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Keywords
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to develop an integrative framework of accelerator design to answer the question of what activities accelerators perform and how they function within a structured framework. Research on the functioning of accelerators as a mechanism for startup engagement produced multiple empirical results. However, the comparability of relevant research is strongly limited, currently hindering theoretical developments. Existing accelerator design models often differ and only partially overlap, which leaves extant literature with a fragmented and discordant conceptual understanding.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a meta-synthesis method using qualitative analysis of 36 accelerator design articles, an integrative framework is developed. After identification of relevant literature, a renowned method for extracting, coding and synthesizing data on individual and cross-study level is applied to identify accelerator design constructs. Eventually, identified accelerator design constructs are integrated into a framework resting on the activity system lens of business model design.
Findings
The article reconciles fragmented knowledge on accelerator design and shows how accelerator design can be holistically conceptualized by 32 key activities clustered in eight design dimensions. The framework is complemented by an initial guideline for measurement. The findings further highlight formerly disregarded aspects of governance and community formation from a processual and structural perspective.
Originality/value
This article is the first to present a comprehensive picture of accelerator design integrating multiple empirical findings of prior research into a single coherent framework. This framework offers a shared foundation for future research exploring the delineations, functioning and impact of accelerators. From a practical perspective, the article provides managers of accelerators a guide to design, review and improve programs according to their value creation goals.
Purpose
When CEOs are publicly weighing in on sociopolitical debates, this is known as CEO activism. The steadily growing number of such statements made in recent years has been subject to a flourishing academic debate. This field offers first profound findings from observational studies. However, the discussion of CEO activism lacks a thorough theoretical grounding, such as a shared concept accounting for the heterogeneity of sociopolitical incidents. Thus, the aim of this paper is to provide an archetypal framework for CEO activism.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a multiple case study approach on 145 activism cases stated by CEOs and found seven distinct statement archetypes.
Findings
The study identifies four main structural design elements accounting for the heterogeneity of activism, i.e. the addressed meta-category of the statement, the targeted outcome, the used tonality and the orientation of the CEOs’ positions. Further, the authors found seven distinguishable archetypes of CEO activism statements: “Climate Alerts”, “Economy Visions”, “Political Comments”, “Self-reflections and Social Concerns”, “Tech Designs”, “Unclouded Evaluations” and “Descriptive Explanations”.
Research limitations/implications
This typology classifies the heterogeneity of CEO activism. It will enable the analysis of interrelationships, mechanisms and motivations on a differentiated level and raise the comprehensibility of research-results.
Practical implications
The framework supports executives in understanding the heterogeneity of CEO activism and to analyse personality-fits.
Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge, this marks the first conceptualisation of activism developed cross-thematically. The work supports further theory-building on CEO activism.
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to explore how multi-national corporations (MNCs) can effectively adopt artificial intelligence (AI) into their talent acquisition (TA) practices. While the potential of AI to address emerging challenges, such as talent shortages and applicant surges in specific regions, has been anecdotally highlighted, there is limited empirical evidence regarding its effective deployment and adoption in TA. As a result, this paper endeavors to develop a theoretical model that delineates the motives, barriers, procedural steps and critical factors that can aid in the effective adoption of AI in TA within MNCs.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the scant empirical literature on our research objective, we utilized a qualitative methodology, encompassing a multiple-case study (consisting of 19 cases across seven industries) and a grounded theory approach.
Findings
Our proposed framework, termed the Framework on Effective Adoption of AI in TA, contextualizes the motives, barriers, procedural steps and critical success factors essential for the effective adoption of AI in TA.
Research limitations/ implications
This paper contributes to literature on effective adoption of AI in TA and adoption theory.
Practical implications
Additionally, it provides guidance to TA managers seeking effective AI implementation and adoption strategies, especially in the face of emerging challenges.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is unparalleled, being both grounded in theory and based on an expansive dataset that spans firms from various regions and industries. The research delves deeply into corporations' underlying motives and processes concerning the effective adoption of AI in TA.
From ego to equity
(2024)
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the association between narcissistic tendencies, gender and funding success in high-growth start-ups. It aims to bridge a critical research gap by exploring the combined effect of gender and narcissism on start-up funding success.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors surveyed 540 founders of high-growth start-ups in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, using the NPI-16 questionnaire to assess narcissistic tendencies. By focusing on high-growth start-ups as opposed to small firms, the authors enhanced the validity of the sample. This study isolates and analyses the effects of gender and narcissism, providing insights into their individual and combined contributions to start-up funding success.
Findings
The findings reveal that gender is associated with lower start-up funding and lower narcissistic tendencies. This highlights the intricate relationship between gender, narcissism and funding success within the context of high-growth start-ups.
Practical implications
These findings have important implications for investors, policymakers and entrepreneurial educators, suggesting that a nuanced understanding of founders’ psychological traits could enhance funding strategies and start-up support mechanisms.
Originality/value
This research addresses the critical gap in the literature by examining the joint influence of gender and narcissism on funding success in high-growth start-ups. The study contributes to a nuanced understanding of the factors shaping founder psychology and performance dynamics, offering valuable insights for future research in gender, narcissism and start-up success.
Die HHL ist dank zahlreicher Initiativen seit vielen Jahren eng mit dem mitteldeutschen Mittelstand verwoben. Hierbei sei exemplarisch auf das Institut für Familienunternehmen & Unternehmernachfolge (IFU) verwiesen, welche derzeit zum Thema Digitalisierung eine neue Mittelstandsuntersuchung durchführt. Vorläufige Ergebnisse dieser zweistufigen Befragung, an der bisher 109 sächsische KMU teilnahmen, sind neben der dezidierten Abbildung des Status Quo vor allem die Identifikation konkreter Bedarfe der regionalen KMU. Die Erkenntnisse der Befragung sind in dieser vorläufigen Studie zusammengeführt. Auf ihrer Basis sind Ableitungen getroffen worden für die künftigen Angebote, die der DIGITAL SPACE der HHL den mitteldeutschen KMU ab 2020 unterbreiten möchte, um deren Digitale Transformation zu unterstützen und die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Region zu stärken.
Corporate accelerators are on the rise and established companies from a diverse set of industries and regions have set up such startup support programs to predominantly pursue strategic goals. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the benefits of corporate accelerators from a corporate perspective and that of the participating startups. In order to do so, this in-depth single-site case study iestigates the SAP Industry 4.0 Startup Program building upon an inductive research design with explorative nature. The authors qualitatively examine a newly established corporate accelerator program of one of the world’s largest enterprise software companies and provide valuable insights for both practitioners and scholars engaged in corporate accelerators. The benefits for startups participating in corporate accelerator programs can be linked to operational go-to-market acceleration in regards to product development, sales acceleration, as well as skill and knowledge development. Moreover, the startups receive benefits linked to strategic business development acceleration in the areas of strategy and business model improvements, pitching, financing, and strategic partner development. At the same time, corporate accelerators overall aim to increase the competitiveness of established companies running such programs by developing a product ecosystem and the brand, infusing startup culture into the organization and developing customer relationships.
Corporate accelerators have emerged rapidly over the last few years and have become a cross-industrial global phenomenon. Established companies interact with startups through these programmes in a structured approach. Recent academic research shows that programmes exist with diverse characteristics, providing various resources and services such as investment capital, office space, mentoring or training to the startups. Currently, the corporate accelerator landscape is undergoing change, with companies adjusting their programme characteristics. One reason for this development seems to be that companies struggle to provide the right resources to startups. The extant corporate accelerator literature, however, does not provide any insights into the value of the different resources provided to startups in such programmes. Thus, we analyse, empirically and in-depth, one of the longest active corporate accelerator programmes, taking the startups' perspective. Investigating Wayra, the corporate accelerator of Telefónica in Germany, we shed light on what is satisfying, what is relevant and what corporates can improve on.
Corporate accelerators (CAs) have become increasingly popular in both research and practice. In the past, analyses of CAs have centered on organizations in general, but those analyses focused on the particularities of CAs rather than the firms’ contexts. With regard to firm-specific contexts, a growing number of family firms in Germany have started CAs in recent years. Family firms are known for their idiosyncrasies due to the family’s involvement, which is argued to affect cooperation between family firms and start-ups. We claim that CAs also differ in the context of family firms. Taking a family firm specific perspective on corporate entrepreneurship, we argue that the design of family firms’ CAs is influenced by these firms’ idiosyncrasies. By connecting this perspective with general CA design dimensions, we conceptually derive family firm specific CA designs and discuss their implications for CAs in general and for CAs in the context of family firms.
Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) units position themselves as smart capital providers in new venture firm New Venture Firm (NVF) financing. In line with the resource-based view and social capital theory, extant research postulates that CVCs contribute complementary assets beyond capital to their NVFs. However, the non-financial value for NVFs is mainly created through a corporate business unit within the CVC's corporate parent company. As agency theory implies, the strategic agendas of CVCs, NVFs, and corporate business units may not always align and thereby often hamper value creation. Hence, our qualitative research builds on a cross-industry case study of eleven CVC units to show how they leverage resources from their corporate sponsors to add value for NVFs. We reveal the mechanism behind CVC value creation holistically by identifying eight design elements that lead to a typology of four distinctive CVC forms. This classification offers a representation of the CVC landscape based on their institutional environment.
Coopetition research
(2021)
Research in the field of coopetition, which describes firms simultaneously competing and collaborating to create value, has recently gained enormous momentum. Over the period of 2015 to 2020, scholars published more high-quality studies on this subject than in the entire 25-year history of coopetition research. Despite the relevance of these contributions, their fragmented nature and disjuncture from prior studies limit a connected understanding of the current standing of the field. Our analysis addresses this gap by systematically reviewing, comparing, and connecting a selected sample of 161 recent articles with the body of research established prior to 2015. Our study makes three main contributions. We (1) structure and connect past and present coopetition research across five identified research dimensions: Antecedents, execution, interaction, outcomes, and levels of coopetition. We (2) supplement this review with a qualitative trend analysis, identifying emerging themes for the future of the field. By combining past and present perspectives with the future outlook, we (3) provide a comprehensive, unique, and updated perspective on coopetition research, unifying it into a cohesive, overarching framework. Lastly, we explain crucial interdependencies and suggest areas for future research before we conclude the study.