their new venture ideas. With phenomenological interviews with six nascent entrepreneurs – participants working on their new venture ideas andemployment of inductive research approach, the author uses grounded theory analysis methods. The results provide 4 key categories that reflect effectuation heuristics. The findings contribute to acceleration and incubation literature by providing insights into the interactive and dynamic nature on the micro level of individual and interpersonal behaviours and processes among the programme participants.

Improving agripreneurship in India: The impact of training and incubation programme

Improving agripreneurship in India: The impact of training and incubation programme

The Role of Internship and Business Incubation Programs in Forming Entrepreneurial Intentions: an Empirical Analysis from Pakistan

Purpose: Entrepreneurship is a vital tool for the economic development of any country. As a fiel of research, entrepreneurship has become a diversified area of study. A plethora of studies appeared that investigate the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention, most of them focus on personality traits and other psychological factors. However, the studies focus less on practical entrepreneurial education such as internship and business incubation. Thus, the current study seeks to fill this gap by empirically investigating the impact of business incubators and internship programs on student’s entrepreneurial intention in the Pakistani context. Methodology: The authors collected data through a structured questionnaire from students and ran partial least square structural equation modeling technique by SmartPLS software. Findings: The results show that business incubators and internship programs have a strong and positive statistically significant impact on entrepreneurial intentions. Implication: The current study can help policy-makers get a better insight on entrepreneurship so as to improve its innovation, proactivity, and risk-taking ability and how these factors can amend the lack of entrepreneurial awareness among business students.

Influences on Indigenous and Pacific students’ health career choices: a longitudinal cohort study

Background: It is not understood how Māori and Pacific students in New Zealand choose nursing as a health career. Findings regarding influences arose from a study focusing on an incubator programme in New Zealand.Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether secondary school students’ participation in an Incubator Programme at secondary school influences students’ choice of tertiary education. One of the aims of Programme Incubator (PI) is to encourage Indigenous (Māori) and Pacific students to consider a career in health.Methods: This longitudinal cohort study followed two cohorts of secondary school students from five schools. Participants completed a survey before and after participating in PI.Results: Of possible career options, nursing was the most common. Influences on career choices were personal experience, exposure to the media, careers advisors and teachers.Conclusions: PI is more attractive to Māori and Pacific people, than other populations. PI has been found to broaden and confirm available career options for some students. Nursing is a popular career choice for secondary students.

Sector-Specific Business Associations’ Performance Internalities: Evidence from Selected Associations of Food Processing SMEs in Rwanda and Tanzania

Sector specificity and prioritization has been found to be one of practical option for harnessing scarce resources and capabilities for enhancing Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) development and promotion strategies such as industrial cluster, incubation programmes and Business Associations (BAs). Although sector-specific BAs tend to deliver focused outreach services to their members but the assessment and comparability of BAs internal operation and performance between countries is hardly studied. This study examined and compared the internal performance of selected sector-specific BAs in the two countries using selected internal performance indicators. Convenient sample size of this study was 145 food processing SMEs belonging to four BAs of which two from Rwanda namely The Maize Millers Association of Rwanda (AMMIRWA) and The Association Pour la promotion des Producteurs de jus, boissons alcoolisies et alcooliques au Rwanda (APPROJUBAAR) and the two Tanzanian BAs were The Tanzania Food Processors Association (TAFOPA) and The Association of Mango Growers (AMAGRO). Questionnaires and semi structured interviews were administered to SMEs that were BAs members. The descriptive analysis was employed. Many studies attend much of the wholesome contribution and profiling of BAs lacking specific insights on internal performance indicators. This paper contributed in covering this gap. Overall study findings revealed that Rwandan BAs internal performance was relatively better compared to Tanzanian ones. It is recommended that the structure of apex organization to be formally hierarchical to avoid multiple memberships and conflicts with other member-based associations.Key Words: business association, SMEs, innovation, performance, sector-specific

Business incubators and green technology: The Gauteng Climate Innovation Centre, South Africa

Business incubators are a vehicle to assist the survival prospects of start-up enterprises, many of which fail in their early years of operation. One special form of business incubator is the Climate Innovation Centre (CIC) which is part of international debates around green economies and appropriate technologies for climatecompatible development. CICs are an intervention to build innovation sites to ameliorate climate change and a highly distinctive form of business incubator in which the explicit focus is upon supporting small business startups allied to the application of green technologies. Using a qualitative approach the article analyses the establishment and operations of the Gauteng Climate Innovation Centre in South Africa. The CICSA in its first five years of operations has been ‘learning through experience’ and introduced a number of changes since its launch in 2012, including an extension of the business incubation programme and an adjusted focus to South Africa’s climate change related ‘green’ issues around energy, water and waste. Although 5 years is too short for a conclusive evaluation of CIC operations the evidence from this research with South African clean-tech enterprises is largely positive and suggests that the assistance provided by the CIC has contributed towards enterprise development.

The Incubatees’ Perspective on Identifying Priority Enabling Factors for Technology Business Incubators

Previous studies have identified enabling factors needed to support technology business incubatees which are usually small and medium enterprises. However, these studies were unable to draw conclusions about which enabling factor has the most impact and thus should receive the most attention. In the perspective of a developing country such as the Philippines where economic development is important, enabling factor identification is a crucial task as it provides inputs to decision-makers, policy-makers, and engineering managers in framing guidelines and directions for important activities such as resource allocation, strategic planning, prioritization of initiatives, and policy formulation. A case study was carried out at the University of the Philippines Technology Business Incubator (TBI), one of the established TBIs in the Philippines. Prioritization was performed using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Findings suggest that on-site business expertise, the suggested ideas on situational experiences (technology/ideas), and the confidential techniques or information that would assist the incubatees (know-how) are the most relevant enabling factors for incubatees’ success. In contrast, in-kind financial support, concise program milestones with clear policies and procedures, and expert organization emerge as the least important factors. Engineering managers are crucial in addressing these top enabling factors. These would help incubators and engineering managers formulate policies to improve their operations such as attracting and retaining the best management academics and practitioners to support their incubatees. Engineering managers can support incubatees in optimization studies and engineering experiments for the efficient and effective adoption of the incubatees’ technologies. Policy-makers must also consider incentivizing private institutions and successful entrepreneurs to be involved in the incubation programs.

Effectiveness of business accelerator services in Turkey: from the perspective of startups

This study analyses the startup companies attending business accelerator programs in Turkey. Business accelerators are new generations of incubation programs born especially to support technology entrepreneurs and help them reach to the next level. This study makes a research on eight accelerator programs located in Turkey. Using a survey developed for entrepreneurs attending these accelerator programs, this study provides an inside look into the effectiveness of these programs from the perspective of startup companies. The main goal of this study is analysing how startups use the services provided by the accelerator program. According to startups employee size, average monthly turnover and exportation status, several hypotheses have been identified for measuring the effectiveness of supports provided in these accelerator programs. The data of this study have been analysed via SPSS and it contributes to the literature by analysing accelerator supports and services so that accelerators can differentiate their programs according to the needs of the startups.

Entrepreneurship Learning System in Business Incubators : An Case Study In Indonesia

This paper aims to explore the system of entrepreneurial learning in Indonesian business Incubator and identify their success factors to support the entrepreneurs. This study is qualitative research using case approach. We collect data from six incubators in West Java Indonesia and interviewing tenants and person in charge of the incubation management. In general, we found three similar stages of incubation assistance to encourage and support entrepreneurial process for their tenants: pre-incubation, incubation, and post-incubation. Even though the condition is not in an ideal, the respondents highlight some influent factors of the incubation performance in Indonesia; 1) government support for incubation program related in funding, infrastructure and policies toward the entrepreneurship ecosystem; 2) networking with financial institution; 3) Support from university and research centre; 4) Social environment of incubators.

Life after incubation: The impact of entrepreneurial universities on the long-term performance of their spin-offs

The concept of the entrepreneurial university advocates the importance of the economic and societal impacts of universities through, among other things, the creation of spin-offs. With regard to supporting the early growth of spin-offs, literature has consistently emphasized the role of spatial and social proximity to universities in providing access to resources and facilitating technology transfer. However, little is known about the relationship between universities and their spin-offs, especially after incubation programs have been completed. Using a sample of 100 spin-offs from two universities in Europe, we develop several hypotheses predicting the motivation to maintain proximity to universities and the impact on performance. The findings suggest that factors such as research orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and market hostility encourage spin-offs to maintain proximity to universities. However, spin-offs experience diminishing returns in performance as commercial activities are reduced due to them over-pursuing proximity. More specifically, spin-offs with a high entrepreneurial orientation perform strongly if they are able to balance their level of proximity to universities. Our study contributes to the current discussion on the role of the university in supporting entrepreneurial activities and sparks a new debate on how to support the long-term growth of spin-offs, including differentiation in support according to entrepreneurial orientation, as well as flexibility in support.

Issues and Trends in Open Innovation amongst Malaysian Fintech Start-ups

This research explores the concept of open innovation within the Malaysian fintech industry and explores its antecedents and the ways they influence the open innovation process. More specifically, the study centers on the relationships between market orientation and open innovation process in Malaysian fintech start-ups. It is theorized that earlier involvements amongst majority of fintech start-ups in incubator programmes, start-up bootcamps or kickstarter challenge help to build their market orientation and open innovation capabilities in creating, acquiring, assimilating, and exploiting knowledge within open innovation ecosystems that will produce more knowledge resources, translating into new potential sources of revenue for the firm, and creating continual variations across firms. Success in open innovation may support Malaysia’s aim to become the leading hub for fintech innovation and investment in the region.

Diagnosing Business Incubation for Social Purpose: A Viable System Model Approach

Business incubation is one of the means that promotes the overall business and economic growth of a particular location. However, to date, the role of business incubation as a social innovation, which has the aim to achieve concurrent development of firms, the economy and the society, is not yet understood. Using the systemic approach, specifically the viable system model (VSM) as the framework, the objective of this study is to diagnose the operation of an incubation programme that focuses on supporting business development for social purpose. This study utilized the qualitative methodology and selected an incubator, known as Kompleks Industri Makanan MARA (KIMAR), as the system-in-focus. KIMAR is a halal food industry complex established and operated by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA); the latter a Malaysian government agency that aims to promote the socio-economic empowerment of the indigenous people of Malaysia including the Malays. Data for the diagnosis was collected through interviews with the executives responsible for the incubator operation, as well as the managers or entrepreneurs of the businesses located within it. Our analysis found cohesions among the functions of the incubator and their functionality to manage certain varieties in the environment, although more requisite varieties are needed to manage the high complexity of global halal business development. In managing these varieties, the incubation process receives financial sponsorship and other support from its social-based parent organization. The use of systems perspective highlights operational values of responsibility, long-term perspective as well as effective management of resources that drive the impact of a social incubator, thus enriches the concept of social innovation that typically focuses on the social impact of the outcome.

宇都宮大学におけるJST グローバルサイエンスキャンパス の取り組み

宇都宮大学におけるJST グローバルサイエンスキャンパス の取り組み

HUMANE DEVELOPMENT: THE PORTRAIT OF EDUCATION IN BRAZIL

The Human Development Index (HDI) was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities must be the ultimate criterion for assessing a country’s development, and not only your economic growth. In 2012, the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) in Brazil, the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEAD) and the João Pinheiro Foundation took the challenge of adapting the Global HDI methodology to calculate the HDI municipalities. The HDI municipalities consolidates a dialogue informed and based on development from HDI. This study aims to portray the dimension of education in 5,565 cities in 27 states in Brazil. The result shows that 50% of the States are classified as inadequate, 24% as satisfactory, 16% as unsatisfactory and only 10% as a reference. This evidence makes it possible for the construction of plans of action, such as an incubation program for States classified as unsatisfactory and benchmarking program for countries classified as reference. The education improves the quality of the human factor and modifies the entire picture of the country, because there is no country that has managed to develop without investing in education.

Education for Sustainability beyond the Classroom: Companies Born in University Incubators

This study attempts to fill a gap in the literature, which focuses its efforts on the analysis of the education for sustainability in formal business courses and not on the incubation spaces at universities. The intention was to understand the sense of developing a business which incorporates sustainability principles, and debating the role of the university in fostering socio-environmental practices among the new generation of entrepreneurs, with a focus on Brazilian experiences. This qualitative research investigated companies in incubator programs at four Brazilian university business incubators, regarding: the attention to the way the business project is selected in the incubators; the sources and nature of the incubators’ socio-environmental concerns; the meaning of sustainability for these entrepreneurs; the way they put these principles into action in their business plans; the difficulties and challenges they face in meeting socio-environmental goals in their companies, and, finally, the inductor incubator’s role in fostering sustainable businesses. The results are alarming, since investment in education for sustainability seemed to be almost inexistent, which has consequences for generations of born and raised companies in incubators at universities. The findings also offer a route for debating and analyzing relevant aspects of education for sustainability in this academic environment.

高校生向け科学人材育成プログラム ＜iP-U＞ のカリキュラム・デザイン

高校生向け科学人材育成プログラム ＜iP-U＞ のカリキュラム・デザイン

The Effects of Business Incubator Programs of Government and Universities on College Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention of Technology Start-Ups: Entrepreneurship and Perception of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as the Mediators

The Effects of Business Incubator Programs of Government and Universities on College Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention of Technology Start-Ups: Entrepreneurship and Perception of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as the Mediators

The Development of Leading Product through Incubation Program in Rural Development, Riau Province

Rural areas, as the areas that have been the most targeted and developed in Indonesia, become the places of interest for social research. A case in Riau revealed that among many natural resources that can be developed, palm oil is still becoming the most attention leading product by local government. This paper is to describe the concept of leading product and its relation with rural development through incubation program that have been activatited in that province. This paper also propose a recomendation to the implementors of the program activities with more bottom-up approach, with capacity owned by community so that the their commitment in the development process will be optimum. Analysis in this papaer will be based on field research conducted in 2013 and literature studies from various resources.

Impacts of Breeder Age, Storage Time and Setter Ventilation Program on Incubation and Post-Hatch Performance of Broilers

ABSTRACT The impacts of breeder age (32 and 55 weeks), egg storage time (2-12 days), setter ventilation program (control-test) on incubation and post-hatch performance of broilers were investigated in this study. Young (Y) and old (O) breeders’ hatching eggs were incubated in two different setters operated by two different ventilation programs as control (C) and test (T). Incubation took place after a short (S) and long (L) time of storage in this study. According to the trial design, eight treatment groups were as YSC, YST, YLC, YLT, OSC, OST, OLC and OLT. In total 9600 eggs and 6400 chicks were used. Early stage embryonic mortality (ED) rates were lower and accordingly hatchability of fertile eggs (HF) were higher (p<0.05) in YS than the other treatment groups. In contrast, incubation performance in eggs hatched in C and T programs were found to be similar. However, interaction between treatments were significant (p<0.05) and ED and HF were significantly (p<0.05) improved at OC. Liveability in growing period was affected (p<0.05) by breeder age but it wasn’t affected by storage time and incubation program. Higher post-hatch performance was achieved in chicks of OST but differences between groups weren’t significant except for chick weights in comparison by breeder age. However, interactions between treatments were significant (p<0.05) and reached the highest post-hatch performance in YST (p<0.05). In conclusion, the long time storage of old breeders’ eggs improved incubation and post-hatch performance when they were incubated at test program.