Research On Inter-enterprise Knowledge Transfer Mechanism In Ecological Industry Cluster

The industrial cluster brings clustered resource consumption and environmental pollution in the pursuit of economic efficiency and regional development.The clustered pollution is characterized by the combination of point source pollution and non-point source pollution,which makes its governance particularly difficult.Therefore,ecological industry cluster(EIC)is the necessary direction of the sustainable development of traditional industry cluster.The essential characteristic of EIC lies in the eco industrial chain formed by the eco industrial symbiosis among cluster enterprises.Since the symbiotic enterprises in the eco industrial chain generally belong to different industries,the links between the symbiotic enterprises in the eco industrial chain require more quantitative,more difficult,more complex interdisciplinary knowledge transfer&integration than traditional industry cluster.In practice,much of the paralysis of symbiosis projects by government leading and failure of local waste exchange networks are caused by the lack of in-depth and effective knowledge transfer.Therefore,considering the ecological effect and the formation of eco industrial symbiosis among cluster enterprises,inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is one of the keys.Because of disparities between EIC and traditional industry cluster,inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is different from those of traditional industry cluster.Consequently,the theories and viewpoints of knowledge transfer in traditional industry cluster cannot guide the knowledge transfer in EIC.That is to say,inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC requires to be analyzed and studied under the specific situation of EIC.In the existing studies,literatures have pointed out that inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC plays a key role in constructing,maintaining and optimizing the eco industrial chain formed by the eco industrial symbiosis among cluster enterprises,but in-depth and systematic research on inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is still less.Moreover,the few literatures on inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC mainly focus on theoretical analysis and case study but short of empirical research combining questionnaires with statistical analysis.Therefore,in-depth and systematic research on inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is urgent and of great theoretical and practical significance.Under the above background,this paper focuses on the discovering of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer mechanism in EIC.Taking the inter-enterprise knowledge transfer mechanism in EIC as the topic,based on investigating EIC,by combing and summarizing the related studies on EIC and knowledge transfer and considering of practical problems,the following contents are studied in this paper.Firstly,characteristics and process of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC are analyzed.Secondly,conceptual model of 13 influence factors and 21 hypotheses is constructed on the basis of the knowledge transfer analysis framework proposed by Albino et al and the analysis of the characteristics and process of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC.By conducting empirical analysis combining questionnaires with statistical analysis,11 influence factors and 19 hypotheses of the conceptual model are confirmed.Thirdly,by applying evolutionary game method,the dynamic evolution process of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is explored and discussed.Finally,based on the above research conclusions,the mechanism to promote inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is designed.The whole research process combines theory and practice,qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis,and uses various methods such as literature analysis,comparative analysis,field research,interview research,questionnaire survey,statistical analysis,evolutionary game theory.The conclusions are as follows.(1)The inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC has many differences from those of traditional industry cluster.For example,the subject of knowledge transfer is cross-industry,stable,central or multi-central.The transferred knowledge has the nature of public goods and strategy,and aims at the ecological effect of the whole cluster,not a particular enterprise.The motivation and willingness of knowledge transfer emphasizes mutual reciprocity rather than simply profiting from another enterprise.Besides,more close knowledge transfer channels are adopted,and so on.(2)The inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is a spiral rise,which is through the continuous transformation of explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge at three levels including personal knowledge level,enterprise-internal knowledge level and eco industrial chain knowledge level.It includes six links:socialization,externalization,combination of enterprise,internalization of enterprise,combination of eco industrial chain and internalization of eco industrial chain.(3)There are 11 main influence factors impacting on inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC:knowledge senders'sending willingness,knowledge senders,knowledge base,knowledge receivers' accepting willingness,knowledge receivers'absorptive capacity,knowledge receivers' hold capacity,implicity of knowledge,inter-enterprise knowledge distance,inter-enterprise relation distance,enterprises'network centrality,ecological atmosphere and ecological incentive-mechanism.Among them,knowledge senders' sending willingness,knowledge senders'knowledge base,knowledge receivers,accepting willingness,knowledge receivers'absorptive capacity,knowledge receivers' hold capacity,inter-enterprise knowledge distance,enterprises' network centrality,ecological atmosphere,and ecological incentive-mechanism positively influence on the effect of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC.Implicity of knowledge,and inter-enterprise relation distance are negative influences.Yet complexity of knowledge and knowledge transfer channel have no significant effect.In addition,knowledge senders' knowledge base and knowledge receivers 'absorptive capacity play a partial mediating role in the effects of enterprises'network centrality on inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC.Knowledge senders' sending willingness,knowledge receivers' accepting willingness and knowledge receivers' hold capacity play a partial mediating role in the effects of ecological atmosphere and ecological incentive-mechanism on inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC.(4)The stable strategies of evolutionary game of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC are as follows.? When the sum of the incomes from sending knowledge,the punishments of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,and the rewards of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere is greater than the costs of sending knowledge,which means the loss of no knowledge-sending is too large,the stable strategy of evolutionary game is that all enterprises adopt the strategy of sending knowledge.?When the costs of sending knowledge is greater than the sum of the incomes from sending knowledge,the punishments of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,and the rewards of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,at the same time,the sum of the costs of sending knowledge and the cost of knowledge synergy is greater than the sum of the incomes from knowledge synergy,the incomes from sending knowledge,the punishments of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,and the rewards of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,which means the strategy of sending knowledge suffers more losses,the stable strategy of evolutionary game is that all enterprises adopt the strategy of no knowledge-sending.? When the costs of sending knowledge is greater than the sum of the incomes from sending knowledge,the punishments of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,and the rewards of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,at the same time,the sum of the costs of sending knowledge and the cost of knowledge synergy is less than the sum of the incomes from knowledge synergy,the incomes from sending knowledge,the punishments of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,and the rewards of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,the stable strategy of evolutionary game might be the strategy of sending knowledge,or the strategy of no knowledge-sending.The final stable strategy depends on the probability that game players adopt the strategy of sending knowledge.By selecting knowledge transfer partner with high centrality,complementarity and fusion,enhancing the incomes from sending knowledge,reducing the costs of sending knowledge and the cost of knowledge synergy,setting up and fostering a reasonable degree of knowledge protection,inter-enterprise relationship level,allocation proportion of incomes from knowledge synergy,the punishments of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,and the rewards of ecological incentive and ecological atmosphere,evolutionary game of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC and the selection of the strategy of sending knowledge can be directed to the beneficial result.(5)Based on the above research conclusions,the mechanism to promote inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is designed.The general framework of knowledge transfer mechanism consists of operating mechanism,service mechanism,supervision mechanism,cultivation mechanism for ecological atmosphere,and ecological incentive mechanism.The specific countermeasures are as follows.The core enterprises of each symbiotic industry should work as the leader of the knowledge transfer and the enterprises around the core enterprises should work as the collaborator of the knowledge transfer.Set up the concept of ecological service and promote the environmental function of government from regulation to providing ecological service.Always adhere to the primary position of the ecological and economic efficiency.Strengthen information construction and promote reciprocal,continuous and symbiotic trusting relationships to improve ecological service ability.Strengthen the formulation and implementation in phases of ecological knowledge and behavior supervision system.Combine internal supervision with external supervision.Construct convergence mechanism of the common ecological goal in EIC.Strengthen the construction of common ecological behavior culture.Encourage diverse organizational culture.Positive ecological incentives and negative ecological incentives are used together.Economic incentives and non-economic incentives are employed simultaneously.Different regions and different industries carry out differential incentives.Strengthen incentives of the guidance and radiation for the core enterprises' ecological knowledge and behavior.Establish a scientific and effective ecological incentive system for leader.Compared with other similar studies at mainland and abroad,this paper extends the inter-enterprise knowledge transfer research to the specific situation of EIC.It enriches not only the theory of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer,but also the theory of the construction and stability of EIC.Moreover,it provides reference and guidance for the planning,research and practice of EIC.The main innovations of this paper are as follows:(1)Influence factors model of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is constructed.And through empirical analysis combining questionnaires with statistical analysis,the influence factors model is confirmed.Thus,some research conclusions about influence factors of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC are obtained.These conclusions are of theoretical and practical significance.(2)Evolutionary game model of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC,which affected by the influence factors,is established.And based on the model,stability of subject strategy evolution and dynamic evolution of subject strategy are analyzed.Thus,the stable strategy of evolutionary game of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is acquired.The mechanism of inter-enterprise knowledge transfer evolution in EIC and preconditions that promote enterprises to select the strategy of sending knowledge are revealed.(3)The mechanism to promote inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC is designed.For the first time,from the view of promoting knowledge transfer,operating mechanism of the inter-enterprise knowledge transfer in EIC,which the core enterprises of each symbiotic industry are as the leader of the knowledge transfer,is put forward.This conclusion is in line with the conclusion proposed from the perspective of ecological critical species theory,which holds that the core industry(enterprise)should be first selected before integrating the eco industrial chain.