The Facilitation and Formalisation of Small Business Networks: Evidence from the North East of England

Abstract

Business cooperation and networking have been posited as crucial elements within successful approaches to local economic development. With the aid of a case study from the North East of England, the authors explore issues surrounding network formation and facilitation. They raise questions concerning the nature of local business communities and the potential of local business networks to represent these communities legitimately and to reflect patterns of social and economic differentiation. They also demonstrate how attempts to promote or utilise local cooperation must include awareness of the implications of policy intervention. This is of particular importance in a political context where there are efforts to promote ‘local’ initiatives below the existing level of local authorities.

Matching demand and supply in the agricultural knowledge infrastructure: Experiences with innovation intermediaries

“…In the case of public funding, this is usually done within a certain thematic policy framework. If such a framework does not correspond with agricultural entrepreneurs' interests and becomes prescriptive, this can be detrimental to the innovation intermediaries neutrality and impartiality (see also Klerkx et al, 2006;Laschewski et al, 2002). Despite this risk, public funding, as opposed to private funding or a for-profit model, seems to be the most suitable way of funding innovation intermediaries that fulfil the demand articulation and the network brokerage role.…”

“…Financiers or shareholders of innovation intermediaries may want to realize different objectives through the organization (Huggins, 2000;Hanna and Walsh, 2002). This can negatively influence the organization's credibility with both entrepreneurs and the providers of R&D and KIBS with regard to having an impartial position in its brokerage role (Bessant and Rush, 1995;Laschewski et al, 2002). The credibility of innovation intermediaries' organizations forms part of six design requirements that Kolodny et al (2001) have formulated.…”

Tourism entrepreneurs in Northumberland

“…As Laschewski, Phillipson and Gorton (2002) noted, entrepreneurs moving into a rural area are often the most active in organised business networks because of an initial lack of contacts and support within their new locality. Building on the theory of embeddedness, the idea that it can be a purposive action is quite removed from Granovetter's (1985) notion of a constant interrelationship between social and economic behaviour.…”

Strengthening agricultural innovation capacity: are innovation brokers the answer?

“…On the one hand, this is complicated because stakeholders (e.g., financiers or participants) may exercise pressure to compose and manage networks in a way that fits their objectives (Isaksen & Remøe, 2001); this may result in the innovation broker being seen as a representative of a single organization. On the other hand, maintaining a neutral position is inherently difficult because brokers always exercise a certain degree of steering (Laschewski, Phillipson, & Gorton, 2002). However, as innovation is about breaking out of current practices, sometimes innovation brokers actively need to help "destroy" existing systems to be able to bring about new networks and new ways of thinking (Smits & Kuhlmann, 2004).…”