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Research
Current Projects
Study on High Growth Firms in Singapore
NEC has been commissioned by the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING) to conduct a study on high-growth firms in Singapore with a special focus on SMEs. The project aims to understand the landscape of such firms in Singapore, and how they have developed over time. In addition, the project seeks to gain a better understanding of the profile of founders / senior management of high-growth firms and the management and strategic processes they employ. The study involves collation of secondary data, a firm-level survey, and face-to-face interviews with selected firms. Findings from the study will be used to identify factors which may distinguish high-growth firms and contribute to their success, as well as to identify potential policy measures for fostering and sustaining successful, high-impact entrepreneurial firms.
Participate in the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) 2011
We invite all NUS students to participate in the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS). GUESSS is an international research project investigating the entrepreneurial activities and intention of university students. GUESSS Singapore 2011 is sponsored and supported by the Action Community for Entrepreneurship and SPRING Singapore.
The survey should not take more than 10 minutes to complete. Please click on the link to proceed to the online survey form.
Past Projects
Evaluation of Exploit Technologies IP and Technology Transfer Services
Exploit Technologies (EPTL) of A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) engaged NEC to conduct a study in order to better understand the needs, concerns and priorities of ETPL’s two main customer groups: researchers at the A*STAR public research institutes; and licensees who have licensed IP owned by A*STAR or who have evaluated such IP for the purpose of licensing. In this project, the two customer groups were separately surveyed using self-administered structured questionnaires. Findings from the surveys were used to evaluate the level of satisfaction with ETPL’s services and the perceived impact and effectiveness of its programs, as well as to identify areas of potential improvement in ETPL’s service provision to its customer groups.
Study on High-Tech Start-ups in Singapore
The National Research Foundation (NRF) engaged NEC to conduct a study examining the state of high-technology start-ups in Singapore. The project aimed to understand the landscape of such firms in Singapore and examine the effectiveness of government policies on high-tech start-ups, in order to identify ways to improve the rates of survival, growth and successful exits of high-tech start-ups. The study involved collation of secondary data, a survey of high-tech start-ups and mini-cases of selected startups. Findings from the study were used to understand the factors that drive the development of high-tech start-ups through different growth stages and possible inhibitors or barriers to growth.
Publications
Journal Articles & Book Chapters
Entrepreneurial intentions: The influence of organizational and individual factors
An individual’s intent to pursue and entrepreneurial career can result from the work environment and from personal factors. This paper examines why individuals intend to leave their jobs to start business venture. Findings, using a sample of 4192 IT professionals in Singapore, suggest that work environments with an unfavourable innovation climate and/or lack of technical excellence incentives influence entrepreneurial intentions through low job satisfaction
University Patenting Activities and Their Link to the Quantity and Quality of Scientific Publications
An individual’s intent to pursue and entrepreneurial career can result from the work environment and from personal factors. This paper examines why individuals intend to leave their jobs to start business venture. Findings, using a sample of 4192 IT professionals in Singapore, suggest that work environments with an unfavourable innovation climate and/or lack of technical excellence incentives influence entrepreneurial intentions through low job satisfaction
Conference & Working Papers
Do co-publications with industry lead to higher university technology commercialization activities?
This paper examines the relationship between university-industry R&D collaboration and university technology commercialization by investigating the extent to which the latter may be influenced by the involvement of the universities in research collaboration with industry, as evidenced by their propensity to generate co-publications with industry.
Home-base-exploiting vs home-base-augmenting strategies of foreign R&D by US electronics firms
This exploratory paper uses US patents to investigate the R&D locational strategies of the top patenting US electronics companies over 1976-2005, with a focus on non-Japan Asia. Our analysis suggests that home-base-exploiting R&D remains the dominant R&D strategy for US electronics firms in Asia, but there is a trend towards more HBA R&D in Korea and Taiwan in recent years. Policy implications for the host economies in Asia are discussed.