Research On The Knowledge Network And The Competitive Advantage Of Firms In Industrial Cluster

The firms located in industrial cluster are important ties that linked the local industrial clusterand the global production network. They are as well as the micro-dynamics for the clusters'upgrading and evolution in the context of economic globalization. The existing researches onindustrial cluster almost focus on the cluster's competitive advantages as a whole unit, which hassupposed the firms in clusters are homogeneous and opportunity equipotent that can get extraadvantages compared to the un-clustered firms. Nevertheless, in the perspective of knowledgespillover, the firm's spillover effects in cluster are not the same, which may cause the firm'sdifferentiated performance.This dissertation looks inside the industrial clusters and begins with an analysis of theknowledge network to investigate the knowledge spillover among the clustered firms, which isshowed to be dissymmetry and selective. Based on these findings, the relationships between thecharacters of knowledge network, the learning ability of firms in clusters and the firm'scompetitive advantages according to a qualitative and quantitative description of the knowledgenetwork are discussed in this dissertation. A conceptual framework about the firm's differentcharacters of knowledge network and its competitive advantages was built to explain themechanism. In the empirical study, this conceptual framework was tested by using the classicalstatistic and SEM analysis and a corrected model was drawn. So this mechanism was confirmedby our empirical study, which showed the extent that how the knowledge network characters affecton the firm's competitive advantages in industrial clusters. This mechanism has many implicationsfor the firms in clusters to make a balance between their local and global knowledge network.The conclusions drawn from our theoretical and empirical studies in this dissertition are asthe followings: 1) the knowledge spillovers among clustered firms are charactered withdissymmetry and selective, which are not always happened together with the business transaction;2) this dissertition emphasis the important role played by the knowledge resource, which existedamong the inter-firm relations in clusters. It is pointed out that acquire and absorb the knowledgeresource in knowledge network, as well as continuous knowledge innovation, are key elements forthe clustered firms' competitive advantages; 3) the extent that knowledge network characters affect on the firm's competitive advantages is difference. The centrality, scale and openness of theknowledge network are all positively related with the firm's competitive advantages, especiallythe openness, which is the most effective factor. The frequent interactions and the long termknowledge cooperation between firms are benefit for the firms' advantages, as well as the qualityof ties between firms, which influence is the most, while the stability of the tie is on the contrary;4) the structural and relational characters of the knowledge network influence the firm'scompetitive advantages indirectly and the learning ability of the firm played a mediated rote inthis process; 5) the knowledge network and its openness are more important that the firm in thecluster should keep its knowledge cooperation not only with local firms, but also with the firmsoutside the cluster. In this way, the focal finn in the cluster should be a mediator in the knowledgetransmission process.In the framework of knowledge network, firm's learning ability, and the firm's competitiveadvantage in cluster, this dissertition's innovative contributions can be classified into three points:1) make a qualitative and quantitative description of the knowledge network attributes accordingto its structural and relational dimensions, and investigate the knowledge spillovers in clusters andits characters too; 2) based on the structural and relational characters of the firm's knowledgenetwork, the reasons that cause the difference in firm's competitive advantages are studied, thisdissertation argues that the firm's localization in its knowledge network is an important reason; 3)the characters of knowledge network have different effects on the firm's competitive advantagesare identified, what special is that network openness is used to describe the knowledge networkstructure and confirm its effects on the firm's advantage acquiring qualitatively, which isrevelatory for the firm in industrial clusters.Some limits of this dissertition are discussed in the end of the dissertition and the gap will bemet in the further detailed study.