Entrepreneurial know-how is a critical issue for the success of an innovative business formation. It is the business incubator’s mission to transfer the required know-how to the entrepreneur.
This inductive study explores the practiced know-how transfer processes. The research methods are various and used in a mixed combination, by analysing secondary data of best practices, by the use of interviews with experts, and by a questionnaire survey with business incubators. The results show that the know-how transfer is mostly done in a long lasting resource consuming process due to the belief that the entrepreneur must be capable of facing all entrepreneurial challenges in a way that shows a high level of quality. The entrepreneur must have special abilities and skills in various fields. Besides profound technical and business managerial know-how, the entrepreneur must have many personal qualifications for the entrepreneurship as well as the ability to recognise opportunities and to make decisions.
Based on these findings the dissertation presents a conceptual framework of an efficient know-how management – the Next Practice Approach (NPA). The NPA designs the know-how transfer process with a clearly lower consumption of resources on the incubators’ and entrepreneurs’ side. The entrepreneur must acquire considerably less know-how and executes the business formation even faster and with a higher quality compared with the currently practiced processes.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- 1.1 Statement of Research Problem
- 1.2 Background to the Research Problem
- 1.3 Terms and Definitions
- 1.3.1 Entrepreneur
- 1.3.2 Entrepreneurial Success
- 1.3.3 Know-how
- 1.3.4 Business Formation
- 1.3.5 Business Incubation and Business Incubator
- 1.4 Research Aims and Objectives
- Chapter 2: Literature Review
- 2.1 Know-how Transfer
- 2.2 Success Factors in Innovative Entrepreneurship
- 2.3 Business Incubation Process
- 2.4 Focal Theory - A Conceptual Framework
- 2.4.1 Focus on Self-Reflection and Idea Development
- 2.4.2 Using External Know-How Components
- 2.4.3 Creation of an Interactive Virtual Library
- Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology
- 3.1 Dissertation's Research Design
- 3.1.1 Analysis of Secondary Data
- 3.1.2 In-Depth Interviews
- 3.1.3 Questionnaire
- 3.1.4 Semi-Structured Interviews
- 3.2 Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research
- 3.2.1 Reliability
- 3.2.2 Validity
- 3.3 Research Ethics
- Chapter 4: Empirical Study – Data, Analysis, and Interpretation
- 4.1 Secondary Data
- 4.1.1 Selection
- 4.1.2 Coaching
- 4.1.3 Mentoring
- 4.1.4 Networking
- 4.2 Interviews
- 4.3 Questionnaire Survey
- Chapter 6: Recommendations
- 6.1 Empirical Study - What could have been done better?
- 6.2 Future Research and Outlook
Objectives and Key Themes
This dissertation aims to explore the know-how transfer processes within business incubators and to develop a more efficient framework for managing this transfer. The research investigates current practices, identifies bottlenecks, and proposes a solution for optimizing resource utilization and accelerating the business formation process for entrepreneurs.
- Know-how transfer in business incubation
- Efficiency of know-how transfer processes
- Resource consumption in business incubation
- Success factors in innovative entrepreneurship
- Development of a conceptual framework for efficient know-how management
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1: Introduction: This chapter introduces the research problem, focusing on the challenges of know-how transfer in business incubation. It establishes the context by defining key terms such as "entrepreneur," "entrepreneurial success," "know-how," "business formation," and "business incubation." The chapter also outlines the research aims and objectives, setting the stage for the subsequent investigation into efficient know-how management strategies within business incubators.
Chapter 2: Literature Review: This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of existing literature on know-how transfer, success factors in innovative entrepreneurship, and the business incubation process. It critically analyzes various theoretical frameworks and practical approaches, laying the groundwork for the research methodology and the development of a new conceptual framework. A significant portion of the chapter focuses on the "Focal Theory," examining its components and relevance to the overall research question. The review connects existing knowledge to the identified research gap, paving the way for original contributions.
Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology: This chapter details the research design employed in the study, a mixed-methods approach combining secondary data analysis, in-depth interviews with experts, and a questionnaire survey with business incubators. The chapter thoroughly justifies the chosen methods, emphasizing their appropriateness for exploring the research question. It addresses critical aspects of reliability and validity in qualitative research and outlines the ethical considerations guiding the study. The chapter carefully articulates the steps taken to ensure the rigor and trustworthiness of the research process.
Chapter 4: Empirical Study – Data, Analysis, and Interpretation: This chapter presents the findings from the empirical study, analyzing data gathered through secondary data analysis, interviews, and a questionnaire survey. The chapter systematically presents the findings related to coaching, mentoring, and networking practices within business incubators. It connects these findings back to the literature review, highlighting the areas where the empirical findings confirm, challenge, or extend existing theoretical understanding. The chapter provides a detailed and insightful analysis of the collected data.
Chapter 6: Recommendations: This chapter offers recommendations based on the research findings, focusing on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of know-how transfer processes in business incubators. It identifies potential improvements to the research methodology and suggests avenues for future research in this area, proposing extensions and modifications to enhance the understanding of this complex field.
Keywords
Business incubation, know-how transfer, entrepreneurial success, resource efficiency, innovative entrepreneurship, conceptual framework, mixed-methods research, qualitative research, coaching, mentoring, networking.
Frequently Asked Questions: Comprehensive Language Preview
What is this document?
This document is a comprehensive language preview of a dissertation. It includes the table of contents, objectives and key themes, chapter summaries, and keywords. The preview is intended for academic use, allowing for analysis of the dissertation's themes in a structured and professional manner.
What topics are covered in the dissertation?
The dissertation explores know-how transfer processes within business incubators. It investigates the efficiency of these processes, resource consumption, success factors in innovative entrepreneurship, and aims to develop a conceptual framework for efficient know-how management. The research employs a mixed-methods approach.
What is the structure of the dissertation?
The dissertation is structured into several chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction, defining key terms and outlining research aims. Chapter 2 reviews existing literature on know-how transfer, success factors, and the business incubation process. Chapter 3 details the research design and methodology, including data collection methods (secondary data analysis, in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews). Chapter 4 presents the empirical findings from data analysis and interpretation. Chapter 6 offers recommendations and suggestions for future research.
What research methods were used?
The research employs a mixed-methods approach. This includes analysis of secondary data, in-depth interviews with experts, and a questionnaire survey with business incubators. The methodology section also addresses reliability and validity concerns in qualitative research.
What are the key findings of the dissertation (as previewed)?
The preview does not reveal specific findings but indicates that Chapter 4 presents an analysis of data related to coaching, mentoring, and networking practices within business incubators, connecting these findings to existing literature. Chapter 6 offers recommendations for improving know-how transfer efficiency and suggests avenues for future research.
What are the key terms defined in the dissertation?
Key terms defined include: entrepreneur, entrepreneurial success, know-how, business formation, and business incubation.
What is the main objective of the research?
The main objective is to explore know-how transfer processes within business incubators and to develop a more efficient framework for managing this transfer, ultimately aiming to optimize resource utilization and accelerate business formation for entrepreneurs.
What is the conceptual framework used?
The dissertation utilizes and discusses the "Focal Theory" as a conceptual framework, examining its components and relevance to efficient know-how management in business incubators. The research also aims to develop its own conceptual framework.
What are the keywords associated with this dissertation?
Keywords include: Business incubation, know-how transfer, entrepreneurial success, resource efficiency, innovative entrepreneurship, conceptual framework, mixed-methods research, qualitative research, coaching, mentoring, networking.
- Citar trabajo
- Marco Thom (Autor), 2011, Business Incubation - How to Manage the Know-how Transfer, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/182704
