Geographical proximity between firms is believed to favour cooperation, mutual learning, knowledge creation as well as innovation. From Marshall onwards, study after study has demonstrated that both cooperation and successful innovations arise from geographically proximate clusters. Geographers have therefore argued that ‘space matters’. However, all too often, a direct line was drawn from geographical proximity to the assumption of cooperation, or from the existence of cooperation to the assumption of innovation without specifying the links between space and innovation. We seek to add to this debate by exploring a geographically proximate cluster which does not cooperate. The cluster is the contract cleaning industry in Dublin which not only fails to innovate but acts in ways that are damaging to their individual and collective interests. Following Boschma (2005) we look at five dimensions of proximity: cognitive, organisational, social, institutional and geographical, to understand why a geographical cluster ‘does not cluster’.
Lack of coordination among contract cleaning companies: Too close for comfort
VECCHI A;
2006
Abstract
Geographical proximity between firms is believed to favour cooperation, mutual learning, knowledge creation as well as innovation. From Marshall onwards, study after study has demonstrated that both cooperation and successful innovations arise from geographically proximate clusters. Geographers have therefore argued that ‘space matters’. However, all too often, a direct line was drawn from geographical proximity to the assumption of cooperation, or from the existence of cooperation to the assumption of innovation without specifying the links between space and innovation. We seek to add to this debate by exploring a geographically proximate cluster which does not cooperate. The cluster is the contract cleaning industry in Dublin which not only fails to innovate but acts in ways that are damaging to their individual and collective interests. Following Boschma (2005) we look at five dimensions of proximity: cognitive, organisational, social, institutional and geographical, to understand why a geographical cluster ‘does not cluster’.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
