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Innovation in African-American high-tech enterprises: a multi-agent approach

Author

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  • Jeffrey O’Neal London

    (University of Bridgeport, United States)

  • Nasir Jamil Sheikh

    (University of Bridgeport, United States)

Abstract

African-American-owned high-tech enterprises and innovations are underrepresented in industry in comparison to non-African-American-owned ones. Various complex and intertwined socio-economic factors hinder the innovation capability of African-American-owned high-tech enterprises leading to underrepresentation of these businesses. Understanding the causal relationship between firm’s interactions with internal and external entities and its ability to innovate can foster the efforts of a high-tech enterprise in increasing and sustaining innovation capabilities. Agent-based modeling (ABM) emerges as one of the popular approaches to the study of complex socio-technological systems. Characterizing the organizational behavior of African-American-owned high-tech enterprises through the ABM perspective may provide a better understanding of the drivers, processes, and outcomes of this industry segment. By analyzing interview data among African-American entrepreneurs, this study proposes an ABM framework to represent and analyze the innovation capabilities of African-American-owned technology enterprises in comparison to other types of ownership. The ABM model illustrates the key involved agents, their attributes, actions, and the complex interactions amongst them. Simulation results indicate that African American population is underrepresented in the high-tech industry due to two significant factors of social and economic standings implying that the simulation trajectory is in the right direction. Model calibration, verification using real data and implementation plans related to policy development discussions and factors impacting African-American enterprises are also discussed in the study.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeffrey O’Neal London & Nasir Jamil Sheikh, 2020. "Innovation in African-American high-tech enterprises: a multi-agent approach," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 7(4), pages 3101-3121, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ssi:jouesi:v:7:y:2020:i:4:p:3101-3121
    DOI: 10.9770/jesi.2020.7.4(35)
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    African-American entrepreneur; agent-based model; high-technology; innovation; NetLogo; entrepreneurship;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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