Intended Ties with Local Institutions as a Factor in Innovation: An Application to Spanish Manufacturing Firms

In this paper we seek to check for a number of interactions between firms and external environment. We aim to contribute to the discussion on the role of the regional environment in a firm’s innovation performance. We test the statistical significance of a number of particular interactions between institutions and firm innovation. In particular, we have hypothesized the association between trade and professional institutions, technological centers, and cooperation arrangements and innovation. In contrast with existing studies, we have provided empirical evidence of the impact of external factors on individual firm

The Ceramic Tile District, its Evolution and Possible Future Alternatives - a Comparison of Italy and Spain

Territorial agglomerations have been paradigmatic examples of localised knowledge and endogenous development that are capable of containing the whole value chain of the respective production processes [1, 2]. Nevertheless, it is a widely acknowledged fact that they are currently going through a period of uncertainty and at the same time are undergoing important changes. In order to further our understanding of what may happen in the near future and bearing in mind the context in which industrial districts currently find themselves, we conducted an analysis and comparison of two industrial districts in Spain and Italy with the aim of establishing exactly how they have evolved in recent years and the kinds of relations they have developed. Our aim is to prove that the development of one cannot be explained without taking the other into account. Therefore, any attempt to understand the future of the districts should be based on this consideration

What to expect when you're expecting. Causes and consequences of incentive policies for organic agribusiness in Comunitat Valenciana

Ponencia presentada en : XLVI Reunión de Estudios Regionales. Ciudades llenas, territorios vacíos. International Conference on Regional Science.Madrid, 24 al 26 de noviembre de 2021this paper aims to analyse the sustainable AFS in the Comunitat Valenciana, adopting the existing regulation on organic production. It is relevant to point out that, the existing regulations in the sector are mainly based on environmental regulations, although it is true that they have been created in such a way that respect for these rules leads to compliance with the other aspects of sustainability, or at least encourages them. In any case, the sustainability dealt with in this research will be understood following the United Nations sustainability definition. To achieve our objective, we intend to analyse the sector through the case study of the Comité d'Agricultura Ecológica de la Comunitat Valenciana (CAECV), the regional certifier of organic production in this particular Spanish region

Shared Resources in Industrial Districts: Information, know-how and institutions in the Spanish tile industry

The aim of this paper is to measure the effect of shared resources on individual firm performance. Using the Industrial District as a definition of the interorganizational context, we propose a model that includes a set of factors that are associated with the endowment of external resources, that is, collective information and know-how, and involvement in local institutions. In order to illustrate the theoretical argumentation, we develop an empirical study using a one hundred-firm sample from the Spanish Ceramic Tile industry in order to search for a statistical association between resource variables and performance of the firms. Finally, findings of the paper suggest that in order to increase performance firms must develop a distinct capacity so as to be able to shape and exploit shared or collective resource

Direct and Interactive Effects of Brokerage Roles on Innovation in Clustered Firms

Social network analysis has generated a great number of research findings in the organizational and management literature, in which the so-called territorial clusters have often been represented through the network metaphor. However, while scholars primarily examine the network structure and the internal heterogeneity, we have specifically analyzed the diverse types or roles of informational brokers which firms can perform. We also posit that innovation generated by these firms is moderated by their own capabilities and, more particularly, we analyze how innovation is affected by brokerage roles and the moderating effect of R&D in the Spanish ceramic tile cluster. Our results show that different brokerage roles played by clustered firms have different implications in terms of innovation. Another relevant and related result refers to the interactive effect of brokerage roles and absorptive capacity, which becomes more or less significant depending on the role being played in each case.Financial support provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project number ECO2015-67122-R) and Universitat Jaume I (Project Number P1·1B2013-05) is gratefully acknowledged

Improving SMES competitiveness reinforcing interorganisational networks in industrial clusters

Drawing on a social network approach this paper proposes a methodology that helps with the empowerment and development of interorganisational networks in clusters. Paper emphasizes the necessity of establishing relationships with other firms and external agents in order to empower the creation and diffusion of knowledge, through factors such as innovation. The aim of the proposed methodology is to know how required knowledge should be located and diffused to identify the opportunities motivating the creation of particular interorganisational networks. Similarly, it is also important to know how to determine which agents might to take advantage of these opportunities creating networks

Distance to customers, absorptive capacity, and innovation in high-tech firms: the dark face of geographical proximity

This paper investigates the impact of both geographical and relational proximity on the innovative performance of the firm. We address the role of one firm characteristic—its absorptive capacity—as a specific contingency affecting the relationship between different proximities and innovation. Using data from 158 high-tech firms located in the Tiburtina Valley in Italy, we studied the relationship between these firms and their key customers. Our findings support the need to downplay the role of geographical proximity in promoting innovation. Our results also show that relational proximity to key customers has a complementary relationship with absorptive capacity, which positively moderates its influence on innovative performance

Influence of the dimensions of the absorptive capacity in the development of new products in a context of industrial district: an empirical study to the case of the Valencian textile

El presente trabajo integra diversas perspectivas vinculadas a la competitividad empresarial como son la innovación, el territorio y la capacidad de absorción. Hemos pretendido contrastar el efecto de la capacidad de absorción sobre la innovación, dentro de un contexto de distrito industrial, donde el proceso innovador se ve afectado por unas condiciones específicas de acceso, asimilación y explotación de los recursos de conocimiento. Hemos estudiado la población de empresas que forman parte del distrito textil valenciano. Como principales conclusiones observamos que las exterioridades que la empresa recibe en forma de conocimiento, provenientes del entorno en que opera, junto a las habilidades necesarias, en nuestro caso las dimensiones particulares de la capacidad de absorción, benefician el desarrollo de la innovación en la empresaThis research reunites some fundamental aspects for firms’ competitiveness: innovation, territory and absorptive capacity. The objective of this research consists of studying how the absorptive capacity influences the innovation process, centering on the context of an industrial district, where the innovation process is affected by specific access, assimilation and knowledge resource exploitation conditions. We have studying the total population of companies that make up the Valencia textile district. We have found the following main conclusions: The externalities that the company receives in the form of knowledge originating from the environment in which it operates along with the necessary abilities, in our case the particular dimensions of the absorptive capacity, benefit the development of innovation in the compan

Different Paths to Achieve High Technological Innovation in Clustered Firms: An Analysis of the Spanish Ceramic Tile Industry

This paper uncovers the different factors behind the high technological innovation performance of clustered firms. Moreover, we aim to investigate the necessary and sufficient conditions of factors to achieve innovative outcomes of clustered firms. This is done by analyzing the Spanish ceramic tile cluster and using a configurational comparative method, namely, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results reveal the presence of equifinality, as there are diverse paths or combinations of factors that lead clustered firms to higher technological innovation performance. Additionally, early adoption of new technologies and a high absorptive capacity are included in most of the successful combinations of factors