Archive for October, 2009
Institutional Marketing for High-Growth Business Incubators
The important aspect that is missing in most incubators is the ability to “self sustain” that leave the program financially viable and the incubator as self sustaining. To be financial self sustaining is important for these companies as they in turn should have the potential to create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, commercialize new technologies etc. all of which in turn should result in the strengthening of local and national economies.
In his case study review of IndiaCo., author Rahul Patwardhan, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of IndiaCo Ventures discusses the IndiaCo. story and presents a case that talks about how Incubators can incorporate these aspects into their own marketing plans and evolve from “theory” to “practice”. This article gives an overview of the concepts of institutional marketing for high-growth business incubators, the challenges and difficulties with marketing strategies for incubators.
Read the entire article here.
How Knowledge and Innovation Can Advance Agriculture in Developing Countries
Agriculture remains crucial to developing countries; yet agricultural development in these countries is often constrained by issues of access to appropriate technologies; immense “institutional weaknesses”; and deep problems with the organization and management of research, education, and extension systems. The Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) addressed these issues through the international consultative conference entitled “Advancing Agriculture in Developing Countries through Knowledge and Innovation.” The major focus of the conference was the recognition of the critical importance of knowledge and innovation in the pursuit of agricultural development for growth and poverty reduction. The papers explored the interplay of technologies, organizations, policies, institutions, and system dynamics in innovation processes, without advocating a particular paradigm. This document is a synopsis of the conference presentations, discussions and outcomes related to partnerships, platforms, coalitions, and linkages through which knowledge and innovation among different innovation agents (including public, private, and civil sectors) could be shared.
Read the Conference Synopsis here.
Global Dimensions of Intellectual Property Rights in Science, and Technology
The Office of International Affairs of the National Research Council undertook an examination of the global dimensions of intellectual property rights in science and technology in response to increasing concern expressed by important segments of U.S. industry—and, to a lesser extent, the U.S. university research community—about the lack of uniform international treatment of IPRs and the difficulty of protecting their innovations from imitation. This volume focuses on the nature of the changes, the challenges present for national and international IPR systems, and their implications for science and technology. This examination took the form of a major conference, the proceedings of which are published in this volume.
Read the volume here.
Ten Nonprofit Funding Models
In the non-profit world, the talk of funding is ever present. Since their methods of operation are different from the for-profit world, raising money to fund programs necessitates a dedicated method to bring in money. This often leads to several creative operating and funding models. However often the models developed do not adequately answer questions of long-term stability, or financial viability. What works for one non-profit does not necessarily work for another.
In their article for the Standford Social Innovation Review, “Ten Non-Profit Funding Models,” authors William Landes Foster, Peter Kim and Barbera Christiansen identify 10 non-profit funding models commonly used in the U.S. Through the article they highlight how non-profits can identify different sources of funding, and build partnerships. They also discuss the associated limitations and benefits of each model.
Read the entire article here.
Social Entrepreneurship Revisited
The word social enterprise has been in vogue for some time now. The use of the term by U.S President Barack Obama’s administration has lent the sector added visibility (and perhaps credibility). But what does social entrepreneurship mean?
This is the question that Paul C. Light, a professor at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service addresses in his essay, Social Entrepreneurship Revisited.
Light points out that while there is consensus on the general definition of the term, the specifics are grainy. While some empahsize the role of the individual – the changemaker – others focus on the idea, the opportunity and the system that enables them.
The article points to key insights that Light gained through his three year study of the sector. Among the key insights he puts forward are: social entrepreneurs are not like other achievers, socially entrepreneurial ideas are big, opportunities for grand change comes in waves, socially entrepreneurial organizations are built for change.
Read more of Light’s findings here.
Who Benefits from Promoting Small & Medium Enterprises?
The following is the abstract to the full article by authors Bob Rijkers, Caterina Ruggeri Laderchi, and Francis Teal. The article was first published by the World Bank as part of their Policy Research Working Paper Series.
The Addis Ababa Integrated Housing Development Program aims to tackle the housing shortage and unemployment that prevail in Addis Ababa by deploying and supporting small and medium scale enterprises to construct low-cost housing using technologies novel for Ethiopia. The motivation for such support is predicated on the view that small firms create more jobs per unit of investment by virtue of being more labor intensive and that the jobs so created are concentrated among the low-skilled and hence the poor. To assess whether the program has succeeded in biasing technology adoption in favor of labor and thereby contributed to poverty reduction, the impact of the program on technology usage, labor intensity, and earnings is investigated using a unique matched workers-firms dataset, the Addis Ababa Construction Enterprise Survey. The data are representative of all registered construction firms in Addis and were collected specifically for the purpose of analyzing the impact of the program. The authors find that program firms do not adopt different technologies and are not more labor intensive than non-program firms. There is an earnings premium for program participants, who tend to be relatively well-educated, which is heterogeneous and highest for those at the bottom of the earnings distribution.
Reducing Poverty and Hunger Through Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Social entrepreneurs are needed in adequate numbers in different spheres of development—that is, global, national, and community levels—to enable the effective design and implementation of poverty and hunger reduction programs. Yet, organized efforts to develop and promote the capacity for social innovation and entrepreneurship have been limited. This is in sharp contrast to the private sector, where entrepreneurship has been and continues to be a major force driving development. Recent experiences have shown that introducing entrepreneurial spirit into the development process can improve the effectiveness of intervention programs.
This article by the International Food Policy Research Institute, discusses how social entrepreneurs at policy, business and programme levels could ensure the effective implementation of the programmes aimed at the poverty and hunger reduction and how the spirit and skills required could be infused through mainstream education programs. It is apparent that without new approaches and skills in regions where poverty and hunger are chronic, strategies and programs will continue to fall short of their intended goals.
Read the full article here.
How HIV/AIDS Affected Communities Innovate
The following is an abstract of the article, Innovation in Agriculture and Natrual Resource Management in Communities Affected by HIV/AIDS: A review of International Experience, by Michael Loevinsohn of Applied Ecology Associates in the Netherlands. It is a part of a Promoting Local Innovation working paper series.
This document aims to review international experience on the role of agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) in preventing and alleviating HIV/AIDS. In particular it draws attention to the importance of local innovation in these efforts and to the experience gained in identifying and boosting local innovation processes. Examples of local innovations of both a social and technical nature are described, as far as possible together with an assessment of the conditions that have favoured or hindered innovation. The purpose is to provide guidance to the country teams in their search for relevant local innovations and in planning for the workshops that they will be organising with partners in both the agriculture/NRM and AIDS/health communities.
We first outline some of the key features of HIV/AIDS epidemics and of their relationship with rural livelihoods dependent on agriculture and NRM. We then discuss in turn how the spread of HIV infection can be hastened when rural livelihoods are undermined and how the illness and deaths that follow infection can contribute to undermining rural livelihoods. This sets the stage for discussion of the roles local innovation play in the struggle with HIV/AIDS and for considering some of the local innovations that have come to light. We also ask why local innovation is not better recognised and appreciated, describe some of the constraints it faces and provide some ideas on ways this initiative can improve the situation.
ANDE Background Analysis
The Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is a member-driven organization housed within the Aspen Institute. The Network consists of funders, experts and intermediaries who are committed towards developing the potential of small and growing businesses (SGB) in developing markets.
Together with consultancy firm Dalberg, ANDE conducted extensive research in order to understand the SGB sector, their potential to drive growth and eradicate poverty and the challenges they face. The report draws from personal interviews with funders and stakeholders, surveys, and third party literature.
Read more of the report here.
Entrepreneurship in India
Given the increasing significance and visible impact of entrepreneurship in wealth-creation and employment -generation, the National Knowledge Commission of India considers it critical to the country’s growth and development. It has undertaken this study to explore factors that have advanced entrepreneurship in India and also various other factors that could further encourage and facilitate even further growth.
Read the full report of the National Knowledge Commission of India.