Business Dynamism in High Tech

Defining "high tech"

High tech: a high-tech industry is defined by the presence of four factors: a high proportion of scientists, engineers, and technicians; a high proportion of R&D employment; production of high-tech products, as specified on a Census Bureau list of advanced-technology products; and the use of high-tech production methods, including intense use of high-tech capital goods and services in the production process Kauffman

A Congressional Office of Technology Assessment document describes high-technology firms as those “engaged in the design, development, and introduction of new products and/or innovative manufacturing processes through the systematic application of scientific and technical knowledge.”

National Science Foundation report on science and technology resources also refers to the employment of scientists, engineers, and technicians and to measures of R&D activities as “two of the most important parameters of innovation” and uses those two parameters “as surrogates for measuring the broader concept of innovation.”

Which of these is best definition?

High tech and firm birth/death

Kauffman study found that decline in business dynamism occurred in both the general U.S. economy and the high-tech sector in the post-2000 period. As part of this decline in dynamism, Kauffman found indicators of a slowdown in entrepreneurship in the high-tech sector in the post-2000 period.

Article

Target Audience

• Geared towards Rice Thresher, Houston Chronicle? Layman who has an interest in the intersection of technology and business.
• Q: should I make it a research article, or more engaging?

Defining terms

high tech: You know it when you see it - it's Apple's iPhone 6S, Amazon Prime's 1 hour product delivery, it's a minute computer chip with blinking lights and beeping buttons.

One of the best definitions of "high tech" comes from the Kauffman Institute, which defines a high-tech industry by "the presence of four factors: a high proportion of scientists, engineers, and technicians; a high proportion of R&D employment; production of high-tech products, as specified on a Census Bureau list of advanced-technology products; and the use of high-tech production methods, including intense use of high-tech capital goods and services in the production process."

Business dynamism: the dynamic process of firms entering and exiting the economy

Intro

The American perception of entrepreneurship and innovation is an overwhelmingly positive one; Americans believe not only that there are good opportunities for starting a business, but also that they have the capabilities to start one themselves. [1] The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor U.S. Report found that 43% of Americans believe there are good opportunities for entrepreneurship, and that 56% of American adults believe they have the capability to start a business. [2] But recent trends tell a more sinister story. Many studies report sustained declines in entrepreneurship and business dynamism across the U.S. economy. [3] Though many Americans view the high-tech sector as the pinnacle of entrepreneurship and innovation, the Kauffman Foundation found the recently documented secular declines in business dynamism that occurred broadly across the U.S. economy over the past two decades also occurred in the high-tech sector in the post-2000 period (high-tech sector being defined as the group of industries with very high shares of workers in the STEM occupations of science, technology, engineering, and math). [4] This article aims to ask what happened in the American economy to cause the decline and the impacts of the slowdown on economic growth.

Decline, causes of decline

In the robust period of aggregate productivity and job growth in the 1990s, the high tech sector and newly listed public companies exhibited increases in indicators in dynamism and entrepreneurship. However, since 2000, the high tech sector and publicly traded firms have exhibited a decline in dynamism. The number of IPOs has fallen in the post-2000 period and those that have entered have not exhibited the same rapid growth as earlier cohorts. [5]

The primary challenge start-ups in general face is access to capital. Only 29 percent of small business owners said they’ve applied for a business loan over the last two years. (Bank of America)