Mathematical Visualization And Analysis Techniques For Entrepreneurship Studies: Image Processing In The United States, Europe, Japan And Australia

Statistics and computer graphics, using linear and non-linear techniques, have been applied to entrepreneurial survey data in a study of the image analysis industry. Chief Executive Officers and Directors of Research have been interviewed in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. During the interview, a long questionnaire was completed. A mathematical model in terms of motivation, resources and performance measures has been developed to evaluate company positioning, and for future implementation as an expert system for high technology investment evaluation.A set of indices, derived using cluster and principal component analyses, describes groupings of variables which can be used to find the locus of a company position in an n-dimensional space. This position helps to establish whether the requisite technical, knowledge, marketing and financial infrastructures of the company are in keeping with the n-dimensional surfaces established by other companies in the field. These surfaces are then visualized using polynomial and Fourier parametric methods. Stratifications of the database by culture (as determined by geographical location), manufacturer-user-integrator classification, measures of innovation, and modes of deployment of financial resources are studied in terms of their taxonomic and performance characterisation abilities. Preliminary analyses reveal noticeable clustering of motivational variables by culture.