Search results for "start-up"
showing 10 items of 63 documents
Influence of the methodology of inoculation in the performance of air-breathing microbial fuel cells
2017
n this work, four air-breathing microbial fuel cells (AB-MFC) were operated for 1 month in order to determine if the methodology of inoculation affects the steady-state performance of this type of MFCs. For this purpose, anaerobic and aerobic sludge were fed to two identical AB-MFCs without any external carbon source into a tight sealed environment during the first three days of start-up. For comparison purposes, other two AB-MFCs were operated mixing the initial sludge and an amount of sodium acetate as substrate. Results point out that the inoculation procedure does not affect the steady-state treatment capacity of the cells but it affects very seriously the production of electricity. Onl…
“Fake it ‘til you make it”: The designer playground for crafting prototypes, orchestrating frauds and pushing the ecological transition
2022
In the past thirty years, there has been a radical change in almost every business sector: companies nowadays offer increasingly complete packages or “bundles,” i.e-, combinations of goods, services, assistance, self-service and customer-focused knowledge. But it is services that have the lion’s share. In this context, those involved in the servitization process, such as designers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists, seem to focus more and more on the customer experience than on enabling technology. This has led to the birth of many successful new companies as well as to financial scandals. The aim of this article is to understand how the “fake ’til you make it” approach in design and b…
Enterprise Start-Up in the Euro-Mediterranean Area. The case-study of Mazara Del Vallo’s Fishing District and Consortium
2016
Over the last twenty years, the European Union’s policies aiming to foster the entrepreneurship in the Euro-Mediterranean countries have failed. The theoretical model underlying these policies is inconsistent with the characteristics of the entrepreneurial ecosystems of these countries.Since no enterprise can survive in the long run if it has inconsistent characters with the ecosystem in which it operates, in Euro-Mediterranean countries it is necessary to adopt a specific theoretical model on start-up business, different from the one described by the international literature. The fundamental principles of this theoretical model therefore must be drawn from the common characteristics of suc…
New evidence on accelerator performance based on funding and location
2020
Seed accelerators (SAs) appear as a more advanced version of business incubators. These for-profit organizations in exchange of equity, help setting new start-ups by providing mentoring and funding during its first months. Due to their emergent nature, the impact and expectations of SAs remains largely unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to throw new light on this field by empirically assessing for the first time the performance and prospects of these organizations through a survey of 116 SAs.,A model based on the Business Incubators literature is built with four categories covering size, location, age and profitability variables, leading to two hypotheses to be tested empirica…
Immigrant entrepreneur firm start-up behavior and reasoning : a reflective study of causation, effectuation and bricolage
2013
Entrepreneurship research studies how and why firms come into being, survive and grow (Davidsson, 2004; Gartner, 1985; Schumpeter, 1934). Early literature has proposed a linear model of entrepreneurship which is intentional (Bird, 1988), opportunity discovery (Kirzner, 1997; Shane and Venkataraman, 2000) and goal & strategy oriented (Wiklund & Shepherd, 2005). Being a mainstream in the earlier research, it is labelled as causation model by Sarasvathy (2001). Several scholars such as Baker & Nelson (2005) and Sarasvathy (2001a, b; 2008) questioned the validity of the model and proposed two additional models to the classic model: Effectuation (Sarasvathy, 1998) and Entrepreneurial Bricolage (…
Start-up with or without inoculum? Analysis of an SMBR pilot plant.
2010
This study analysed a submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) start-up with the purpose of determining the best conditions to carry it out. In order to do this, a hollow fibre membrane module was installed in a submerged configuration in a pilot aerobic reactor. The experiment was then divided in two phases, lasting 65 days each. During phase 1, the pilot plant was started-up without inoculum of activated sludge and no sludge, withdrawal was performed. Conversely, in phase 2, the MBR pilot plant was started-up with sludge inoculum and the sludge concentration was kept constant. In both phases, the volumetric loading rate applied to the pilot plant was kept constant. The authors analysed the di…
Entrepreneurship Training and Self-Employment among University Graduates
2012
In economies characterized by low labor demand and high rates of youth unemployment, entrepreneurship training has the potential to enable youth to gain skills and create their own jobs. This paper presents experimental evidence on a new entrepreneurship track that provides business training and personalized coaching to university students in Tunisia. Undergraduates in the final year of licence appliquee were given the opportunity to graduate with a business plan instead of following the standard curriculum. This paper relies on randomized assignment of the entrepreneurship track to identify impacts on labor market outcomes one year after graduation. The analysis finds that the entrepreneur…
Knowledge assets for internationalization strategy proposal
2021
[EN] Lack of trust, lack of references and the confidential nature of cybersecurity projects make internationalization in companies from the cybersecurity sector a great challenge. The development of lean methodologies over recent years has presented a method to reduce time and effort, measure performance in each step and pivot when it is necessary to apply a process to a different field. Considering that internationalization resembles entrepreneurship, because of uncertainty and risk in a new market where the value proposition should be validated, the Lean Start-up philosophy will serve as a theoretical framework in which to operate. The study of international challenges of cybersecurity c…
comparing two start-up strategies for MBRs: experimental study and mathematical modelling
2012
Abstract The performance of a membrane bioreactor (MBR), and mechanisms of fouling formation, may differ due to the start-up. Therefore, the start-up can constitute an aspect that critically influences MBR performance during its lifespan. Indeed, the start-up can influence the mechanisms of membrane fouling, which is of paramount importance in an MBR. In order to gain insights on the effects of the start-up, both experimental and mathematical modelling studies were carried out on an MBR pilot plant. The MBR pilot plant constituted of a hollow fibre membrane module, in a submerged configuration, was fed by real wastewater. Two experimental periods were carried out, lasting 65 days each, char…
Les besoins d’information associés au processus entrepreneurial
2018
Thème du congrès : « Quelle veille pour les start-up? »; National audience