INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS AS LOCAL SYSTEMS OF INNOVATION

This essay examines the situation and the lines of development of industrial districts from the point of view of local systems of innovation. First of all, this article points out to the modernity factors of the district model – which are ascribable to the supply chain economy, to entrepreneurial dynamics and to the importance of geography as a competitive resource – through the analysis of recent contributions of economic literature that examined the emerging organizational models in knowledge economy. Secondly, the outcomes of recent research on leading companies of Italian industrial districts will be presented, looking at three particularly topics of ongoing changes: the process of international opening of the value chain, the technological conditions of competitive advantage, the relationship between strategies and economic performance. Finally, some considerations on the issue of policies will be developed. Such considerations underline the need to re-think the traditional models of local governance of development and suggest to look at the new external district economies, based on service economies, on much more considerable investments in training, technological and cultural activities and, finally, on more aware institutional actions with reference to the association of companies in innovation projects.Industrial districts, Innovation Systems, Entrepreneurship, Global Value Chain

Network Technologies an Local Networks: Evidence from a Three Year Survey in North East Italy

Industrial districts as local networks of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) rooted their competitiveness in a mix of economic relationships and social ties. Recently, network technologies (ICT) have promised gains of efficiency through a reduction in transaction costs and showed new commercial opportunities for small firms. Despite the attention given to transactions managed electronically, an analysis of ICT diffusion within Italian industrial districts highlights that SMEs use electronic networks mainly to manage knowledge-sharing processes. The paper discusses the results of the past three years of an annual survey focused on the diffusion of ICT within 12 industrial districts based in North East of Italy specialising in the three main macro-industries of the Italian economy: home furnishings (furniture, glass, ceramics), engineering, fashion (textiles, eyewear, shoes, and sportswear). The aim is to study the coherence between economic and technological variables of the district path of development and how SMEs are exploiting opportunities arising from ICT. Results are particularly interesting because they cover the most dynamic period of time that shows the rise and fall of the new economy paradigm

Repair of composite-to-masonry bond using flexible matrix

The paper presents an experimental investigation on an innovative repair method, in which composite reinforcements, after debonding, are re-bonded to the substrate using a highly deformable polymer. In order to assess the effectiveness of this solution, shear bond tests were carried out on brick and masonry substrates within two Round Robin Test series organized within the RILEM TC 250-CSM: Composites for Sustainable strengthening of Masonry. Five laboratories from Italy, Poland and Portugal were involved. The shear bond performance of the reinforcement systems before and after repair were compared in terms of ultimate loads, load-displacement curves and strain distributions. The results showed that the proposed repair method may provide higher strength and ductility than stiff epoxy resins, making it an effective and cost efficient technique for several perspective structural applications

A identidade maya-poqomchi’ guatemalteca em suas manifestações espirituais e religiosas

Guatemala es un país caracterizado por una diversidad cultural considerable. Entre los más de veinte grupos mayas que pueblan su geografía, los poqomchi´es que habitan en Alta y Baja Verapaz han mantenido gran parte de su idiosincrasia particular, heredada de los antiguos mayas. El principal objeto de este artículo es analizar los aspectos más destacados de la espiritualidad y religiosidad poqomchi´, como herencia del pueblo maya del que proceden y producto tanto de la interacción con otros colectivos mayas cercanos como del sincretismo como respuesta de supervivencia. Para ello, nos basaremos en la observación sistemática y participante y la entrevista, para llegar a la conclusión de cómo aún en la actualidad los principales rasgos de la espiritualidad poqomchi´ continúan vigentes, no exentos de la influencia de los pueblos con los que comparte espacio.Guatemala is a country of considerable cultural diversity. Among the more than twenty Mayan groups that populate its territory, the Poqomchi´ who inhabit Alta and Baja Verapaz have preserved a great deal of their particular idiosyncrasy inherited from the ancient Maya. The main purpose of this article is to analyze the most important aspects of Poqomchi´ spirituality and religiosity as the legacy of the ancient Maya from whom they descend, as well as a product both of their constant interaction with other Mayan groups and syncretism as a survival mechanism. For this purpose, it is based on systematic participant observation and interviews which have led to conclude that the main features of Poqomchi´ spirituality remain alive even today, although not free from the influence of the peoples with whom they share space.A Guatemala é um país caracterizado por uma diversidade cultural considerável. Entre os mais de 20 grupos maias que povoam sua geografia, os poqomchi’es que habitam na Alta e Baixa Verapaz têm mantido grande parte de sua idiossincrasia, herdada dos antigos maias. O principal objetivo deste artigo é analisar os aspectos mais destacados da espiritualidade e religiosidade poqomchi’, como herança do povo maia do qual procedem e produto tanto da interação com outros grupos maias próximos quanto do sincretismo como resposta de sobrevivência. Para isso, tomaremos como base a observação sistemática e participante e a entrevista para chegar à conclusão de como ainda na atualidade os principais traços da espiritualidade poqomchi’ continuam vigentes, não isentos da influência dos povos com os quais compartilham espaço.Este artículo es el resultado de las investigaciones etnográficas llevadas a cabo por el investigador dentro del grupo HUM 556 (Universidad de Huelva, España), Mundialización e Identidad, y forma parte de una investigación sobre la esencia identitaria, los procesos de preservación cultural y transculturación de los pueblos mayas de Guatemala

Nummi versus Uddevalla : apprentissage et mémoire dans la production industrielle

Stefano Micelli Nummi vs. Uddevalla : Which Productive Model for Tomorrow's Industry ? Among the many debates about the new productive systems designed to go beyond the Ford/Taylorist model, the notion of «organizational learning» constitutes one of the better ways to analyze the effectiveness of the «models» in question. This theory is applied to two, now classical, cases : Nummi and Uddevalla - a Japanese transplant in the USA and an original experiment in Sweden. With reference to these two cases, learning is theorized as an evolving process of both diffusion and innovation. This theory is broader than the much too static image conveyed by the notion of a model. Actors and the organization jointly participate in selecting and retaining knowledge, which alone can effectively respond to the ups and downs of production and the marketplace.Parmi les nombreux débats sur les nouveaux systèmes productifs conçus comme dépassement du modèle fordien/taylorien, la notion d'apprentissage organisationnel constitue sans doute l'un des meilleurs analyseurs de l'efficacité des «modèles» en question. C'est en tout cas la théorie défendue ici par l'auteur et qu'il applique à deux cas désormais classiques : Nummi et Uddevalla (transplant japonais aux Etats-Unis et expérimentation originale en Suède). Se référant tout à tour à l'un et à l'autre, ses réflexions ouvrent une théorie de l'apprentissage conçue comme processus évolutif et de diffusion de l'innovation, dépassant l'image trop statique que véhicule la notion de «modèle». Les acteurs et l'organisation participent conjointement aux mécanismes de sélection et de rétention des connaissances, seuls capables de répondre efficacement aux aléas de la production et du marché.Micelli Stefano. Nummi versus Uddevalla : apprentissage et mémoire dans la production industrielle. In: Sociologie du travail, 37ᵉ année n°3, Juillet-septembre 1995. Dossier-débat (suite). Systèmes productifs : les modèles en question. pp. 345-363