Does Geographic Clustering Still Benefit High Tech New Ventures? The Case of the Cambridge/Boston Biotech Cluster

An empirical study of scientific communication among biotechnology companies supports the belief that geographic clustering does produce increased scientific exchange among companies. A comparison of companies within a constrained geographic area with those more dispersed shows a significantly higher level of scientific communication among the former. Scientific communication declines rapidly with plupical separation. Critical of the formation of cluster – based scientific communication networks is the presence of both universities and large firms from the same industry

How to Make IT Work:: Cognitive Perspectives for Better Information Technologies Performance

The successful implementation of new information technologies depends on the beliefs and expectations of both managers and workers. Consequently, a new information technology may enable higher productivity in one social setting while limiting or even reducing productivity within another milieu. We present a new concept called "Cognitive Knowledge Identity" (CKI) that distinguishes between three types of systems in organizations: Tayloristic, Expert, and Innovation. This cognitive aspect of organizational culture operates as a basic social system framework that governs the effective use of IT in organizations. This paper presents practical aspects for managers that lead for better Information Technology performance.Information technology Cognitive knowledge identity Organizational culture IT performance Knowledge systems

When Service Customers Do Not Consume in Isolation

In many service contexts, customers share the service setting with other customers. However, knowledge about the influences of fellow customers’ copresence remains largely fragmented. We address this deficiency by introducing the integrative concept of customer copresence influence modes (CCIMs) and investigate its potential consequences for service perceptions and evaluations. Following a grounded theory approach and drawing on in-depth, qualitative interviews with both managers and customers of a leading service company, we develop a typology of CCIMs, categorizing the various ways—interactions (reactive/proactive and social/instrumental), observations (information-seeking/comparative), and spillovers (spatial/behavioral)—in which fellow customers might influence the focal customer. Building on this typology, we propose a conceptual framework with a set of testable propositions about consequences of CCIMs for the focal customer’s service experience and the service provider’s image. The CCIM typology and propositional inventory, in addition to offering directions for further research, emphasize the need for service managers to pay special attention to customer copresence because (1) its influence on service experience is contingent on a variety of factors, including some within the managers’ control, and (2) customers might assign responsibility to the service provider for both desirable and detrimental effects of customer copresence