پژوهشهای مدیریت عمومی (Jun 2024)
Spatial Evaluation of Technical, Scale and Management Efficiency Coefficient in Business Incubators of Iran )Data envelopment Analysis Method According to Scientific and Industrial Capacity)
Abstract
AbstractIn this research, the spatial efficiency coefficient of Business incubator of Iran's technology units has been analyzed for thirty provinces. For this purpose, by using data envelopment analysis method and the variable return model to the cluster-based scale, the values of technical, scale and managerial efficiency have been perused. The results show that there is no positive and significant relationship between academic rank and technical efficiency of Business incubator. 12 provinces have lower than average technical efficiency, which Kerman province has the lowest technical efficiency value of 0.315, despite being ranked 21-30 and located in a semi-industrial region. It would be said that effective interaction between universities and industries accelerates innovation, Therefore, the absence of an innovative environment, the relationship between the formal management mechanisms of the university and industry, and the low managerial efficiency (0.382), moderates the academic innovation functions and causes a weak connection between these two areas. On the other hand, despite the fact that Bushehr province is at the level of 41-50 in the university ranking and in a weak industrial area, the technical efficiency (number 0.931) is higher than the average, which is mostly due to the high management efficiency. The results of the scale efficiency study show that Khuzestan, Kurdistan and Markazi provinces have increasing efficiency compared to the scale. It would be said that these provinces, due to the feature of increasing efficiency, if using a larger scale, enjoy a lower average cost level and as a result increase the output efficiency. Also, 30 percent of the surveyed provinces are in the stage of decreasing efficiency compared to the scale, and this means that they benefit from less production (compared to the increase in inputs).Thus, using more inputs and less production means reducing technical efficiency. Also, based on the obtained results, 18 centers also have a constant return to scale, which indicates that if these units increase all their production factors, the amount of production will increase by the same amount and the change in production scale does not affect their technical efficiency.IntroductionIn today's world, besides their educational goals, universities are assigned to participate more in the processes of innovation and technology development, which is possible through engaging in entrepreneurial activities. To promote entrepreneurial activities, policy makers are looking for a mechanism to commercialize research findings in universities. Commercialization of academic research achievements and technology development is known as the foundation of progress and continuation of economic growth. Since knowledge is developed and accumulated in universities with a dense density, therefore universities can be recognized as an important tool in facilitating the formation of a knowledge-based economy and speeding up regional economic and social development. For this reason, many countries are pursuing university reforms with the approach of decentralization and acting more competitively, increasing the commercialization of research results and performance-based budgets. Nowadays, according to the advancement of technology and the change in the nature of universities, their evolution can be described as follows: first generation universities have emerged with educational purposes only, second generation universities with research or industrial purposes, and finally Third generation universities are moving towards creating entrepreneurial universities. The third generation of universities includes the three steps of education, research and technology. Transferring technology from the university to the private sector requires the use of market knowledge. Accordingly, as entrepreneurial universities, by producing and distributing knowledge, universities play an essential role in the development of technology, innovation in the industry, and the formation of spin out companies. The importance of spin off companies is revealed when university education increases and then commercialization becomes possible through the transfer of universities to industry. In today's world, considering the dynamic economy, constant attention to entrepreneurship and technology transfer is an important principle. The increasing the number of university graduates and the increasing attention to university entrepreneurship is an important factor for the expansion of spin off companies. Academic spin off companies are companies that have been established to exploit the technical knowledge created in universities and have attracted the attention of researchers and policymakers due to their ability to create wealth and advance scientific knowledge. The "Bayh-Dol" law was passed in 1980 with the aim of encouraging universities to participate in the commercialization process, and in this way, it made universities eager to produce and transfer technology between industries and earn money. By promulgating this law, universities continuously support start-up companies for the commercialization of ideas. The commercialization of ideas by start-up companies is much easier than old businesses.If the formation of reproductive companies is institutionalized in universities, in addition to providing entrepreneurial opportunities, the legal rights of universities in relation to their intellectual property will also be restored. Also, while providing a suitable platform for research and development opportunities for universities, a new source of income is also created for the universities. The main purpose of creating spin off companies should be sought in the transformation of science into wealth. In other words, the essence of creating spin out companies is commercialization, and commercialization is the executive solution of turning science into wealth.This paper is organized as follows: Section 2 briefly presents the theoretical framework. Section 3 presents the research methodology. Section 4 introduces the data used in the research. In section 5, it discusses the findings of the estimates, and section 6 concludes in two sub-sections, a summary of the findings and policy suggestions are presented.Research methodologyData Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method is used in this article. DEA is a method based on linear programming which the manager can use the best decision-making unit (DMU) as a model for other units. Data envelopment analysis is a method that, in addition to measuring efficiency, suggests ways to improve it using the ratio of output to data for each individual level and how to increase productivity at all levels. One of the issues of comprehensive data analysis is the ranking of efficient companies, in which the units are classified as efficient and inefficient. DEA models introduce the efficiency of units that are known to be inefficient. Data envelopment analysis is a non-parametric method based on mathematical programming, which is used to evaluate the relative efficiency of decision-making units with several inputs and outputs. In this study, efficiency values have been estimated by using the data envelopment analysis method and variable return to scale (VRS) model.Research data In this study, in order to measure the technical efficiency, scale and management of business incubator in 30 provinces of the country, the data envelopment analysis approach has been used.Finding and SuggestionIn this research, the efficiency of commercialization of the growing companies of Iran's technology units in business incubator for thirty provinces has been analyzed. The results obtained from the estimation of the model show that the provinces that do not have unit efficiency during the years under review can, on average, increase the output by 14.5% without using more resources and with proper management, as well as through improvement in scale can increase the output by 3.4%. Based on this, the following policy proposals are presented:1- Due to the lack of an endogenous and uniform structure in terms of industrial and academic structure in the provinces of Iran and the diversity of regional talents, the design of the development model of business incubators should be diverse and different, and a homogeneous model for regional development cannot be used.2- In competitive markets, the ability to commercialize products is essential for the survival of companies, so companies must be continuously innovative in order to respond to the challenges that exist in the industry. And by being aware of the factors affecting the commercialization process, they seek to create innovation, gain competitive advantage and increase market share, and commercialize their products.3- Wider communication between university and industry through communication channels such as: implementation of joint research projects, consulting and training, holding conferences and establishing informal communication between industry and university researchers.
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