Purpose\nThe purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive perspective on different facets of knowledge management and their effects on the performance of knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial ventures.\n\nDesign/methodology/approach\nThe empirical setting involves small and medium-sized enterprises located in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Primary data for 223 knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (KIE) firms was obtained through questionnaires applied to ventures which applied to the innovative research in small business program, a small business innovation research-like initiative run by the São Paulo Research Foundation. Econometric results assessed the drivers of competitiveness in terms of firm growth, research and development intensification and technology transfer.\n\nFindings\nResults highlight the complexity involved in establishing effective knowledge management processes in terms of driving KIE performance. Notwithstanding, some interesting insights on the moderation effects of strategic knowledge management (SKM) systems over technical skills could be identified with particular emphasis for the case of academic spin-offs. Ecosystem drivers present a good explanation power for technology transfer practices but fall short in providing answers for firm-level growth dynamics. It is also noteworthy that public and private investments in KIE firms are similarly associated with positive impacts – contrary to the view that private investors perform better than governmental sources in picking promising small ventures.\n\nOriginality/value\nThe assessment has provided novel evidence for a sample of KIE ventures concerning the appraisal of performance drivers associated with three dimensions of knowledge management, namely, technical knowledge, SKM and ecosystem features. Firms’ outcomes were addressed from a multidimensional perspective, thus providing a comprehensive perspective of the events under scrutiny.\n

Performance drivers in knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial firms: a multidimensional perspective

Impact investing in social sector organisations: a systematic review and research agenda

This paper provides a systematic review on the subject of project management in nanotechnology to analyze existing body of literature and identify subject areas for further research. The literature review has been performed using two academic databases â€“ Scopus and Web of Science. Despite the growing importance of high-tech industries, there are few studies dedicated to managerial issues of nanotechnology projects. Study was conducted by adopting three-step methodology combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods. As a result, eight knowledge areas were identified covering risk management issues, role of nanotechnology in economic development, link with other industries, safety issues, implementation of PM tools in the field of nanotechnology and others. Paper also provides an overview of top journals related to the topic, the most active scientists, institutions and relevant publications. Findings of detailed citation analysis shows that the most cited papers are far from PM practice. Nevertheless, study has both academic and practical relevance, discussing scientifically grounded PM knowledge that is applicable to the management of nanotechnology projects.

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Project Management in Nanotechnology: A Systematic Literature Review

Project managers from different areas struggle to find universal set of factors to achieve high project efficiency. However, the project efficiency assessment varies across industries, making it difficult to apply general concepts and guidelines in the specific project environment. The study’s main purpose is to assess the impact of organizational support on project efficiency in different areas and identify critical processes that increase it. The paper presents quantitative research results by using data from 261 project managers in the Republic of Kazakhstan during 2018–2019. The research sample consists of commercialization projects, scientific projects, social projects, and projects from the service industry. The research findings show the different quality levels of top management support and its high correlation with project efficiency. Furthermore, the study reveals the specific processes for each investigated type of project that highly correlate with project efficiency dimensions. Commercialization projects that intensively use the organizational support processes were the most efficient projects by showing the best result in cost overrun (15%) and the second resulted in schedule overrun (17%). These findings have theoretical and practical implications, supporting project managers in increasing their project efficiency by choosing the critical, proper project management tools and techniques.

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The impact of organizational support on project efficiency: evidence from Kazakhstan

The paper analyzes the connection between technological knowledge and organizational culture in small subsistence businesses (SSBs). It uses data from a proportional representative sample of 980 surveys in the canton of La Mana (Cotopaxi, Ecuador) to test if culture conditions the different components of technological knowledge in SSBs. This work verifies that the technological knowledge is a source of short-term and long-term performance, which confirm for SSBs previous works in intellectual capital. The study analyzes also the moderating effect of culture, verifying that culture does not condition the connection between technological knowledge with the short-term performance. It shows that culture is not a source of performance. However, when the research checks whether the effect of the technological knowledge increases the long-term performance, the results indicate that culture significantly limits this effect, suggesting that culture presents a certain opportunism, possibly because in the SSBs, entrepreneurs do not pay any attention to developing knowledge resources. The conclusions present some managerial and social implications to improve the functioning and management of SSBs.

Technology and Culture in Subsistence Small Businesses

High-tech industry is one of the  most perspective and promising areas.  Moreover, high-tech  arecore  component  of  entrepreneurship.  Hence,  development  of  successful  high-tech projects  may  open  new  horizons  for  entrepreneurs.  Research  considersusing  of  project management tools as a factor for developmenthigh-tech projects that may be a key of successful entrepreneurship.  The  study  investigates  conditions  for  successful  development  of  high-tech projects that ensure innovative entrepreneurship in developing countries. Lack of technological knowledge  and  lack  of  high-qualified  human  resources make  it  difficult  to  achieve  high-tech project success in developing countries. Kazakhstan was chosen as representative of developing countries.  Study  comparesproject  success  level  and  factors  that  affect  to  success  of  high-tech projects  in  developing  countries  and  developed  countries.Japan  was  chosen  as  developed countries representative.The objective of the study is to identify which factors affect to high-tech project success in developing countries from the viewpoint of project management. Literature review reveals a luck of  researches  about  how  developing  countries  run  their  high-tech  projects.  Research  findings show that high-tech projectsrunby project managers differently in developing countries than in developed countries, and, accordingly, success level is much lowerin developing countries. For example, Kazakh managers show worst result in cost overrun (25.96%) and in schedule overrun (32.9%). These results impacted by low extent of use cost and time planning processes. It may be due  to  the specific  national  culture, thatdescribe Kazakh managers as don’t  focused  on  time management.In  addition,  Kazakhstani  projects`  results  related  to  other  two  dimensions  of success  as  technical  performance (3.9)and  customer  satisfaction (4.8)are  lower  than  in developed country. Furthermore, study reveals specific knowledge areas of project management that  high  correlated  with  project  success  dimensions.  Thus,  criticalknowledge  areas  for  high-tech  project  success  in  developing  countries  as  Kazakhstan  are  project  integration  and scope management,  communicationmanagement,  risk  and  quality  management. Study  suggests  to focus  on  these  factors  during  high-tech  project  management  in  developing  countries,  because these factors have significant impact on high-techproject success dimensions

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High-Tech Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: Way to Success

This article presents the results of a study into the features of the formation of economic inequality in Kazakhstan in the context of global trends in the country’s development. The methodological basis of the study was a comparative analysis of the former Soviet Union (FSU) and OECD countries in terms of economic development and inequality in the context of global changes and trends, implemented with the help of econometric and economic‑statistical methods. The study revealed a direct statistically significant (p < 0.05) correlation between the level of income concentration of the 10% group and the economic growth of Iceland (r = 0.67) and the Republic of Belarus (r = 0.65). In the case of the Republic of Kazakhstan, no such correlation was found. However, in Kazakhstan, the link between the 10% group’s income concentration and gross domestic product per capita has been established. The dynamics of GDP growth and the values of Kazakhstan’s population’s real money incomes have a stable inverse relationship. The correlation coefficient between them is r = –0.46, and the determination coefficient is R = 0.215, based on data from 2008 to 2020. This suggests that economic growth is still the most important factor that influences the population’s real income. The results of the study will be put into practice by familiarizing government officials with the developed proposals for enhancing the state’s policy of overcoming economic inequality and setting the stage for sustainable economic growth. In addition, the results of this study will be of interest to academic science, actualizing new directions for further research.

A. Dosmbek

Papers

High-Tech Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: Way to Success

Global Income Inequality – A Case Study of OECD Countries and Kazakhstan