Spatial embeddedness and firm performance: an empirical exploration of the effects of proximity on innovative and economic performance

Recent theoretical developments in organisation science and regional economics have emphasised the importance of networks and geographical proximity for the performance of firms. Empirical evidence on these relationships is scarce, though, especially in regional science. In this paper, we address the following research question: to what extent do firm-specific resources, organisational embeddedness, proximity, and industry factors influence innovative and economic outcomes of innovative firms? We used a theoretical synthesis of regional and organisational science to build a research model that enabled us to derive several hypotheses on the influence of proximity on outcomes, taking other important predictors for performance into account. Our empirical findings confirm the importance of proximity especially for innovative outcomes. Moreover, we found that in particular network relations with buyers and suppliers are conducive for firm performance, whereas other indicators of embeddedness and of internal resources have little impact probably due to substitution effects. Finally, regional as well sectoral R&D spillovers influence outcomes in a positive way.

Arenas of Expectations for Hydrogen Technologies

Technological options can be regarded as variations in an evolutionary development process. The variations are put forward by their respective technological communities and are selected by technology selectors. Building on the notion of quasi-evolutionary technology development we show how technological communities secure their position on R&D agendas through feeding and maintaining expectations in arenas of expectations. We examine this process by studying the expectations work of the community that tries to develop metal hydrides for the on-board storage of hydrogen for mobile applications. Metal hydrides are proposed as a promising alternative to gaseous and liquid hydrogen storage but are yet underdeveloped. Its proponents however, succeed in convincing their sponsors of the future potential of metal hydrides. In this paper we show how expectations of this technological option are raised and maintained by its developers and how this has kept them on hydrogen technology agendas for over 40 years.alternative fuel, energy storage, hydrogen, mobility, on-board

When none of us perform better than all of us together: the role of analogical decision rules in groups

During social interactions, groups develop collective competencies that (ideally) should assist groups to outperform average standalone individual members (weak cognitive synergy) or the best performing member in the group (strong cognitive synergy). In two experimental studies we manipulate the type of decision rule used in group decision-making (identify the best vs. collaborative), and the way in which the decision rules are induced (direct vs. analogical) and we test the effect of these two manipulations on the emergence of strong and weak cognitive synergy. Our most important results indicate that an analogically induced decision rule (imitate-the-successful heuristic) in which groups have to identify the best member and build on his/her performance (take-the-best heuristic) is the most conducive for strong cognitive synergy. Our studies bring evidence for the role of analogy-making in groups as well as the role of fast-and-frugal heuristics for group decision-making

Learning, innovation and proximity. An empirical exploration of patterns of learning: a case study

learning; innovation

Regional systems of innovation from within.An empirical specification of the relation between technological dynamics and interaction between multiple actors in a Dutch region

technological dynamics; interaction patterns; innovation