Innovation, Collaboration, and Learning in Regional Clusters: A Study of SMEs in the Aberdeen Oil Complex

2003 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 1689-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Cumbers ◽  
Danny Mackinnon ◽  
Keith Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Economic Geography ◽  
High Technology ◽  
Regional Innovation ◽  
Regional Clusters ◽  
Interfirm Relations ◽  
Geographical Clustering

Issues of regional innovation and learning have attracted growing interest from economic geographers and related specialists in recent years. The advantages to be gained from localised networks and learning are claimed to be particularly important for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in helping offset the size-related advantages of larger firms. Such claims are part of a wider rediscovery of the benefits of clustering and agglomeration in economic geography. Yet, to date, theoretical speculation about the renewed importance of geographical clustering for SMEs has run ahead of detailed empirical research. Beyond a few well-known case studies of high-technology clusters, there have been few attempts systematically to ‘test’ assertions made about the links between innovation, collaboration, and learning. The authors' purpose in this paper is to contribute new empirical evidence to this debate through a case study of SMEs in the Aberdeen oil complex. Although they find some evidence to support the role of localised forms of collaboration among the most innovative SMEs, the authors' results also indicate the importance of extralocal networks of knowledge transfer and the unequal power relations that underpin interfirm relations. These findings reinforce recent calls for a shift of focus from ‘regions’ to ‘networks’, raising some fundamental questions about the substantive basis of clusters policy.

scholarly journals Statistical investigations in primary school – the role of contextual expectations for data analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Frischemeier ◽  
Susanne Schnell
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Contextual Knowledge ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Interpretative Analysis ◽  
Young Students

AbstractAs data are ‘numbers with context’ (Cobb & Moore, 1997), contextual knowledge plays a prominent role in dealing with statistics. While insights about a specific context can further the depth of interpreting and evaluating outcomes of data analysis, research shows how it can also hinder relying on data especially if results differ from expectations. In this article, the aim is to investigate how young students informally deal with empirical evidence, which differs from their initial expectations in a specific context. We present a case study with three pairs of students at the age of 9 to 10 who compare groups in survey datasets. The interpretative analysis shows how conjectures of varying degrees of confidence shape the students’ statistical expectations and can play different roles in interpreting results from data analysis.

Knowledge transfer in a start-up craft brewery

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Cardoni ◽  
John Dumay ◽  
Matteo Palmaccio ◽  
Domenico Celenza
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Development Phase ◽  
General Description ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of the entrepreneur in the knowledge transfer (KT) process of a start-up enterprise and the ways that role should change during the development phase to ensure mid-term business survival and growth. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth, qualitative case study of Birra Flea, an Italian Craft Brewery, is presented and analysed using Liyanage et al.’s (2009) framework to identify the key components of the KT process, including relevant knowledge, key actors, transfer steps and the criteria for assessing its effectiveness and success. Findings The entrepreneur played a fundamental and crucial role in the start-up process, acting as a selective and passionate broker for the KT process. As Birra Flea matures and moves into the development phase, the role of the entrepreneur as KT’s champion needs to be integrated and distributed throughout the organisation, with the entrepreneur serving as a performance controller. Research limitations/implications This study enriches the knowledge management literature by applying a framework designed to provide a general description of KT, with some modifications, to a single case study to demonstrate its effectiveness in differentiating types of knowledge and outlining how KT can be configured to support essential business functions in an SME. Practical implications The analysis systematises the KT mechanisms that govern the start-up phase of an award-winning SME, with suggestions for how to manage KT during the development phase. Seldom are practitioners given insight into the mechanics of a successful SME start-up; this analysis serves as a practical guide for those wishing to implement effective KT strategies to emulate Birra Flea’s success. Originality/value The world’s economy thrives on SMEs, yet many fail as start-ups before they even have a chance to reach the development phase, presenting a motivation to study the early stages of SMEs. This study addresses that gap with an in-depth theoretical analysis of successful, effective KT processes in an SME, along with practical implications to enhance the knowledge, experience and skills of the actors that sustain these vital economic enterprises.

scholarly journals Assessing the Process of Knowledge Transfer — An Empirical Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 08 (03) ◽  
pp. 251-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Champika Liyanage ◽  
Tabarak Ballal ◽  
Taha Elhag
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Private Finance Initiative ◽  
Business Environments ◽  
Organisational Knowledge ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Competitive Nature

This paper investigates and evaluates the process of knowledge transfer in construction projects. Due to the highly competitive nature of business environments, knowledge transfer between organisations has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, although organisations can realise remarkable benefits by transferring knowledge from one unit to another, successful knowledge transfer can be difficult to achieve. The discussions presented in the paper are mainly based on findings of two case studies. The two cases were selected from Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects in the UK. According to the case study findings, different stages of a knowledge transfer process can be overlapped, omitted, repeated as well as intermitted and then restarted. One of the significant findings of the case studies was the role of the "knowledge mediator". In selected case studies, there were external consultants and expert staff in the form of knowledge mediators. The importance of their roles was frequently highlighted by the interview participants. They were not only facilitating the close liaison between the knowledge source and the receiver, but also their role was strongly associated with practices of translation and interpretation. This combined role of mediator/translator, therefore, appears to be particularly significant for inter-organisational knowledge transfer in PFI projects.

scholarly journals The Role of a Region in the Implementation of Innovative Projects for Non-Defence High-Technology Production

2020 ◽  
pp. 477-486
Author(s):  
Iurii V. Erygin ◽  
Elena V. Borisova
Keyword(s):  
Innovation System ◽  
High Technology ◽  
International Markets ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Regional Innovation ◽  
Military Industrial Complex ◽  
Innovation Infrastructure ◽  
The Military

The article discusses the problems of involving the innovative potential of enterprises of the military-industrial complex in the implementation of innovative projects for the non-defence high-technology production, as well as determining the role and place of the regional innovation infrastructure in their implementation. The aim of the study is to justify the role of a region in the implementation of innovative projects for the non-defence high-technology production, to determine features and formulate requirements for the development of the regional innovation infrastructure that provides support for these innovative projects based on the interaction of the regional innovation system enterprises with the military-industrial complex and infrastructure facilities at the national and international levels. As a result of the study, the authors highlighted the most important areas of interaction between the enterprises of the military-industrial complex and the region’s innovative infrastructure facilities (raising funds, promoting high-tech civilian products to national and international markets, etc.) and formulated the requirements for its formation. The results of the study can be used in managing the innovative development of the regions where high-tech enterprises of the militaryindustrial complex are located

The Mediating Role of Absorptive Capacity in Knowledge Transfer

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Femi Adisa ◽  
Jeremy Rose
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Shared Understanding ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Erp Implementation ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Multiple Case

Knowledge transfer between consultants and organizational users influences the outcomes of an Enterprise Resource System (ERP) implementation. Configuration and implementation tasks are dependent on generating some level of shared understanding of both business practices and technology. These problems become acute in implementations in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs often operate with non-standard business processes, making an effective interchange of process knowledge between consultants and end-users crucial. Using a multiple case study method and content analysis, the authors investigate the mediating role of absorptive capacity in knowledge transfer in SMEs ERP implementations. They present exploratory case studies from 3 Nigerian companies with varying outcomes, and hypothesize that knowledge transfer is complicated by acute information asymmetry, absence of pre-existing related knowledge and consequent difficulties in developing a shared understanding, and by a tendency to operate with lone consultants and lone organizational representatives.

Two routes of service modularization: advancing standardization and customization

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Gremyr ◽  
Aku Valtakoski ◽  
Lars Witell
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Module ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to investigate service modularization in a manufacturing firm, identifies service modularization processes and examines how these processes change the service module characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a longitudinal case study (2008-2017) of a manufacturing firm. The development of six service modules was analyzed using data from interviews with key informants, informal meetings and internal documentation. Findings This study suggests five service modularization processes, and that service module characteristics, such as standardization and interconnectedness, change in different ways depending on the service modularization processes used. It further identifies two service modularization routes that each combine the service modularization processes in unique ways with replication as a key process to improve both standardization and customization. Practical implications This study elaborates a framework for service modularization, which can serve as a guideline for developing service modules. It also highlights the differences between product and service modularization, suggesting that the role of service module characteristics such as standardization and customization is specific for services. Originality/value This longitudinal case study (2008-2017) provides empirical evidence on service modularization and extends existing knowledge on service modularization processes and how they influence service module characteristics.

The Role of Choice in the Development of an M-Government Strategy in Turkey

2012 ◽  
pp. 150-170
Author(s):  
Ronan de Kervenoael ◽  
N. Meltem Cakici ◽  
Duygu Guner
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Data Services ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Consumption Practices ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Technical Capacity

Enhanced data services through mobile phones are expected to be soon fully transactional, interactive and embedded with other mobile consumption practices. While private services will continue to take the lead in the mobile data revolution, others such as government and NGOs are becoming more prominent m-players. This paper adopts a qualitative case study approach interpreting micro-level municipality officers’ mobility concept, ICT histories and choice practices for m-government services in Turkey. The findings highlight that in-situs ICT choice strategies are non-homogenous, sometimes conflicting with each other, and that current strategies have not yet justified the necessity for municipality officers to engage and fully commit to m-government efforts. Furthermore, beyond m-government initiatives’ success or failure, the mechanisms related to public administration mobile technical capacity building and knowledge transfer are identified to be directly related to m-government engagement likelihood.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document