PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore empirically and theoretically collaborations, which small entrepreneurial firms establish with other firms, stemming from innovation processes within the original firm.Design/methodology/approachThe article advances “entrepreneurship as practice” (EaP) using practice theory, employing specifically the concept of constellations. Three specific constellations emerge, each characterized by particular practices, purposes and outcomes. The empirical material stems from a collective case study of 32 entrepreneurial firms regarding 40 innovation projects.FindingsThe findings suggest that innovation practices in entrepreneurial firms stimulate new collaborations forming specific constellations, which in turn lead to learning and further innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThe theoretical framework developed extends EaP and practice theory by casting light on how constellations are, their forms, shapes and outcomes. The findings extend existing research on collaboration for innovation and contribute to practice theory by modeling different constellations and their structures.Practical implicationsThe practical implications of the findings for entrepreneurial firms arise from understandings of how different constellations may influence further learning and innovation.Originality/valueThe originality of the study is the identification and exposition of distinctive constellations of collaboration stemming from entrepreneurial innovation. This study exposes that innovation is differently open, whether the collaboration is interdependent, incorporated into the collaboration or independent from the other collaborative partners, with implications for learning and for innovation outcomes. The findings give insight into the enabling and limiting factors of each constellation, factors which may facilitate or hinder learning and innovation.
In recent years, the Norwegian government has invested heavily in improving basic skills in the adult population. Initiatives have included legislation, the introduction of work-based adult education programmes and reforms in schooling. In the light of this investment, we explore trends in adult literacy and numeracy, by comparing data from two international surveys of adult skills, conducted in 2003 and 2012. Paradoxically, the proportion of low performing adults appears to have increased, most significantly in the 16-24 year age group and in the foreign-born population. The profile of the lowest performing group has changed in the intervening years. These findings suggest that adult education programs and the education system more generally may not be in concord with the goal of including all in the communities of the literate. We discuss policy implications, in the context of the Scandinavian model but argue that the discussion is applicable beyond national boundaries.
Porter, som er kjent som klyngeteoriens «far», hevder at det ikke er mulig å skape klynger gjennom offentlig tiltak. Likevel brukes det i Norge hvert år mange millioner kroner av offentlige midler til å fremme utvikling av regionale innovasjonssystemer og klynger. I denne artikkelen diskuterer vi erfaringer fra fem offentlig støttede nettverksprosjekter.To store klyngesatsinger i Norge er Norwegian Centres ofExpertise (NCE) og Arenaprogrammet (Arena). Norges forskningsråd, SIVA og Innovasjon Norge samarbeider som programeiere. NCE er et program rettet mot modne klynger som vil utvikle seg til verdensklasse. Det er i dag tolv NCE som dekker svaert forskjellige temaer, fra NCE Aquaculture Nordland til Oslo Cancer Cluster. Arena er et program som retter seg mot fremvoksende klynger og tilbyr støtte til langsiktig utvikling av regionale naeringsmiljøer basert på samarbeid mellom bedrifter, FoU-og utdanningsmiljøer og offentlige utviklingsaktører. Siden Arena ble iverksatt i 2002 har det støttet over seksti klyngeinitiativ. I 2013 er det 28 ARENA-prosjekter.I statsbudsjett for 2014 2 er det foreslått å øke bevilgningen til klyngeprogram med ytterlig ti millioner kroner med etablering av enda et nytt program, såkalte «Global Centres ofExpertise».
Innovations that counter professional and conventional ways meet barriers to acceptance in communities of experts. How small businesses meet and seek to overcome these barriers may determine the ultimate success of their innovations. A collective case study of 32 firms involving 40 innovation projects revealed that this initial opposition from scientific and professional groups may overwhelm entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs lack strategies to deal with and move beyond this opposition to gain entry and acceptance in professional communities. Interpreting the findings through the lens of practice theory, we find that entrepreneurial practices pose challenges to professional practices, to professional authority, to accepted methods and to the imagination. Successful entrepreneurs demonstrate flexibility, aligning their practices to the practices of the professional groups. Mutual alignment of practices will serve both entrepreneurs and professions.
The basic cognitive skill of numeracy is a recognized form of human capital, associated with economic and social well being for individuals and for nations. In this study, we explore how occupational complexity relates to proficiency in numeracy, among adults in full-time employment. We operationalize occupational complexity by constructing three measures of task complexity: complexity with data, complexity with people and complexity with things. Data from the international OECD survey of adult skills, 2012, is employed to investigate both the distribution of these three dimensions of occupational task complexity and how these relate to numeracy in 13 countries. The analysis indicates that data occupational complexity predicts numeracy scores, when controlling for age, gender and educational level. The findings open for a hypothesis that occupational activities may enhance basic skills in adult populations. If elaborated and supported through further studies this finding has practical implications for workplace organization and contributes to theoretical understandings of the development of basic skills in adults.
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