The job downturn has fallen heavily on the highest wage industries.

For small high-tech firms international orientation is regarded as crucial for growth and long-term survival. Even newly founded technology based firms (NTBFs) are often internationally active shortly after their inception (?born globals?). However, in order to create jobs and have a sustainable...

International engagement is often expected to improve firm performance. Especially for small technology-oriented firms, export activities may be important, being regarded as one way to amortise these firms? high product research and development costs. This paper examines the relationship between...

The choice of the appropriate sales mode belongs to the firm?s most important strategic decisions after entering into a foreign market. Thus, it is important that the selected foreign sales mode best suits a firm?s available resources and capabilities. However, these resources and capabilities...

Our research, based on the ZEW-Foundation Panel East, examines whether high-tech start-ups are mainly founded in scientific and infrastructural well suited regions or not. Estimation results on the level of postcode areas confirm the hypothesis that specific human capital, knowledge spillovers...

Considerable interest in the effect of mergers in high technology industries exists because this sector is seen to be strategically important for industrial policy. This paper investigates the effect of mergers in this sector, comparing them to mergers in other industries. The effect of...

The study is based on a questionnaire survey of 117 Irish software firms. It finds no systematic relation between product lead time and acquisition of first external funds in new technology-based firms (NTBFs). Contrary to the stage model's predictions, these firms are just as likely to secure...

Using a sample of 117 Irish software companies, we examine the capital structure of new technology-based firms. Consistent with the findings on financing for other small businesses, internal funds are the most important source of funding in new technology-based firms. However, in apparent...

Globalization now extends beyond markets for goods and finance into markets for technology, knowledge workers, and innovation finance. This paper asserts the existence of a widening gap between the rapidly growing global knowledge economy and the woefully inadequate institutional framework that...