Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship In Low Tech Industries

This book will appeal to social scientists, economists and students of innovation and entrepreneurship studies. Policy-makers and company representatives will also find much of interest in this book, with its surprising insights into a field that has b

This book presents the first multidimensional investigation of KIE in the context of low-tech industries and gives insights in paradox conditions and specific mechanisms, using the example of the German textile industry. Therefore, the author solves conceptual inconsistencies and develops an alternative framework referring to systemic concepts of sectoral innovation systems and KIE as well as to the concept of institutional entrepreneurs. As a result, the deviation of willful actors from a restricting institutional environment and sources of entrepreneurial opportunities can be investigated more comprehensively. Contents The Sectoral Innovation System of the German Textile Industry The German Textile Industry as an Example The Emergence of Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship in Low-Tech Industries Target Groups Students and lecturers of economic sociology and economics Decision makers in industrial policies and economic promotion The Author During her PhD, Isabel Schwinge researched and lectured at the Chair of Economic and Industrial Sociology, TU Dortmund University. The Sectoral Innovation System of the German Textile Industry The German Textile Industry as an Example The Emergence of Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship in Low-Tech Industries Target Groups Students and lecturers of economic sociology and economics Decision makers in industrial policies and economic promotion The Author During her PhD, Isabel Schwinge researched and lectured at the Chair of Economic and Industrial Sociology, TU Dortmund University. The Sectoral Innovation System of the German Textile Industry The German Textile Industry as an Example The Emergence of Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship in Low-Tech Industries Target Groups Students and lecturers of economic sociology and economics Decision makers in industrial policies and economic promotion The Author During her PhD, Isabel Schwinge researched and lectured at the Chair of Economic and Industrial Sociology, TU Dortmund University. The Sectoral Innovation System of the German Textile Industry The German Textile Industry as an Example The Emergence of Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship in Low-Tech Industries Target Groups Students and lecturers of economic sociology and economics Decision makers in industrial policies and economic promotion The Author During her PhD, Isabel Schwinge researched and lectured at the Chair of Economic and Industrial Sociology, TU Dortmund University. The Sectoral Innovation System of the German Textile Industry The German Textile Industry as an Example The Emergence of Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship in Low-Tech Industries Target Groups Students and lecturers of economic sociology and economics Decision makers in industrial policies and economic promotion The Author During her PhD, Isabel Schwinge researched and lectured at the Chair of Economic and Industrial Sociology, TU Dortmund University.

Knowledge intensive entrepreneurship lies at the core of the structural shift necessary for the growth and development of a knowledge based economy, yet research reveals that the EU has fewer young leading innovators, and Europe’s new firms do not adequately contribute to industrial growth. This is especially true in the high R&D intensive, high-tech sectors. This structural malaise, undermining Europe’s growth potential, is well diagnosed, but poorly understood. This volume fills this important gap by exploring new firms that have significant knowledge intensity in their activity and develop and exploit innovative opportunities in diverse sectors. Through an evolutionary and systemic approach to entrepreneurship, focusing on knowledge intensive entrepreneurship as both a micro and a macro phenomena and analyzing firms in the context of various socio-economic models, the authors explore firms creation and origins around the world, their organization, strategies and business models as well as the role of innovation systems and institutions in their formation and growth. This comprehensive research text is vital reading for academics, researchers and students of high-tech and knowledge intensive entrepreneurship as well as those with an interest in industrial dynamics, innovation management and public policy.

This book presents the first multidimensional investigation of KIE in the context of low-tech industries and gives insights in paradox conditions and specific mechanisms, using the example of the German textile industry. Therefore, the author solves conceptual inconsistencies and develops an alternative framework referring to systemic concepts of sectoral innovation systems and KIE as well as to the concept of institutional entrepreneurs. As a result, the deviation of willful actors from a restricting institutional environment and sources of entrepreneurial opportunities can be investigated more comprehensively.

This book examines knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (KIE) with a focus on the European textile and apparel industries. The primary purpose is to review the extant academic literature related to the European textile and apparel industries and reflect on that review empirically using a new and robust database on KIE to discover patterns between human capital and strategic entrepreneurial and innovative behavior. According to the Advancing Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Economic Growth and Social Well-being in Europe (AEGIS) project, KIE is defined as an interface between knowledge generation and diffusion and the productive system. Knowledge-intensive entrepreneurs are thus involved in mechanisms that translate knowledge into innovation, which in turn leads to economic development and growth within an industry and/or region. To date, KIE is often associated with high-tech industries such as aerospace, computer engineering, automotive or telecommunications. For this reason, few studies have been conducted that specifically examine KIE as an avenue for firm or sector growth in the textile and apparel industries. However, new studies have positioned these industries as ones in which KIE can foster growth through innovation, and where products and processes are often evaluated within a knowledge-based framework. Building on this growing literature base, this volume explores potential policies and strategies for driving innovation and growth at the firm and industry levels in Europe and other regions, including the United States.

Knowledge intensive entrepreneurship lies at the core of the structural shift necessary for the growth and development of a knowledge based economy, yet research reveals that the EU has fewer young leading innovators, and Europe’s new firms do not adequately contribute to industrial growth. This is especially true in the high R&D intensive, high-tech sectors. This structural malaise, undermining Europe’s growth potential, is well diagnosed, but poorly understood. This volume fills this important gap by exploring new firms that have significant knowledge intensity in their activity and develop and exploit innovative opportunities in diverse sectors. Through an evolutionary and systemic approach to entrepreneurship, focusing on knowledge intensive entrepreneurship as both a micro and a macro phenomena and analyzing firms in the context of various socio-economic models, the authors explore firms creation and origins around the world, their organization, strategies and business models as well as the role of innovation systems and institutions in their formation and growth. This comprehensive research text is vital reading for academics, researchers and students of high-tech and knowledge intensive entrepreneurship as well as those with an interest in industrial dynamics, innovation management and public policy.

This original and exciting work differs from existing books on entrepreneurship by focusing specifically on the relationship between knowledge and entrepreneurship. The book uniquely combines an academic review of theoretical and empirical contributions with an analysis of the practical implications for engaging in and learning about venture creation. The authors concentrate on specific types of firms reliant upon advanced knowledge and show how a systemic perspective of entrepreneurship is required, involving design thinking, in order to capture the relationships between individual, venture and eco-system. Managing Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship will be insightful for academics and practitioners, as well as advanced students on entrepreneurship courses.

It is a general understanding that the advanced economies are undergoing a fundamental transformation into knowledge-based societies. There is a belief that this is based on the development of high-tech industries. This work offers a discussion concerning the relevance of low-tech industries for industrial innovativeness in the knowledge economy.