International Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer among Universities and Firms Affecting Regional Competitiveness

This article will discuss how international collaboration and knowledge transfer helps to encourage regional competitiveness by focusing on the dynamic and complex relationship between universities and firms in the global business environment. The importance of international business, economics, and geography in facilitating sharing of knowledge is discussed by reviewing the book written on cooperation, clusters, and knowledge transfer. The key areas of cooperation processes and cluster development that encourage knowledge acquisition are examined in terms of academic research of international entrepreneurship and innovation, but also practitioner experience about global best practices. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

知识密集型服务业集群内企业间知识转移影响因素——环同济建筑设计产业带的实证研究

在回顾国内外相关研究的基础上,构建知识转移的影响因素模型。然后,基于知识密集型的环同济设计产业集群的调研数据对上述理论模型进行实证研究。研究结果显示:企业间亲密的关系和企业浓厚的学习文化对知识密集型服务业企业之间的知识转移有重要的促进作用;企业较强的吸收能力、企业间较近的组织距离对产业集群内知识密集型服务业企业之间的知识转移有较大促进作用;知识的模糊性对知识密集型服务业集群内企业之间的知识转移有阻碍作用;中等的知识距离比较远的知识距离更有利于产业集群内知识密集型服务业企业之间的知识转移。     

产业集群“离合”营销模式研究——以长垣起重机集群营销创新模式为例

长垣起重机集群的快速崛起为我们提供了一种独特的营销模式——产业集群"离合"营销模式。在长垣起重机产业集群成长过程中,独立、分散、灵活的集群式产业营销团队起着十分关键的作用。这种分布广泛、规模庞大且相对独立自由的集群式产业营销团队并不属于任何企业,而是属于整个产业集群,他们根据客户需求和厂商产品属性进行最优匹配,将市场与厂商连接起来。这种离合式的产业集群营销运行模式,将生产与营销分离开来,使内部营销行为转化为外部公关行为,使生产企业专注于生产,营销人员专注于营销,同时营销人员将所收集的市场信息反馈给生产企业,为企业根据顾客导向调整生产结构提供参考,可为产业集群转型升级与高速发展提供低成本、低风险、高效率、高速度的产业扩张路径,具有重要现实价值;这种离合式的产业集群营销模式,使营销理论从企业内部扩展到产业集群,形成产业集群营销理论,是未来营销理论重要的研究方向,具有重要理论意义。当然,这种模式也具有局限性,仅适用于对品牌要求不高、购买决策模式为公共关系型的大型机械产业集群。     

The Impact of Distance (External) and Organizational Factors (Internal) on the Knowledge Chain of Multinational Corporations: South Africa as a Host Country

The geographic dispersion of multinational corporations (MNCs) implies that while it gives them access to new and different knowledge from diverse localities, it also adds to the costs and complexities of managing that knowledge and its effective dispersal across geographies. The purpose of this article is to examine how knowledge is transferred within MNCs and provide a framework for this process, particularly focusing on the role that distance (external) and organizational (internal) factors plays therein. A qualitative study is utilized, focusing on two technology companies from different cultural home countries and the technology transfer process with their South African subsidiaries. We find that the standardization of knowledge impacts the creation and diffusion of knowledge; expatriates impact on the creation, diffusion, and adoption; and, finally, relevance and localization impact on the adoption and utilization of knowledge. We present a conceptual framework around trust and rationalization as regards transferring knowledge within MNCs and find some evidence of the impact of distance, particularly cultural, on the methods employed in this transfer. The article illustrates the practical ways in which MNCs organize their internal resources and overcome various dimensions of distance in ensuring knowledge transfers. By choosing companies from such divergent home countries (one industrialized and one newly industrialized, with very different cultural settings) and examining their knowledge transfers with their South African subsidiaries, we are able to unpack various dimensions of distance and how organizational mechanisms affect this process. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Systemic Cooperative Actions among Competitors: the Case of a Furniture Cluster in Brazil

The purpose of this article is to describe cooperation practices observed in competitors companies in a furniture cluster in Brazil. The literature refers to it as coopetition. The research method was the multiple case study. The main research technique was the semi-structured interviews with practitioners of the cluster. The study created a theoretical framework for cooperative practices in industrial clusters formed by four types of practices: logistics, marketing and sales, formation of the workforce, and innovation and technology. The study investigates these four types of cooperation in five large companies that compete in the same market, the anchor companies of the cluster. The only entirely complied type of collaboration is the formation of the workforce of the cluster. In the other practices, cooperation involving competitors is lower than reported in the literature. The main reason for this low cooperation is excessive rivalry and mutual distrust in the cluster, and competition by differentiation, which partially prevent the gain of scale provided by cooperative actions.     

基于产业集群生命周期的技术创新研究

产业集群是当今产业组织发展的重要特征之一,也是开展技术创新活动的重要组织形式。本文在回顾生命周期理论的基础上,结合产业集群的不同发展阶段分别研究了技术创新的特征,分析了我国目前产业集群技术创新的发展困境及其制约因素,并从政府、中介机构、集群企业三个层面上探讨了提升我国产业集群技术创新能力的有效途径。     

The effects of industry cluster knowledge management on innovation performance

Research on industrial clusters mostly focuses on the effects of the competitive advantage they generate. This study takes a different approach, conducting empirical research on three types of Taiwanese parks (export processing zones, industrial zones, and science parks), in which economic development is particularly prominent, and which have industry cluster characteristics. The study explores the effects of special resources and relationships among cluster firms on innovation performance, and focuses on knowledge management as the mediator for investigation. A survey, regression analysis, and correlation analysis probe into the effects of the special resources and relationships among industrial clusters on corporate knowledge management and innovation performance. Knowledge management emerges as the mediator of industry clusters in terms of corporate innovation performance, thus providing support for the research hypotheses. The findings of this study are valuable for further research and strategic thinking on the sustainability of corporate operations.     

Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in Clustered Interorganizational Networks in Brazil

This article analyzes whether firm innovation is influenced by the transfer of knowledge among cluster firms. To test the hypotheses, we directly estimated the measurement and the structural model parameters where cooperation, workforce mobility, and institutions were defined as manifest indicators of the latent exogenous variable knowledge transfer, modeled as a second-order construct. Firm innovation was defined as a single item endogenous latent variable. We found knowledge transfer to be related to the way firms are managed vis-à-vis (a) the role of institutions as discussion arenas; (b) the adaptability of the workforce; and (c) the indirect cooperation among firms.     

基于社会资本的产业集群交易治理研究——交易域、交易频率及交易对象视角的分析

文章研究了社会资本对于产业集群内部企业间交易的治理机制,从交易域、交易频率、交易对象这三个维度,对匿名市场现货交易进行扩展,建立了基于社会资本的交易治理模型,分析了产业集群内企业进行交易时的主要特点：交易嵌入社会网络、交易频率高、主要与集群内部交易对象进行交易。依据这三个特点,将上述模型进行综合,得出适用于产业集群内部企业间交易的社会资本治理机制模型,并分析了该模型的适用条件。研究结果显示由于社会资本的存在,使得产业集群内部交易得到了有效治理,这种有效治理的水平受到产业集群规模和信息畅通水平的约束,当产业集群规模不大、存在通畅的信息沟通渠道、交易者存在实施集体惩罚的动力时,社会资本能够成为产业集群内部企业间交易的有效治理机制,但是这种机制并不适用于集群内部企业与外部企业间的交易治理。     

Industrial clusters, transactions costs and the institutional determinants of MNE location behaviour

This paper discusses the institutional and organizational assumptions underlying many of the currently popular notions of industrial clustering. By adopting a transactions costs perspective, we explain that there are three fundamentally different types of industrial cluster. We then discuss how the institutional differences between each of these clusters provide different possibilities for the location behaviour of the multiplant or multinational firm. Using two examples from the global semiconductor industry, we show that observations of industrial clusters must be interpreted very carefully when we are discussing multinational firms. The reason for this is that many simple clustering notions are predicated on assumptions which are often incompatible with multinational firms. The potential advantages of industrial clustering can only be understood when location strategies are considered with respect to the organizational and institutional logic of both the firm and the cluster.     

The Development of International Industry Clusters: A Complexity Theory Approach

Recent research on networks and clusters as distributive systems of knowledge is drawing on complexity theory as a way of explaining the knowledge processes involved in these organizational forms. It appears that complexity theory and its component concepts, such as coevolution and self-organization, can offer some meaningful insights into, and possible explanations for, knowledge phenomena associated with networks and clusters. Using a case study approach, this paper explores the development of a New Zealand based industry cluster from early formation to international expansion, with a particular focus on the creation and dissemination of knowledge within the cluster. The observations are reported and discussed in the context of complexity theory, drawing particularly on coevolutionary principles. It is suggested that these approaches provide a useful way of understanding the process of industry cluster development and the dynamics associated with international expansion.     

杭州产业集群技术创新模式研究

我国地方产业集群大多都属于传统产业集群,正面临着转型升级的巨大压力,技术创新是突破地方产业集群发展瓶颈的关键。本文主要探讨了标准化战略下轮轴式产业集群和马歇尔式产业集群的技术创新模式,论述了不同类型的产业集群在技术创新过程中标准化的作用。由于产业集群类型的不同,集群创新所采取的模式也不尽相同。地方产业集群应根据自身条件,合理地选择符合自身类型的技术创新模式。     

促进黑龙江乳制品产业集群发展的对策建议

当前,黑龙江省在培育和发展乳制品产业集群的过程中,存在的问题主要有政府功能缺失,分工协作网络尚未形成,中介机构发展滞后等。黑龙江省应转变政府职能,建立服务型政府,提供基础设施和公共服务,利用财政政策和税收政策为集群内企业提供便利的融资渠道;发展中介组织,充分发挥中介组织在市场化进程中的作用,促进产业的升级;提高集群内分工合作水平,形成产业集聚自我强化的内在机制;增强行业协会的服务、协调能力,培育信任、合作的产业集群文化,积极促进多种文化的融合,从而提高黑龙江乳制品产业的竞争力,促进乳制品企业健康发展。     

Policy-driven clusters,interfirm interactions and firm internationalisation: Some insights from Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor

This paper investigates the impact of social and business interactions on firm internationalisation within the context of an industrial cluster created from scratch by policymakers. Based on in-depth interviews with firms in Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor cluster, our findings suggest that a permanent cluster of this nature may not be able to stimulate the development of frequent, spontaneous, informal interaction and rich social networks often seen in ‘organic’ clusters, thus limiting the cluster's effect on firm internationalisation. However, the paper also shows that ‘temporary clusters’, such as trade shows and conferences, organised by policymakers on a regular basis within the broader context of the permanent cluster, can help firms to quickly acquire relevant knowledge.     

基于产业转移的临空产业选择研究

随着经济全球化的发展,产业转移持续深入,为空港城市临空产业的发展带来了契机。基于对新时期国际航空产业、制造业、服务业转移现状及趋势的分析,本文剖析了我国各空港城市临空产业的发展现状,提出了在产业转移背景下适宜重点发展的三大临空产业集群:航空运输产业集群、临空高科技产业集群以及临空现代服务产业集群,并从理论上分析了以上各产业间的相互关系及理论发展时序。     

Entry,Growth and Patenting in Industrial Clusters: A Study of the Aerospace Industry in the UK

This paper studies how firm performance is influenced by the strength of the industrial cluster (or industrial district) in which it is located. The paper presents estimates of firm-level employment and patent growth models for a range of '5-digit' aerospace industries in the UK. In these models, employment in the firm's own sector and employment in other sectors is taken as a measure of the strength of the cluster. Strong positive clustering effects are found in many sectors, but nevertheless some clustering effects are negative. Entry into clusters of this industry is also examined and some sectors are found to attract new entry while others are only attracted.     

The Importance of Proximity for the Start‐Ups' Knowledge Acquisition and Exploitation

This paper intends to verify the impact of geographical proximity on the processes of knowledge acquisition and exploitation by high‐tech start‐ups considering at the same time the role of both the social and cognitive dimensions of proximity. Our basic assumption is that proximity means a lot more than just geography. The findings from this research broaden our understanding of how start‐ups located inside an industrial cluster acquire knowledge from their customers and exploit it in an innovative way, underscoring the need to reconsider assumptions regarding the importance of geographical proximity between business partners during knowledge management.     

How Can SMEs in a Cluster Respond to Global Demands for Corporate Responsibility?

This article argues why and how a participatory approach to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a cluster would be beneficial for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who are members of the NCE – Subsea cluster in Bergen, Norway. The political and strategic reasons as well as internal motivation for SMEs to incorporate CSR into their business strategies are discussed with support from relevant literature. Furthermore, we offer a discussion on the characteristics of different approaches to incorporating CSR as part of business strategy and provide examples from the Norwegian context. As part of this discussion, we look into some of the clusters in Europe which have adopted a systematic approach to implement CSR as part of their agenda. We propose a means to undertake CSR as part of the cluster through a network model to address the limitations faced by the SMEs when they try to implement CSR individually. A network model (cluster approach) to CSR will motivate the uptake of CSR among SMEs when the network (cluster) is characterized by close geographical proximity and operates in the same sector. The uptake of CSR as part of the network (cluster) agenda can also lead to innovation through cooperation and competition. The particular challenges faced by the SMEs in implementing and sustaining CSR can be also minimized by being part of a network (cluster).     

集群知识扩散及其规模成长效应：以知识扩散的势差边界为度量依据

本文以知识位势为基础,利用知识扩散的势差边界为测量知识扩散效果和集群成长规模的依据,通过建立相关模型与求解,分析了产业集群内的知识扩散的效果以及集群规模的成长,认为区域产业集群要想在全球价值链中实现价值提升,避免被锁定的风险,必须实现创新能力的提高。     

农业产业集群参与主体行为分析

农业产业集群是一种经济、文化等多层面的区域系统,该系统主体中各个行为主体之间可以进行知识、信息、技术、生产要素的交流与传递;同时,作为一个整体,又与系统外界环境、企业等其他经济主体进行产品与服务的交易。通过这些主体之间的行为活动,产业集群不断发展壮大。