This book is the outcome of the research project “Internationalization Patterns of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Operating in High-Tech Industries”, funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) of Poland. It presents updated knowledge on the internationalization patterns of high-tech firms, with particular insights into their main characteristics such as innovations and research and development. The theoretical framework of the book is built on a literature review and the survey of existing research. In turn, the results of the research project which gave rise to the book are presented, highlighting the internationalization path of firms operating in the high-tech and medium-high-tech sectors.

There is now a certain tradition of Anglo-German comparative research on new technology-based firms (NTBFs). Two of the most influential studies in this area have both been sponsored by the Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of In dustrial Society (AGF). Starting in 1977, the first AGF project on NTBFs, which was carried out by the consultancy firm Arthur D. Little, has been one ofthe most important early contributions in this field (Little 1977). This report was the first public document to use the term 'new technology-based firm' and to provide a definition, which despite its operational limitations subsequently became an es tablished term in the literature. More importantly, this study represented one ofthe first serious attempts to survey the existing stock of this type of firm. The report was critical of the contemporary situation in Europe. (This is a policy area which continues to be hotly debated, see European Commission 1995, Bank of England 1996 and HM Treasury 1998. ) It emphasised that, in comparison with the USA, Germany and the UK were each lagging behind if judged by the rate of formation of NTBFs and in their total contribution to the overall economic activity of both countries. In terms of a policy contribution, this study was instrumental in high lighting the lack ofsupport infrastructures for the genesis and growth of high-tech start-ups in two of Europe's leading economies.

The huge economic and social impact of high-tech industries on the fortunes of nation states has been widely recognised in recent years. Therefore, government policies encouraging the creation of new technology-based firms have become a priority in virtually all advanced economies. One factor underpinning the performance and growth of high-tech start-ups is presumably international activity of such firms. This study addresses the issues concerning the critical decision to internationalise. The research sought to provide empirically supported analyses on (a) the incidence of international activity, (b) the degree of internationalisation, (c) the timing of entry into international markets, (d) the mode of market entry employed, (e) the impact of internationalisation on performance and (f) the differences between internationalising and non-internationalising firms. The findings confirm the extent and importance of internationalisation to young high-tech firms in the UK and Germany. Thus, if governments or venture capitalists are interested in the promotion of successful new technology-based firms they must, per force, be also interested in encouraging the processes of internationalisation.

Der Autor analysiert detaillierte Informationen über vier Internationalisierungsfälle der Biotechnologie- und Multimediabranche und zeichnet ein prägnantes Bild der Motive, Formen und Sequenzen von grenzüberschreitenden Aktivitäten auf. High-technology firms exhibit unique internationalization patterns. Along with cases of biotechnological and multimedia firms, the author presents key technological and economic forces that constitute the context of internationalization for these emerging industries.

The present study analyses the international activities of British start-up companies in high-technology industries. The research makes the following contributions. First, it is the first study that establishes the prevalence of internationally operating start-up companies in a particular country. Accordingly, we find that the majority of British high-tech start-ups have engaged in international activities within a few years since formation. Second, it consolidates the existing knowledge in the fields of international entrepreneurship and subjects it to empirical testing. Third, it assesses the power of different theories in international business to explain the cross-border activities of start-up companies. Overall, the research lends support to a resource-based perspective of international entrepreneurship since the proxies for transaction cost-based arguments and the internationalisation process theory are of limited explanatory power.

Clusters are geographic concentrations of interconnected companies, specialized suppliers, service providers, and associated institutions in a particular field that are present in a nation or region. The development and upgrading of clusters is an important agenda for governments, companies, and other institutions. Cluster growth initiatives are an important new direction in economic policy, building on earlier efforts in macroeconomic stabilization, privatization, market opening, and cost reduction related to doing business. Comparing High Technology Firms in Developed and Developing Countries: Cluster Growth Initiatives is the leading source of information for readers interested in this field of study as it promotes scientific discussion on policies and practice of cluster growth, as well as covers the emerging research topics which are going to define the future of the management of technology. Furthermore, this book demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of technology policy based on observations of differential growth rate of high technology firms in clusters, and explores the factors that explain superior performance of high technology firms to contribute the improvement of technology policy in both developed and developing countries.

This important collection examines the means by which technological knowledge is transferred from countries that develop it to those who need it. Written by well-known authorities and derived from a conference held at the University of California and sponsored by IBEAR (International Business Education Research Program), the contributions focus on the transfer of technology from Western countries to Asian countries.