Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship (Discontinued) - Volume 6, Issue 1, 2019

Background: Agri-food industry is of great importance in the manufacturing industry of Spain and, more specifically, in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura. This industry is undergoing substantial changes that detect the need to include innovation within its strategies to change and adapt its products to new consumers' food demands and markets in order to be more competitive and to differentiate from other producers. As in other industries, innovation provides agri-food companies with the possibility of generating higher incomes and increasing their productivity and competitiveness. Methods: Based on these considerations, the main objective of this study is to analyze how agri-food companies in Extremadura value the importance of innovation in their strategies, and to carry out their characterization based on innovation strategies. Results and Discussion: Data have been taken from a survey conducted in 2013 from which a representative sample of agri-food companies was selected. Exploratory factor analysis differentiates four types of strategies based on the importance that companies give to innovation, from which firms are characterized according to a series of variables such as size, innovative activity, innovation barriers, benefits of innovation, and demand of public actions. Conclusion: The results obtained permit to differentiate typologies of agri-food companies from the innovative policy point of view. This characterization is important and useful for designing public policies.

Background: Wine tourism is one of the tourism components adopted as part of Portugal’s strategy due to its eminence as a wine producer. Such strategy has received great prominence in recent years and aims to promote regional development from an economic, social, cultural and environmental perspective. The aim of this study was to understand the entrepreneur profile in this sector. Methods: The study uses a qualitative, case study methodology with data analysis and triangulation. In this study, a literature review of scientific studies was carried out on the scientific knowledge in the area of study from a critical perspective and an interview was conducted where qualitative data were collected. Results and Discussion: The entrepreneurs have shown the following characteristics: initiative, innovation capability, optimism, creativity, creative energy, tenacity, selfconfidence, capability for long term involvement with the project, and learning capacity. Conclusion: The study shows that most entrepreneurs state that they have established partnerships with other companies, particularly with restaurants, catering businesses, hotel units, tourism companies and companies that organize tours. This is one of the factors of economic importance recognized by another study which enables increased prominence of the company and widens the value of wine tourism.

Background: The theoretical background of this article is on the model developed of knowledge transfer between universities and the industry in order to access the best practices and adapt to the study case in question regarding the model of promoting and manage innovation within the universities that best contribute with solution and projects to the business field. Objective: The development of a knowledge transfer model is the main goal of this article, supported in the best practices known and, also, to reflect in the main measurement definitions to evaluate the High Education Institution performance in this area. Methods: The method for this article development is the case study method because it allows the fully understanding of the dynamics present within a single setting, and the subject examined to comprehend what is being done and what the dynamics mean. The case study does not have a data collection method, as it is a research that may rely on multiple sources of evidence and data which should be converged. Results: Since it’s a case study this article present a fully description of the model proposed and implemented for the knowledge transfer process of the institution. Conclusion: Still in a discussion phase, this article presents as conclusions some questions and difficulties that could be pointed out, as well as some good perspectives of performed activity developed.

The Knowledge Economy is the environment within which we live and work today. It impacts all work, both within organizations and the emerging workforce. The Knowledge Economy relies on workers’ expertise (individual knowledge) and the informed integration of this knowledge to move an organization in a positive direction. This article describes a Knowledge Economy program (Project-based Internships) that enables organizations and new workforce members to experience and grasp the importance of knowledge work in sustaining and growing organizations. This is especially applicable to the technology domain as the founders in this area are focused on their individual knowledge of science and technology. They often need to build sustainable organizations with knowledge work to deliver and sustain their expert inventions and/or discoveries. Knowledge work has two distinct attributes that define its orientation and operation. Knowledge workers are autonomous in their work and they are asset-thinkers, meaning that all work is focused on a result, which will create value for an organization. Within these two attributes, knowledge workers also must recognize the difference between quality and quantity, use project structures, and continuously evaluate for learning and innovation. Our current education system does not recognize the individual knowledge perspective in shaping students’ experiences. Project-based work is structured to empower and enable students’ experiences to be knowledge work to foster this thinking and its best practices and to create the environment that supports knowledge work within the organizations that the knowledge worker serves. Various current-day methodologies are built into the structured project work, such as The Lean Startup, the recognition of invisible capital and growth mindsets, building knowledge work capabilities, and, finally, building an organizational environment in which success will thrive.