academic assessment

Academic assessment

Academic assessment (1)
Academic evaluation (33)
Academic qualification (6)
Academic recognition (1)
Accreditation (70)
Code of ethics (30)
Code of practice (11)
Educational effectiveness (1)
Educational quality (58)
Educational standard (6)
League tables (32)
Learning outcomes (18)
Peer review (45)
Recognition of prior learning (1)
Student survey (32)
Study credits (111)
Study programme (93)

Planned obsolescence CAS 13 and manipulation of customers lead to accumulation of waste and waste economy.

They have to respect a code of conduct. Games, in particular violent, brutal, sadistic and bloody flashgames, on the Internet, may seriously influence the young and less young players.

Employing a method based on competitive peer reviews, ANR attaches great importance to providing the scientific community with instruments

and do not care about the accumulation of waste, Environment and Sustainable Success 163 or are concerned not with the long-term impact that may have on living organisms absorbing the nanoparticles in various forms.

SHE 05 SHEMET S. A.,FEDENKO V. S.,Accumulation of phenolic compounds in maize seedlings under toxic Cd influence, Physiology and Biochemistry of Cultivated plants

Prior to installments beneficiaries have to prove through an evaluation that they perform according to the grant agreement (in the Hungarian program a specific accreditation systems decides on further funding.

Graduate schoolsestablish a number of graduate schools to provide high-quality training of researchers, and equip them with generic and transferable professional skills that are relevant to a modern knowledge-based enterprise economy;

and, at the same time, provide authoritative accreditation of qualifications in which all stakeholders can have confidence. The National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) provides a single unified framework with the potential to cover all awards in the State.

the European qualifications framework (EQF) will enable the levels of qualifications within various countries to be aligned within a meta-framework.

Promoting the recognition of prior learning and accreditation for skills acquired outside the formal learning environment; and Targeting of specific groups for skills development, through analysis of sectoral and occupational groupings.

Government funding for upskilling those in employment has increased significantly in recent years, from €8 million in 2004 to €70 million in 2007.

This intensive programme is delivered at Stanford Graduate school of Business California. Innovation in Ireland 200813 Innovation in Ireland 2008 14 A number of further mechanisms to accelerate implementation of the National Skills Strategy are currently being investigated,

Maximising return on investment Intellectual Property Protection and Management Innovation in Ireland 2008 Exploitation of research resultstwo codes of practice have been published relating to the management of intellectual property arising from publicly-funded research (in whole

These codes of practice provide certainty, confidence and consistency to all stakeholders and underpin Ireland's attractiveness as a location for R&d and its subsequent exploitation.

Provide access to specialist people and facilities (from interim CEOS to product testing/accreditation. Provide a conduit for knowledge flows between science

-33-25 http://www. easyaccessip. org. uk/recommendations In 2012, The irish Research Council launched a pilot Employment Based Postgraduate programme (including Phd and Masters) for 30 places.

Triple the size of the‘Employment Based Postgraduate programme'to 100 Phds per annum (10%of The irish output.

The Central banks'Code of conduct for SME Lending states that Having due regard to the nature liquidity and value of collateral a regulated entity must not impose unreasonable collateral requirements for providing credit facilities,

This Code of conduct is fine. However, the lending banks in Ireland are not following this code.

which could be incorporated into the existing Code of conduct for SME Lending. An examination of conditions of sanction of other banks in other jurisdictions may be useful in this regard to design some specific protocols around the need,

Banks which continue to ignore the Code of conduct-which would appear to be most of those currently operating in Ireland-would face sanctions

A best practice code of conduct should be devised for the use of personal guarantees which should be incorporated into the existing Code of conduct for SME Lending.

Comparisons should be highlighted between the different SME Lenders to provide more information on terms and conditions likely to be imposed on potential borrowers.

and bank executives who violate the Code of conduct. 57. One or more reputable international banks should be recruited (not subsidised,

A private sector Prompt Payments Voluntary Code of conduct is currently being established by the Business Representative Bodies in Ireland, supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

Industr y bodies should support the establishment of the Prompt Payments Voluntary Code of conduct and encourage companies to sign up to the code.

Triple the size of the‘Employment Based Postgraduate programme'to 100 Phds per annum (10%of The irish output.

A best practice code of conduct should be devised for the use of personal guarantees, which should be incorporated into the existing Code of conduct for SME Lending.

Comparisons should be highlighted between the different SME Lenders to provide more information on terms and conditions likely to be imposed on potential borrowers.

and bank executives who violate the Code of conduct. 57. One or more reputable international banks should be recruited (not subsidised,

Industry bodies should support the establishment of the Prompt Payment Voluntary Code of conduct Portal and encourage companies to sign up to the code. 7. Public Policy 7. 1 Clear up the government structure for helping businesses 60.

Audits and peer reviews can help embed stronger support for entrepreneurship. In a number of European countries (eg.

and The irish Research Council's Employment-Based Postgraduate programme (Phd and Masters). The publication of an Intellectual Property Protocol designed to make it easier for business to engage with academics by providing clarity

Research contracts for Graduate student projects with industry KTI is working with The irish Research Council to clarify how IP is treated in its Employment-Based Postgraduate programme with the aim of increasing certainty and security for participating companies.

Another important way for businesses to enhance a supportive culture is to sign up to the private sector Prompt Payments Voluntary Code of conduct,

and business representative bodies) to commit to the Prompt Payments Code of conduct to ensure responsible payment practices across enterprise in Ireland.

Although innovation capacity accumulation is a hard-to-measure phenomenon, the opinion of both the regional correspondent and of some of the interviewed stakeholders is that enormous waste of resources occurred.

and involves the accumulation of project application competences, which can later be used again in the case of subsequent tenders.

Since innovation capacity building is a long process necessitating the accumulation of both tangible and intangible assets,

Accumulation of tangible assets to further this objective was facilitated both by the policy measures 1)‘ Complex technology development for micro enterprises

and facilitate existing clusters'accreditation process. At the same time stakeholders'innovation collaboration can be enhanced also through the establishment of competence centres that provide R&d-intensive services to them.

in particular the past incremental institutional change and institutional capacity accumulation, but also the moderately strengthening innovation-oriented culture, for example the increased recognition of the value of networking and collaboration.

Irish Research Council) 11 Continue to implement the pilot phase of the Post Graduate programme of Professional Practice to provide graduates with opportunities to develop cross disciplinary skills in STEM based sectors with enhanced engagement

The development of a Prompt Payment Code of conduct (PPC) portal is another important step in addressing the culture of late payments in Ireland.

anned for a en d a ve idn't his hs udy se d the in ges ects are 2015 ACTION PLAN FOR JOBS 77 6. Growing Irish Enterprise and Foreign

HEA) 373 The Post Graduate programme of Professional Practice programme, currently in pilot phase, will be evaluated. HEA) 374 Examine the recommendation included in the Review of the Environmental protection agency (EPA) regarding the introduction of a partial licence review mechanism.

With the adoption of the European Statistics Code of practice in 2005, the Eurostat quality framework is now quite similar to the IMF's Data Quality Framework (DQAF),

The European Statistics Code of practice (Principles 11-15) focuses on statistical outputs as viewed by users.

The use of league tables facilitates this process. It is also evident that analysis-based narratives such as those supported by composite indicators would gain in effectiveness

Develop clear indicators based on the code of conduct to monitor progress. Internal and external communication is also very important at all stages.

32 Commission Recommendation on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities and Code of practice for universities and other public research organisations,

actio n=display&doc id=5714&userservice id=1&request. id=0 European commission (2008), Recommendation on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities and Code of practice for universities and other public

Today, 33 countries have some form of ranking system operated by government and accreditation agencies, higher education, research and commercial organisations,

40 4. 6 Self evaluation...40 4. 7 Research Ethics...40 4. 8 Social and Economic Impact and Benefits...

and quality of university-based research is thought to be vitally important for innovation, including social innovation. In the words of the revised Lisbon Strategy (European commission (2005), p. 20), knowledge, meaning R&d, innovation and education, is a key driver of productivity growth.

Specifically, the Group was asked to Identify the various types of users (or potential users) of measurements of the quality of university-based research,

Take stock of the main methodologies for assessing/ranking the quality of university-based research, including existing international assessments/rankings

Self evaluation as a key component in the assessment process; Experiments designed to facilitate the measuring of societal impact;

Moreover, in the absence of comprehensive reliable and comparable cross-national data, rankings cannot be a valid tool to achieve the overarching aim of improving the quality of university-based research across the European union. 17 2 Introduction This chapter outlines the national

EU initiatives designed to enhance the quality of university-based research In addition to these and related policy documents,

They are operated usually by accreditation or quality assurance agencies, research councils and/or funding councils. There are similar international initiatives:

it emphasizes self evaluation and peer review as a tool of institutional strategic development and improvement. The OECD AHELO (Assessment of Higher education Learning outcomes) project aims to assess learning outcomes on an international scale by establishing the validity of measures which cross cultures and languages. 20 2. 3 Measuring

what Counts Many people think that university rankings provide an easy solution to measuring research performance and quality nationally and internationally.

They usually use a combination of public or institutional data and/or peer or student surveys.

2) Review main methodologies for assessing/ranking research quality of universities, covering existing international assessments/rankings and other methodologies being developed;

, legal cases, maps, translations or editing of major works within academic standards. Table 1 identifies the primary form of communications for the main discipline groups.

but they are also the primary professional academic body responsible for the‘accreditation'and valorisation of scientific quality. 28 Individuals Graduate students,

Usually this evidence is supported by self evaluation or case studies, but more work is required. 4. 3 Unit of Assessment:

Self evaluation benefits from involving researchers in the process of self-knowledge. It encourages them to become involved in helping define‘excellence'and setting the strategy for improvement.

in addition to self evaluation reports. Economic Benefits, e g. improved productivity; adding to economic growth and wealth creation; enhancing the skills base;

Self evaluation: Aalto and Helsinki Universities, Finland, and The netherlands include selfevaluation as a key component in the process.

Drive Research Mission Differentiation Research output/bibliometric data Output per research academic Peer review Self evaluation Ratio of research income:

& International collaborations Percentage of Research Income from International Sources Number of collaborations and partnerships Increase Multidisciplinary Research Research Output/Bibliometric data with focus on interdisciplinary fields Peer review Self evaluation

master & doctorate research students Peer review Panels Self evaluation Reports IF you want to use research assessment to INCREASE REGIONAL/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, then

Self evaluation. 56 6 Conclusion 6. 1 Limitations and Unintended Consequences University-based research has become one of the most critical factors shaping national competitiveness and university reputation.

Some governments, public agencies and universities are drawing immediate and direct links between research assessment and resource allocation or accreditation.

Stakeholder esteem indicators can show how research is viewed by the wider community. 4. Integrate self evaluation as a useful way to include the research community pro-actively in assessing their own contribution,

In sum, the Expert Group hopes that this report will serve as a guide to Users of information on the quality of university-based research,

Lidia joined EUA in January 2006 and has been working within the areas of doctoral programmes and researchers'careers, university-industry collaborative research, knowledge transfer and also on the contribution of universities to regional innovation.

OECD's expert group on Assessing Higher education Learning outcomes, the International Advisory Network of the UK Leadership Foundation for Higher education,

each team has to prepare a self evaluation document, based on a common template: 1. Presentation of the team 1. 1. Introduction to the general research topics (2 pages max.

Data collection and self evaluations of departments according to strict rules laid down by the Steering committee. Evaluation, including one-week site visits,

In the latest RAE, each department provided a large self evaluation report following strict guidelines: list of research-active staff, description of the department's research profile (2 pages max.

one section is concered with the evaluation of higher education (including universities) and research institutions as a whole, the second one with the research undertaken in these institutions,

The research rating is distinguished from popular media rankings and league tables by a number of unique characteristics:

The CHE University ranking is designed to help prospective students make an informed choice of study program and university,

The universities contribute to the exercise by completing the institutional questionnaires and helping with the logistics of the student survey.

and generally improving scientific and academic standards in Germany. Methodology, incl. time-frame, resources, costs, technologies:

1. Graduate schools for the promotion of young researchers 2. Clusters of Excellence for the promotion of top-level research 3. Institutional Strategies for advancing top-level university research.

The reviews of the Graduate schools and the Clusters were discussed in the‘Expert Commission, 'appointed by DFG;

Of these, 90 propsals (39 Graduate schools, 41 Clusters of Excellence and ten Institutional Strategies) were selected for the final round.

of which 92 (44 Graduate schools, 40 Clusters of Excellence, eight Institutional Strategies) reached the final round.

Divided into the three competition categories of Graduate schools, Clusters of Excellence, and Institutional Strategies, and into host institutions, it provides information on the main research topics,

%will be done following indicators regarding quality of education and research and efficiency in organization. In addition, it stated that academic staff not producing scientific publications in the last two

A crucial element is that once every three years research units produce a self evaluation. This case study describes the protocol.

Once every three years, research units produce a self evaluation, alternating between preparation for the external evaluation and serving as an internal mid-term evaluation.

The institute produces a self evaluation every three years, one in preparation of the external review, and he other three years thereafter as a mid-term review.

Previous peer reviews rewards and prizes may also be cited. In the past few years several evaluation committees, mainly in the natural and life sciences, have used the outcomes of extended bibliometric studies carried out by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS.

The self evaluation document, the final evaluation report, and the conclusions made by the board together constitute the results of the external evaluation.

The board will report on the results of both the mid-term self evaluation and the external evaluation in its annual report.

There was great concern at that time about the quality of university research in a number of areas, and this mechanism was designed to provide an incentive for teachers

Inevitably, the RAE results are converted by the media into league tables for ranking the quality of subject areas and universities.

It is not the intention of the funding bodies to create league tables from the RAE 2008 results but that is the likely consequence through the media.

Table 1. SJTU-ARWU Methodology Criteria Indicator Code Weight Quality of education Alumni of an institution winning Nobel prizes and field medals Alumni 10%Quality of Faculty

Ultimately, however, the quality of universities cannot be measured precisely using imprecise basic numbers. The researchers at SJTU are clear in disclaimers on their website that it would be impossible to have a comprehensive ranking of universities worldwide, because of the huge differences of universities, in the large variety of countries and funding capacities,

Using subjective inputs peer reviews from academics and employers and quantitative data, such as the numbers of international students and faculty,

and global presence, with the quality of each determined by a combination of qualitative, subjective inputs peer reviews from academics and employers and quantitative data,

and Accreditation Council of Taiwan to gauge the research productivity of the best universities in the world.

Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for Research Universities Higher education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan Policy Context, incl. circumstances under which the exercise came about:

The features of this performance ranking are that 80%are qualitative indicators (the first time using h-index to reflect on the quality of universities'papers),

Hazelkorn, E. 2008)‘ Learning to Live with League tables and Ranking: The Experience of Institutional Leaders',Higher education Policy, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 195-215.

League tables and the impact on higher education institutions in England, Circular 2008/14, Bristol: Higher education Funding Council for England.

A Global Survey of University League tables, Canadian Education Report Series, Educational Policy Institute: Toronto. Retrieved 11 august 2009, from http://www. educationalpolicy. org/pdf/World-of-Difference-200602162. pdf. Van Raan, A f. J. 2005)‘ Fatal Attraction:

from http://www. cwts. nl/ranking/Leidenrankingwebsite. html. OECD Feasibility Study for the International Assessment of Higher education Learning outcomes (AHELO), Retrieved 22 july 2009, from http://www. oecd

Higher education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan, Retrieved 22 july 2009, from http://ranking. heeact. edu. tw/en-us/2008/page/Background QS World Universities (2008) Retrieved 12 august 2009,

Any assessment of the quality of university-based research will have to take into consideration the multifunctional and diverse nature of universities

European Journal of Interdisciplinary studies 45best Practices in Universities'Regional Engagement. Towards Smart Specialisation Cristina SERBANICA Constantin Brâncoveanu University of Pitesti, Romania cpantelica@yahoo. co. uk Abstract The aim of this paper is to highlight universities'contribution to the success of innovation

European Journal of Interdisciplinary studies 47 2. Research Method This study is aimed at highlighting universities'contribution to the success of regional innovation systems in Europe's most innovative regions,

it won't be subjected to analysis. European Journal of Interdisciplinary studies 49 3. Research Results Denmark is represented in the fourth group by its capital region-DK1 Hovedstaden,

such as Vienna Research Groups for Young Investigators addressing universities and research institutions that want to attract European Journal of Interdisciplinary studies 51 excellent young researchers to Vienna for founding their own

PDF European Journal of Interdisciplinary studies 53 European commission (2011: Connecting Universities to Regional Growth: A Practical Guide.

low NO05 Norway Vestlandet Follower low NO06 Norway Trondelag Follower medium PT16 Portugal Centro (PT) Follower low European Journal of Interdisciplinary studies

while the research group made contacts with members of the international medical community for evaluation and accreditation,

and 20%have taken extended courses for accreditation. The case has helped also increase from 21%to 66%of school pupils achieving good secondary school results, assist more than 6, 200 residents into employment, 180 of

qualifications & accreditation of formal and informal education for instances through badges. Greater awareness and presence of badging through social networks is required still,

and game-like experiences in a range of methods and for a range of learning outcomes and therefore opens up new possibilities of learning,

Here specific issues such as assessment and accreditation will matter for future network models. The potential is opening up best education

and not to official accreditation. The quest to learn example widens education in a different way by making subjects accessible with a different,

and for new approaches to dissemination of content and management of quality of education. Further, quest to learn demonstrates the value of experimenting with ICT enabled education formats

Table 2 The regional innovation policy mix Name of scheme Policy objective BGP Innocheck Financed by INNOREG CHOP Other Institution-building, institutional capability accumulation

Partner with citizens'organisations and the civil society at large in search of convergences to make a positive difference on the accumulation of social capital.

the NIH foresees further accreditation rounds that will enable them to incubate start-ups with support of funding available from the Start-up 13 scheme. 2. 5 National Reform Programme 2013 and R&i With reference to research

13 Hungarian universities and research organisations declared the implementing the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

The Hungarian Rectors Conference called the attention of the rectors in January 2013 to join to the Code of conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers that aims to improve recruitment,

therefore they often go to (multinational)(+Draft Science Policy Strategy 2014-2020(+)Draft Higher education Strategy(-)Low number of institutions signed the Code of conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers

and the Momentum programme of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences(-)No action or initiative could have been identified that support the introduction of foreign experts in peer reviews.

+The Hungarian Accreditation Committee reviews regularly the operation of the doctoral schools run by universities and publish their results on it website(-)Regulation of doctoral schools doesn't mention the principles of innovative doctoral training Action 5:

but does not have any special accreditation, such as an authorized economic operator status. is owned 100%domestically.

and this view may prevent firms taking advantage of the potential for the accumulation of designer capability

while adhering to a strict code of practice. Design Leadership/Designing Demand Programmecountry: UK Funded by: Department for Business, Innovation and Skillsinvestment:

59 8. 3 Alternative accreditation and certification methods...59 8. 4 Public-private partnerships...60 8. 5 Policies to support youth entrepreneurship...

administer professional accreditation certifications; elevate awareness of local and regional activities, and; build community and provide opportunities for accessibility professionals to engage with each other. 98 There are also numerous targeted efforts to spur the development of accessible ICTS.

and the last section presents new accreditation models that are expanding ways to recognize skills. 148 Andrew J Milne,"Chapter 11:

and improves learning outcomes. As a model, collaborative learning undergirds many significant ICT initiatives such as the open source model.

Badges have become an alternative form of accreditation, led by the Mozilla Foundation and its Mozilla Open Badges.

precisely what skills have been learned, a level of granularity that is unavailable in other forms of accreditation. The importance of badges rests on its premise that ICT skills need to be recognized regardless of the place where the learner has acquired them.

1) integrating ICTS into education,(2) supporting non-formal channels of learning,(3) supporting alternative accreditation systems,(4) advancing public-private partnerships,

industry leaders and ICT innovators. 8. 3 Alternative accreditation and certification methods A key factor in the success of alternative learning pathways is recognizing the skills

and accreditation systems are appropriate. Conventional accreditation and certification systems represent agreed upon standards, often sanctioned by authorities created to guide the work of education granting organizations and institutions.

Such systems are of course important and need to be updated continuously to reflect changes in technology

phased evaluation ü Avoid isolated evaluation ü Provide link between academic evaluation and evaluation reports (more professional, consultancy based, etc.)

including peer reviews and real time evaluation methods to promote cross-pollination such as NESTA's evaluation of Health Launchpad. 5 106 THE OPEN BOOK OF SOCIAL INNOVATION End notes 1. See for example,

including Milano Graduate school, University of West indies, and the Hong kong Polytechnic University. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Innovations in American Government Awards.

so that individuals can be transferred from failures to successes. 398) Accreditation, search and recruitment of public innovators by commercial headhunters or government agencies.

For example, there is now a Health Information Accreditation Scheme in the UK which gives kite marks to organisations that produce information and moderate websites and forums.

but does not have any special accreditation such as an authorized economic operator status . WHAT THE TRADING ACROSS BORDERS INDICATORS MEASURE Documents required to export

. pdf 22 The Commission has set up the S3 Platform55 to support the regions through peer reviews and workshops to share best practices and work towards the preparation of these strategies.

Develop clear indicators based on the code of conduct to monitor progress. Internal and external communication is also very important at all stages.

and social pressures will pose challenges to EU education policy and organisation (e g. accreditation of virtual institutions),

Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Graduate school of Business Administration It's time for a fundamental change of thinking in Europe.

From Fortress Firms to Cambrian Corporations Mark Esposito, Associate professor of Business and Economics, Grenoble Graduate school of Business, France,

HULT International Business school, USA Mark Esposito, Associate professor of Business and Economics, Grenoble Graduate school of Business, France,

Young Global Leader Calvin Chin, Founder, Transist, People's republic of china Clayton Christensen, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Graduate school of Business Administration, USA Jim O'connor

and Dhirubhai Ambani Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Stanford Graduate school of Business USA Habib Haddad, Chief executive officer, Wamda, United arab emirates Jian Han, Associate professor of Management;

or extra-cluster ties (ECTS), are important gateways of critical knowledge and information (Giuliani & Bell, 2005).

ECTS complement them by bringing in diverse, novel knowledge inputs. 4 From a resource based view (RBV) the network encompassing ICTS and ECTS of a firm can be seen as its resource pool, contributing to the firm s technical know-how, trade contacts,

and capital (Wernerfelt, 1984). In addition, network ties provide legitimacy, increasing a firm s odds of forming partnerships with highly valuable potential partners (Eisenhardt & Schoonhoven, 1996).

This is particularly true for ECTS because assimilating knowledge elements from non-local partners requires distinct capabilities to those required for assimilating knowledge from partners within a firm s own cluster.

and maintain ECTS, to take chances with these ties, and to proactively uncover new opportunities (Covin & Miles, 1999).

and examine their specific roles in generating innovative gains through ICTS and ECTS. Proactiveness represents a first mover orientation of the firm,

We propose that proactiveness exerts only an indirect effect on innovation through ICTS and ECTS,

Such ties (ECTS) not only bring new insights to a firm, but also enable it to think out of the box such that the firm is able to adopt new technologies faster than would be otherwise possible.

In spite of these risks, a firm that nurtures its ties through the necessary investments in relationship building and knowledge sharing might stand to benefit more from its linkages than a firm that makes little investments in its ECTS.

While both ICTS and ECTS carry risks, the risks associated with the latter are likely to be higher due to the relatively higher differences in business practices,

On the other hand, the pay offs to 6 risk taking may also be higher in respect to ECTS, given the potentially novel and non-redundant information that such ties bring about.

We now distinguish among intra cluster ties (ICTS) and extra cluster ties (ECTS. We argue that ICTS

and ECTS can be the sources of distinct knowledge. Therefore, we see that ICT and ECT development should be treated as an investment that enhances innovation.

Research has demonstrated that firms that maintain ECTS are looked upon for advice and up to date knowledge by fellow firms who do not maintain such ties (Giuliani,

Therefore, an SME s sustained innovative performance and long run competitive advantage hinges on its ability to complement the intense exchange of knowledge associated with its ICTS with ECTS that bring in information and knowledge that is locally not available (Bathelt, 2004;

Interplay of ICTS and ECTS with Entrepreneurial Orientation To be successful, a firm must possess a certain ability to continually build

In this paper therefore we attempt to integrate the theories related to geographical clusters that emphasize the importance of ICTS and ECTS (Giuliani & Bell, 2005) and the literature on EO that stresses the role of an organization s entrepreneurial culture for firm

and risk taking in relation to a firm s ICTS and ECTS. However, prior literature does emphasize how a firm s absorptive capacity (Larrañeta, Zahra,

and risk taking on a firm s network ties (ICTS and ECTS) in the specific context of an emerging-economy,

and ECTS We argue that proactiveness contributes to a firm s innovative performance indirectly through the firm s ICTS

and ECTS because firms with high levels of proactiveness find opportunities, anticipate future developments, and identify new trends and available niches faster than their competitors (Lumpkin & Dess, 1996).

The resulting ICTS and ECTS therefore represent an important resource for the firm (Eisenhardt & Schoonhoven, 1996),

we propose that proactive orientation enhances innovative performance through its effect on ICTS and ECTS:

How Does Risk Taking Moderate the Effect ICTS and ECTS on Innovative performance? Establishing network ties do not necessarily mean that a firm is fully tapping into the resources available to it through such ties.

This suggests that some level of risk taking is essential for effective use of firms ICTS and ECTS.

When ICTS and ECTS are supported by an adequate degree of risk taking though investment of time, money,

The interplay between risk taking on the one hand and ICTS and ECTS on the other can contribute to innovation, right from the discovery of an opportunity or the conception of an idea to its planning and implementation.

we suggest that the extent to which risk taking is essential can vary for ICTS and ECTS.

Greater trust and the threat of sanction can make risk taking less salient for ICTS compared to for ECTS.

A firm's risk-taking orientation positively moderates the positive impact of its network ties (both ICTS and ECTS) on innovative performance.

A firm's risk-taking orientation has a greater moderating effect on the impact of its ECTS,

ECTS, proactiveness and risk taking affects innovation. Figure 1 Innovative performance and the interplay between ICTS, ECTS,

Proactiveness and Risk-Taking METHODS Proactiveness Intra-cluster ties Extra-cluster ties Innovation Risk taking H1a H1b H1a H1b H2b H2a

so ICTS and ECTS constitute key resources for the firms (Biggs & Messerschmidt, 2005). Research Design and Data Collection We collected the data in 2012 based on an extensive survey in this cluster,

and ECTS by determining the number of partners with which the producers interact (Giuliani & Bell, 2005).

We constructed ICTS and ECTS variables as the number of a firm s diverse set of partners, such as suppliers, distributors,

while that of ECTS is much smaller at about 5. Correlation coefficients are all within acceptable limits, further confirming the absence of multicollinearity.

while ECTS may be mediating the effect of proactiveness on innovative performance, ICTS may not be playing such a role.

n s.).This confirms that ECTS fully mediates the effect of proactiveness on innovative performance, in support of our hypothesis 1b.

to test whether risk taking moderates the effect of ICTS and ECTS on innovative performance,

which stated that a firm s risk-taking orientation has a greater moderating effect on the impact of the firm s ECTS,

Figure 2 The Moderating Effect of Risk-Taking on the Relationship between ECTS and Innovative Performance 18 From figure 2 we can better understand the extent to which risk taking moderates the effect of ECTS on innovative performance.

It shows the predicted innovative performance across a range (from low to high) of ECTS for high-and low-risk taking firms.

The horizontal axis measures the number of ECTS, and the dotted and solid lines respectively represent firms with high and low risk taking.

Both lines have a positive slope indicating the positive effect of ECTS on innovative performance.

underscoring that risk taking substantially moderates the impact of ECTS on innovative performance. This suggests that firms that are greater risk takers benefit the most from increasing the number of their ECTS.

Robustness checks In addition to the tests described earlier, we conducted further tests to conclude that the assumption of BLUE (Best Linier Unbiased Estimator) of OLS is satisfied (Gujarati, 2003).

while the literature on innovation in regional clusters stresses the importance of ICTS and, more importantly, ECTS (Giuliani & Bell, 2005).

and proactiveness interact differently with a firm s ICTS and ECTS. On the one hand, proactiveness is likely to influence innovative performance indirectly through the creation of a firm s ICTS and ECTS.

Risk taking on the other hand positively moderates the impact of ICTS and ECTS. We empirically tested our conjectures on a sample of 120 SMES in a creative-industry manufacturing cluster in an emerging economy, Indonesia.

Our analysis, based on primary data collected through interviews and questionnaires, provided mixed support for our hypotheses.

We found that ECTS mediate the proactive orientation of firms. A proactive-oriented firm is particularly adept at seeking resources from outside its cluster

and therefore may engage actively in search of new ideas outside of their cluster, though ECTS.

We found that risk taking strengthens the relationship between ECTS and innovative performance. For SMES in particular, external knowledge is a key source of innovation (Jacob & Szirmai, 2007;

) In this context, firms that take calculated risk are able to invest resources in their ECTS such that they are able to draw potentially valuable external resources.

Fourth, it was beyond the scope of this study to account for the heterogeneity of a firm s network of ICTS and ECTS