Analysis and Application of Virtual Network communities for Supporting Entrepreneurs

在本研究中，我们将虚拟网络社区定义为基于互联网的社区，由企业家、工程师、层级人员和其他专家组成，通过交换他们的专业知识来促进创业。本研究的目的在于：(1)从理论上阐明虚拟网络社区对创业企业的促进机制；(2)通过大量的案例研究，为虚拟网络社区的有效发展找到良方。迄今为止，对创业者智力支持的研究大多集中在高校教育系统或风险投资的金融支持系统上。本研究恰恰相反，集中于虚拟网络社区，并结合日本独特的文化特征，分析其作用机制，为其有效利用提供有效的药方。1)自愿性和非营利性的基于个人的虚拟网络对于促进创业的早期阶段特别有效。2)虚拟网络的松紧平衡是将其作为风险企业支撑工具的关键因素。3)在虚拟网络社区的演化过程中，我们还得到了一些独特而有趣的结果，并在学术期刊和报告上发表了上述结果。

In this research we define a virtual network community as internet-based community consisting of entrepreneurs, engineers, layers and other specialists to promote venturing businesses by exchanging their expertness. The purpose of the research was (1) to clarify promotion mechanism of venture businesses by a virtual network community from the theoretical point of view, and (2) to obtain prescriptions for its effective development based on intensive case studies.Most of researches on intelligent support for entrepreneurs so far have focused either on education systems at universities and colleges or on financial support systems by venture capitals. This research, on the contrary, particularly centralized in virtual network community and analyzed its mechanism to obtain effective prescriptions for its effective use by taking into account the Japanese unique cultural characteristics.The followings are some of the results. 1) Voluntary and nonprofit individual-based virtual networks are especially effective for the earlier stage of promotion of venture bushiness. 2) Balance between looseness and tightness of virtual networks is the key factor to use them as support device for venture businesses. 3) We also obtained some unique and interesting results of evolution process of virtual network communities.We published the above results in academic journals and reports.