Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: To compete in today’s ”new” economy, Centocor R&D SCH has to attain and maintain a competitive advantage within the global Pharma/biotech industry. With their drive to become a centre of excellence in the fields of fill-finish of biologics and particle characterization, it is important that an analysis of the status quo be done, and that efficient systems and structures are implemented to achieve world class performance. In this project, the approach to business excellence is discussed. Business excellence is more than a simple accumulation of a range of best practices. It can only be achieved by implementing a structured approach towards business performance. This begins with an internal self-assessment; as well as an assessment of the customer/partner needs: these of which are incorporated into the organization’s policies and strategies. Their perceptions are evaluated since these “quality chains” are what ultimately drive a business. The organization must align its culture, processes, inputs, and capabilities with the vision, goals and strategy; and promote and display a mind-set for innovation, and continuous improvement. In this way, the desired business results may be achieved. This is all driven by leadership; and a quality and performance culture; and provides an opportunity to view the organization holistically. The developed model for Centocor R&D SCH is a framework for measuring their business excellence towards achieving performance excellence, and from there a well-paved route for developing the centre of excellence. It is developed on the basis of the European Foundation for Quality Management Model as well as that of the global J&J Process Excellence Competitive Assessment Model; and is supported by the criteria that support those. Strengths are identified, and areas of improvement are viewed as opportunities where the teams can improve on to ensure leadership and excellence in those arenas. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om in vandag se “nuwe” ekonomie mededinge te kan wees, moet Centocor R&D SCH ‘n mededingende voordeel in die globale farmakologiese/biotegnologie industrieë bereik en handhaaf. Met die dryfveer om ‘n sentrum van uitnemendheid in die velde van lyofilisasie and partikel karakterisasie te word, is dit belangrik dat ‘n ontleding oor die status quo gedoen word, en dat doeltreffende stelsels en strukture geïmplementeer word om wereldklas prestasies te behaal. In hierdie projek word die benadering om tot sake-uitnemendheid te vorder, bespreek. Sake-uitnemendheid is meer as net ‘n eenvoudige akkumulaise van ‘n reeks beste praktyke. Dit kan slegs bereik word deur die implementering van ‘n gestruktureerde benadering tot sake resultate. Hierdie proses begin met ‘n interne self-ondersoek, asook ‘n beoordeling van die behoeftes van kliënte en vennote: dit wat in die organisasie se se beleide en strategieë geïnkorporeer is. Hulle persepsies word ge-evalueer want dit is juis hierdie waardekettings wat uiteindelik die sake-onderneming voortstu. Die organisasie moet sy kultuur, prosesse, insette en vermoeëns met die visie, doelwitte en strategie belyn; en ‘n ingesteldheid op innovasie en deurlopende verbetering toon en uitbou. Op so ‘n manier kan die gewensde sake resultate behaal word. Dit word alles beheers deur leierskap en ‘n kultuur van kwaliteit en prestasie, en skep die geleentheid om die organisasie holistoes te benader. Die model wat vir Centocor R&D SCH ontwikkel is, is ‘n raamwerk waarmee hulle hul sake-uitnemendheid kan meet, met die oog om uitmuntende prestasie te lewer, en om van daar af tot ‘n sentrum van uitnemendheid te ontwikkel. Die model is gebasser op die European Foundation for Quality Management Model asook die globale J&J Process Excellence Competitive Assessment Model, en word gedar deur die criteria van daardie modelle. Sterkpunte word geïdentifiseer, en areas vir ontwikkeling word gesien as geleenthede vir die spanne om te verbeter en na leierskap en uitnemendheid in daardie gebied te streef.

Les PME françaises ont des difficultés à innover malgré les nombreux efforts des pouvoirs publics. Face à ce constat, les dispositifs d'aide aux PME ont cherché à se renouveler. Cette évolution se traduit par l'avènement d'une logique territoriale : il s'agit de faciliter l'innovation des PME à travers leur participation à des projets d'innovation localisés (PIL), logique développée par la politique des pôles de compétitivité. Des travaux ont analysé les faiblesses intrinsèques aux PME face à l'innovation, dans cette perspective les PME, de manière plus accentuée que les autres types d'organisations, sont incitées à collaborer pour innover afin de compenser leurs faiblesses en termes de ressources. Or, elles rencontrent de nombreuses difficultés dans ce processus. Cette recherche diffère de ces travaux en prenant pour point d'entrée de la réflexion non plus la PME en tant que telle, mais les dynamiques territoriales d'innovation (DTI). En effet, certaines dynamiques paraissent plus propices que d'autres à l'insertion des PME dans les PIL. Dans un premier temps nous cherchons à identifier les mécanismes qui sous-tendent les DTI, et dans un second temps nous étudions dans quelle mesure ces mécanismes facilitent ou freinent l'intégration des PME dans les PIL. Nous menons une étude de cas de type " grounded theory " (Glaser, 2004) sur deux clusters rassemblés au sein du pôle de compétitivité SCS " solutions communicantes sécurisées " : Marseille-Rousset-Gémenos, et Nice-Sophia Antipolis. Les résultats nous ont permis d'élaborer un " modèle théorique enraciné " explicatif de l'intégration des PME dans les dynamiques territoriales d'innovation. Ce modèle met en évidence un élément clé de l'intégration des PME dans les PIL : la présence de connaissances architecturales au niveau du cluster dans leurs trois dimensions relationnelle, technique et de marché.

<p>Over the last few decades trends such as globalization have sharpened up competition on the worldwide open market and in order to meet customers demand high level of technological and competitive uncertainties have increased the pressure of reducing R&D budgets, reduce innovation cycles and shorter time to market as a consequence of the rising competition and as a result, forced companies to source external knowledge. One way of doing this is by tapping external information and knowledge from universities.China is a country with a steady rapid growth on science and technology, but also with a progressively increasing R&D. Today they have the highest input level in the history and this is an opportunity for Western MNCs to establish collaborations in order to gain competitive advantages and create new technology. This study focuses on Industry-University collaborations in China for high technological companies and the process of finding knowledge and establishes networks at Chinese universities with the aim of establish Industry-University collaboration. Based on literature review and a qualitative study of Chinese universities, this thesis explores how a MNC can build a network of local universities connection in a fast growing market and use this network as a source of technology scouting.Over the last few decades trends such as globalization have sharpened up competition on the worldwide open market and in order to meet customers demand high level of technological and competitive uncertainties have increased the pressure of reducing R&D budgets, reduce innovation cycles and shorter time to market as a consequence of the rising competition and as a result, forced companies to source external knowledge. One way of doing this is by tapping external information and knowledge from universities.China is a country with a steady rapid growth on science and technology, but also with a progressively increasing R&D. Today they have the highest input level in the history and this is an opportunity for Western MNCs to establish collaborations in order to gain competitive advantages and create new technology. This study focuses on Industry-University collaborations in China for high technological companies and the process of finding knowledge and establishes networks at Chinese universities with the aim of establish Industry-University collaboration. Based on literature review and a qualitative study of Chinese universities, this thesis explores how a MNC can build a network of local universities connection in a fast growing market and use this network as a source of technology scouting.</p>

分析師扮演著公司與投資大眾之間的資訊中介者角色。本文旨在探討企業研發支出對分析師預測品質的影響，以及企業聘雇屬於產業專家會計師是否能夠緩和研發支出所引發的盈餘管理及代理問題，並進而改善分析師預測品質。本文援引Balsam (2003)之定義，計算會計師事務所於各產業之市場佔有率(auditor industry market share)。作為產業專家之代理變數。實證結果發現：(1)分析師離散性與整合分析師間私有利益的程度，與公司研發費用多寡有關。研發費用愈高的公司，分析師的離散程度及整合分析師間的私有利益也愈高；(2)透過產業專家查核，可以緩和研發費用支出所引發的盈餘操縱及代理問題，因此研究發展費用透過產業專家會計師查核，可以提升企業的會計盈餘資訊品質，以降低分析師盈餘預測的離散程度及降低分析師間整合私有資訊的利益。 / Analysts, as an informational intermediary, produce research reports that include forecasts of future earnings, thus fulfill an important role in capital market. The objective of this paper is to investigate the association between analyst forecast’s quality and firm’s R&D expenditure. Recent work has hypothesized that intangible assets affect analyst forecast’s quality. Extending this literature, we hypothesized that firm seek to reduce the degree of earnings’ management and agency’s cost from R&D expenditure by retaining high quality auditor firms, auditor industry expertise, and then increase analyst forecast’s quality. We measure auditor industry expertise based on Balsam (2003). We find that more R&D expenditure increases analyst forecast’s dispersion and enhances the benefits of aggregating individual analysts’ forecasts. Consistent with our hypothesis, we document that auditor industry expertise can mitigate the degree of earnings’ management and agency’s cost from R&D expenditure. We also find that firms retaining auditor industry expertise are more likely to enhance the accounting information quality, decrease analyst forecast’s dispersion, and eliminate the benefits of aggregating individual analysts’ forecasts.

La littérature économique défend l'existence d'aides publiques à la R&D privée du fait des nombreuses externalités et distorsions qui conduiraient les firmes à sous-investir en R&D. La multiplication de ces aides à différents échelons territoriaux et l'apparition d'éléments plus contrastés concernant leur justification soulignent un besoin accru d'analyse de ces politiques et de leurs conséquences territoriales. L'objet de cette thèse est d'apporter de nouveaux éléments concernant la rationalité, les effets et l'efficacité des aides financières à la R&D privée.Le premier chapitre propose une discussion de la rationalité des aides financières à la R&D à partir de la littérature sur la croissance endogène et ses raffinements incluant une dimension géographique. Le décalage entre les approchesthéoriques et les approches empiriques concernant les origines et l'ampleur du sous-investissement des firmes en R&D fait plutôt ressortir l'hypothèse d'un sous-investissement limité et spécifique.Les chapitres 2 et 3 fournissent des analyses théoriques des effets dynamiques et spatiaux d'une politique centralisée de subvention à la R&D. Les résultats montrent que cette politique renforce la croissance économique, réduit les inégalitésterritoriales et améliore le bien-être global. Les bienfaits de ce type de politique sont non seulement dépendants de l'hypothèse retenue concernant les rendements de la R&D mais surtout des options retenues concernant le financement et l'allocation géographique des subventions. Le chapitre 4 fournit une analyse empirique de la capacité des aides financièresà la R&D à stimuler l'investissement privé en R&D, à partir d'un panel de pays de l'OCDE. Les résultats indiquent une sensibilité plus forte des investissements privés en R&D aux aides indirectes (incitations fiscales) qu'aux aides directes (subventions) et suggèrent l'existence d'effets de substitution entre ces deux types d'aides.

Organizations have had difficulty managing the performance of their knowledge work teams. Many of these troubles have been linked to antiquated or inadequate performance management systems along with a scarcity of empirical research on this important human resource initiative. These problems are magnified when managing the performance of research and development teams because greater ambiguity and uncertainty exists in these environments, while projects are unique and continually evolving. In addition, performance management in R&D has only recently been accepted as important while individuals in these settings are often resistant to teams. This study represented the first step in the process of understanding relationships between performance management practices and perceptions of performance in R&D work teams. Participants were 132 R&D team leaders representing 20 organizations that agreed to complete a survey via the Internet. The survey instrument was designed to examine the relationships between performance measurement, feedback, and reward processes utilized by teams in relation to measures of customer satisfaction, psychological and team effectiveness, and resource utilization and development. The most important level of performance measurement occurred at the business unit level followed next by the individual level while team level measurement was unrelated to team performance. A simple measurement system with three to seven performance measures focused on objective results, outcomes, and customer satisfaction appeared ideal. Team participation in the performance management process, most notably the process of setting performance measures, goals, and objectives was also important. The use of multiple raters, frequent performance appraisals, and frequent feedback were identified as meaningful. Specific types of rewards were unrelated to performance although some evidence suggested that business unit rewards were superior to team and individual rewards. It was speculated that R&D teams function more like working groups rather than real teams. The focus in R&D seems to be on business unit projects, products, or designs where the aggregate of individual and team contributions determine larger project outcomes.

Cette thèse s’intéresse à la gestion des résultats dans le cadre des entreprises innovantes. Elle est constituée de trois articles. Dans le premier, il s’agit d’examiner si les résultats des entreprises innovantes sont gérés et si le stade de développement des innovations influence cette gestion des résultats. Il apparaît que les résultats des entreprises innovantes sont gérés à la hausse. Cette gestion ne semble intervenir qu’au cours de l’activité d’innovation (c’est-à-dire lorsque les entreprises investissent en R&D) ; l’achèvement des innovations n’incitant pas les dirigeants à gérer les résultats. Partant de ce constat, nous nous demandons dans le deuxième article si (i) la comptabilisation des dépenses de R&D est utilisée comme une modalité de GR ou (ii) si l’activation de ces dépenses est une information comptable fiable. Nos résultats montrent que les dépenses de R&D sont activées pour gérer les résultats et plus précisément pour atteindre des résultats cibles. L’activation des dépenses de R&D est une information comptable fiable uniquement lorsque les dirigeants ne sont pas incités à atteindre des résultats cibles. Enfin, dans le troisième article, nous observons si les dirigeants des entreprises innovantes utilisent l’ajustement des dépenses de R&D en plus de leur activation pour atteindre les résultats cibles. Il apparaît que ces deux modalités de GR sont utilisées conjointement pour atteindre le bénéfice et les prévisions de résultat des analystes. En revanche, pour éviter une diminution du résultat, les dépenses de R&D sont soit ajustées soit activées. / This thesis deals with earnings management in the context of innovative companies. It consists in three articles. In the first, we examine whether the earnings of innovative firms are managed and if the stage of development of innovations influences this earnings management. Results show that the results of innovative firms are managed upward. This earnings management seems to occur only during innovative activity (i.e. when firms invest in R&D); the completion of innovations not incenting to manage earnings.Based on this observation, in the second article, we wonder whether (i) R&D expenditures are capitalized in order to manage earnings or (ii) whether the capitalization of these expenditures is reliable accounting information. Our results show that R&D expenses are capitalized in order to manage earnings and more precisely to meet earnings targets. R&D capitalization is reliable only when managers have no incentive to achieve earnings targets. Finally, in the third article, we examine whether managers use jointly the adjustment of R&D expenditures and their capitalization in order to beat earnings targets. Results show that managers use these two earnings management techniques to beat zero earnings and analysts earnings forecasts. However, R&D expenses are either capitalized or reduced to avoid a decrease of earnings.

Submitted by Fabricia Fialho Reginato (fabriciar) on 2015-08-25T00:20:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ElisaThomas.pdf: 2569705 bytes, checksum: ecf5d45598c2ad9923b46e4cc9811fe4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-08-25T00:20:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ElisaThomas.pdf: 2569705 bytes, checksum: ecf5d45598c2ad9923b46e4cc9811fe4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / It has long been stated in the literature the effects of collaboration to innovation, especially regarding research and development (R&D) activities. However, these are dynamic empirical fields. Therefore theoretical approaches face constant challenges to understand and explain the new evidences. Due to the limited scope and scale of organizations to search and identify partners with complementary knowledge and resources, and to select those with potential to effectively cooperate for R&D, there is an increasing emergence of agents who provide these services in the market. Called intermediaries or brokers, they influence the interaction among organizations with the common goal of innovation. Still, the literature has reported that the intermediary may play an important set of functions for R&D projects not limited to the search of partners. This thesis is therefore mainly concerned with the influence of innovation intermediaries in the context of collaborative R&D projects, suggesting a conceptual framework on the role of intermediaries. The framework emphasises that R&D collaboration goes beyond dyadic relationships usually highlighted in the literature. The roles of intermediaries provide an important additional dimension in collaborative R&D projects. The empirical part of the thesis explored three case studies: Force for Elastomers, from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil; the Orange Service Call and Reward project undertaken by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) for Orange; and the StarStream project from the University of Southampton, both in the United Kingdom. The results confirmed the influence of innovation intermediaries in most of the critical elements of a R&D project. The study advances the understanding of the influence of intermediaries for the beginning of a new project between partners. The analyses also show that intermediaries influence especially through the search for possible partners and the management of the relationship. However, the activities of research and knowledge production as well as activities of development and prototyping were not directly influenced by intermediaries. The stage after R&D, when the partners had reached positive results from activities, received a major influence from intermediaries who helped the firms to protect the inventions and to value and commercialize the new technology. Research outcomes still reveal that there is still a lack of measurements about intermediaries’ effectiveness and therefore firms involved in partnerships cannot fully evaluate their role.

La stratégie d'alliance est capitale pour la réussite et la survie des PME des secteurs de hautes technologies (PME-HT). Les partenariats R&D rentrent de plus en plus dans leur business models. Ainsi ce sont bien les PME de ces secteurs qui auraient besoin de développer une capacité d'alliance R&D, dans le sens où c'est une capacité organisationnelle qui permet à l'entreprise de gérer efficacement ses alliances R&D. Or ce concept de capacité d'alliance (CA) est majoritairement étudié dans un contexte de grandes firmes dans la mesure où elles disposent de managers spécialisés en alliances voire de départements alliances. Les PME quant à elles souffrent d'un manque structurel de ressources, notamment de ressources humaines et financières à allouer à l'activité de la gestion des alliances R&D. Pourtant l'innovation dans les secteurs de hautes technologies est portée principalement par les PME actives en gestion des alliances R&D. Notre objectif est d'explorer les pratiques de management des alliances R&D chez ces entreprises afin de répondre à la problématique suivante : Dans quelle mesure une PME de hautes technologies développe-t-elle une capacité d'alliance en R&D ? Nous comptons répondre à cette problématique en comparant les pratiques liées à la capacité d'alliance R&D des grandes firmes rapportées dans la littérature avec celles des PME de notre terrain de recherche. Egalement, nous mobilisons la théorie de la PME afin de lister les spécificités de ce type d'entreprises qui pourraient influencer leur capacité d'alliance. Nous avons étudié les pratiques managériales des PME du secteur des biotechnologies installées dans la région Languedoc-Roussillon. Nous avons sélectionné 20 entreprises parmi les 71 PME de biotechnologies languedocienne. Le critère de sélection a été la performance en matière d'alliances R&D et d'innovation technologique. Nous avons également étudié l'interaction de ces entreprises avec les acteurs du Système Sectoriel d'Innovation (SSI) du LR en ce qui concerne l'activité R&D. En somme, nous avons utilisé la méthode de l'observation non participante et de l'entretien semi-directif (un total de 39 entretiens).Nos résultats montrent que chez les PME-HT il existe deux types de capacité d'alliance en R&D : une CA individuelle et une CA organisationnelle. En l'occurrence dans les plus petites PME-HT seuls quelques individus ont développé cette capacité (dirigeant et responsable R&D. Quant aux autres PME plus âgées et de plus grandes tailles, la connaissance managériale liée à la CA est diffusée et stockée de manière collective dans la mémoire de l'entreprise. A la différence des grandes firmes, et dans les deux cas de figure, ces pratiques restent informelles et non institutionnalisées. Egalement, nous avons mis en évidence l'existence de la fonction informelle de chef de projet d'alliance R&D au sein de ces entreprises. Il s'agit d'un chercheur qui a développé un ensemble de compétences de chef de projet dans un contexte inter-organisationnel. Il s'agit principalement de connaissances en matière de DPI (Droit de Propriété Intellectuelle) et de montage de dossiers de financements publics.Enfin, certains aspects de la gestion des alliances R&D comme la prise de décision collégiale et le recours systématique au contrat comme mode de gouvernance des alliances constituent à nos yeux des facteurs de "dénaturation" de la PME de haute technologie par rapport à l'idéal-type de la PME. Dans un deuxième temps, nous discutons la nature même de la capacité d'alliance des PME de hautes technologies. Nos résultats permettent d'étudier en profondeur le lien entre le niveau individuel et organisationnel d'une capacité organisationnelle. / Alliance activity is a common practice in the high technology industries. Managing R&D alliances successfully is a major issue in such industries. Public policy makers in France announced that supporting high technology SMEs in managing their R&D alliances should become a standard practice among national and regional support agencies to business in the field of innovation activities. To contribute toward the goal of enhancing French high technology industries competitiveness we aim to study the R&D alliance management practices of SMEs within such industries. We are interested in the alliance capability of these firms as a strategic capability that allows the organizations to manage their alliances effectively. According to the state of the art, SMEs R&D alliance management practices are different from what you find at large companies. Presumably R&D alliance capability of high technology SMEs is expected to be different from large companies one. This assumption is based on the view that SMEs are characterized by a special organizational context which is different from large companies. Therefore our research problematic is to determine the extent to which, in high technology industries, SMEs develop a specific R&D alliance capability ? We plan to compare the state of the art concerning SMEs alliance capability with large companies' alliance management practices in high technology sectors. We choose to examine in particular the case of biotechnology SMEs because in this industry R&D alliances are very common practices and are critical to the survival of small firms. In order to comply with geographical and institutional embeddedness of innovation activities in this industry, we go one step further and study biotechnology SMEs from Languedoc Roussillon, a region in the south of France. A qualitative study was conducted in order to gather information about biotechnology SMEs practices concerning R&D alliances. We studied 20 companies ranked among the very successful in managing R&D alliances in the Languedoc Roussillon.Our results bring to light two different R&D alliance capability profiles within high technology SMEs : individual R&D alliance capability within smaller companies and organizational alliance capability within bigger SMEs. For the former companies, only some individuals develop managerial knowledge about R&D alliances, the persons in question are the CEO and/or an R&D top manager. They invested an enormous amount of time and resource in learning skills needed for the R&D alliance life cycle, such as project management tools, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), budgeting, etc. The first person to succeed in developing this individual R&D alliance capability is the CEO. As soon as the R&D activity grows, he tries to delegate his authority over the R&D manager or any other top scientist. For this purpose he starts to coach any scientist that showed interest in developing managerial skills. We call this totally informal coaching process “one-on-one learning process”. Within bigger high technology SMEs, there are practices related to a “collective learning process” aiming to spread managerial knowledge to all the R&D team members. It remains non-formal and non-institutionalized process, since there is no managerial knowledge codification. Actually, all the knowledge is stored only in the company oral memory.We showed many differences in managing R&D alliances between SMEs and large firms in the biotechnology industry. However high technology SMEs use formal contracts as the main governance control of the alliance relationship. They are very careful about IPR formal negotiation and management. In addition to that they use project management tools to plan the alliance implementation stage and even include this planning in the alliance contract. This make us reconsider the hypothesis according to which biotechnology SMEs fit to the SME ideal-type in terms of R&D alliance management practices.

“Análise do processo de cooperação tecnológica universidade-empresa: um estudo exploratório" é um trabalho em que se demonstra como vem acontecendo a cooperação universidade - empresa no Brasil no campo da Ciência e Tecnologia, principalmente, do ponto de vista acadêmico. Para tal, foi efetuada uma pesquisa exploratória junto a três universidades que se destacam nesta área e três empresas que têm atuado em pesquisas conjuntas com estas instituições. Para o desenvolvimento da análise, foi elaborado um modelo conceitual básico em que foi adotada uma divisão do processo de cooperação em quatro partes constituintes: motivações, barreiras e/ou facilitadores, processo de cooperação em si e satisfação resultante. Através do estudo realizado, foi possível visualizar como o processo, em seu todo ou em função das partes constituintes, está se estabelecendo. Os resultados da pesquisa permitiram detectar como motivadores centrais, para as universidades, a realização de sua função social, a obtenção de conhecimentos práticos e a incorporação de novas informações aos processos de ensino e pesquisa; para as empresas, o acesso a recursos humanos com elevada qualificação e a resolução de problemas técnicos. Constatou-se também a existência de organizações e agentes intermediadores no processo de cooperação, sendo que este apresenta como principais instrumentos operacionais as relações pessoais informais e formais e os acordos com alvo definido. A pesquisa ainda evidencia os fundos governamentais de apoio à pesquisa como o principal facilitador existente no processo de cooperação universidade-empresa e as diferenças de nível de conhecimento entre as pessoas envolvidas, a burocracia destas instituições e a duração muito longa do projeto como sendo as mais marcantes barreiras. Indicando, por fim, que o processo tem gerado satisfação entre os participantes, o que é refletido no desejo de continuidade com pesquisas cooperativas pelas instituições. De posse dos resultados da pesquisa, desenvolveu-se um modelo para entendimento da cooperação entre universidades e empresas em universidades brasileiras, em que se observam os fatores ligados a motivações, barreiras, facilitadores, processo em si e satisfação resultante. O estudo se encerra com a indicação de algumas medidas de melhoria para o processo; como, por exemplo, redução da burocracia universitária, divulgação da imagem e potencial das universidades, ampliação das relações entre o setor empresarial e o universitário e a simplificação do processo de obtenção de fundos governamentais de apoio à pesquisa. / “Analysis of the university-enterprise technological cooperation peocess: an Exploratory study" is a study showing that there has been a university-enterprise cooperation in Brazil, especially in science and technology, from an academic point of view. In order to show this, exploratory research has been carried out involving three major universities in this area as well as three enterprises that have done some joint research together with them. To develop the analysis, a basic conceptual model has been designed which adopts a division of the cooperation process in four parts: motivation, constraints and/or facilitators, the cooperation process itself and the resulting satisfaction. By carrying out such a study it was possible to visualize how the process, as a whole or depending on its parts, has been established. The results of this study have allowed to detect, as central motivators to the universities, the performance of their social role, the acquisition of practical knowledge and the addition of new information to the teaching and researching processes; to the enterprises, such motivators have been detected as the access to highly qualified human resources and the solution to technical problems. It has also been found the existence of intermediate agents and organizations in the cooperation process, which has got formal and informal personal relationships as well as agreements with a definite target as its main operational tools. Furthermore, this study highligths government research funds as the main existing facilitator in the university-enterprise cooperation process and the university geographical location, the bureaucracy of such institutions as well as the lengthiness of the project as the most remarkable constraints. Finally, it points out that the process has generated satisfaction among participants, which is reflected by the desire of the institutions to continue carrying out cooperative research. Based on the results of this study, a model to understand the cooperation between universities and enterprises at Brazilian universities has been developed, in which one can notice the factors linked to motivation, constraints, facilitators, the process itself and the resulting satisfaction. To conclude, the study indicates some measures to improve the process such as reduction of university bureaucracy, promulgation of university image and potential, an improvement on the relations between universities and enterprises, and a simpler process to get government research funds.