Strategy Development Affordances of Business Incubators

Date: 11 February 2014 Time: 10.30 am

This proposal presents the agenda to research the influence of business incubators on firms’ strategy development. Incubators have received increased attention in academic literature in recent years. Much of the research has focused on the economic benefits of incubators, survival rates of the incubated firms, and on the incubator’s provisions to firms. Recognition of the value of incubators is reflected in the continued substantial financial support received from the New Zealand government. However, little is known about the process of incubation, that is, how firms within incubators develop their strategies, and the role played by incubators. It is proposed that incubators can substantially influence firms’ strategy development due their comprehensive provisions, and the proposed research will explore this using the Theory of Affordances.
Existing knowledge of incubators in the context of the Theory of Affordances will be discussed, followed by a determination of the most appropriate ways to observe and operationalise strategy development in incubator firms. An empirical investigation into the interplay between incubator affordances and the firms’ strategy developments is proposed. The research would utilise a three-phase mixed-methodology approach comprising interviews and surveys with incubator firms and incubator managers. It is envisaged that the findings of the proposed research will address a notable gap in knowledge about the perceived and realised role of incubators in the strategy development of new firms.
PRESENTER
Jenny Douché is a PhD Candidate within the School of Management. Jenny has a passion for entrepreneurship, which was ignited while completing her MBA at Victoria University, and was later enacted through her publishing firm, Avocado Press. The firm went on to become one of the first to graduate from Wellington’s business incubator, Creative HQ. Following the sale of the firm, Jenny managed the Creative HQ’s pre-incubation programme, Activate, for new entrepreneurs. Jenny now plans to embark on a career as an academic, starting with a PhD thesis on entrepreneurship.

For further information please contact Urs Daellenbach or Sally Davenport (Supervisors),
urs.daellenbach@vuw.ac.nz Tel 4635732 sally.davenport@vuw.ac.nz Tel 4635144