Global Networks, Knowledge Management and World Cities

Silvio M Brondoni

doi:10.4468/2011.1.02brondoni

Abstract

Global markets are revolutionising the basic concepts of research, manufacturing and marketing, and developing corporate networks based on competitive alliances. In global managerial economics, knowledge management thus becomes the crucial competitive factor, creating knowledge production hubs, particularly in cities with a high level of intangible consumption, where people, capital and ideas are concentrated (consumer hubs). The level of aggregation of knowledge production and intangible consumption classifies large conurbations with unconventional metrics, establishing new types of scales for ‘world cities’.

Highlights

Global markets have drastically transformed firms’ development strategies, underlining the primary role of the processes of product imitation and innovation, to meet constantly changing demand
As a matter of fact, with globalisation, in order to grow on fiercely competitive markets where demand is stagnating or contracting, companies have revolutionised the basic concepts of the functions of research, development, manufacturing and marketing, creating complex corporate organisations based on competitive alliances, joint ventures, and the vertical and horizontal integration of operating units, often establishing relationships with competitors, suppliers and customers
Global networks that operate in enlarged competition spaces have access to very extensive and sophisticated market information, and they often have to compete with the governments of Nation-States to fix the guidelines for short and long-term local development (Brondoni 2004)

Summary

Introduction

Global markets have drastically transformed firms’ development strategies, underlining the primary role of the processes of product imitation and innovation, to meet constantly changing demand. Time-based competition and market-space management become crucial and determine the development of mega-organisations, whose success is conditioned by the level of sophistication of the corporate intangible assets.

Results

Conclusion