Industrial Clusters and Social Networking for enhancing inter-firm cooperation: The case of natural resources-based industries in Chile

Abstract

This paper deals with the roles of geographic proximity, social networking, and regional culture-structures in triggering cooperation in marketing activities. The role of regional clusters in the growth of firms has been a key research theme. Our study compares marketing externalities and practices in clusters of three key natural resourcesbased industries in Chile, a region in Latin America where limited research has been conducted. According to the results, both social networking and geographic proximity facilitate inter-firm cooperation in marketing activities. However, these factors are considered differently in each of the three industries studied.

Successes and Challenges in Industrial Clusters: Some Empirical Evidence from Wood Industrial Cluster in Kumasi, Ghana

“…This is affirmed in this study by the found significant interconnections among the various actors in the SWIC and which resulted in significant (p<0.001) increases in sales and profit margins. This appears affirmative of the realization of economy of scale in furniture and other wood products manufacturing through clustering and which is consistent with the findings of [34]. These authors found that social networking and geographic proximity of firms facilitate inter-firm cooperation in marketing activities and subsequently lead to high sales and profit levels.…”

“…These authors found that social networking and geographic proximity of firms facilitate inter-firm cooperation in marketing activities and subsequently lead to high sales and profit levels. The results of this study also appear to confirm the finding that geographical co-location is crucial for inter-firm relationships and development of the forestry sector industries [34]. Our findings also corroborate the assertion that such firm linkages enable the firms to learn about new technologies, new markets, and changing consumer tastes, while governments and local institutions learn about industry needs, all of which enhance growth and development of the industries and national economies [35].…”

Antecedents and postcedents of satisfaction in business relationships in Canada

“…For example, Huemer et al (2009) recently suggested that trust may substitute for or complement control and vice versa under certain conditions. In addition, other constructs that may be added include cooperation because it has been shown to have a significant association with the quality of relationships (Mohr and Spekman, 1994;Morgan and Hunt, 1994;Payan and Svensson, 2007) based the type of industry (Felzensztein and Gimmon, 2008) or based on the culture/subculture (Felzensztein and Gimmon, 2007).…”

Entrepreneurship at the Periphery: Exploring Framework Conditions in Core and Peripheral Locations

“…Their entrepreneurial activities were dominantly related to industries based on natural resources, such as mining and agribusiness in northern Chile or fishing, dairy, and forestry in the south. These sectors are the most important in the Chilean economy, generating a high percentage of employment outside the metropolitan areas and exporting at high levels of international competitiveness (Felzensztein & Gimmon, 2008, 2009Felzensztein, Gimmon, & Carter, 2010). Academics and public policy officials working in the university and service sector contributed as key expert respondents, to validate the findings.…”