Networks and High-Tech Innovation in Vancouver: An Application of Q-Analysis to ISRN Intervews

Abstract:     
In this study we seek to better understand how the configuration of relationships immediately around a firm may impact its performance in context of its activities and industry. We use Q-analysis to reveal specific configurations of how actors are organized and involved in activities in relation to firm performance. This is an exploratory study, that employs Q-Analysis techniques, which “avoid the use of data transformations and summary measures,” and are considered “best suited for exploratory research and hypothesis generation” (Jacobson & Yan, 1998). This study uses interview transcripts in which questions regarding the involvement of actors towards the development or access of specific resources are analyzed as proposed in Hakansson’s network model (Hakansson, 1987, 1989) as source data.

The interviews analyzed were conducted as part of the 2001-2003 ISRN Innovation Survey in the new media and biotech industries in Vancouver. Subsets of firms are formed for comparison, by splitting the sample based on compound annual growth rate and industry. Conclusions are drawn in an attempt to link the performance of the new venture with the activities pursued through and the configuration of networks.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 34

Keywords: entrepreneurship, networks, q-analysis, strategy, structure, performance, configurations

JEL Classification: M13, C19

working papers series