DOCSLIB.ORG

Innovation Through Forming Strategic Alliances Than by Developing It In-House

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Innovation Through Forming Strategic Alliances Than by Developing It In-House Strategic Alliances for Innovation Exploiting and Exploring in Turbulent Times Master Thesis Strategic Management By Josse Dorleijn Strategic Alliances for Innovation Exploiting and Exploring in Turbulent Times Tilburg University Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Master Program Strategic Management Subject Master Thesis Name Josse Dorleijn Student number 863932 Date March 2010 Supervisor Tilburg University prof. dr. G.M. Duijsters Supervisor internship D.P.M. Maessen MMC, CMC Reader drs. S.H.J. van den Hoogen 1 PREFACE This thesis is the final assignment for my master ‘Strategic Management’ at Tilburg University. After 6 months of work, it is finally done. It has been a difficult and sometimes stressful process, however, a very educational and satisfying way to end my wonderful time as a student in Tilburg. The topic ‘alliances for innovation’ was chosen because innovative products have always fascinated me. Especially the way that existing technologies from distant industries can sometimes be combined rather easily and still generate a fabulous new product. Famous examples of this on the Dutch market are the Senseo, which was developed by an alliance between electronics company Philips and coffeemaker DE, and the BeerTender which was developed by Heineken and Krups. These products were so successful that similar alliances for innovative product development are also referred to as ‘The Senseo Effect’ (Griffioen, 2008). I would like to use this opportunity to thank a few people that helped and supported me with writing this thesis. First, I would like to thank my colleagues at SDG for providing an exceptional stimulating and comfortable working environment and for introducing me to the business consultancy world by filling me in on all sorts of strategic business projects. Especially I would like to thank Denis Maessen for supervising my work and allowing me to make use of the network of associates of SDG. I would like to thank all the participants of the interviews for telling me all about their company’s strategy. Also my dad needs be thanked for being there as a discussion partner and for reviewing my work. In addition, I want to thank Kirkman Company for providing me with a management traineeship even before this thesis was finished. Whom I cannot forget are all my friends from TSVV Merlijn, ESN and ‘Het Konijnenhok’ who were always there when I needed some distraction. Last but not least, I want to thank prof. dr. Duijsters for inspiring and supervising me to the final product that is in front of you. I hope you enjoy reading it! Josse Dorleijn Tilburg, March 2010 2 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY Strategic alliances are increasingly seen as the future of innovation strategy. No matter how large companies are, they show a tendency to develop a major part of innovations outside the company walls. While on one hand the world needs to be explored for brilliant innovations, at the same time, businesses are struggling to keep their heads above water. This study integrates these two issues by combining strategic alliances with ‘ambidextrous innovation strategy’: the simultaneous pursuit of exploitative and exploratory innovation. The following research question was formulated: What are the key dynamics of ‘ambidextrous innovation’ and how can strategic alliances be used in this innovation strategy? To answer this question a theoretical model is created and empirically cases were examined. A theoretical model is built, beginning with the identification of three business environmental forces: technological change, competition intensity and institutional uncertainty. Organizations need to adapt to the business environment by pursuing both exploitative and exploratory innovation, also called ‘ambidextrous innovation’. In a stable environment a major focus should be on exploitative innovation while in a highly turbulent environment a major focus needs to be on exploratory innovation. This way, the environmental forces determine to what extent these innovation types need to be pursued. However, innovation can be developed by ‘make, buy or ally’ strategies. While the majority of organizations used to develop all their innovation in-house, organizations increasingly develop innovations through forming strategic alliances. This ‘ally’ strategy is proposed to outweigh ‘make’ or ‘buy’ strategies. The research examines how different types of strategic alliances are able to complement internal innovation strategies. In order to empirically validate the proposed theoretical model, nine case studies were performed. The cases provide all different and interesting perspectives on how alliances can be used for the purpose of innovation. The most important findings were that even though there is wide support for organizations pursuing a focus strategy, it is found that organizations pursuing both exploitative and exploratory innovation perform better, as long as the firm is organized appropriately. In addition, the business environment should not be seen as either stable or turbulent. Instead, environmental forces need to be treated separately. Organizations should adapt to high technological change by pursuing mainly exploratory innovation, while they should adapt to high competition intensity by pursuing mainly exploitative innovation. This way, innovation strategy needs to be determined according to company specific environmental forces. Besides, the value of strategic alliances for developing innovation is confirmed by the research. The companies preferred alliances over ‘make’ or ‘buy’ strategies. The main reason for this is that alliances can be used to complement internal innovation strategies that are incomplete. Even though alliances were expected to be used as a tool to integrate mainly exploratory innovation, a remarkable finding was that mostly exploitative innovation is pursued in alliances. Furthermore, it was expected that alliances would have a focus strategy on either integrating extra marketing/production activities or integrating extra R&D activities. However, the experience was that in the ideal alliance, both types of activities are pursued. While many studies stop after providing theoretical solutions, this study wants to make sure that the theoretical model can be applied effectively by business managers. Therefore, practical and comprehensive recommendations have been formed which integrate the most successful alliance strategies that were found during this research. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 6 Innovation in turbulent times ........................................................................................................ 6 Innovation explained ............................................................................................................................ 6 Ambidextrous innovation ..................................................................................................................... 7 Collaborating for innovation .......................................................................................................... 8 Strategic alliances ................................................................................................................................. 9 Main research question ................................................................................................................. 9 Research sub-questions ................................................................................................................. 9 Structure of this report ................................................................................................................ 10 Chapter 2 theoretical framework ..................................................................................................... 11 Environmental Forces .................................................................................................................. 11 What environmental forces do organizations have to deal with? ..................................................... 11 Innovation ................................................................................................................................... 13 How can innovation be used to adapt to changing environmental forces? ...................................... 13 Knowledge sourcing process ........................................................................................................ 18 Absorptive capacity ............................................................................................................................ 18 Make, buy or ally? ....................................................................................................................... 20 Make ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Buy ...................................................................................................................................................... 20 Ally ...................................................................................................................................................... 20 Strategic alliances ........................................................................................................................ 24 How can strategic alliances be used for exploitative and exploratory innovation? .........................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • How Organizations and Their Brands Leverage Marketing Partnerships to Enhance Their Success
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CMC Senior Theses CMC Student Scholarship 2019 How Organizations and Their Brands Leverage Marketing Partnerships to Enhance Their Success: The Guidelines to Navigating Both Reaffirming and Repositioning Strategic Partnerships Remi A. Edwards Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses Part of the Advertising and Promotion Management Commons, and the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Edwards, Remi A., "How Organizations and Their Brands Leverage Marketing Partnerships to Enhance Their Success: The Guidelines to Navigating Both Reaffirming and Repositioning Strategic Partnerships" (2019). CMC Senior Theses. 2042. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2042 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you by Scholarship@Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in this collection by an authorized administrator. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Claremont McKenna College How Organizations and Their Brands Leverage Marketing Partnerships to Enhance Their Success: The Guidelines to Navigating Both Reaffirming and Repositioning Strategic Partnerships submitted to Professor Jay Conger By Remi Edwards for Senior Thesis Fall 2018 December 10, 2018 2 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor Conger for helping me tackle my passion for partnership marketing. His thoughtful and skilled guidance and support throughout my thesis process has allowed for me to truly explore my passion. I could not be more thankful to Professor Conger for all of his help and advice. This thesis is evidence of both the substantial effect Professor Conger has had on my education and his continued support. Next, I would like to thank my family for their continued support throughout my life and educational career.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategies for Automotive Partnerships in Today's Global Marketplace
    Emerging markets, emerging opportunities Strategies for automotive partnerships in today’s global marketplace Contents 1 Emerging markets, emerging opportunities 2 Automotive partnering activity remains strong 3 Today’s strategic partnerships come in all shapes and sizes 13 Contacts Emerging markets, emerging opportunities Increasing globalization of the automotive industry What do changing objectives mean for companies that are is changing the dynamics of traditional strategic considering a new strategic partnership? What should the partnerships, particularly cross-border joint ventures ownership structure look like? How should partners that (JVs) between Western companies and their cohorts in are focused on developing new technologies share people, emerging markets.1 Ten years ago there was uncertainty processes and other resources while maintaining barriers about pursuing business in markets such as India and that protect intellectual property? How does management China because political and business conditions were not know when it is time to dissolve the relationship? conducive to direct foreign investment. As a result, many automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) Given today’s evolving business considerations amidst such as General Motors, Toyota, Honda and Ford, and the rapidly changing dynamics of the global automotive in particular automotive suppliers like BorgWarner and industry, it is an opportune time for companies to Magna, viewed strategic partnerships as a way to dip their examine the objectives and structures
    [Show full text]
  • Creating More Powerful Partnership in Pharma Manufacturing
    Creating More Powerful Partnerships in Pharma Manufacturing The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for- profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with offices in more than 90 cities in 50 countries. For more information, please visit bcg.com. Creating More Powerful Partnerships in Pharma Manufacturing Ben Aylor, Elliot Vaughn, Christine O’Brien, and Eduard Viladesau September 2018 AT A GLANCE More and more pharma companies want to turn their contract manufacturing relationships into trusted strategic partnerships in order to increase capacity, gain access to new technologies, mitigate risk, and enter new markets. But finding the right partner and structuring the deal appropriately are not easy. Indeed, while four out of five pharma executives in charge of working with outside vendors want closer ties with their contract manufacturers, only a quarter say the deals they have struck were successful. Pick the Appropriate Deal Structure To improve their chances of success, companies should choose a partnership structure that matches their product portfolio and business strategy. Options range from simple fee-for-service deals to complex joint ventures.
    [Show full text]
  • The Renault-Nissan Alliance 014 the Renault-Nissan Alliance
    The Renault-Nissan Alliance 014 The Renault-Nissan Alliance Nissan has greatly increased its global footprint and achieved dramatic economies of scale through the Renault-Nissan Alliance, a unique and highly scalable strategic partnership founded in 1999. In 2011, 8.03 million cars* were sold by the Renault-Nissan Alliance, amounting to a 10.7% global share. We are marketing vehicles under the brands of Nissan, Infiniti, Renault, Renault Samsung Motors and Dacia. * This figure includes Lada sales (AvtoVAZ of Russia). The Alliance’s Vision Although it was initially considered a unique arrangement in the late 1990s, the Alliance quickly became a model for similar partnerships in the auto industry. The Alliance itself has entered cooperative relationships with Germany’s Daimler, China’s Dongfeng Motor Corp., Russia’s AvtoVAZ and others, and it continues to prove itself as the industry’s most enduring and successful partnership. The Alliance is based on the rationale that substantial cross-shareholding investments compel each company to act in the financial interest of the other, while maintaining individual brand identities and independent corporate cultures. Renault currently has a 43.4% stake in Nissan, and Nissan holds a 15.0% stake in Renault. The cross-shareholding arrangement requires mutual trust and respect, as well as a transparent management system focused on speed, accountability and performance. ＞ Please see our website for more information on the Renault-Nissan Alliance. http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/COMPANY/PROFILE/ALLIANCE/RENAULT01/index.html Alliance Objectives The Alliance pursues a strategy of profitable growth with three objectives: 1. To be recognized by customers as being among the best three automotive groups in the quality and value of its products and services in each region and market segment 2.
    [Show full text]
  • The Strategic Supplier Partnership in a Supply Chain Management with Quality and Business Performance
    The Strategic Supplier Partnership with Quality and Business Performance ISSN 1985-692X Research Received 31 March’08/ Accepted 02 Oct’08 Paper SAFA = 0.58 The Strategic Supplier Partnership in a Supply Chain Management with Quality and Business Performance ♣ Arawati Agusa and Za’faran Hassanb aGraduate School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia bFaculty of Business Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia Abstract: The study investigates the association of strategic supplier partnership (SSP) in supply chain management (SCM) with product quality performance and business performance in the Malaysian manufacturing industries. In the inferential process, relationships between strategic supplier partnership practice, product quality performance and business performance and associations are analyzed using Pearson’s correlation, cluster analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings suggest that strategic supplier partnership practice and implementation have significant associations with product quality performance and business performance. The results of the study will be of particular interest to practicing production managers or top level managers for learning about the factors stimulating the adoption of strategic supplier partnership in SCM. Keywords: Malaysian Manufacturing industries, structural equation modeling, cluster analysis INTRODUCTION Over the last decades, Malaysian manufacturing companies have embraced a wide variety of management programs to improve product value and to enhance business performance. In addition, the increase of competition, global economy and the business challenges have made many Malaysian manufacturing ♣ [email protected] International Journal of Business and Management Science, 1(2): 129-145, 2008 129 The Strategic Supplier Partnership with Quality and Business Performance ISSN 1985-692X companies to integrate diverse competitive strategies into the operation system.
    [Show full text]
  • ALEXA BROOKS 415-699-3071 ​ ​​Alexahbrooks@Gmail
    ALEXA BROOKS 415-699-3071 ● [email protected] ​ ​ ​ STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP MANAGER ~ ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Highly motivated, self-directed professional with 10+ years of experience in the music industry, developing and building strategic partnerships between artists, labels, and organizations. Proven ability to work collaboratively in various areas: partnerships, content acquisition, merchandising, marketing, social media, and special events. KEY STRENGTHS Account Management ● Strategic Partnerships ● Revenue Generation ● Merchandising ● Program Development ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, San Francisco, CA 2011 - Present Digital Account Director Plan and implement inventive online marketing campaigns for Sony Music releases across digital music services in the US and internationally. Create new opportunities for artists at accounts such as Google Play, Napster, Groove Music, PlayStation Music, Slacker, Deezer, SoundCloud, and iHeartMusic. ● Realized 86%+ revenue growth at Google Play in less than a 1 year. ● Responsible for the 1st artist Twitter card promotion with Fifth Harmony with Napster. 1.9MM impressions for one tweet. ​ Track “Worth It” doubled in streams & shot to #1 on the service. ● Landed the very first feature for a artist on the Xbox One upon launch. ● Created a cross product promotion for catalog vinyl to drive streams and subscriber growth. LIQUID DIGITAL MEDIA, Redwood City, CA 2008 - 2011 Senior Content Services Marketing Manager Point of contact for all of Liquid’s label and music partners. Led the business development effort to bring aboard new partners and business. Executed Wal-Mart’s overall marketing campaigns: free tracks, value ads on consumer packaged goods products, and trial incentives on key products in the store. Responsible for the weekly merchandising with new independent artist content.
    [Show full text]
  • Distribution Channels : Marketingprofs Article
    Strategy - Partnership Brand Marketing—It's About Distribution Channels : MarketingProfs Article Register now for Email Marketing Essentials Live and Save $200! Use code WEBVIP. Logout | My Account | Saved Resources | Help Get PRO Access Today! Home Marketing Resources Online Seminars Events Research Store PRO Members Forum Blog Jobs Certification Resources Home Daily Posts How-To Articles Case Studies Online Seminars Guides and Reports My Cart (0) items Email Print Save Text: A A Stay connected ... follow us! Don't miss a bit of MarketingProfs ... join the Partnership Brand Marketing—It's About 0 386,000 marketers following us. Distribution Channels by Gregory Pollack 0 Published on October 9, 2007 Editors' PRO Picks Tags: Branding, Channel Marketing, Collaboration, Customer Engagement, Economic Crisis Walk down any supermarket aisle. What do you see? Brands, brands, and more brands. And, individually, each has its Take 10: Nine Ways to own equity—along with consumer appeal, value, unique brand-defining characteristics, and a brand essence that evokes Make Your Webinars Start loyalty among target consumers. Strong and Finish Big In just 10 minutes, Shelley Ryan The smart marketer uses strategically planned distribution to enhance brand equity. Although gaining new distribution with of Killer Webinars offers advice on an alliance partner is less common, it can be extremely powerful. In fact, especially during challenging economic periods, getting your webinars off to a strong start, keeping the power of marketing partnerships brings expanded credibility and a cost-efficient means to gain distribution. them engaging, and ending them with focus and style. more Many companies and managers today have mastered and are effectively using promotional programs, which can range from couponing to licensing and merchandising, among others.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategic Information Technology Partnerships in Outsourcing As A
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by AIS Electronic Library (AISeL) Association for Information Systems AIS Electronic Library (AISeL) International Conference on Information Systems ICIS 2003 Proceedings (ICIS) December 2003 Strategic Information Technology Partnerships in Outsourcing as a Distinctive Source of Information Technology Value: A Social Capital Perspective Fei Ye University of Maryland, College Park Ritu Agarwal University of Maryland, College Park Follow this and additional works at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2003 Recommended Citation Ye, Fei and Agarwal, Ritu, "Strategic Information Technology Partnerships in Outsourcing as a Distinctive Source of Information Technology Value: A Social Capital Perspective" (2003). ICIS 2003 Proceedings. 26. http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2003/26 This material is brought to you by the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) at AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). It has been accepted for inclusion in ICIS 2003 Proceedings by an authorized administrator of AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). For more information, please contact [email protected]. STRATEGIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS IN OUTSOURCING AS A DISTINCTIVE SOURCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY VALUE: A SOCIAL CAPITAL PERSPECTIVE Fei Ye and Ritu Agarwal Decision and Information Technologies Department Robert H. Smith School of Business University of Maryland College Park, MD USA [email protected] [email protected] Abstract Firms increasingly acquire needed information technology (IT) products and services from external partners. In spite of the ubiquity of IT outsourcing in contemporary organizations, however, theoretical understanding of the dynamics of this phenomenon is limited. A dominant perspective used to explain IT outsourcing is transactions-cost economics (TCE) that focuses attention on efficiency and cost-reduction goals, and emphasizes opportunistic behavior.
    [Show full text]
  • Model of the Institutional Elements of the Strategic Partnership in Information Technology Outsourcing: the Case of a Multinational Banking ERP System
    5ème colloque de l’IFBAE – Grenoble, 18 et 19 mai 2009 Model of the Institutional Elements of the Strategic Partnership in Information Technology Outsourcing: The Case of a Multinational Banking ERP System Dr. Luís Kalb Roses 1, 2 [email protected] 1Administration School – Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Rua Washington Luiz n o 855, 90010-460 Porto Alegre, Brazil 2Doctoral School of Management Science – Pierre Mendès-France University 150, rue de la Chimie – BP 47 – 38040 Grenoble, France Resumo O principal objetivo deste artigo é o desenvolvimento de um modelo conceitual com os elementos institucionais do processo de formação de uma parceria estratégica cliente- fornecedor na terceirização da TI, envolvendo a contratação de um sistema ERP. Para o desenvolvimento do modelo foi adotada a estratégia de estudo de caso em um banco transnacional brasileiro, onde foi explorado o processo de contratação de um sistema ERP para as agências internacionais. Dados coletados de entrevistas, documentos e observações foram analisados através da técnica de análise de conteúdo. Os resultados mostram a importância do uso da perspectiva institucional multidimensional para a identificação de elementos reguladores, normativos e cognitivos da parceria estratégica cliente-fornecedor. Palavras chave: terceirização da TI, parceria estratégica, sistema ERP, perspectiva institucional multidimensional. Resumé L´étude a comme objectif le développement d’un modèle conceptuel avec les éléments institutionnels du processus de formation d’un partenariat stratégique client-fournisseur, dans la sous-traitance TI. La stratégie de recherche adoptée a été l’étude de cas unique sur le processus de formation d’un partenariat stratégique d’une banque transnationale avec un nouveau fournisseur de système ERP pour toutes ses agences internationales, y compris les européennes.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategic Partnership Manager, Conservation X Labs
    STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP MANAGER, CONSERVATION X LABS SUMMARY WHO WE WANT: Conservation X Labs is seeking a Strategic Partnership Manager who can work fluidly across multiple sectors, engaging and bringing together partners, including large and small private companies from different industries, conservation organizations, development institutions, academia, governments, investors, and foundations including family offices, with a purpose of focusing them on helping create and scale disruptive innovations to address the underlying drivers of extinction, including reinventing the feed, food, fiber, and materials that threaten our planetary health. We are seeking problem solvers, who are personable and highly motivated, hungry and enthusiastic, who love people, establishing and maintaining relationships, and are passionate about conservation and our mission. We want applicants who want to disrupt conservation in order to radically improve it. We are looking for those who have dared mighty things by trying a path that others have not chosen. We are looking for those who have failed but have learned from failure and risk, and whose faces are marred by dust, sweat, and blood. We are looking for those who like to experiment, to make things, to hack things, to test things, and to break things (particularly dogmatic approaches to conservation or technology). Finally, we are looking for kind, hardworking people who will enthusiastically devote their intellectual and creative energy to advance our mission, enJoy working on a team, are deeply entrepreneurial and self-motivated, and are driven by their passion. WHO WE ARE: Conservation X Labs (CXL) is a technology and innovation company that creates and incentivizes innovative solutions to end the Sixth Mass Extinction.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategic Outsourcing for Sustainable Competitive Advantages: Case Studies of Multi-National Corporations (Mncs) in China
    Strategic Outsourcing for Sustainable Competitive Advantages: Case studies of Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) in China Mingu Kang Ph.D. Student ,School of Management, Zhejiang University, P.R. China [email protected] Xiaobo Wu Professor of Management, Vice Dean, School of Management, Director, National Institute for Innovation Management, Zhejiang University, P.R. China [email protected] Paul Hong Professor, Information Operations and Technology Management, College of Business Administration, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA Abstract Increasingly, with rapid wealth growth of emerging global economies, the basis of competitive advantage is changing from internal capacities to network capabilities. What matters is not a company ownership of hard assets but rather its ability to fully utilize them to capture the worldwide business opportunities. In this highly competitive global environment, outsourcing is approached not as a functional value extension but strategic priority practice for achieving sustainable competitive advantage. This paper presents a research model that describes strategic outsourcing practices for sustainable competitive advantages in Chinese context. Case studies include global firms from Switzerland, Korea and USA that have been operating in China for more than seven years successfully. This paper discusses how each firm maintains clear and disciplined strategic focus in achieving desired business outcomes. Case studies of these firms in China may provide better understanding on how to implement successful outsourcing practices in the Chinese market. Key Words: Strategic Outsourcing; Emerging Global Economies; Sustainable Competitive Advantages; Case Studies of MNCs in China 1. Introduction With rapid growth of economics over the past two decades, China has significant size of middle and upper class of consumers affording huge domestic market.
    [Show full text]
  • Managing Strategic Partnerships with Universities in Innovation Ecosystems: a Research Agenda
    Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity Article Managing Strategic Partnerships with Universities in Innovation Ecosystems: A Research Agenda Giovanni Schiuma 1,* and Daniela Carlucci 2 1 Department of Mathematics, Computer Sciences and Economics (DIMIE), University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy 2 Department of European and Mediterranean Cultures, Environment and Cultural Heritage (DICEM), University of Basilicata, 75100 Potenza, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 30 May 2018; Accepted: 25 June 2018; Published: 28 June 2018 Abstract: This paper proposes a research agenda for understanding how to establish and develop strategic partnerships with universities in innovation ecosystems, aimed to support the development of companies’ entrepreneurial and innovation development capacities. In particular, the paper suggests an integrated model to explore how universities and companies establish, manage, and assess collaborative relationships to foster entrepreneurial and innovative capacity. The framework identifies four fundamental dimensions that characterise the role and function mechanisms of successful collaborative relationships: (1) the entrepreneurial learning network dynamics and the transformational patterns affecting the development of entrepreneurial capital of university-based innovation ecosystems; (2) the role and features of the university-based organisational units to support companies’ entrepreneurial and innovative development in innovation
    [Show full text]