IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/fisifr/r12013.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Occurrence of cluster structures in knowledge-intensive services

Author

Listed:
  • Schricke, Esther

Abstract

The aim of this article was to investigate how far clusters in knowledge-intensive service industries have developed and what kind of agglomeration advantages they generate. Therefore the first step was to analyse which knowledge-intensive service industries exhibit spatial concentration. Based on this analysis, the absolute as well as the relative concentrations in these industries was examined at the NUTS 3 level. The results show that cluster structures have developed in some but not all knowledge-intensive industries of the service sector. A high measure of spatial concentration does not necessarily mean that a cluster exists, since especially in less urban region high localisation quotients are frequently ascribed to either one company or only a small number of companies. The knowledge-intensive services with cluster structures differ with regard to external effects, each of which becomes important: a highly qualified labour pool is by definition important for all knowledge-intensive industries of the service sector and fundamental for the existence of cluster structures in each of the examined services. Nevertheless there are however crucial differences regarding the significance of further external effects. Porter-externalities do not appear to stimulate competiveness in any of the examined industries of the service industry. However, none of the available studies explicitly examined the aspect of competition. Thus the interplay of agglomeration advantages needs to be researched further. The type of knowledge and the market environment should also be regarded as important factors (Orsenigo 2006: 201). Contact to local suppliers and customers in industries that are characterized by project work, such as the film and television industry or the media, are particularly important. Supporting clusters and networks is currently fashionable and is practised by different actors. The results show that cluster and network policies have to be focussed on the field of activity. It seems in any case sensible to expand the knowledge and education infrastructure in knowledge-intensive services which do not have cluster structures. The spatial proximity of actors in the innovation process or of suppliers and customers is not always advantageous. Too strong a focus on spatially concentrated exchange processes, leading to an isolation from global trends, can prove to have negative effects in the long term. In this respect the great importance of a qualified labour pool provides a starting point for policy measures that could also be useful for other fields of activity. This includes the development and financing of (partially specialised) educational institutions or measures. The appeal of the surroundings is also important to tie highly qualified staff to a region, as the discussion on a creative class (Florida 2002; 2005) also shows. While factors such as urbanity can hardly be influenced politically, there are certain initiatives regions can adopt to compensate for the lack of attractiveness. In regions where companies find it difficult to attract qualified staff from other regions higher education institutions are important sources of qualified staff. Therefore increasing the attractiveness of higher education institutions and of relevant study programmes are a first starting point. Likewise, the example of ITsax shows how companies can cooperate successfully in the area of recruitment. Furthermore, the provision of childcare facilities or international schools is important for the creation of attractive conditions particularly for women and / or international employees.

Suggested Citation

  • Schricke, Esther, 2013. "Occurrence of cluster structures in knowledge-intensive services," Working Papers "Firms and Region" R1/2013, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:fisifr:r12013
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/69235/1/734953038.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    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. Erik Stam, 2009. "Cluster Creation," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(2), pages 319-323.
    3. Sternberg Rolf, 2001. "New Economic Geography und Neue regionale Wachstumstheorie aus wirtschaftsgeographischer Sicht," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 45(1), pages 159-180, October.
    4. Richard Shearmur & David Doloreux, 2009. "Place, Space and Distance: Towards a Geography of Knowledge-Intensive Business Services Innovation," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(1), pages 79-102.
    5. Peter Wood, 2005. "A service-informed approach to regional innovation -- or adaptation?," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 429-445, June.
    6. Gottschalk, Sandra & Janz, Norbert & Peters, Bettina & Rammer, Christian & Schmidt, Tobias, 2002. "Innovationsverhalten der deutschen Wirtschaft: Hintergrundbericht zur Innovationserhebung 2001," ZEW Dokumentationen 02-03, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    7. Rammer, Christian & Aschhoff, Birgit & Doherr, Thorsten & Köhler, Christian & Peters, Bettina & Schubert, Torben & Schwiebacher, Franz, 2010. "Innovationsverhalten der deutschen Wirtschaft: Indikatorenbericht zur Innovationserhebung 2009," The Annual German Innovation Survey, Key Figures Reports 111707, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    8. Simone Strambach, 2010. "Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS)," Chapters, in: Philip Cooke & Carla De Laurentis & Stewart MacNeill & Chris Collinge (ed.), Platforms of Innovation, chapter 7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Daria Ciriaci & Daniela Palma, 2012. "To what extent are knowledge-intensive business services contributing to manufacturing? A subsystem analysis," JRC Research Reports JRC71097, Joint Research Centre (Seville site), revised Aug 2012.
    2. Katharina Kaps & Silko Pfeil & Thomas Sauer & Matthias-Wolfgang Stoetzer, 2011. "Strategic orientation of SME innovation activity in the Jena area," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 64(09), pages 40-48, May.
    3. Feser, Daniel & Proeger, Till, 2015. "Knowledge-intensive business services as credence goods: A demand-side approach," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 232, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    4. Maaß, Frank & Führmann, Bettina, 2012. "Innovationstätigkeit im Mittelstand: Messung und Bewertung," IfM-Materialien 212, Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn.
    5. 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, December.
    6. Eberhard Einem, 2011. "Wissensabsorption in Städten und Regionen," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 31(2), pages 131-153, October.
    7. Niebel, Thomas, 2010. "Der Dienstleistungssektor in Deutschland: Abgrenzung und empirische Evidenz," ZEW Dokumentationen 10-01, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    8. Marta Gancarczyk, 2010. "Model schyłku i odrodzenia klastrów," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 3, pages 1-21.
    9. Shuai Shi & Kathy Pain, 2020. "Investigating China’s Mid-Yangtze River economic growth region using a spatial network growth model," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(14), pages 2973-2993, November.
    10. Pauly, Stefan & Stipanicic, Fernando, 2021. "The creation and diffusion of knowledge: Evidence from the Jet Age," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Docweb) 2112, CEPREMAP.
    11. Carlos Carreira & Luís Lopes, 2016. "Collecting new pieces to the regional knowledge spillovers puzzle: high-tech versus low-tech industries," GEMF Working Papers 2016-06, GEMF, Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra.
    12. Tom Broekel & Matthias Brachert & Matthias Duschl & Thomas Brenner, 2015. "Joint R and D subsidies, related variety, and regional innovation," Working Papers on Innovation and Space 2015-01, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    13. Degl’Innocenti, Marta & Matousek, Roman & Sevic, Zeljko & Tzeremes, Nickolaos G., 2017. "Bank efficiency and financial centres: Does geographical location matter?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 188-198.
    14. P. Charnoz & C. Lelarge & C. Trevien, 2016. "Communication Costs and the Internal Organization of Multi-Plant Businesses: Evidence from the Impact of the French High-Speed Rail," Documents de Travail de l'Insee - INSEE Working Papers g2016-02, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques.
    15. Andrea Coveri & Antonello Zanfei, 2023. "Who wins the race for knowledge-based competitiveness? Comparing European and North American FDI patterns," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 292-330, February.
    16. Riccardo Cappellin & Silvio M. Brondoni, 2011. "Ouverture de 'Global Cities and Knowledge Management - 1'," Symphonya. Emerging Issues in Management, University of Milano-Bicocca, issue 1 Global .
    17. Anthony Goerzen & Christian Geisler Asmussen & Bo Bernhard Nielsen, 2024. "Global cities, the liability of foreignness, and theory on place and space in international business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(1), pages 10-27, February.
    18. Giuseppe Espa & Giuseppe Arbia & Diego Giuliani, 2013. "Conditional versus unconditional industrial agglomeration: disentangling spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity in the analysis of ICT firms’ distribution in Milan," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 31-50, January.
    19. Piotr Nowaczyk, 2018. "The Concept Of Development Of West Pomerania'S Coastal Areas Based On The Polarizaton-Diffusion Model," Business Logistics in Modern Management, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Economics, Croatia, vol. 18, pages 419-435.
    20. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Riccardo Crescenzi, 2008. "Mountains in a flat world: why proximity still matters for the location of economic activity," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 1(3), pages 371-388.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:zbw:fisifr:r12013. 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: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/isfhgde.html .

    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.