An Online Assessment and Development Tool for Business Incubators: Measuring to Improve Business Incubation Management Skills, Performance and Impact
Lead Research Organisation:
Aston University
Department Name: Aston Business School
Abstract
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Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Nicholas Theodorakopoulos (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
N Theodorakopoulos (Author)
(2012)
'A Framework for Assessing Business Incubation Performance and Impact'
| Description | An online tool for Assessing and Benchmarking Business Incubation Management Practice, Performance and Impact |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | There is a pressing need among various stakeholders, including practitioners, academics and policy makers to create a credible mechanism that enables the assessment of business incubation management against best practice and the evaluation of performance and impact of business incubators, longitudinally. To address this need, this provided proof-of-concept for an online tool, which simplifies the collection and presentation of the data needed to assess and benchmark business incubation management and performance against best practice, over time. This assessment and benchmarking tool comprises thirty-six indicators corresponding to six key domains of business incubation inputs, processes and output performance. Thirteen indicators out of these are focused on outcome performance, centred on the added value and impact of business incubation. The tool features three performance categories (Developing - Advanced - Leading) with established thresholds. However, the impact of contextual factors (e.g. variation in levels of demand, business support landscape and regional entrepreneurial dynamism) is taken into account when assessing the added value (output performance) and impact of business incubation. It is envisaged that this project will serve as a catalyst for nurturing a community of incubation management practitioners, which will be using the resultant online assessment and benchmarking tool to align itself with best practice. This is strengthened by the fact that this tool has been developed jointly by Aston Business School (ABS) and UK Business Incubation (UKBI), the professional body for the business incubation industry in the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | |
| Description | An online tool for Assessing and Benchmarking Business Incubation Management Practice, Performance and Impact |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | There is a pressing need among various stakeholders, including practitioners, academics and policy makers to create a credible mechanism that enables the assessment of business incubation management against best practice and the evaluation of performance and impact of business incubators, longitudinally. To address this need, this provided proof-of-concept for an online tool, which simplifies the collection and presentation of the data needed to assess and benchmark business incubation management and performance against best practice, over time. This assessment and benchmarking tool comprises thirty-six indicators corresponding to six key domains of business incubation inputs, processes and output performance. Thirteen indicators out of these are focused on outcome performance, centred on the added value and impact of business incubation. The tool features three performance categories (Developing - Advanced - Leading) with established thresholds. However, the impact of contextual factors (e.g. variation in levels of demand, business support landscape and regional entrepreneurial dynamism) is taken into account when assessing the added value (output performance) and impact of business incubation. It is envisaged that this project will serve as a catalyst for nurturing a community of incubation management practitioners, which will be using the resultant online assessment and benchmarking tool to align itself with best practice. This is strengthened by the fact that this tool has been developed jointly by Aston Business School (ABS) and UK Business Incubation (UKBI), the professional body for the business incubation industry in the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | |
| Description | An online tool for Assessing and Benchmarking Business Incubation Management Practice, Performance and Impact |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | There is a pressing need among various stakeholders, including practitioners, academics and policy makers to create a credible mechanism that enables the assessment of business incubation management against best practice and the evaluation of performance and impact of business incubators, longitudinally. To address this need, this provided proof-of-concept for an online tool, which simplifies the collection and presentation of the data needed to assess and benchmark business incubation management and performance against best practice, over time. This assessment and benchmarking tool comprises thirty-six indicators corresponding to six key domains of business incubation inputs, processes and output performance. Thirteen indicators out of these are focused on outcome performance, centred on the added value and impact of business incubation. The tool features three performance categories (Developing - Advanced - Leading) with established thresholds. However, the impact of contextual factors (e.g. variation in levels of demand, business support landscape and regional entrepreneurial dynamism) is taken into account when assessing the added value (output performance) and impact of business incubation. It is envisaged that this project will serve as a catalyst for nurturing a community of incubation management practitioners, which will be using the resultant online assessment and benchmarking tool to align itself with best practice. This is strengthened by the fact that this tool has been developed jointly by Aston Business School (ABS) and UK Business Incubation (UKBI), the professional body for the business incubation industry in the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | An online tool for Assessing and Benchmarking Business Incubation Management Practice, Performance and Impact |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | There is a pressing need among various stakeholders, including practitioners, academics and policy makers to create a credible mechanism that enables the assessment of business incubation management against best practice and the evaluation of performance and impact of business incubators, longitudinally. To address this need, this provided proof-of-concept for an online tool, which simplifies the collection and presentation of the data needed to assess and benchmark business incubation management and performance against best practice, over time. This assessment and benchmarking tool comprises thirty-six indicators corresponding to six key domains of business incubation inputs, processes and output performance. Thirteen indicators out of these are focused on outcome performance, centred on the added value and impact of business incubation. The tool features three performance categories (Developing - Advanced - Leading) with established thresholds. However, the impact of contextual factors (e.g. variation in levels of demand, business support landscape and regional entrepreneurial dynamism) is taken into account when assessing the added value (output performance) and impact of business incubation. It is envisaged that this project will serve as a catalyst for nurturing a community of incubation management practitioners, which will be using the resultant online assessment and benchmarking tool to align itself with best practice. This is strengthened by the fact that this tool has been developed jointly by Aston Business School (ABS) and UK Business Incubation (UKBI), the professional body for the business incubation industry in the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | |
| Description | Consultation and Dissemination Activity Workshop 1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Primary Audience | |
| Results and Impact | Presenting the e-tool and obtaining feedback on relevance and meaningfulness of key performance domains and corresponding indicators |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | |
| Description | Dissemination Activity Tool Exchange Forum - An Open Space for Collaboration |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of on-going work Showcasing of the tool Further exploration of face-validity: Obtaining feedback on relevance and meaningfulness of key performance domains and corresponding indicators Presentation of on-going work Showcasing of the tool Further exploration of face-validity: Obtaining feedback on relevance and meaningfulness of key performance domains and corresponding indicators Presentation of on-going work Showcasing of the tool Further exploration of face-validity: Obtaining feedback on relevance and meaningfulness of key performance domains and corresponding indicators |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Workshop 2 - A Tool for Assessing & Benchmarking Business Incubation Management Practice, Performance and Impact |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Primary Audience | |
| Results and Impact | Demonstrating work-in-progress and obtaining feedback on the intermediate formulation of the assessment and benchmarking tool |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | |
| Description | Workshop 3 - 'An Online tool for Assessing and Benchmarking Business Incubation Management Practice, Performance and Impact' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Primary Audience | |
| Results and Impact | Demonstrating the final formulation of the assessment and benchmarking tool, obtaining feedback and discussing the way forward |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | |