Richard is responsible for the courses FÖ0305 Accounting I, and FÖ0327 Entrepreneurship and Business Development. He also is a co-teacher in FÖ0311 Business and the Environment and FÖ0270 Supply Chain Management. All of these courses are included in SLU’s undergraduate programs in Economics. Additionally, Richard is responsible for a PhD course in rural entrepreneurship, and has also co-led courses at the PhD level in organization theory.
Richard’s current research is focused on the development of small firms in rural areas. This includes the development of farm firms as well as other businesses, such as small scale food processors. Past research has included the study of the innovation process at the firm level, including academic entrepreneurship, the development of new technology-based firms, and the selection of new technologies in firm development.
Ferguson, R. and Olofsson, C. (2011). The Development of New Ventures in Farm Businesses. In Alsos, G. A., Carter, S., Ljunggren, E. and Welter, F. (Eds.), The Handbook of Research on Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Rural Development. Edward Elgar Publishing. (in press)
Hansson, H. and Ferguson, R. (2010). Factors influencing the strategic decision to further develop dairy production — A study of farmers in central Sweden. Livestock Science in press.
Hansson, H., Ferguson, R. and Olofsson, C. (2010). Understanding the diversification and specialization of farm businesses. Agricultural and Food Science 19.
Olofsson, C., Svensson, B. and Ferguson, R. (2008). Academic entrepreneurship - Roles and relations in the venture creation process. In Carayannis, E., Assimakopoulos, D. G. and Kondo, M. (Eds), InnovationNetworks and Knowledge Clusters - Findings and insights from the US, EU and Japan. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 54-76.
Ferguson, R. (2004). Why firms on science parks should not be expected to show better performance - the story of twelve biotechnology firms.International Journal of Technology Management 28, 470-482.
Ferguson, R. and Olofsson, C. (2004). Science parks and the development of NTBFs: Location, survival and growth. Journal of Technology Transfer 29, 5-17.