Inessa Laur

Associate Professor

My research focusses on entrepreneurship, business support and intermediary organisations, primarily the construction industry and tourism as well as their influence on regional development. I approach these topics from a sustainability perspective.

Current research

Sustainable gazelle firms and re-vitalization of old industrial regions

The focus of the project is to investigate challenges to continuous growth and supportive mechanisms, such as, for example, intermediating agents. The aim  is to find success formulae that sustain high-growth companies  – gazelle companies. The gazelles are known as drivers for new start-ups, potential for new working occasions, and stimuli for the development of the industry. The results from the project are intended to serve as guidelines for policy makers, providing insights into alternative pathways for development in the local context.

Sustainability and tourism in the local context

Tourism is seen as an alternative pathway for local development and an arena in which new jobs can be created. The project focusses on collaboration platforms between different municipalities in order to create better policy, and strategies to develop the tourism sector. Moreover, the division of responsibilities between different actors and the process of implementation of new working practices are other major cornerstones of the project.

Google Scholar and Orcid

Google Scholar

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Publications

2023

Inessa Laur, Lasse Berntzen (2023) Opposing forces of business model innovation in the renewable energy sector: Alternative patterns and strategies The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

2021

Inessa Laur, Ingrid Mignon (2021) Match or mismatch between gazelle companies challenges and the support provided by intermediary actors - an empirical example of the construction industry European Planning Studies, Vol. 29, p. 1845-1869 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

2020

Inessa Laur, Mike Danilovic (2020) Enabling change within new forms of organisations: an empirical investigation of change patterns and stakeholder influence on core intermediary activities Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 33, p. 1041-1070 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

2019

Inessa Laur, Magnus Klofsten, Dzamila Bienkowska, Joakim Wincent, Ylinenpää Håkan (2019) Development of European cluster initiatives: stakeholders' contribution and enrolment Global Business and Economics Review (GBER), Vol. 21, p. 685-711 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

2015

Magnus Klofsten, Dzamila Bienkowska, Inessa Laur, Ingela Sölvell (2015) Success factors in cluster initiative management: Mapping out the 'big five' Industry & higher education, Vol. 29, p. 65-77 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Inessa Laur, Alain Fayolle (2015) Understanding Cluster Initiatives in Europe: uniqueness and Contextuality Sustainable development in organizations: studies on innovative practices, p. 275-298 (Chapter in book)
Inessa Laur, Magnus Klofsten, Dzamila Bienkowska, Joakim Wincent, Håkan Ylinenpää (2015) Cluster Initiatives within the European Context: Intermediary Actors and Development process
Inessa Laur (2015) Cluster Initiatives as Intermediaries: A Study of their Management and Stakeholders
Inessa Laur (2015) Cluster Initiatives within the European Context: Stimulating Policies for Regional Development Dreams New Technology-Based Firms in the New Millennium, p. 147-170 (Chapter in book) Continue to DOI

2014

Inessa Laur, Dzamila Bienkowska, Magnus Klofsten (2014) Cluster initiatives (CIs) within the european context: intermediary activities within triple helix 18th Nordic Conference on Small Business Research, 2014 (Conference paper)

Education

Teaching activities

I am involved in several teaching activities, such as courses in organizational entrepreneurship, leadership and network fields.

My course portfolio includes also methodological courses, together with supervision of thesis work for advanced students.

Organisation