Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Launching Knowledge-based Companies by Faculty Members at Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)

Economic prosperity depends on knowledge-based development, and therefore the establishment of knowledge-based companies (KBCs) has received serious attention. The purpose of this study is to identify and explain the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the process of the establishment of KBCs by the faculty members of the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST). The data gathering instruments of this study were in-depth and semi-structured interviews and the qualitative content analysis technique was used to analyze the extracted data. The statistical population consisted of 23 faculty members of IROST who were founders of KBCs which were selected by purposeful sampling. The triangulation techniques, including the use of confirmatory sources, researchers and various methods were used to determine validity during the data collection and analysis process. Also, the guidance of the interview flow, the creation of a structured process for conducting and interpreting the interviews and the formation of a specialized committee were used to confirm the reliability. The findings were presented in four main themes (concepts) including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and 46 sub-themes (codes). The results of the qualitative content analysis showed 13 strengths, 14 weaknesses, 9 opportunities and 10 threats in the process of establishment of KBCs by the faculty members of IROST which can be used in the development of strategies and action plans for the prosperity and development of KBCs.