Design incubatees' perspectives and experiences in Hong Kong
Design incubatees' perspectives and experiences in Hong Kong
Purpose
This paper discusses the services and support from one of the government design-based business incubators in Hong Kong. The characteristics of a design business incubator are explained, and a multiple-case study indicates the perspectives of incubatees from different design disciplines after their graduation from the incubation programme.
Design/methodology/approach
The research under discussion in this paper was based on eight design incubatees in different design disciplines within two years of incubation period, all of whom had participated in one of the government-funded business incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong. The programme is unique because there are no other government-based incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect feedback from incubatees in areas ranging from terms of service to support of the incubation programme.
Findings
The services of training, mentorship and finance were found to be the most important to design start-ups. Financial support and flexible funding allocation were another important issue for design incubatees, but training in these subject areas was not included in the incubation programme. However, it was confirmed that funding provided may have helped a number of the incubatees in developing their start-up businesses as a result of the reduced financial burden and office allocation.
Research limitations/implications
The research focused on one incubation programme because of the lack of incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong, therefore future research which compares different types of business incubation programmes is suggested.
Practical implications
The outcomes of the research not only identified the possible areas of development and improvement of business incubation in entrepreneurship but they will also be useful for the government, universities, institutions, designers, policy makers, entrepreneurs and practitioners. These, in addition to industry stakeholders who want to evaluate their entrepreneurship programmes and develop their plans for potential development in incubation- or entrepreneurial-related programmes or training, especially in the area of design, will find the results useful.
Entrepreneurship education, Design education, Business incubation, Entrepreneurship, Small business, Designers
481-496
Fong, Tiffany W. M.
4080d4c4-5ab7-4a36-9771-b3cf4ada8ca1
3 February 2020
Fong, Tiffany W. M.
4080d4c4-5ab7-4a36-9771-b3cf4ada8ca1
Fong, Tiffany W. M.
(2020)
Design incubatees' perspectives and experiences in Hong Kong.
Higher Education Skills and Work Based Learning, 10 (3), .
(doi:10.1108/HESWBL-10-2019-0130).
Abstract
Purpose
This paper discusses the services and support from one of the government design-based business incubators in Hong Kong. The characteristics of a design business incubator are explained, and a multiple-case study indicates the perspectives of incubatees from different design disciplines after their graduation from the incubation programme.
Design/methodology/approach
The research under discussion in this paper was based on eight design incubatees in different design disciplines within two years of incubation period, all of whom had participated in one of the government-funded business incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong. The programme is unique because there are no other government-based incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect feedback from incubatees in areas ranging from terms of service to support of the incubation programme.
Findings
The services of training, mentorship and finance were found to be the most important to design start-ups. Financial support and flexible funding allocation were another important issue for design incubatees, but training in these subject areas was not included in the incubation programme. However, it was confirmed that funding provided may have helped a number of the incubatees in developing their start-up businesses as a result of the reduced financial burden and office allocation.
Research limitations/implications
The research focused on one incubation programme because of the lack of incubation programmes for designers in Hong Kong, therefore future research which compares different types of business incubation programmes is suggested.
Practical implications
The outcomes of the research not only identified the possible areas of development and improvement of business incubation in entrepreneurship but they will also be useful for the government, universities, institutions, designers, policy makers, entrepreneurs and practitioners. These, in addition to industry stakeholders who want to evaluate their entrepreneurship programmes and develop their plans for potential development in incubation- or entrepreneurial-related programmes or training, especially in the area of design, will find the results useful.
Text
10-1108_HESWBL-10-2019-0130
- Version of Record
Restricted to Repository staff only
Request a copy
Text
10-1108_HESWBL-10-2019-0130
- Version of Record
Restricted to Repository staff only
Request a copy
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 2 December 2019
Published date: 3 February 2020
Keywords:
Entrepreneurship education, Design education, Business incubation, Entrepreneurship, Small business, Designers
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 473164
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/473164
ISSN: 2042-3896
PURE UUID: 250d3b71-7e4f-484e-b071-0117a55bee02
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 11 Jan 2023 17:41
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 23:21
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Tiffany W. M. Fong
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics