Small worlds,inheritance networks and industrial clusters

The performance of firms within industrial clusters has been the subject of a multitude of studies. The organizational attributes inherited by spinoffs from parent firms is one explanation behind performance premiums. This paper examines the relationship between a spinoff’s network and its geographic location in an industrial cluster. We hypothesize that there is a negative relationship between a spinoff’s network efficiency and its distance from the cluster’s centroid. Although recent literature infers that the transmission of knowledge in industrial clusters is accomplished via inherited network ties, this has not been directly measured. This paper aims to fill that research gap. We find that, after controlling for firm size, parent size and age, there is indeed a statistically significant and negative relationship between network efficiency and geographic distance to a cluster’s core.     

Networks of Clusters: A Governance Perspective

This paper aims to further our emerging knowledge on the external linkages of regional clusters. We adopt a network governance perspective and study connected clusters as goal-directed, multilevel whole networks that we denote as “cluster networks.” Based on an analysis of four empirical cases varying in regional scope, age and industry context, we identify two governance forms: internally governed cluster networks are formed to establish ties among cluster representative organizations to share knowledge and pool resources on selected activities; externally governed cluster networks are formed to systematically develop cross-cluster ties and competences on and across levels and are brokered by a central intercluster administrative organization as well as several decentralized lead organizations. Our findings show that cluster connectivity can go beyond organization-based pipelines and personal relationships to include clusters as governed entities, albeit with different intensities regarding the brokerage of ties on lower levels.     

The Dynamics and Evolution of Industries

The empirical evidence, the major stylized facts, the currentexplanations and the relevant unanswered questions concerningthe dynamics and evolution of industrial structure are discussedin this paper. Three levels of analysis of the dynamics andevolution of industries are distinguished: specific dimensionsof industry dynamics, structural dynamics and structural evolution.The first level refers to the dynamics related to specific featuresof industrial structures such as industrial demography, firmgrowth and size distribution and persistence in asymmetric performanceat the firm level. The second refers to the dynamics over timeof structural variables: entry, exit, firm size and concentration,as well as product and process innovation. The third refersto a broader view of industrial structure and its evolutionover time: the emergence of new industries, the generation andtransformation of technologies and products within an industry,the development and change of capabilities, the changing boundariesof firms in terms of growth, vertical integration, diversification,the development of networks and the role played by institutions(such as the government, scientific institutions, financialinstitutions, suppliers and users).     

Dynamics of the scientific community network within the strategic management field through the Strategic Management Journal 1980–2009: the role of cooperation

The paper presents the dynamics of the strategic management scientific community network during knowledge creation and dissemination through the Strategic Management Journal from 1980 to 2009. The paper describes the evolution of the participant countries’ position within the network structure. We present the different stages that the network goes through, the vertices’ transformation into nodes and hubs, and the statistical significance level of cooperation between the country in the core position and the countries in the semi-periphery and periphery positions during their evolution and growth.     

Measuring the publishing productivity of economics departments in Europe

Industrial technology grouping is a common phenomenon that occurs as an industry develops and evolves. However, the research on innovation diffusion has given little attention to the role of industrial technology grouping. This paper extends the prior research to analyze the impact of industrial technology grouping on innovation diffusion within the framework of structural embeddedness. In our empirical study, we selected a sample of patents in the smart phone industry during the 2004–2014 period. We used both hierarchical regression analysis and patent citation analysis to explore the impact of industrial technology grouping on innovation diffusion in the two dimensions of clustering and bridging ties, which yielded several valuable results. First, industrial technology grouping is a common phenomenon in the development of industrial technology. Moreover, the dynamic changes of technology clusters are an important driving force shaping the trends and diversity of industrial technology. Second, industrial technology grouping does not have a significant effect on firm innovation diffusion, whereas structural embeddedness directly affects innovation diffusion. Third, industrial technology grouping positively moderates the impact of structural embeddedness on firm innovation diffusion in both dimensions of clustering and bridging ties.     

Overcoming Undesirable Knowledge Redundancy in Territorial Clusters

This work analyzes the existence of redundant knowledge associated with geographic networks of firms. Specifically, our research focuses on how firms can avoid inefficient redundancy ties derived from territorial clusters. We propose that firms embedded in a dense and strong-tie network generate redundant knowledge flows. However, they may use structural dispersion to mediate and overcome this limitation. Our empirical study was conducted drawing on the Spanish ceramic tile industrial cluster to test the potential association between social capital and redundancy. Our findings support the idea that structural dispersion mediates the effects of strong ties and the generation of knowledge redundancy.     

The Complementary Dynamic Effects of Clusters and Networks

Over the past decades, researchers and policymakers around the world have been paying attention to the concept of clusters of related firms, industries and institutions, with a view to the presumably positive effects of clustering for learning, innovation and the productivity of firms. More recently, a network approach to learning and innovation emerged, which emphasizes strategic, preferential, repeated and at the same time temporary knowledge exchange (i.e. dynamic cooperation) between firms and other organizations. This may, however, go at the expense of the attention for the important, different and complementary learning effects of the mainly spatial process of concentration and clustering of related firms, industries and institutions. This paper argues that clusters and networks are two separate concepts that both merit attention, especially—albeit not exclusively—with a view to learning, knowledge development and innovation. A first argument is that spatial clustering has quite different effects for the development of knowledge, learning and innovation in and by firms, as compared with network settings. A second point is that in some cases, clustering yields a governance advantage over networks. Taking into account the risks of cognitive, technological, organizational and institutional lock-in associated with both processes, this paper concludes that both clustering and networking have advantages and disadvantages for the firms involved. The two concepts are potential dynamic complements, as clustering and networking have different but complementary effects for learning, although they are also static substitutes, as firms may opt to switch between the two processes, for example, leaving a local or regional cluster to engage in a network endeavor at a higher spatial scale.     

The External Sourcing of Technological Knowledge by US Pharmaceutical Companies: Strategic Goals and Inter-organizational Relationships

This study of the organization of the discovery function by large US pharmaceutical companies (LPCs) examines an important knowledge acquisition strategy—external sourcing of compounds and technologies. Through a critical examination of the “capabilities” thesis in strategic management and of the theoretical conceptualization in organization studies of innovation networks, we undertake an in-depth qualitative analysis of the network relationships LPCs establish with biotechnology firms/public research laboratories. We additionally examine the motivations and degree of strategic intent of R&D managers involved in external knowledge sourcing. The paper identifies the tensions and contradictions in network relationships and indicates how these lead to changes in knowledge sourcing. This qualitative analysis is placed in its industry and technology context. This reveals both the pressures towards and the trends in external knowledge sourcing, as compared with in-house discovery. Extensive interviews with US LPCs and biotechnology firms provide a rare glimpse of how some of the most important actors in global innovation networks handle a significant new innovation strategy.     

基于TBC的产业集群与供应链系统集成效应框架模型

以TBC战略为基础,分析了产业集群与供应链系统的集成在战略目标、组织运作、市场整合、知识集成与扩散等方面所产生的效应,构建了一个集成效应框架模型,为产业集群与供应链系统的集成研究提供理论支持和预先分析支持.     

Network positioning and risk perception in servitization: evidence from the UK road transport industry

For manufacturing firms, the integration of advanced services into their customer offerings has become a crucial decision. Such commercial decisions require weighting the risks and rewards of implementing a business model based on advanced services. While academic experts acknowledge uncertainty of returns on investment despite potential advantages, research generally fails to address the challenge of calculating the actual risks involved in ‘servitization’. This paper seeks better understanding of managers’ risk perception and of servitization implications for strategic partnerships and network positioning, while considering the impact of factors such as entry barriers, technological knowledge and position in the supply chain (SC). Qualitative evidence is drawn from an industrial case study involving firms in the UK’s road transport industry: 14 in-depth interviews with senior executives from seven companies (manufacturers, operators, technology providers). During interviews, a payment card exercise measured risk perception and willingness to take strategic ‘make-or-buy’ decisions. Results suggest that implementing advanced services is perceived as a high-risk strategy, especially when firms lack in-house technological knowledge. However, collaborative strategic partnerships within supply chain networks can mitigate this risk and prove crucial to building entry barriers against external competitors. Based on these findings, implications for network positioning are developed.     

Structure of a patent transaction network

Firms participating in a patent transaction network demonstrate interdependence and mutually influence one another. The characteristics of such a network structure demonstrate a complex overall configuration. This study proposes a dynamic perspective for investigating the structure of a patent transaction network. By using network analysis, this study defines the structural configuration of a patent transaction network by measuring centralization, centrality, and linkage distribution. Data from patent transactions of the flat panel display sector from 1976 to 2012 have been examined evaluate their networking. The results show that the structural configuration of a patent transaction network shows significant stratification patterns in terms of a given firm’s technology exportation and brokerage capabilities, but also operates as a complex system. This analysis provides insights into patent transaction networks, and also addresses policy implications for firms and authorities who are interested in acquiring market competition or governance.     

Graph-based models to classify effective collaboration in SME networks

During the last decades, globalisation of goods’ markets and large disequilibrium amongst labour markets in different countries had a remarkable impact on small and medium enterprises – SMEs, which have been for many years the actual engine of industrial development in Europe. An ‘antidote’ to this crisis is the development of more profitable SME networks in the forms of either ‘clusters’, ‘competitiveness poles’, ‘industrial districts’ or ‘scientific parks’. A more strategic approach is needed, that builds upon existing SME aggregations and explores their main strong and weak points, such as to establish a framework for new innovative networks. The goal of this study is to offer a method to analyse the main features of existing SME networks, in order to offer to the network coordination/management committees some key parameters (KP) to evaluate the network composition and potentially to select networks modifications. The study analyses an archive of industrial networks provided by the European project CODESNET and defines different types of networks and their main KP. A further result of the analysis will be the modelling of each network type in terms of a specific graph. Graphs give a more intuitive representation of the network and an easier comprehension of its organisation. In a second stage, by a probabilistic approach, the authors propose an identification procedure to classify existing and new networks.     

Introducing the T-shaped model of cluster competence – an integrative framework and first empirical evidence from the German craftsmen sector

Although cluster research has been an enormously vivid field in the past years, the idea that firms’ individual competences influence the knowledge gain from collocation is still under-researched. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap in two steps. First, we derive four firm-specific cluster competences from existing literature as key components of a T-shaped model which is based on the resource and the relational view on knowledge spillovers. Second, we evaluate the explanatory power of our model in terms of firm success by conducting empirical testing on the basis of several logistic regressions in the form of proportional odds models. For this purpose, we use a hitherto unexploited firm-level data set, gained from a survey conducted among small and medium-sized craft businesses in Germany. The results provide evidence that idiosyncratic cluster competences on the firm level are supportive of firm success in business clusters.     

设计市场学主轴:从设计产业化到上市产业链战略设计体系建构

目的 为建构设计市场学与产业化战略设计体系,揭示设计学促进生产力发展的创新本质,提升设计在产业链中的战略级价值与地位,破解企业产品打造、品牌塑造、业绩增长、融资上市等核心难题,驱动“政.企.学”融合创新升级。方法 基于设计学与金融科技、经济管理等学科以及“农.工.商”等产业融合进行研究,凝练28年“产.学.研”实践探索与学术理论研究成果,通过调研提炼与应用验证,建构设计产业化核心体系。结论 基于设计市场学原理、设计产业化战略理论,提出并阐明了“上市产业链、上市沸腾器、产业.企业IPO战略设计、产业战略标准‘芯片’、星云战略设计与资源系统”的核心概念与内涵,总结了“以终为始、领域细分、科技聚核、文化铸魂、集群创孵”战略设计原理,升级了“顶层战略标准制定、科技产品创新打造、文化品牌设计塑造、产业创孵平台建构”战略设计方法,构建了“设计市场学-产业化-上市链-IPO战略-标准”理论与实践体系,对探索“政产学研科教文”全域融合创新发展具有导向性意义与战略级价值。     

产业技术溢出水平与集群结构的关联分析

依据设计的产业技术溢出系数模型,明确了影响产业技术溢出水平的各因素之间的相互关系,分析了不同结构的产业集群中由于技术溢出所导致的收益分配状况,得出了高技术溢出水平适合于无领导企业的产业集群,低技术溢出水平适合于存在领导企业的产业集群的结论;给出了具体的技术溢出水平取值范围;同时,也为构建产业集群技术创新机制提供了实用性对策思路.     

Lean practices implementation and their relationships with operational responsiveness and company performance: an Italian study

Although many firms report large benefits from lean implementation, a lot of scepticism still remains regarding attainable results and the possibility to apply Lean approach outside high-volume manufacturing and stable context. In this work, combining field interviews with literature review, theoretical connections have been developed among Lean manufacturing techniques, operational responsiveness and company growth performances. A conceptual model has been proposed for investigating the network of influences among lean practices (supplier management, human resource management, just-in-time and total quality management practices), operational responsiveness (Product mix variety, Product innovation and Time effectiveness) and company growth performances in Italian companies. Using structural equation modelling, a second-order confirmatory factor analysis has been used to test the hypothesised relationships in the structural models. This study highlights that the operational responsiveness is only partially connected to a Lean strategy of a company. Indeed, the lean practices implementations are negatively influenced by product mix variety and innovation, while positively influenced by time effectiveness variables. Moreover, product mix variety and time effectiveness are the main characteristics of the operational responsiveness that positively influences company growth performances. So time effectiveness could be considered as a mediator between Lean best practices and firm growth. Moreover, no direct relationship has been found between lean bundles and firm’s performances. Lack of resources and mainly poor communication and managers’ commitment and support seem to be the main obstacles of lean implementation and success.     

Community-level characteristics and member firms’ invention: evidence from university–industry innovation community in China

Increased attention has been drawn to the phenomenon of community-based innovation; however, researchers have mainly emphasized firm-centric communities, paying little attention to non-firm members. This study focuses on university–industry (U–I) innovation communities to address this gap. Using China’s joint patent application data from 2000 to 2017, we construct a U–I collaboration network, identified existing U–I innovation communities, and reveal community-level characteristics of birth, expansion, maturity, and self-renewal in a lifecycle framework. The results suggest that average geographical distance negatively affects firm invention production and within-community knowledge diversity positively affects firm innovation. The effects of dynamic attributes indicate that U–I community membership turnover affects member firm’s patent production in an inverse U-shaped manner. In addition, a firm’s within-community network position exerts a moderating effect on the relation between community membership dynamics and firm innovation. In theoretical terms, this study combines innovation community and social network theories, using a lifecycle framework to examine the influence of the specified characteristics in facilitating member firms’ invention productivity. Finally, this study discusses the practical implications for U–I community stakeholders and policymakers.

     

The Division of Labor is Limited by the Extent of the Market? The Counter-case of the Okayama Farm-engine Industrial District in Japan

The purpose of this paper is to understand how industry organization evolves under conditions of a growing market. Since Adam Smith the traditional argument has claimed that as a market grows, a vertically disintegrated industry organization evolves, and that this enhances productivity. However, the question remains whether the market alone can select an efficient industry organization. This paper analyzes a case from the Japanese farm-engine industry of the 1950s, namely the industrial district of Okayama, where the breakthrough into disintegrated production was never achieved, despite rapid growth in the domestic market for agricultural engines. This led to the collapse of the district. The analysis shows that, if vertical disintegration requires radical changes in the technological competence of each firm, the market does not necessarily offer sufficient incentives for vertical disintegration, even under conditions of a growing market.     

中国鲆鱼养殖的产业集聚：水平、原因及政策

本文以我国工业化水平相对较高的鲆鱼养殖业为研究对象,采用区位熵和空间基尼系数法,对2003―2012年沿海地区鲆鱼养殖集聚程度进行了测算,结果表明我国鲆鱼养殖业表现出较明显的产业集聚特征,主要集聚于山东省和辽宁省。其中山东省集聚程度始终最高,但在逐步下降,辽宁省则逐步提升。研究指出:中国的鲆鱼养殖之所以出现产业集聚,尽管也有资源禀赋、需求拉动等因素影响,但技术创新和产业政策在其间发挥了尤其重要的作用;要继续推动鲆鲽类产业集群的发展,必须以产业政策为引导、以技术创新为重点,同时打造产业文化,创造市场需求,引领产业发展。     

A two-scale system to identify environmental risk of chemical industry clusters

Recent reform policies in China have spurred rapid industrial development. This has led to a large increase in chemical accidents, which may have catastrophic impacts on the local population and environment. As industrial facilities become more complex, it becomes more difficult to control and mitigate the risks associated with chemical accidents. In this study, we propose a two-scale system for assessing the environmental risk level of chemical industry clusters. A series of risk early warning indices for both the plant-specific level and regional clusters level are used in this system. Firstly, at the enterprise scale, a risk early warning index is constructed using inputs such as the presence of hazardous materials, the operation of critical plant equipment and the efficiency of extant management techniques. Secondly, an index for quantifying risks on regional scales depends on environmental, economic, and social conditions as well as the specific enterprises' components. As an illustration, the system is applied to a case study involving a five-plant chemical industry cluster in Jiangsu province, China. A geographical information system-based methodology is used to obtain a composite index score for each mesh of the five plants. The results prove that the proposed two-scale early warning system can efficiently identify environmental risk and help guide emergency responses at both the enterprise and cluster level.