Geographical linkages in the financial services industry: a dialogue with organizational studies

Abstract

ABSTRACTGeographical linkages in the financial services industry: a dialogue with organizational studies. Regional Studies. This article proposes a conceptualization of the geographical linkages in the financial services sector based on boundary-spanning activities. In doing so, it seeks to open a dialogue between organizational sociology and regional development that goes beyond an analysis of financial transactions and asset prices to the informational content shared between organizations within a city, country or region. This conceptual approach offers new insights into why and how geographical linkages emerge within and between financial services organizations. This article foreshadows the utility of this approach by way of an illustrative case of HSBC, the ‘world’s local bank’.