Technology business incubators and industrial development: resource‐based view

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine enabling factors influencing the success of technology business incubators (TBIs) with respect to existing and acquired resources, and describe how these enabling factors have been implemented in practice.Design/methodology/approachThe potential enabling factors were identified based on the literature review through the lens of the resource‐based view (RBV) perspective. The Q‐sort method was then applied to classify those factors according to the experts' opinions, for evoking group consensus on the classifications. Finally, a Thailand science park incubator was taken as a case to illustrate the applicability of the findings.FindingsThe strategic resources and their categories which can be considered as TBIs' enabling factors were found through the RBV theory. They are important to TBIs' success and improvement of technology‐based SMEs' competitive advantage.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the lack of international comparisons and the experts' panel selection bias, attempts to generalize the findings should be made with caution.Practical implicationsThe findings have been formulated into a set of comprehensive recommendations for all stakeholders (mainly public policy makers), which will help to enhance the development of business incubation in Thailand.Originality/valueThe paper presents an approach to determine enabling factors influencing the successful TBIs, coming from the RBV perspective.