CFP: Studying Emergence and Change of New Technology Based Firms (University of Lucerne)

[entrepreneurship-phd at lists.uni-due.de]

From: Duschek Sigrid [mailto:Sigrid.Duschek at unilu.ch] 
Date: Thu 23 Oct 2008 09:39

Call for Papers
Workshop
Studying Emergence and Change of New Technology Based Firms
University of Lucerne, February 20-21, 2009
This workshop aims at discussing the organisational development of new
technology based firms (NTBF). The development of NTBFs is often
described in terms of stage models that address a variety of issues such
as growth, technology development and the availability of resources
simultaneously. Although these models may serve as an analytical tool to
describe and compare NTBFs, they seldom and rather unsystematically
address organisational development as change of a social structure. We
therefore suggest regrouping questions of organisational development
with regards to the beginning, the further development and the end of
the start-up-process in order to fully explore aspects of organisational
change.

A starting point to explore the development of NTBFs is to look at the
conditions of its emergence. One possible focus may be set on the
influences of organisations, which have been involved in the development
of the technology prior to founding. As spin-offs, biotechnology
start-ups e.g. rely on research realised under the conditions of
research in public or private organisations. In turn, personal
continuities such as the inventor as owner-manager, but also as board
member, scientific advisor, or researcher, are a first indicator for
strong continuities. Second, the predominance of research co-operations
in organisational networks also suggests the maintenance of mainly
research based patterns. However, the entry of additional, non-inventor
founders with different, e.g. industry related experience, can give rise
to different strategies and organisational structures which support,
complement or compete with initial research orientations. In sum,
examining continuities and discontinuities to parent organizations may
help us to reveal early organisational contingencies and patterns.

Accordingly, while examining the further development of NTBFs, it is
possible to analyse change in contrast to initial structural patterns.
One proposition is to study change with regards to the implication of
economic contextualisation of organisational patterns. "Chaotic
research" versus "dedicated development" or "entrepreneurial" versus
"financial" (Quotes of interviews with biotechnology entrepreneurs) are
differences, which indicate pressure of economic reorientation. Changing
routines and bureaucratisation become relevant topics. In addition,
extensive co-operations with suppliers and contract research
organisations on the one hand, and client-partnering on the other hand,
are used as a means to minimize internal imperfections. In turn, the
organisation is increasingly confronted by problems related to how to
deal with efficient co-operation issues which lead to the
differentiation of the initial management team and/or substitution of
academic leaders.

Discussing the end of a start-up, is a rather difficult question to ask.
Bankruptcy as a definite ending constitutes one possibility to conceive
the end of a start-up, which in the past remained mostly under examined
because of difficulties gaining access to relevant data. Defining
endings as transitions to a "normal" organisation entails other
difficulties. Stage models refer to decelerating growth or the existence
of a multi-line production portfolio as indicators of normalisation. In
contrast, organisational literature has abandoned the idea of maturity
in favour of models of continuous change. However, exit options of
venture capital investors, such as mergers, IPO or trade sales, may be
used to describe endings as turning points. Anticipated endings or
turning points can have different implications to the organisational
development. According to game theory, backward induction reasoning
would suggest that trade sales e.g. bestow a project-like status to
start-ups and according opportunistic behaviour. However, implications
of ending scenarios to organisational development have not been explored
so far.

With this workshop we would like to explore the emergence, development
and end of NTBFs. We are especially interested in empirical studies
focusing on organisational change, continuous or disruptive development,
and influences of organisational embeddedness. We encourage researchers
from diverse array of academic disciplines, including organisational
science, sociology, business administration and organisational behaviour
to submit papers.

We would like to solicit empirical and conceptual addressing for
instance the following questions:

Concerning the emergence:

- Which continuities or disruptions can be observed throughout the
emergence of NTBFs out of parent organisations?
- How do the different experiences of founders affect the emergence and
development of NTBFs?
- Which differences result from different spin-off backgrounds
(university, private research organisation, company)?
- From a historical perspective, how does change of parental
organisations or industry contexts influence start-ups?
- What is the influence of other organisations (entrepreneurial courses,
start-up consultants, start-up contests, incubators) on the emerging
organisations?

Concerning the development:

- What are the effects of investor relationships (banks, business
angels, VC) on the organisational development?
- How does the absence or entry of clients affect the organisational
development?
- What role does start-ups/business consulting play throughout founding
and change processes?
- Which patterns of change (economic orientation, routinisation,
bureaucratisation) can be observed in later stages?

Concerning the end:

- Which factors lead to an expected or unexpected ending?
- What are the lessons learnt of entrepreneurs involved in failing
spin-off processes?

Abstracts (500 words) should be submitted electronically to
sigrid.duschek at unilu.ch by December 1st, 2008. Decisions on acceptance
will be made by December 22nd, 2008. Papers will be judged according to
their contribution to the discussion. The number of participants is
limited to 20.

Conference Host:

Prof. Dr. Raimund Hasse, University of Lucerne

Contact Details:

University of Lucerne
IKK
Sigrid Duschek
Bruchstrasse 43/45
Postfach 74 56
CH-6000 Luzern 7
sigrid.duschek at unilu.ch
www.unilu.ch

Workshop Revenue:

University of Lucerne, Switzerland
February 20-21, 2009

Deadlines:

Submission of Abstract: December 1, 2008
Notification of Acceptance: December 22, 2008
Registration: January 18, 2009

Further information on the conference agenda, locations, accommodation
and payment will be announced after registration.