Innovation in startups: drivers and inhibitors
Khorshid, Rava (2019)
Khorshid, Rava
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201903203491
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201903203491
Tiivistelmä
The AUIS Entrepreneurship Initiative (AEI) at the ‘American University of Iraq, Sulaimani’ is in the phase of designing its curriculum toward fostering entrepreneurship in Iraq through providing entrepreneurs with different resources to grow their businesses and contribute to the regional economic growth. This study investigates innovation in the context of startups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The purpose of the study is to discover what startups understand from the concept of innovation, how they innovate in their businesses and what they encounter as factors - both internal and external - driving or constraining their innovation activities.
The theoretical framework of the study covers knowledge about the concepts of innovation and startup, the role of innovation in driving economic growth, the characteristics of innovation in startups and innovation drivers and barriers. The empirical part of this study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with founders/co-founders of twelve KRI startups across different industries. Finally, a workshop was organized to discuss practical implications of the study and to come up with concrete development proposals and solutions for the AEI curriculum development of the ‘American University of Iraq, Sulaimani’.
The findings of this study indicate that despite the fact that majority of the KRI startup entrepreneurs regarded innovation as a new, different or creative way of doing things or as a change in mindset, merely few innovates through deliberate plans and processes or reinvents effective business processes. Majority of the startup entrepreneurs innovate with an aim of filling existing gaps in the local market, rather than creating new or ground-breaking solutions and technologies on a global scale. Based on the findings, a model of innovation drivers and barriers is developed.
In the light of the study´s findings, concrete development suggestions are made to the AUIS Entrepreneurship Initiative for the development of its future curriculum.
The theoretical framework of the study covers knowledge about the concepts of innovation and startup, the role of innovation in driving economic growth, the characteristics of innovation in startups and innovation drivers and barriers. The empirical part of this study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with founders/co-founders of twelve KRI startups across different industries. Finally, a workshop was organized to discuss practical implications of the study and to come up with concrete development proposals and solutions for the AEI curriculum development of the ‘American University of Iraq, Sulaimani’.
The findings of this study indicate that despite the fact that majority of the KRI startup entrepreneurs regarded innovation as a new, different or creative way of doing things or as a change in mindset, merely few innovates through deliberate plans and processes or reinvents effective business processes. Majority of the startup entrepreneurs innovate with an aim of filling existing gaps in the local market, rather than creating new or ground-breaking solutions and technologies on a global scale. Based on the findings, a model of innovation drivers and barriers is developed.
In the light of the study´s findings, concrete development suggestions are made to the AUIS Entrepreneurship Initiative for the development of its future curriculum.