Global Pipelines Research Articles

Where music and knowledge meet: a comparison of temporary events in Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio

This article contributes to the literatures on knowledge communities, knowledge exchange, knowledge bases and cultural and creative industries. It suggests that short-term events in even ‘ordinary’ places can meet the criteria for knowledge communities and, therefore, deserve greater attention from scholars. Examples from the music economy are presented in order to expand thinking on knowledge communities with respect to industrial influence and scale. In addition, by comparing a music industry conference in Los Angeles with a music-related project in Columbus, Ohio, processes of knowledge exchange are examined in relation to the concepts of local and global buzz and pipelines and new work in this area. By focusing on the characteristics of knowledge involved in training sessions for independent artists within the two temporary events, a blurring of the boundary between the symbolic and synthetic knowledge bases is proposed.

The Biotechnology Industry in the Prague Metropolitan Region: A Cluster within a Fragmented Innovation System?

Previous research on regional innovation systems (RISs) has shown that Prague is a prime example of a fragmented metropolitan RIS. Fragmented innovation systems are characterized by a strong endowment of knowledge and innovation infrastructure elements, but they suffer from a lack of local networking, cooperation, and knowledge transmission. The aim of this paper is to investigate the nature and geography of innovation, knowledge sourcing, and collaboration in the emerging and still embryonic biotechnology industry in the Prague metropolitan region. The key questions to be answered are whether this general feature of Prague's innovation system (ie its fragmented structure and the lack of local networking) can also be found in a knowledge-intensive sector, such a biotechnology, or whether sectoral drivers are more significant and the generalized ‘local buzz and global pipelines’ model can also be applied to Prague biotech firms. Our research, in contrast to previous studies, shows that relatively intensive linkages exist within the biotechnology sector. Therefore, our results imply that an RIS, even within a single city, might be more diversified and structured than existing studies and typologies of RISs have suggested.

De-centering 'spatial fix'--patterns of territorialization and regional technological dynamism of ICT hubs in China

This article critically assesses Harvey’s ‘spatial fix’ thesis through systematically comparing the spatial patterns and dynamics of three key regions of China’s information and communication industry. The divergent territorialization is analyzed by broadening the concepts of global pipelines and local buzz to the context of developing countries. The research is based on a large-scale survey conducted in 2006–2007 in three mega-city regions of China: Beijing, Shanghai-Suzhou and Shenzhen-Dongguan. The research found not only marked regional differences in industrial structure, ownership, exportorientation and technological investment, but also a surprising convergence of technological dynamism among foreign and domestic firms within each region. The data established an unmistakable negative association between transnational corporation–led export industry and technological investments. Beijing—the least foreignoriented region—outperformed all others by a substantial margin in all measures of technological dynamism, highlighting the importance of indigenous R&D for domestic capital and for attracting technology intensive foreign capital.

Innovation Dynamics of Global Competitive Regional Clusters: The Case of the Norwegian Centres of Expertise

Isaksen A. Innovation dynamics of global competitive regional clusters: the case of the Norwegian Centres of Expertise, Regional Studies. This paper analyses the innovation dynamics in six regional clusters that have been appointed as Norwegian Centres of Expertise and have been assessed as some of the most internationally competitive regional clusters in Norway. The most consistent finding concerns the great importance of strong Norwegian innovation systems in the maritime and oil and gas industries in underpinning the innovation dynamism of these clusters. This finding has some theoretical implications because the national level is mainly absent in the discourse on local buzz (knowledge spillovers inside the cluster boundaries) and global pipelines (international relations and knowledge flows). What remains as an important local factor is the historically developed, unique competence of firms, which is strengthened by the fact that locally sited, state-owned higher education and research institutions have adapted activity to the needs of key local industries. Isaksen A. La dynamique d'innovation des grappes régionales compétitives mondiales: étude de cas des systèmes expert en Norvège, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche à analyser la dynamique d'innovation dans six grappes régionales classées comme Systèmes expert norvégiens et considérés parmi les grappes régionales les plus compétitives de Norvège sur le plan international. Le résultat le plus constant concerne l'importance attachée aux systèmes d'innovation norvégiens forts dans les industries maritime, pétrolière et gazière quant à l'étayage du dynamisme d'innovation de ces grappes-là. Ce résultat a des conséquences théoriques parce que le niveau national n'est pas présent en règle générale dans le discours sur le bourdonnement local (les retombées de connaissance dans l'enceinte des grappes) et les chantiers mondiaux (les relations internationales et les flux de connaissance). Ce qui reste un facteur local important c'est la compétence unique des entreprises qui relève de son histoire, renforcé par le fait que les instituts d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche locaux, subventionnés par l'Etat, ont adapté l'activité aux besoins des industries locales clés. Grappes régionales Systèmes d'innovation Dynamiques d'innovation Systèmes expert Norvège Isaksen A. Die Innovationsdynamik von global wettbewerbsfähigen Regionalclustern: der Fall der norwegischen Expertisezentren, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag wird die Innovationsdynamik in sechs regionalen Clustern analysiert, die zu norwegischen Expertisezentren ernannt und als eine der international wettbewerbsfähigsten Regionalcluster Norwegens eingestuft wurden. Das konsistenteste Ergebnis betrifft die hohe Bedeutung der leistungsstarken norwegischen Innovationssysteme in der Meeres-, Öl- und Gasindustrie bei der Stärkung der Innovationsdynamik dieser Cluster. Dieses Ergebnis hat einige theoretische Auswirkungen, denn die nationale Ebene ist in den Diskursen über lokales Rauschen (Wissensübertragungen innerhalb der Grenzen des Clusters) und globale Pipelines (internationale Beziehungen und Wissensströme) weitgehend abwesend. Was als wichtiger lokaler Faktor bleibt, ist die historisch entwickelte, einzigartige Kompetenz von Firmen, die durch die Tatsache bestärkt wird, dass lokal angesiedelte weiterführende Bildungs- und Forschungseinrichtungen im Staatsbesitz ihre Aktivitäten an den Bedarf der lokalen Schlüsselindustrien angepasst haben. Regionale Cluster Innovationssysteme Innovationsdynamik Expertenzentren Norwegen Isaksen A. Las dinámicas de la innovación de aglomeraciones regionales globalmente competitivas: el caso de los Centros de Experiencia noruegos, Regional Studies. En este artículo analizo las dinámicas de innovación en seis aglomeraciones regionales que han sido nombradas como Centros de Experiencia noruegos y han sido valoradas como unas de las aglomeraciones regionales más competitivas a nivel internacional en Noruega. Los resultados más uniformes tratan sobre la gran importancia de los sistemas fuertes de innovación noruegos en las industrias marítimas y de petróleo y gas, ya que respaldan el dinamismo innovador de esas aglomeraciones. Estos resultados tienen algunos efectos teóricos debido a que el nivel nacional está principalmente ausente en el discurso sobre la creación de conocimiento a nivel local (desbordamientos de conocimiento dentro de los límites de aglomeración) y rutas globales (relaciones internacionales y flujos de conocimiento). Lo que permanece como un factor local importante es la competencia única e históricamente desarrollada de las empresas, lo que se refuerza por el hecho de que las instituciones dedicadas a la educación superior y la investigación situadas localmente y de propiedad estatal han adaptado las actividades a las necesidades de las industrias locales principales. Aglomeraciones regionales Sistemas de innovación Dinámicas de innovación Centros de experiencia Noruega

Teaching and Learning Guide: Rethinking Economic Geographies of Knowledge

Teaching and Learning Guide: Rethinking Economic Geographies of Knowledge

Knowledge Sourcing Beyond Buzz and Pipelines: Evidence from the Vienna Software Sector

This article examines the nature and geography of knowledge linkages in the Vienna software cluster. Empirical studies on the software sector have provided contradictory evidence of the relative importance of different sources of knowledge, the spatial dimension of exchanges of knowledge, and the relevance of different channels for the transmission of knowledge. Recent conceptual work on the geography of knowledge linkages has highlighted that the innovative dynamics of clusters rests on both local and global knowledge flows, that is, the combination of “local buzz” and “global pipelines.” However, the buzz-and-pipelines approach fails to provide a precise understanding of the mechanisms by which actors in a cluster gain access to knowledge at different spatial scales. This article goes beyond the buzz-and-pipelines concept and suggests a differentiated typology of knowledge linkages, distinguishing among market relations, formal networks, spillovers, and informal networks. Drawing on a survey of firms and face-to-face interviews with representatives of companies, we demonstrate that in the Vienna software industry, knowledge flows are informal. We found that spillovers and informal networks are highly significant at all spatial scales and are complemented by formalized research-and-development partnerships at the local and national levels. We also show that the character of knowledge linkages is dependent on the nature of innovation. The more radical the innovation, the larger the variety of sources of knowledge and the stronger the diversity of the mechanisms for transferring knowledge.

Principles and Practices of Knowledge Creation: On the Organization of “Buzz” and “Pipelines” in Life Science Communities

abstractThis article links up with the debate in economic geography on “local buzz” and “global pipelines” as two distinct forms of interactive knowledge creation among firms and related actors and argues for a rethinking of the way social scientists should approach interactive knowledge creation. It highlights the importance of combining the insights from studies of clusters and innovation systems with an activity-oriented approach in which more attention is paid to the specific characteristics of the innovation processes and the conditions underpinning their organization. To illustrate the applicability and added value of such an alternative approach, the notion of embeddedness is linked with some basic ideas adopted from the literature on knowledge communities. The framework is then applied to a study of innovation activities conducted by firms and academic research groups working with biotechnology-related applications in the Swedish part of the Medicon Valley life science region. The findings reveal that local buzz is largely absent in these types of activities. Most interactive knowledge creation, which appears to be spontaneous and unregulated, is, on closer examination, found safely embedded in globally configured professional knowledge communities and attainable only by those who qualify.

Engineering networks: university-industry networks in Southern Ontario automotive industry clusters

In this paper we examine relationships between university engineering programmes at the Universities of Waterloo and Windsor and the automobile industry in Southern Ontario which reflect TNC strategies and state innovation policies which place greater emphasis on universities developing networks with automotive manufacturers. We argue firstly that there are tensions within the academy as university based researcher becomes more applied and as issues of intellectual property (IP) rights ownership arise. Secondly knowledge flows are principally directed towards OEM global pipelines and to a much less extent to the regional clusters of small and medium sized (SME) producers. We conclude by considering the implications of intensifying networks between universities and OEMs in Southern Ontario on innovation and cluster policy.

Technology Cities in Norway: Innovating in Glocal Networks

This paper compares learning, knowledge flows and innovation processes in the high-tech clusters in four small Norwegian cities, which are specialized in high-tech industries. It addresses how the clusters have developed historically with important national stimuli and engagement, examines what existing knowledge sources and innovation networks the high-tech firms use and are integrated in, and identifies which of these are particularly locally rooted vis-à-vis relying more on global pipelines. The paper underlines the importance of glocal (global and local) networks for the innovation capabilities of high-tech firms in small regional clusters. However, it also critically examines the concepts of glocal networks and “local buzz and global pipelines”, and argues in particular for the need to take into account some other types of proximities and spatial levels that directly and indirectly are focused by these concepts. Thus, the national level is found to be central in initiating the building of clusters in new industries, particularly in “resource thin” peripheral regions.

Innovative new firms, embeddedness and regional development

This paper focuses on the causal chain of creation of new innovative firms, their regional causes (i.e. embeddedness) and their effects on regional economic development and the related entrepreneurship policies. Theoretical argumentation refers to the role of innovative new firms for regional growth on the one hand and on the influence of the regional environment on the existence and development of new innovative firms on the other. Empirical data stems from the European Regional Innovation Survey (ERIS). Results show that new innovative firms are more strongly embedded in a regional context than older firms, but, on the other hand, strong intraregional embeddedness coincides with a lower impact on regional employment, even if controlled for firm age or firm size. Thus, local entrepreneurship support policies need not focus primarily on intraregional networks for new innovative firms in order to make start-ups capable of surviving and growing. Rather, intraregional and interregional embeddedness ('local buzz' and 'global pipelines') should be strived for and supported by relevant policy programmes.

Building global knowledge pipelines: The role of temporary clusters

Business people and professionals come together regularly at trade fairs, exhibitions, conventions, congresses, and conferences. Here, their latest and most advanced findings, inventions and products are on display to be evaluated by customers and suppliers, as well as by peers and competitors. Participation in events like these helps firms to identify the current market frontier, take stock of relative competitive positions and form future plans. Such events exhibit many of the characteristics ascribed to permanent spatial clusters, albeit in a temporary and intensified form. These short-lived hotspots of intense knowledge exchange, network building and idea generation can thus be seen as temporary clusters. This paper compares temporary clusters with permanent clusters and other types of inter-firm interactions. If regular participation in temporary clusters can satisfy a firm's need to learn through interaction with suppliers, customers, peers and rivals, why is the phenomenon of permanent spatial clustering of similar and related economic activity so pervasive? The answer, it is claimed, lies in the restrictions imposed upon economic activity when knowledge and ideas are transformed into valuable products and services. The paper sheds new light on how interaction among firms in current clusters coincides with knowledge-intensive pipelines between firms in different regions or clusters. In doing so, it offers a novel way of understanding how inter-firm knowledge relationships are organized spatially and temporally.

Global pipelines: profiling successful SME exporters within the Australian wine industry

Increasingly, entire industry sectors and individual firms are re-orienting their business strategies to align with the demands of rapid globalisation. Sustainable export mechanisms are becoming an integral component of these strategies. Small, medium and large firms are focusing more than ever on marketing goals, branding, distribution channels and production quality in order to address the growing opportunities and challenges of this globalisation. An industry in which firms are responding effectively to these opportunities and challenges is the Australian wine industry. In terms of export growth, intensity, diversity and sustainability, this industry is increasingly seen as a template for others. Using empirical data derived from a survey and in-depth interviews with Australian wine SMEs this article attempts to provide a set of characteristics common to successful exporters. Such characteristics, based on core export indicators and management attributes may help to provide lessons for firms in general and wine firms in particular.

Clusters and knowledge: local buzz, global pipelines and the process of knowledge creation

The paper is concerned with spatial clustering of economic activity and its relation to the spatiality of knowledge creation in interactive learning processes. It questions the view that tacit knowledge transfer is confined to local milieus whereas codified knowledge may roam the globe almost frictionlessly. The paper highlights the conditions under which both tacit and codified knowledge can be exchanged locally and globally. A distinction is made between, on the one hand, the learning processes taking place among actors embedded in a community by just being there dubbed buzz and, on the other, the knowledge attained by investing in building channels of communication called pipelines to selected providers located outside the local milieu. It is argued that the co-existence of high levels of buzz and many pipelines may provide firms located in outward-looking and lively clusters with a string of particular advantages not available to outsiders. Finally, some policy implications, stemming from this argument, are identified.

Innovation Process Management in Global Fashion Business: Modelling Iteration in Innovation Process Activities

Following the previous sequel, we posit innovation activity management as managing process-based interactivity dependencies to achieve organizations’ desired goals for novel competitive advantages in global supply pipelines, either by means of product or process development. In this paper, we propose a computational method to address the specific issue of modelling and managing a dynamic innovation process, and posit inter-organizational process dependency as a fundamental issue within the modelling organization’s cooperation process. Adopting the perspectives of interdependency within an embedded network, we define innovation activities as networked process structure systems, and simulate and evaluate the dynamic performance of embedded process structures through an adaptive heuristic process. To illustrate the use of this method and its potential benefits, we apply it to real life case studies of inter-organization cooperation, concerning an innovative control and coordination system for globally dispersed textile firms. The validity of our methodology is partially justified by the results of several computational experiments. From an industry point of view, this framework aims to benefit those concerned with design and selection of organization cooperation and coordination systems that are characterized by a high degree of complexity and structural dynamics within today's proliferating organizational cooperation contexts.

Knowledge Creation and Diffusion in Geographic Clusters

Knowledge Creation and Diffusion in Geographic Clusters