This study assesses the composition of micro-level behaviours embedded within innovation clusters. Drawing on network theory of innovation, we examine the relational complexities of a specific university-business form of clustered exchange to characterise the actor level behaviours that influence the breadth and spread of network involvement. Whilst some current research posits behavioural attributes of clustered networks, there have been few studies that have focused on the extent of influence that individuals have on the development of value creating relationships, the roles individuals play and the various factors that have the potential to impact their effectiveness. This conceptual development study provides insights into the actor-level behavioural features that play a central role in promoting the innovation effectiveness of these regions. The findings of this three year long ethnographic study suggest that in the face of resource constraints individuals act as agents in creating and sourcing external input for the benefit of their projects. This has implications for policy-makers as well, as our findings suggests that policies should be shaped to provide enabling factors for boundary-spanning, thus allowing relationships to be equipped with the ability to manage complex partner contexts to access the benefits of diversity.

We conceptualize entrepreneurial ecosystems as fundamentally reliant on networks and explore how and under what conditions inter-organizational networks lead an entrepreneurial ecosystem to form and evolve. It is widely accepted that entrepreneurial ecosystems possess a variety of symbiotic relationships. Research has focused considerable efforts in refining the structure and content of resources found within these networked relationships. However, merely focusing on actor-level characterizations dilutes the notion that social relationships change and are complex. There has been little conceptual treatment of the behavioral and governance factors that underpin how quality interactions composing an entrepreneurial ecosystem develop and change over time. In response, we provide a longitudinal ethnographic study examining how ecosystems are managed and evolve in their relational configurations and governance at critical junctures. Using mixed methods and data collected over 3 years, we reveal a cyclical process of relational development central to the initiation, development, and maintenance phases of a valuable entrepreneurial ecosystem. We contribute to a conceptualization of effective ecosystems as reliant on networks, we reveal the behavior and governance characteristics at play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem during each phase of its evolution.

This study explores the psychological factors that influence market diffusion of popular culture digital services. Digital service websites have been diffusing through global markets with relative ease, but the factors influencing this are not well understood. The transition from the brick and mortar services to a digital outlet represents a form of market disruption but the way that this impacts the consumer experience and the way firms engage in innovation are not fully understood, nor are the various cognitive factors driving the adoption rates. There is a need to understand cognitions that influence intent to engage, as well as the perceptions of the social environment in which the service offering occurs. Therefore, we offer an examination of different social contexts (US and UK) to explore the impact of certain attitudes and norms towards online gambling consumption. The results of study demonstrate how variations between online and offline environments impact consumer adoption and market diffusion. Additionally, the results further support the need for more studies to focus on the soft factors that influence their innovation capabilities.

PurposeThis article addresses the need for further conceptual development of the factors that influence the development of the entrepreneurial mindset. It focuses on finding a link between the classic mental models of entrepreneurship and those that are employed during video game play to explore if similarities exist.Design/methodology/approachUsing theories of entrepreneurship and opportunity recognition, the study examines a sample of 217 video gamers.FindingsThe results of this study suggest that an individual who exhibits a high level of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has an enhanced opportunity recognition capability when the intensity of playing video games is also high. Various genres of games were controlled for; however, it was found that shooting games have the highest effect on the emergence of opportunity recognition.Originality/valueThus, the study reveals that some game activities can be linked to entrepreneurial cognitions. This has implications for the entrepreneurial intent literature as it reveals certain actions can be linked with entrepreneurial information processing. These findings are useful for game designers and managers as well.

The European Union offers opportunities for high-level of funding of collaborative European research. Calls are regularly published: after the end of the FP7 funding programme the new round of Horizon 2020 calls started in 2015. Several topics are relevant to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) challenges, including chronic disease management, biomarker discovery and new treatments developments. The aim of this Viewpoint article is to describe the new Horizon 2020 instrument and the project submission procedures, and to highlight these through the description of tips and tricks, taking advantage of four examples of successful projects in the field of IBD: the SADEL, IBD-BIOM, IBD Character and BIOCYCLE projects.