IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/growch/v45y2014i3p430-449.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Significance of Distance in Innovation Biographies—The Case of Law Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Axel Stein

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to illustrate the trajectories of innovation biographies in the service economy utilising the geographic heuristics of physical and relational distances. Drawing on the theoretical literature on the significance of proximity and distance to economic activities, the paper examines three case studies in the law sector. The analysis focuses on the role of the term “innovation” within law businesses and on the interplay of proximities and distances in the case studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Axel Stein, 2014. "The Significance of Distance in Innovation Biographies—The Case of Law Firms," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(3), pages 430-449, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:growch:v:45:y:2014:i:3:p:430-449
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/grow.12053
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Storper & Anthony J. Venables, 2004. "Buzz: face-to-face contact and the urban economy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(4), pages 351-370, August.
    2. Andre Torre, 2008. "On the Role Played by Temporary Geographical Proximity in Knowledge Transmission," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(6), pages 869-889.
    3. Jonathan V. Beaverstock, 2004. "'Managing across borders': knowledge management and expatriation in professional service legal firms," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(2), pages 157-179, April.
    4. Nooteboom, Bart, 1999. "Innovation, Learning and Industrial Organisation," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 23(2), pages 127-150, March.
    5. Faïz Gallouj & Faridah Djellal, 2010. "The Handbook of Innovation and Services: A Multi-disciplinary Perspective," Post-Print hal-01111763, HAL.
    6. Faïz Gallouj & Faridah Djellal (ed.), 2010. "The Handbook of Innovation and Services," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12872.
    7. Oliver Ibert, 2010. "Relational Distance: Sociocultural and Time–Spatial Tensions in Innovation Practices," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(1), pages 187-204, January.
    8. Anders Malmberg & Peter Maskell, 2002. "The Elusive Concept of Localization Economies: Towards a Knowledge-Based Theory of Spatial Clustering," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 34(3), pages 429-449, March.
    9. Max-Peter Menzel, 2008. "Dynamic Proximities – Changing Relations by Creating and Bridging Distances," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 0816, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Oct 2008.
    10. Manuel Castells, 2010. "Globalisation, Networking, Urbanisation: Reflections on the Spatial Dynamics of the Information Age," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(13), pages 2737-2745, November.
    11. Marja Toivonen & Tiina Tuominen, 2009. "Emergence of innovations in services," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(7), pages 887-902, July.
    12. Surya Mahdi, 2003. "Search strategy in product innovation process: theory and evidence from the evolution of agrochemical lead discovery process," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 12(2), pages 235-270, April.
    13. Ron Boschma, 2005. "Proximity and Innovation: A Critical Assessment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 61-74.
    14. David Doloreux & Richard Shearmur, 2012. "Collaboration, information and the geography of innovation in knowledge intensive business services," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 12(1), pages 79-105, January.
    15. Jon Sundbo, 1997. "Management of Innovation in Services," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 432-455, July.
    16. Bruce S. Tether & Qian Cher Li & Andrea Mina, 2012. "Knowledge-bases, places, spatial configurations and the performance of knowledge-intensive professional service firms," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 12(5), pages 969-1001, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Grete Rusten & Ragnhild Overå, 2014. "Local and Global Geographies of Innovation: Structures, Processes, and Geographical Contexts from a Firm Perspective," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(3), pages 403-411, September.
    2. Ibert, Oliver & Müller, Felix C., 2015. "Network dynamics in constellations of cultural differences: Relational distance in innovation processes in legal services and biotechnology," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 181-194.
    3. Müller, Felix C. & Brinks, Verena & Ibert, Oliver & Schmidt, Suntje, 2015. "Open Region: Leitbild für eine regionale Innovationspolitik der Schaffung und Nutzung von Gelegenheiten," IRS Working Papers 53, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS).
    4. Alamoudi, Hawazen & Shaikh, Aijaz A. & Alharthi, Majed & Dash, Ganesh, 2023. "With great power comes great responsibilities – Examining platform-based mechanisms and institutional trust in rideshare services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2016. "Wissensintensive Unternehmensdienste, Wissens-Spillovers und regionales Wachstum. Teilprojekt 3: Zur Standortstruktur von wissensintensiven Unternehmensdiensten – Fakten, Bestimmungsgründe, regionalpo," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 59427, April.
    2. K. J. Wang & J. Widagdo & Y. S. Lin & H. L. Yang & S. L. Hsiao, 2016. "A service innovation framework for start-up firms by integrating service experience engineering approach and capability maturity model," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 10(4), pages 867-916, December.
    3. Martin M�ller & Allison Stewart, 2016. "Does Temporary Geographical Proximity Predict Learning? Knowledge Dynamics in the Olympic Games," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(3), pages 377-390, March.
    4. Charlie Karlsson & Börje Johansson & Kiyoshi Kobayashi & Roger R. Stough, 2014. "Knowledge, innovation and space: introduction," Chapters, in: Charlie Karlsson & Börje Johansson & Kiyoshi Kobayashi & Roger R. Stough (ed.), Knowledge, Innovation and Space, chapter 1, pages 1-26, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Max-Peter Menzel, 2008. "Dynamic Proximities – Changing Relations by Creating and Bridging Distances," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 0816, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Oct 2008.
    6. Monica Coffano & Dominique Foray & Michele Pezzoni, 2017. "Does inventor centrality foster regional innovation? The case of the Swiss medical devices sector," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(8), pages 1206-1218, August.
    7. Pierre-Alexandre Balland & Ron Boschma & Koen Frenken, 2015. "Proximity and Innovation: From Statics to Dynamics," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(6), pages 907-920, June.
    8. Karlsson, Charlie & Johansson, Börje & Kobayashi, Kiyoshi & Stough, Roger R., 2014. "Knowledge, innovation and space," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 367, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    9. Nuttaneeya (Ann) Torugsa & Anthony Arundel & Paul L. Robertson, 2018. "Applying Configurational Thinking To Identify Recipes For Producing Service Innovations In The Service Sector," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(06), pages 1-23, August.
    10. Bettina Peters & Rebecca Riley & Iulia Siedschlag & Priit Vahter & John McQuinn, 2014. "Innovation and Productivity in Services: Evidence from Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom," JRC Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation 2014-04, Joint Research Centre.
    11. Marte C.W. Solheim & Ron Boschma & Sverre Herstad, 2018. "Related variety, unrelated variety and the novelty content of firm innovation in urban and non-urban locations," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1836, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Oct 2018.
    12. Frank Crowley & Jane Bourke, 2017. "The Influence Of Human Resource Management Systems On Innovation: Evidence From Irish Manufacturing And Service Firms," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(01), pages 1-28, January.
    13. Rosina Moreno & Ernest Miguélez, 2012. "A Relational Approach To The Geography Of Innovation: A Typology Of Regions," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 492-516, July.
    14. Davids, Mila & Frenken, Koen, 2015. "Proximity, knowledge base and the innovation process The case of Unilever’s Becel diet margarine," Papers in Innovation Studies 2015/7, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    15. Jakob Eder & Michaela Trippl, 2019. "Innovation in the periphery: compensation and exploitation strategies," PEGIS geo-disc-2019_07, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    16. Bettina Peters & Rebecca Riley & Iulia Siedschlag & Priit Vahter & John McQuinn, 2018. "Internationalisation, innovation and productivity in services: evidence from Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 154(3), pages 585-615, August.
    17. Michaela Trippl & Franz Tödtling & Lukas Lengauer, 2009. "Knowledge Sourcing Beyond Buzz and Pipelines: Evidence from the Vienna Software Sector," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 85(4), pages 443-462, October.
    18. Rune Dahl Fitjar & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2017. "Nothing is in the Air," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 22-39, March.
    19. Ibert, Oliver & Müller, Felix C., 2015. "Network dynamics in constellations of cultural differences: Relational distance in innovation processes in legal services and biotechnology," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 181-194.
    20. Tor Helge Aas & Nina Jentoft & Mikaela Vasstrøm, 2016. "Managing innovation of care services: An exploration of Norwegian municipalities," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1215762-121, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:growch:v:45:y:2014:i:3:p:430-449. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0017-4815 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.