This paper examines the association between university–industry collaboration and firm innovation performance, and the effect of informal mechanisms of knowledge transfer on such an association, using data from a survey of 245 firms in Ghana and employing partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results are of significant relevance to the business community and policy-makers in Ghana and West African. We find that while university–industry collaboration is positively related to innovation performance in firms, informal mechanisms of university knowledge transfer do not and negatively moderate the positive association between university–industry collaboration and innovation performance in firms. It is also found that to facilitate innovation outcomes, formal, legal binding contracts are required. The study recommends that university knowledge generation and innovation policies in Ghana encourage formal collaboration between knowledge exchange actors. It is also suggested that improvements need to be made to the efficacy of intellectual property legislation in Ghana.

This chapter contributes to the debate on the conceptual differences and disparities in the definitions of social capital among researchers. It also delves into the potential influence of social capital on innovation performance of firms, which continues to fuel its misunderstanding in the literature. The study critically reviews, discusses and presents available literature on the concept of social capital and its subsequent influence on innovation performance. The methodology is an extensive review of available literature on the concepts and the possible link between them. The investigation provides a potential contribution to the debate on the relationship between social capital and innovation performance in firms as a way of direction and attempts to synthesize what academia considers with regard to the concepts and points out potential areas of research required to develop the overall subject area. The chapter offers a resource for practitioners and students in this new field which has attracted the attention of enterprise developers.

Research into formal and informal technology transfer between universities and industry in economical developed counties is well-documented. However, such studies are limited in number in developing economies. In the context of developing economies, this study analyses technology transfer offices’ role in university technology transfer to Ghanaian firms. We incorporate informal mechanisms as a moderating variable to explore the role of human interaction in the technology transfer value chain. In a cross-sectional survey in Ghana, using structural equation modelling with 245 firms, our research finds a negative moderating effect of informal mechanisms on the effect of technology transfer offices on innovation performance in firms. The findings are of significance to universities and corporate bodies in economically developing nations such as Ghana. Policies to improve the effect of informal mechanisms of university technology transfer offices are proposed in developing economies.

This chapter compiles an up-to-date and academically grounded study on enterprise financing in the emerging economies of Ghana, Pakistan and Yemen in terms of global dynamics. The research question addressed ‘what is the nature of financial entrepreneurship in the three countries of Ghana, Pakistan and Yemen as emerging economies'. The methodology used is a comparative study of the three countries involving an investigation of the economic background, financial bodies, enterprises, and funding SMEs to determine the nature of financial entrepreneurship in the three countries as emerging economies. In response to the research question it was found that financial bodies have an important influence on enterprises especially in terms of the way SMEs are funded. From the findings of the comparative study a fundamental model was developed as the main contribution to knowledge concerning the financing of SMEs in emerging economies taking into account important financial aspects, the process of entrepreneurship and the significant outputs of SME activities and growth.

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