Safety in clusters

Adelaide Festival of Ideas session, Freemasons Main Hall, 11:30 am, Friday 18th October, 2013. Chaired by John Spoehr.European countries have been using cluster development for economic and industrial sustainability for about 20 years. Could a similar approach work for South Australia? Special guest Professor Örjan Sölvell will examine the successes and failures in Europe to explore how to develop a robust local business sector that can withstand the swings and downturns of globalisation.This session is proudly presented in association with SA Gov. The Adelaide Festival of Ideas is recorded by Radio Adelaide through the support of The Barr Smith Library, University of Adelaide, University of South Australia Library and Flinders University Library.http://adelaidefestivalofideas.com.a

Why do nations fail? Why did Australia prosper? The rise and fall of economic ideas

Adelaide Festival of Ideas session, Bonython Hall, 10:00 am, Saturday 9th October, 2013. Chaired by Tim Harcourt.How many good ideas fail to take off? What are the essential elements that drive innovation and economic sustainability at the micro and macro level? Professor Örjan Sölvell explores the imperative to acquire buy-in from business, academia and governments to ensure economic success and a creative culture of innovation. Professor Sölvell joins the departure lounge in conversation with Tim Harcourt, The Airport Economist.This session is proudly presented in association with the South Australian Government. The Adelaide Festival of Ideas is recorded by Radio Adelaide through the support of The Barr Smith Library, University of Adelaide, University of South Australia Library and Flinders University Library.http://adelaidefestivalofideas.com.a

Climate of competition, clusters and innovative performance

The aim of this paper is to examine industry competition and cooperation in industry clusters, and to explore the role they play in driving innovation among firms. The dependent variable, innovative performance, is measured in terms of both product and process development. A theoretical model is built on the basis of three constructs: industry competition, involving both structural and relational, or 'climatic' characteristics; industry cluster; and innovative performance. Seven hypotheses are extracted from the model. A LISREL model based on a stratified sample of all Swedish manufacturing industries is used to test our hypotheses. The empirical findings have important theoretical implications in three areas. First, by introducing relational dimensions of competition--the 'climate of competition'--we can build a more refined model of the nature of industry competition. Two types of climate are identified, the 'hot' and the 'cold'. Second, it is shown that the structure and climate of competition are both important drivers of innovative behavior. Third, in addition to competition, cooperation within clusters also has a significant impact on innovation.Competition Industry structure Climate of competition Cooperation Cluster Innovation