| Geographic Proximity: A Stimulus for Greater Relationship Intensity and Outcomes Between Small Firms and University Research Centers |
| | Santoro, Michael D. | Lehigh U. | mds8@lehigh.edu | 610-758-6414 |
| | Coombs, Joseph E. | James Madison U. | coombsje@jmu.edu | (540)-568-3238 |
| | Organization location is a consequential strategic choice, particularly for small high technology firms. Many of these firms have limited financial resources with which to acquire and leverage the resources needed to successfully compete. By carefully selecting firm location, entrepreneurs can take advantage of knowledge spillovers from other firms within their industry, especially when these firms are involved in R&D relationships with university technology research centers. These knowledge spillovers complement the firm's internal research capabilities by enabling them to create different and greater levels of knowledge from limited internal assets.
Since we are most interested in high-technology firms, this study focused on a sample of small firms in the biotechnology, semi-conductors, and electronics industries. The firm's partnerships with university technology research centers were a key focal point for this study since these relationships encompass an array of diverse relationships, a formalized structure, and an explicit mission to generate and transfer knowledge between the firm and the university center.
Results from this multi-method study show that a small firm's geographic proximity to a university technology research center results in both higher intensity relationships and in greater levels of tangible outcomes generated from these partnerships. |
| | Keywords: University; Industry; Collaboration |
| An Empirical Investigation of Entrepreneurship Students' Distinctive Cognitive Styles: Implications for Effective Entrepreneurship Education |
| | Brigham, Keith H. | U. of Colorado, Boulder | brighamk@colorado.edu | (303)-444-5492 |
| | Reed, Timothy S. | U. of Colorado, Boulder | timothy.reed@colorado.edu | 303-492-4405 |
| | This study focuses on cognitive style differences between business students majoring in entrepreneurship and those majoring in other management areas. Employing the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Theory and Inventory, we demonstrate significant differences in problem-solving and decision-making style between entrepreneurship majors and other business school majors. Entrepreneurship majors are found to have more innovative problem-solving and decision-making styles than other majors. The importantance of these findings and their implications for improving the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education are discussed. |
| | Keywords: entrepreneurship education; cognitive style |
| Determining the Incremental Impact of Legitimizing Tactics on Home-Based Businesses in the Construction Industry |
| | Henderson, Dale A. | Radford U. | dahender@RUnet.edu | (540)-831-5384 |
| | Digman, Lester A. | U. of Nebraska | ldigman@unlnotes.unl.edu | (402)-472-3364 |
| | This research attempted to develop and test a theoretical model describing the effectiveness of legitimizing tactics, or practices, on Home-Based Business (HBB) performance. The research provided insights into the relationship between the legitimacy tactics – regulative, normative, and cognitive – which were used by HBB owners in response to pressures for establishing and maintaining legitimacy and credibility for their businesses. HBB owners may be able to enhance their performance through better understanding and management of their organizational legitimacy and credibility. This may reduce any liability of alegitimacy that HBBs can encounter or experience.
The study revealed that different sources of legitimizing practices appear to have different effects on HBB performance. The businesses investigated were from the construction industry. Regulative practices explained significant incremental variance beyond the other relevant variables identified from prior research which could have potentially affected performance. Normative and cognitive practices were found to be insignificant as measured. The results demonstrated strong support for the use of regulative practices by HBBs in the construction industry.
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| | Keywords: Legitimacy; Institutional Theory; Home-Based Businesses |