Bachelor-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2008.

Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2008.

Diss. Univ. St. Gallen, 1999.

Enhancing levels of innovation and entrepreneurship to grow a more competitive economy is the focus of much government effort. Attention is paid to changing a culture seen as antagonistic to entrepreneurship through initiatives designed to promote an entrepreneurial spirit. Universities, aware of the importance of developing entrepreneurial potential, are focusing on equipping students with the skills and abilities to contribute to innovation within organisations they join upon graduation, while also providing opportunities for the development of student aspirations. Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI) has developed a one week event designed to influence deep personal values and the underlying motivations of potential entrepreneurs. This paper reports on the Connections course content as it was offered at the University of Strathclyde in 2003, content premised on the belief that students are motivated to start new enterprises through enhancement of self-confidence in their entrepreneurial skills. Measures of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and other outcomes are offered, followed by a report of the results found at the end of the event and then six months later. The programme is found to have created enduring improvements in entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and a related strengthening of pre-entrepreneurial awareness and exploration of ideas for starting companies. Other assessment results are presented suggesting the need to include explicit course content on entrepreneurial career paths. The implications of the Connections findings for entrepreneurship teaching in general are discussed.

Zugl.: München, Univ. der Bundeswehr, Diss., 2008

This thesis is about the institutions that apply developed-country science and technology to. agriculture in underdeveloped countries. It considers the extraordinary series of changes in food production that has come to be known as the 'Green Revolution', arguing that the(less than ideal) outcomes of these changes reflected the characteristics of a particular network of research institutions known as the CG System, as mediated by the agricultural technology developed by the latter. Drawing on recent developments in the theory of innovation, the thesis argues that the characteristics of the CG System responsible for the outcomes of the 'Green Revolution' may be derived from the 'linear' model of innovation,upon which the former was apparently predicated. This 'linear' model of innovation is critically compared with a rival 'fifth generation' model. It is suggested that if the CGSystem were to adopt an innovatory practice that conformed to the 'fifth generation' model,it would enable itself to make a greater impact upon poverty and hunger. The reforms that are now being experienced by the CG System are critically considered in the light of this discussion. This argument is supported by empirical material which demonstrates thatCIAT (a member of the CG System) has traditionally approached innovation in a manner consistent with the 'linear' model. However, an initiative based within CIAT's Hillsides Programme is examined in detail and shown to be an attempt to introduce into this institute an innovatory practice consistent with the rival 'fifth generation' model. Formidable organisational forces act to resist this initiative and the changes that if seeks to effect in its organisational environment. Nonetheless, considerable movement towards the 'fifth generation' model is discerned at each of the different levels of analysis employed in the thesis,· which concludes that this process of change is itself worthy of serious investigation.

Actuellement, comprendre comment les entreprises innovent avec un impact environnemental positif dans l’optique d’un développement plus durable est une problématique essentielle pour les entreprises et la société. Néanmoins,l’innovation environnementale reste insuffisamment appréhendée. L’objectif de cette thèse est de mettre en évidence les spécificités des innovations environnementales pour les PME au regard des déterminants et des barrières perçues.Le cadre théorique adopté est celui de l’hypothèse de Porter, pour examiner l’effet de la réglementation. Il a été enrichi par les approches RBV et KBV pour une meilleure prise en compte des capacités et ressources des PME dans leur adoption d’innovations environnementales.Cette recherche est basée sur trois articles empiriques et une démarche quantitative qui mobilise différentes méthodes économétriques.Trois contributions majeures sont issues de cette thèse : (1) Les PME innovantes en matière environnementale perçoivent plus de barrières, de manière plus intense et en plus grand nombre par rapport aux autres PME innovantes ou non-innovantes; (2) Les PME innovantes environnementalement font appel à plus de sources de connaissances externes vis-à-vis des autres PME; (3) Les PME peuvent adopter des innovations environnementales de manière proactive, comme les grandes entreprises, elles possèdent certaines capacités.Ces résultats sont à l’origine de recommandations en matière de politiques publiques et managériales qui visent à une plus grande diffusion des innovations environnementales pour les PME. / Understanding how companies innovate for positive environment impact and sustainable development is a crucial issue for business and society today. Yet,little is currently known about this particular kind of innovation. The objective of this thesis is to shed light on the specificities of environmental innovation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in terms of determinants and perceived barriers.The theoretical framework is based on the Porter’s Hypothesis in order to examine the effect of regulation. It is enriched by the RBV and KBV approaches to better take into account SMEs’ capabilities and resources in the adoption of environmental innovation.This research is based on three empirical articles and on a quantitative approach which mobilizes several econometric methods.This thesis contributes to three key findings: (1) Environmentally innovative SMEs perceive more barriers, in more intense and numerous ways, compared to others innovative or non-innovative SMEs; (2) Environmentally innovative SMEs utilize more external knowledge sources than other SMEs; (3) SMEs, like large firms, can adopt environmental innovations proactively because they possess certain capacities.These results lead to public policy and managerial recommendations for more widespread and more effective environmental innovation in SMEs.

The aim of this thesis is to develop an innovative theoretical understanding of technological innovation as a social phenomenon and to demonstrate the results of its application to the sector of UK's marine energy technology. Via a creative analysis and critique of various theoretical approaches to technology, I identify several key elements of a theory capable of understanding technological change, which I then develop based on the critical juxtaposition of the approaches of Pierre Bourdieu and Cornelius Castoriadis. Technological innovation is understood as the ultimate outcome of the relations of cooperation and competition formed by radically creative agents, capable of ex-nihilo creation, who participate in private and public institutions of a quasi-regulated technological field. After arguing in favour of applying a primarily subjectivist epistemology with objectivist elements, I present a research methodology based on semi-structured interviews. The results of the data analysis highlight several key features of technological change as it takes place within the technological field of UK's marine energy technology. Firstly, I present the ways the technological field influences the agents therein and helps them develop their craft. Secondly, I explore how the agents of the field use their craft as they create ex-nihilo. Thirdly I show the interactions between the technological field and other social institutions/spaces such as the economic sector and the general public. Subsequently, I analyse the internal organization of the technological field and its impact upon the trajectories that technological innovation follows therein. Finally, I make the first tentative steps towards developing policy advice for the sector. I conclude that, as long as policy makers manage to develop a precise understanding of the technological field of marine energy technology, then they actually can design policy capable of positioning the technological innovations therein within a preferred path.

The research aimed to identify the most appropriate team approaches for co-ordinating innovative products or process developments and for enhancing their success. Case studies were conducted in 25 UK companies, focusing on environmental technology projects. Research findings emphasised the diversity of organisational team approaches which were more complex when several departments, teams or companies were involved. Team approaches were broadly classified - 'single-disciplinary', 'multi-disciplinary' or 'multi-functional' - according to members' expertise and innovation function which could be more or less integrated. The results showed that: 1. Multi-tasking to meet all innovation functions reflected small firm limitations and small firms would benefit from more formal structures. Differences between medium- and large-sized firms were minimal since teams held more specialist expertise, However, the influence of firm size on innovation success was obscured and potentially negated by inter-company alliances. 2. Few differences in the management of minor and major company innovations applied since competitive pressures led to organisational innovation in each case, including integrated team approaches, inter-company alliances and company formations. 3. Multi-functional teams were important for achieving success in open markets because of their control over appropriate expertise, even though they did not guarantee commercial success or other benefits. Surprisingly, multi-functional teams were typically rated as unsatisfactory and ineffective by members which may have implications for staff morale and retention. 4. Inter-company teams represented opportunities for team learning and organisational development because company-based assumptions about organisational behaviour, expectations about inter-company operations and fears about inter-disciplinary teamworking were challenged. 5. Integrated teams were not sufficient for achieving team effectiveness and success outcomes, although most companies regarded their team as necessary for success. Complex team and innovation development processes emphasised the importance of the co-ordinator's role in managing unclear team and organisational boundaries associated with innovative developments. 6. Although the research supports the importance of teams for innovation success, team effectiveness had a more complex influence on success in open markets than on client-funded projects because of the nature of the teams and the influence of market and technological uncertainties.

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