Title: Selection environment, venture learning and capability building: case of Malaysian agriculture incubation system

Authors: S. Sarpaneswaran; V.G.R. Chandran; Boon-Kwee Ng; Chubashini Suntharalingam

Addresses: Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia ' Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia ' Department of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia ' Socio-Economics, Market Intelligence and Agribusiness Research Centre, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Malaysia

Abstract: This paper assesses the venture's learning and capability development during the incubation and post-incubation periods. The case studies show incubatees' capability and learning divergence across multiple cases. First, the selection environments – incubation and market – shape the knowledge and capability development. Specifically, R&D support with greater access to facilities liberates incubatees with domain knowledge to sustain their ventures during and after incubation. Second, learning and capability developments are highly constrained by the owners' domain knowledge distinction that limits their ability to appropriate employees' knowledge and the knowledge from incubation support system. Third, the interplay in the owner's domain knowledge, incubation support system, learning and capability development are dynamic where each reinforces one another. Overall, the selection environment features are critical junctures in driving evolutionary changes only when they co-evolve with other factors. The paper concludes with policy and managerial implications.

Keywords: incubation system; selection environment; organisation learning; capability building; agriculture system; Malaysia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2023.130864

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2023 Vol.31 No.1, pp.69 - 91

Received: 03 Dec 2020
Accepted: 28 Feb 2021
Published online: 13 May 2023 *

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