Defining a R&D Framework for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on Information Product Generation

Home
>
Entrepreneur
>
Defining a R&D Framework for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on Information Product Generation

Defining a R&D Framework for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on Information Product Generation

Introduction

Knowledge is the key resource that forms the institutional basis of the post-industrial economy and society. It should be empasized that it is institutions of higher education that give tangible expression to this argument by acting as catalysts for knowledge and research-driven economic growth as well as well-being enhancement. All this finds embodiment within a new techno-academic paradigm in which the academic knowledge base is center stage as a determinant of industrial change, economic growth and general well-being. Therefore, higher education institutions should not be viewed as a regional or national resource, but rather as a node in an increasingly seamless knowledge base, which has a progressively larger interface with the knowledge-driven global economy.

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to propose a research framework for entrepreneurship and innovation suitable for a developing country enabling it to become both a producer and a consumer of innovative entrepreneurial information packages. The information products are designed to facilitate business development, and sustainable business practices, packaged to support entrepreneurial ventures in distinct epistemic cultural settings for use by multiple participants in the entrepreneurial system. The proposal is based upon a model applied at Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa.

A proposed R&D Framework

A centralised R&D focus and strategic aim is essential if Institutions of Higher Education want to act as a node in an increasingly seamless knowledge base economy. A typical vision could be to research and develop innovation business venture protocols and prototypes in the fields of business clustering, business development and management of innovation appropriate for specific regional environments in Southern Africa to be used by entrepreneurs, policy makers, and institutions of learning. The research domain could then be divided into mainstreams, culminating in specific value added outputs. The entrepreneurship and innovation outputs should typically been information products that are considered to be prerequisites for successful and sustainable entrepreneurial ventures and processes as well as for the effective management of innovation.

The second requirement is the formulation and establishment of the R&D parameters, which defines the boundaries or scope of permissible R&D conduct. The parameters can for example easily be defined in terms of three strategic parameters, namely:

1. To firstly conduct research on business clustering commonalities (networks) in order to enhance the competitive basis of firms in the Southern African market place through a process of sharing information, grouping of resources and outputs, as well as sharing of factors of production; secondly, on business clustering formation and causes for these formations in order to understand opportunities and constraints in specific clusters and lastly, the development business clustering algorithms in order to simulate specific business models and business environments.

2. Researchers will contribute to the International Business Case Study Centre and to the Centre for New Venture Creation, which will serve as business development learning environments for entrepreneurs, other researchers, students and policy makers. Research will focus on business best practices, successful new venture creation, technological entrepreneurship, growth indicators, research and innovation of key business development benchmarks and entrepreneurial training methodologies. Having these research outputs available, business capabilities will be enhanced with regards to scaleable business venture creation, business incubation, commercialisation of technologies, appropriate business competition and sustainable growth strategies, development of practical business solutions and the effective utilisation of venture support mechanisms within the Southern African context to those that desire to start-up and sustain their own businesses.

The International Business Case Study Centre and the Centre for New Venture Creation will initially focus on two extremes of business creation ventures, namely:

· Those business ventures that can be classified as high growth ventures, characterised by radical innovations and disruptive technologies.

· Those business ventures than can be classified as low growth ventures in the survivalist economy.

3. Research on the management of innovation. Innovation is considered to be one of the main drivers of economic growth and prosperity in the knowledge economy. Understanding and managing innovation processes and structures in general and particularly in Southern Africa have the potential for huge benefits for actors, local clusters, and the national system of innovation. Research in this area should promote knowledge in the fields of technopreneurship and technology management and transfer as well as intellectual property.

The last requirement is to investigate the interrelationships between the set research parameters on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Although the two concepts are highly related to one another the interplay between the concepts are seldom investigated.

Conclusion

It is envisaged that the outputs of the research and development will extend the boundaries of business and technology innovations by making information and knowledge useful. The created business ventures protocols and information packages as well as the management of innovation, aim at designing and modelling entrepreneurial support tools for the transfer and distribution of business venture information. The developed packages will create an enabling environment and an efficient information support services to entrepreneurs, policy makers and learning institutions in Southern Africa. Furthermore, they will provide valuable information to promote, develop and participate in intensive knowledge and technology based business incubators. Establishing business links between business clustering, business development and the management of innovation offers a great opportunity for high quality research as business information, product transfer and distribution, business development, and management of innovation ? although closely related ? are traditionally kept apart. The outcomes of the research will contribute to discover underlying patterns within related business ventures and innovations, as well as within similar business environments. Data provided will not only support better management of innovation and business development ventures, but it will also enable new and established entrepreneurs to speed up and improve business decision-making.

Jan Grundling is Head of the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa. He has published extensively in Journals and presented various papers ar national and international conferences.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Geithner likely treasury pick; Clinton 'on track' (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama intends to name Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve, as his treasury secretary to confront the nation's intense economic turmoil, senior Democratic officials said Friday.

Obama keeps low profile in auto rescue talks (AP)

AP - While President-elect Barack Obama publicly sidelined himself during congressional debate over an auto industry bailout this week, he and his top aides quietly prodded congressional leaders to find a solution to rescue struggling automakers.

Neb. lawmakers OK age limit for safe-haven law (AP)

AP - Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law Friday a bill adding a 30-day age limit to a safe-haven law that allowed 35 children Â— including teenagers as old as 17 Â— to be abandoned at state hospitals. The law, approved hours earlier by the Legislature in a 45-3 vote, goes into effect Saturday, and makes Nebraska the 14th state with a 30-day age cap. It had been the only state with a safe-haven law without an age limit.

Germany drops attempt to ban Scientology (AP)

AP - Germany is dropping its pursuit of a ban on Scientology after finding insufficient evidence of illegal activity, security officials said Friday.

Gates would like to add US forces in Afghanistan (AP)

AP - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he would like to add significant U.S. forces to the war in Afghanistan before national elections scheduled for next year, and that grim depictions of backsliding in the seven-year-old war are "far too pessimistic."

Fla. teen commits suicide with live Web audience (AP)

AP - A college student committed suicide by taking a drug overdose in front of a live webcam as some computer users egged him on, others tried to talk him out of it, and another messaged OMG in horror when it became clear it was no joke. Some watchers contacted the Web site to notify police, but by the time officers entered Abraham Biggs' home Â— a scene also captured on the Internet Â— it was too late.

Year later, baby ordered back to adoptive parents (AP)

AP - The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday ordered a year-old boy back into the home of an adoptive couple who had to give him up months ago after not telling the biological family the woman was pregnant.

Lavish 1,800 year-old bronze chariot unearthed in Bulgaria (AP)

AP - Archaeologists have unearthed an elaborately decorated 1,800-year-old chariot sheathed in bronze at an ancient Thracian tomb in southeastern Bulgaria, the head of the excavation said Friday. "The lavishly ornamented four-wheel chariot dates back to the end of the second century A.D.," Veselin Ignatov told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the site, near the southeastern village of Karanovo.

Suspect arrested for greasy imprints in Neb. town (AP)

AP - Police have arrested a man suspected of leaving greasy, graphic imprints on the windows of stores, churches and schools in a small Nebraska town. A 35-year-old man was caught in the act by police early Wednesday morning, Cherry County Attorney Eric Scott said Friday. The man hasn't been charged yet, but authorities believe he is the vandal some townsfolk have dubbed the "Butt Bandit."

Knicks set themselves up for 2010 with 2 deals (AP)

AP - The New York Knicks traded Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford in separate deals Friday, parting with their two top scorers to free up coveted salary-cap space for the summer of 2010. Crawford was sent to Golden State for forward Al Harrington. Hours later, Randolph was shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers along with reserve guard Mardy Collins for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.

Obama moves to pick Timothy Geithner for Treasury (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama on Friday moved toward nominating Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary and charging the respected head of the New York Federal Reserve with helping pull the United States out of an economic nosedive.

Obama may consider Lawrence Summers as Fed chief: Democrat (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama may consider Lawrence Summers as a successor to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, whose term expires in January 2010, a Democratic source told Reuters on Friday.

Citigroup talking to U.S. government as shares dive: source (Reuters)

Reuters - Citigroup Inc has begun talks with the U.S. government as its plummeting share price raises doubts about the bank's ability to survive, a person familiar with the matter said.

GM cuts output, jets as U.S. demands turnaround plans (Reuters)

Reuters - Detroit automakers began work on turnaround plans demanded by Congress in return for $25 billion in aid as General Motors Corp said it would cut production more and give up two of its controversial corporate jets.

Wall Street stages late rally on Geithner news (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. stocks stormed higher in a late rally on Friday to cap another volatile week as investors welcomed reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his point person to combat the U.S. economic crisis, instilling confidence about the administration's ability to take action.

U.S. eyes "surge" of over 20,000 for Afghanistan (Reuters)

Reuters - The Pentagon is considering a plan to send more than 20,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next 12 to 18 months to help safeguard elections and quell rising Taliban violence, officials said on Friday.

Bush, Hu discuss North Korea ahead of APEC summit (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. President George W. Bush held talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program with Chinese leader Hu Jintao on Friday, the first in a series of meetings U.S. officials hope will lead to a renewal of six-party talks by early December.

Iran rejects U.S. reports it has basis for atom bomb (Reuters)

Reuters - Iran rejected Friday U.S. reports it had enriched enough uranium to make an atom bomb, saying this would require steps it had ruled out like ejecting U.N. inspectors and leaving the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Bush bows out, China assertive at APEC summit (AFP)

AFP - US President George W. Bush began Friday his last scheduled foreign trip, meeting the leader of increasingly important China ahead of a summit aimed at containing a spiraling financial crisis.

Congo demands stronger mandate for UN troops (AFP)

AFP - Congo demanded a stronger mandate for UN troops in the conflict-torn east Friday, while residents of a squalid refugee camp said government soldiers killed a woman during a looting spree.

Defining a R&D Framework for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on Information Product Generation

Entrepreneur Entrepreneur