Geo-cultural influences and critical factors in inter-firm collaboration

Inter-firm collaboration and other forms of inter-organisational activity are increasingly the means by which technological innovation occurs. This paper draws on evidence from two studies of the same set of firms to examine the conduct of collaborations over time across different contexts. The purpose is to examine the critical factors associated with successful collaboration and explore the importance of the geo-cultural context in understanding the conduct of inter-firm collaboration. The conceptual framework draws on two main sources: - Storper’s concept of ‘conventions’ of identity and participation and Lorenz’s classification of different types of knowledge. These are used to indicate the kinds and sources of adjustments required for successful collaboration

Geographical co-location, social networks and inter-firm marketing co-operation : the case of the salmon industry

This study looks at the factors that influence the development of marketing co-operation among cluster-based firms. It examines data from SMEs operating within the salmon farming industry in two different regions: Scotland and Chile. Analyses indicate that informal social networks help explain the observed relationship between geographical proximity and inter-firm marketing co-operation, especially for firms located in peripheral rural communities. A theoretical model is proposed for further research in the field that, until recently, has been traditionally analysed only by economists. Practical implications are suggested for practitioners and policymaker

An integrated core competence evaluation framework for portfolio management in the oil industry

Drawing upon resource-based theory, this paper presents a core competence evaluation framework for managing the competence portfolio of an oil company. It introduces a network typology to illustrate how to form different types of strategic alliance relations with partnering firms to manage and grow the competence portfolio. A framework is tested using a case study approach involving face-to-face structured interviews. We identified purchasing, refining and sales and marketing as strong candidates to be the core competencies. However, despite the company's core business of refining oil, the core competencies were identified to be their research and development and performance management (PM) capabilities. We further provide a procedure to determine different kinds of physical, intellectual and cultural resources making a dominant impact on company's competence portfolio. In addition, we provide a comprehensive set of guidelines on how to develop core competence further by forging a partnership alliance choosing an appropriate network topology

The countryside in urbanized Flanders: towards a flexible definition for a dynamic policy

The countryside, the rural area, the open space, … many definitions are used for rural Flanders. Everyone makes its own interpretation of the countryside, considering it as a place for living, working or recreating. The countryside is more than just a geographical area: it is an aggregate of physical, social, economic and cultural functions, strongly interrelated with each other. According to international and European definitions of rural areas there would be almost no rural area in Flanders. These international definitions are all developed to be used for analysis and policy within their specific context. They are not really applicable to Flanders because of the historical specificity of its spatial structure. Flanders is characterized by a giant urbanization pressure on its countryside while internationally rural depopulation is a point of interest. To date, for every single rural policy initiative – like the implementation of the European Rural Development Policy – Flanders used a specifically adapted definition, based on existing data or previously made delineations. To overcome this oversupply of definitions and delineations, the Flemish government funded a research project to obtain a clear and flexible definition of the Flemish countryside and a dynamic method to support Flemish rural policy aims. First, an analysis of the currently used definitions of the countryside in Flanders was made. It is clear that, depending on the perspective or the policy context, another definition of the countryside comes into view. The comparative study showed that, according to the used criteria, the area percentage of Flanders that is rural, varies between 9 and 93 per cent. Second, dynamic sets of criteria were developed, facilitating a flexible definition of the countryside, according to the policy aims concerned. This research part was focused on 6 policy themes, like ‘construction, maintenance and management of local (transport) infrastructures’ and ‘provision of (minimum) services (education, culture, health care, …)’. For each theme a dynamic set of criteria or indicators was constructed. These indicators make it possible to show where a policy theme manifests itself and/or where policy interventions are possible or needed. In this way every set of criteria makes up a new definition of rural Flanders. This method is dynamic; new data or insights can easily be incorporated and new criteria sets can be developed if other policy aims come into view. The developed method can contribute to a more region-oriented and theme-specific rural policy and funding mechanism

Firm finances, weather derivatives and geography

This paper considers some intellectual, practical and political dimensions of collaboration between human and physical geographers exploring how firms are using relatively new financial products – weather derivatives – to displace any costs of weather-related uncertainty and risk. The paper defines weather derivatives and indicates how they differ from weather insurance products before considering the geo-political, cultural and economic context for their creation. The paper concludes by reflecting on the challenges of research collaboration across the human–physical geography divide and suggests that while such initiatives may be undermined by a range of institutional and intellectual factors, conversations between physical and human geographers remain and are likely to become increasingly pertinent. The creation of a market in weather derivatives raises a host of urgent political and regulatory questions and the confluence of natural and social knowledges, co-existing within and through the geography academy, provides a constructive and creative basis from which to engage with this new market and wider discourses of uneven economic development and climate change

Researching corporate social responsibility in the Middle East - the current state and future directions

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has the potential to yield economic and social value in the Middle East (ME), especially given the current high environmental flux in the region. Although much scholarly has been paid to CSR issues, a key question remains about how to operate responsibly in the ME, particularly since institutional environments and stakeholders’ needs vary across ME states. The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the current state of CSR in the ME. We identify thirty-eight articles that are most pertinent to CSR in the ME and examine the main theoretical frameworks, methodologies, trajectories for further conceptual development, gaps where new research pathways need to be created and also future research questions. From the systematic review, we reveal how attention on CSR in the ME is slowly gaining traction. A snapshot of the gaps identified include the collaboration between business and NGOs, the impact of stakeholders and institutions on CSR, the impact of political and economic crisis on CSR and the influence of individualistic characteristics shaping managers’ CSR behaviour. In addition to such gaps, we present an agenda for future research

New firm performance and territorial driving forces.

We study post entry performance of manufactuirng firms in 3 municipalities of Buenos Aires province, borned between 1990 and 1999. The aim of the paper is to identify main factors explaining firm growth. The focus is directed to endogenous determinants of firm performance, individual or local as well, taking into account the growing interest those elements are receiving in recent literature about local development. The results show that firm tradability grade is the key variable explaining performance. This factor is strongly influenced by entrepreneur´s profile but also by macroeconomic context.local development, new firms, firm performance, tradability

New firm performance and territorial driving forces

The article analyses recent approaches on entry and post-entry performance by new firms, with particular focus on its applicability to small manufacturing firms recently borned in Argentina. The analysis is based on a sample of small firms created in the period 1990-2000 in three intermediate cities in Buenos Aires province (Argentina) in manufacturing sector. The survey collected data about microeconomic and mesoeconomic elements influencing firm performance. Results indicate that tradability is a key factor influencing firm performance. New firms entering markets where the spatial markets are reduced face limited perspectives on expansion. In turn, tradability is also affected by entrepeneurial motivation and, especially in underveloped regions, macroeconomic variables.new firms, post-entry performance, transability