A comparative analysis of the location behaviour of Japanese and European semiconductor manufacturers

Our paper analyses micro-level data from Japnese and European semiconductor manufacturers. We integrate a range of production technological indices with spatial data and regional economic variables in order to understand the principalissues determining the location behaviour of this sector. Our resuklts show that there are marked differences between the Japanese and European sectors of the industry, with many parts of this sector not corresponding either to an orthodox product life-cycle model or a simple Marshallian model of agglomeration beased on information-spillovers.

A comparison of industrial location behaviour within the US and European Semicondictor Industries

Our paper analyses micro-level data from the US and European semiconductor manufacturers. In particular, we will focus on the plants undertaking the wafer manufacturing processes. We integrate a range of production technological indices with spatial data and regional economic variables in order to understand the issues determining the location behavior of the industry. Our results indicate that the locational behaviors of the US and European wafer plants do not correspond to an orthodox product-life-cycle model.

A comparative analysis of the location behaviour of the US and European semiconductor manufacturers

Our paper analyses micro-level data from the US and European semiconductor manufacturers. In particular, we will focus on the plants undertaking the wafer manufacturing processes. We integrate a range of production technological indices with spatial data and regional economic variables in order to understand the issues determining the location behavior of the industry. Our results indicate that the locational behaviors of the US and European wafer plants do not correspond to an orthodox product-life-cycle model.

Regional Cooperation of Small & Medium Firms in Japanese Industrial Clusters

This study examines the effects of intra-regional cooperation among firms and institutions on the growth of firms, using the unique data set of questionnaire survey collected in the three major industrial clusters in Japan. In contrast to the existing studies on regional innovations or agglomeration economies, this study explicitly focuses on the detailed contents of cooperative activities with two specific viewpoints: 1) the contents of regional cooperation in each of the three production stages of R&D, commercialization, and marketing, and 2) the detailed types of alliance partners. Our results demonstrate three points: 1) positive correlations are observed between the intensity of regional cooperation and the firm growth rate and R&D expenditure, 2) horizontal cooperation such as alliances with universities and cross-industry exchange organizations has positive significant effects on the growth rate of firms, which is in contrast with the previous studies that stressed only the role of vertically integrated inter-firm linkages in Japan, and 3) contents and partners of regional cooperation are different among the three clusters based on different dominant industries

Interactions between the spatial organization of firms and regional industrial systems: Semiconductor industries in the United States and Japan

The global economic system has become increasingly borderless in recent years due to the advanced transportation and communication technologies characteristic of the Information Society. The organization of firms has likewise developed within these global networks. The local agglomeration of knowledge-based activities in major cities and regions has increased although the advancing information technologies seem to eliminate the necessity of such local agglomerations. The objective of this study is to provide a systematic framework that can explain the spatial organization of firms and its dynamic interactions with regional industrial systems. For a proper understanding of the evolution of the regional industrial systems in the above context, this study includes empirical research on American and Japanese firms engaged in the semiconductor industry. It places special emphasis on tracing the connections between the whole spatial chain of production activities based on the data concerning the spatial organization of firms. Special attention is given to three factors in the analysis: (1) the technological characteristics of the semiconductor industry; (2) the organization of firms and industrial organizations in the U.S. and Japan; (3) relations of inter-firm networks and the role of regions in local agglomeration. The local agglomeration of design and R&D-related activities and globally dispersed networks of manufacturing processes in both the U.S. and Japanese semiconductor industries are under investigation here. It would appear that local agglomeration of R&D and design-related activities are due primarily to the way in which face-to-face communication facilitates knowledge-intensive activities within and among firms. In contrast, mass-production plants which do not involve much interaction with R&D or design activities can tolerate global dispersion. American and Japanese firms exhibit markedly different patterns in spatial organization that arise from the differences in the specific industrial structures of both countries. This study would suggest that the local agglomeration of knowledge-intensive activities has increased in importance recently since face-to-face communications still remain the most effective means of conducting many types of knowledge-intensive activities

Interactions between the spatial organization of firms and regional industrial systems: Semiconductor industries in the United States and Japan

The global economic system has become increasingly borderless in recent years due to the advanced transportation and communication technologies characteristic of the Information Society. The organization of firms has likewise developed within these global networks. The local agglomeration of knowledge-based activities in major cities and regions has increased although the advancing information technologies seem to eliminate the necessity of such local agglomerations. The objective of this study is to provide a systematic framework that can explain the spatial organization of firms and its dynamic interactions with regional industrial systems. For a proper understanding of the evolution of the regional industrial systems in the above context, this study includes empirical research on American and Japanese firms engaged in the semiconductor industry. It places special emphasis on tracing the connections between the whole spatial chain of production activities based on the data concerning the spatial organization of firms. Special attention is given to three factors in the analysis: (1) the technological characteristics of the semiconductor industry; (2) the organization of firms and industrial organizations in the U.S. and Japan; (3) relations of inter-firm networks and the role of regions in local agglomeration. The local agglomeration of design and R&D-related activities and globally dispersed networks of manufacturing processes in both the U.S. and Japanese semiconductor industries are under investigation here. It would appear that local agglomeration of R&D and design-related activities are due primarily to the way in which face-to-face communication facilitates knowledge-intensive activities within and among firms. In contrast, mass-production plants which do not involve much interaction with R&D or design activities can tolerate global dispersion. American and Japanese firms exhibit markedly different patterns in spatial organization that arise from the differences in the specific industrial structures of both countries. This study would suggest that the local agglomeration of knowledge-intensive activities has increased in importance recently since face-to-face communications still remain the most effective means of conducting many types of knowledge-intensive activities