Law enforcement agencies worldwide, including those in Australia, have declared partnerships with the private sector to police e-crime as “critical”. However, this strategy faces uncertainties about appropriate formats and the potential for fostering corruption. Sarre and Prenzler’s (2000) Regulated Intersections model proposes that, to avoid corruption, cooperation must be limited and regulated closely. Consequently, this thesis examines the conditions under which investigative partnership policing of e-crime at the state police level can be mutually beneficial to police and the private sectors, while maintaining public interests. The thesis aims, therefore, to establish normative standards and guidelines for configuring effective and ethical public-private partnerships for e-crime investigation. An exploratory analysis of 3529 e-crime incidents, reported to and cleared by Victoria Police during 1999/00 to 2003/04, investigated the nature of reported e-crime, routine factors affecting its successful investigation and whether partnership was one of those factors. A pilot survey canvassed private sector responses to these issues and partnered e-crime investigation. Thirty-seven interviews were conducted with police, private investigators and e-crime victims. During the research, three Australian attempts at public-private investigative partnership formed to varying success, including the Joint Banking and Finance Sector Investigation Team (JBFSIT) at the Australian High Tech Crime Centre.

In recent years, Chinese development efforts in Africa have increased in scope making China the second largest investor on the African content with Chinese MNCs dominating multiple markets across the continent. The author investigates whether there is empirical support for the assumption that there is a correlation between market dominance of Chinese MNCs and similarity in policy and practices to those of China, an assumption based on Eleanor Westney’s study on the emulation of organizational models in late 19th century Japan. To affirm this correlation and describe where it exists, the author examines the regulation of the telecom markets in Ethiopia and Nigeria, two cases where Chinese MNCs have varying degrees of control over the telecom market. Whether or not the studied cases share similarities with the policy and practices of China is studied using the functional method of comparative law as described by Mark Van Hoecke. The study is based on data collected from Freedom House’s reports on freedom on the net which scrutinizes legislation, court cases and the behaviour of government institutions in 65 countries. The author then discusses similarities and differences between the studied cases and China, concluding that the before mentioned correlation does exist to a certain extent and that further research is required.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo principal caracterizar o processo de criação de conhecimentos no desenvolvimento de produtos de alto conteúdo tecnológico em projetos de diferentes graus de inovação. A despeito da ascensão de abordagens organizacionais baseadas no conhecimento e do reconhecimento da crescente importância da inovação, a literatura carece de trabalhos empíricos que investiguem o processo de criação de novos conhecimentos nas empresas. Como contribuição teórica, o presente trabalho reúne algumas das principais abordagens ligadas a este processo num modelo que organiza os conceitos estudados em quatro dimensões fundamentais. Para a parte prática da pesquisa, apresenta-se um estudo de casos efetuado em empresa que desenvolve sistemas de alta tecnologia para o setor de automação industrial. Nesta investigação, são analisados três projetos desenvolvidos pela divisão de P&D da empresa, dotados de diferentes graus de inovação (incremental, plataforma e radical). Uma análise comparativa dos processos de criação de conhecimentos observados em cada um destes projetos é efetuada. O resultado principal reside na identificação de características do processo criativo influenciadas pelo grau de inovação. / The main objective of this research is to provide a characterization of the knowledge creation process involved in high-tech product development projects with different innovations degrees. Despite of the ascension of knowledge-based organizational approaches and the recognition of the increasing importance of innovation, there is lack of empirical researches which investigate the knowledge creation process in the literature. As theoretical contribution, this work joins some of the most important approaches of this process in a framework that organizes concepts in four main dimensions. In the empirical section, a study of cases done in a company that develops high-tech systems for the industrial automation market is presented. In this investigation, three projects occurred in the R&D division of the company are analyzed, each one with a different innovation degree (incremental, platform and radical). A comparative analysis of the knowledge creation processes observed in each of these projects is made. The main result is the identification of creative process characteristics that are influenced by the innovation degree.

The thesis "Perception of Chinese hi-tech brands in Europe" examines how Chinese origin affects the perception of hi-tech brands by European customers. The theoretical part deals with the concept of country of origin and its relationship to the concept of brand equity. The practical part is devoted to the research on the topic of perception of Chinese smartphones in Europe. The research results confirm both hypotheses: 1. Customers when choosing a smartphone brand are not affected by the country of origin. 2. European customers do not perceive Chinese hi-tech products as of low quality.

This study focuses on how entrepreneurs learn about international business opportunities and explores the factors that affect the way they do it. The main conclusion of the literature review was that current international entrepreneurship research is still under development and the topic of international entrepreneurial learning about business opportunities yet to receive widespread attention. In addition, entrepreneurs utilise different ways to learn about the opportunities. However, there is a lack of coherence among scholars on what learning strategies are exactly, how many of them exist, and how they should be defined and categorised (Kakkonen, 2010).The research strategy of this study is based on the mixed methods approach. The design is a two-phase, sequential mixed methods study, utilising a qualitative, followed by a quantitative phase (Creswell et al., 2003). The qualitative phase was split into two parts: QUAL1 and QUAL2. Each qualitative phase includes the analysis of interviews and focus group discussions (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 1998). In the quantitative phase, a web-based questionnaire was the chosen data collection tool (Cobanoglu et al., 2001; Sills and Song, 2002). The study was conducted on a sample of 178 high-tech entrepreneurs in Israel. The results show that international entrepreneurs learn strategically about business opportunities. They utilise different ways, means, and mechanisms to assist in the identification process of entrepreneurial opportunities. These processes can be considered as learning processes, and the way they are enacted can be termed as 'learning strategies'. Based on the findings of the qualitative phases (QUAL1, QUAL2) and prior studies, six learning strategies were identified as relevant to the process of opportunity identification. Furthermore, the quantitative phase showed that business ownership experience and entrepreneurial self-efficacy have a significant influence on prior knowledge on international arena. In addition, prior knowledge was found as the most significant factor, affecting the ways entrepreneurs learn about business opportunities, while the cognitive style was found to moderate the strength of the relationships between prior knowledge and the learning strategies. Social networking ties also had an impact on the ways entrepreneurs learn, however this influence is diverse, and its statistical significance depends on the specific learning strategy. The importance and contribution of the proposed study can be defined as follows: Firstly, the study can help to reveal the underlying logic of opportunity identification as a learning process. Secondly, combining different frameworks into a new conceptual model as has been done in this study, may establish a new outlook, and contribute to the progress of research into entrepreneurship. Thirdly, International entrepreneurs can also benefit from these elements by acknowledging that they have a battery of learning strategies, which are relevant to the opportunity identification process, and most importantly, they can be taught how to learn about an idea throughout the process of opportunity identification.

Orientador: André Tosi Furtado / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociências / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T11:35:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rauen_AndreTortato_D.pdf: 2265370 bytes, checksum: 0f75c45622ea1b76996726d5ad494eab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: No passado recente, a produção de alta tecnologia era exclusividade de países de alta renda per capita. Contudo, a moderna possibilidade de fragmentar a produção permitiu que países de baixa renda per capita passassem a também produzir bens de alta tecnologia, mesmo quando estes bens são considerados novos. Observa-se que países de alta renda per capita e de elevada capacitação tecnológica executam atividades de maior complexidade enquanto países de baixa renda per capita, com baixos salários e alguma força de atração, executam atividades intensivas em mão de obra. Este trabalho tem então, por objetivo, apresentar e compreender as macrodinâmicas subjacentes a essa nova e intrincada geografia econômica. Para tanto, o mesmo se apoia na teoria do ciclo de vida do produto, complementada pela perspectiva da fragmentação da produção e pela teoria evolucionária do comércio exterior. Com base nestas abordagens teóricas, foi possível observar que a partir das duas últimas décadas do século XX empresas de alta tecnologia de países desenvolvidos passaram a deslocar sua produção para países em desenvolvimento, com baixos salários. Enquanto a produção e o consumo se deslocaram, a tecnologia ainda permanece concentrada. Identificou-se ainda que, mesmo na existência de forte estímulo ao deslocamento da produção, este só ocorre na ausência de sistemas de inovação capazes de estimular a produção interna. Analogamente, a atração de atividades fragmentadas da produção de alta tecnologia, por parte de países de baixos salários, ocorre apenas quando os governos nacionais executam ativas e efetivas políticas públicas para tal. Depois de compreendidas as forças que atuam no sentido de moldar a atual geografia da alta tecnologia, identificaram-se quatro grupos de países, quais sejam: (i) países de liderança tecnológica superavitários; (ii) países de liderança tecnológica deficitários; (iii) países seguidores tecnológicos superavitários e; (iv) países seguidores tecnológicos deficitários / Abstract: In the past, the high-tech production was exclusive made in high per capita income countries. But, currently, this kind of production is also made in low per capita income countries. This change happened due to the possibility of production fragmentation. In this context, countries with high technology intensities focus on the production of complex components and R&D. On the other hand, countries with low technology intensities focus on the assembling or on the production of simple components. Based on these premises, this doctoral thesis aims to understand the geographical macrodynamics related to this new international division of labor. To achieve this objective, the product life cycle theory, the production fragmentation perspective and the evolutionary theory were used. Based on these theoretical approaches, it was observed that the manufacture and consumption of high tech products has started a process of dispersion through different countries in the globe, including low income ones, and that, at the same time, technology development of these high tech products have remained concentrated in the high income countries. It was also possible to observe that the displacement of production, from the high per capita income countries to the low per capita income countries, could be diminished through the establishment of strong national industrial/innovation policies. Analogously, the attraction, by low per capita income countries, of fragmented production relies on the presence of these same policies. Finally, in this new international division of labor, it was identified four different groups of countries: (i) surplus technology leaders; (ii) deficit technology leaders; (iii) surplus technology followers; and (iv) deficit technology followers / Doutorado / Politica Cientifica e Tecnologica / Doutor em Política Científica e Tecnológica

Master’s thesis deals with the analysis of personnel management in selected high-tech company. The theoretical part of thesis describes the basic concepts of personnel management, diverse teams and characteristics of the high-tech sector. In the practical part is analyzed the current state using questionnaires and subsequently proposed recommendations, including their economic evaluation.

Innovation efficiency is a key factor influencing the position of high-tech industries in the global value chain. Through stochastic frontier analysis, innovation efficiency of China's high-tech industry from 2000 to 2016 was estimated and analyzed. Through five random frontier analysis models, innovation efficiency of new product sales revenue and number of patent applications are analyzed. Results show that the overall level of innovation efficiency in China's high-tech industry is not high. Government subsidies for innovation have a positive impact on the R&D results of new product income from China’s high-tech industry, but have a negative impact on the number of patent applications. Scale of enterprise, degree of openness of enterprise, quality of the labor force and export delivery have a positive impact on innovation efficiency of China's high-tech industry. R&D capital stock and R&D human capital stock have a positive effect on high-tech industry innovation. In high-tech industry's transition from patents to new products, there will be a low conversion rate. Results of economic analysis can help the government to make the basis for management decisions. Conclusion of innovation performance analysis provides practical normative guidance for these high-tech industries.

Walden University College of Management and Technology This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Anthony Okafor has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Mohammad Sharifzadeh, Committee Chairperson, Management Faculty Dr. Javier Fadul, Committee Member, Management Faculty Dr. Craig Barton, University Reviewer, Management Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2018 Valuing high-tech startups using traditional valuation models has continued to pose valuation challenges to entrepreneurs, investors as well as financial analysts. The complications in valuing startups are heightened by the variations in valuation methodologies and the absence of operational data. Identifying the appropriate methodology for valuing startups is crucial to establishing value and a prerequisite for accessing funding through mergers or acquisitions. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of valuation methods on the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions of high-tech startup organizations in the Nigerian capital market. The theoretical underpinning of this study is rooted in valuation theory and mergers and acquisitions theories. The extent to which valuation methods impact the likelihood of securing funds through mergers and acquisitions was the overarching research question. Random sampling was used to obtain records of valuation methods and mergers and acquisitions that occurred between 2006 and 2016 from companies in the high-tech sector. A binary logistic regression model was used to test the impact of valuation methods on the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions of high-tech startups. The impact of valuation methods on the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions was found to be not statistically significant. The participants indicated a preference for specific valuation methods during negotiations for mergers and acquisitions. The findings have implications for positive social change via a reduction in the unemployment rate by encouraging startups with their innovation and entrepreneurship. This should help to facilitate the emergence of sound valuation methods for valuing high-tech startups in the Nigerian capital market.

The importance of entrepreneurship for economic growth and development is a well-known factor in the world. In which high technology startup firms are playing an important role in introducing innovative and advanced technologies. However, due to inherent difficulties in nature, they face major challenges such as acquiring sufficient investments. Especially for high-tech startups founded and located in non-main cities facing the issue compared to main cities. As a result, the firms tend to move out from the non-main city or region to main cities or abroad seeking investments.  Such trends directly affect negatively in the regional economic development goals and plans. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to address such tendencies by focusing on the Luleå city in Northern Sweden, investigating the ways of attracting local and global investors through social networks, for high technology startup firms in non-main cities, and identify the possibility of use digitalization to support to overcome the geographical distances to retain them within the region.  This empirical study is exploratory in nature and used qualitative methodology with an inductive research approach. In order to collect the data, the research performed expert interviews by interviewing top management in high-tech startups, incubators, and science parks in two cities (i.e. Luleå and Stockholm) from two regions in Sweden. To perform in-depth semi-structured interviews, an interview guide was used and analyzed the gathered data using the pattern matching method.  As the findings of this study, selected social networks for this study; multilevel and multiplex networks are modified, and presented in the context of high-tech startup ecosystems to attract and expand the investor networks out of geographical boundaries. The use of such networks is based on the amount of investment required, purpose, and aim of the high-tech startup firm. A six steps model has been introduced to Incubators to assist their high-tech startups through investor attractions. Further, the study has identified, to a certain level digital tools are useful to minimize geographical distances but physical meetings are to move forward and continue with strong relationships as physical meetings are non-replaceable with any other modes.  Suggestions and recommendations were provided mainly to high-tech startups, incubators, and science parks in Luleå as well as some recommendations for the Luleå kommun or Norrbotten region. These recommendations were provided focusing on Luleå but could also be used by the same high-tech startup business ecosystem players in other non-main cities in the world where necessary to expand their networks to assist high-tech startup companies to achieve regional development. Finally, managerial implications and theoretical implications have been presented at the end of the study.