Florian Noseleit

The Role of Entry and Market Selection for the Dynamics of Regional Diversity and Specialization

Noseleit F. The role of entry and market selection for the dynamics of regional diversity and specialization, Regional Studies. Despite predictions that economic integration leads to increasing specialization, the opposite development has been observed at the regional level. Based on nearly three decades of West German data, this paper addresses the diversification of regional economic activity and emphasizes the role of industry dynamics, specifically newly entering business cohorts. Although a strong sectoral specialization evolves in the entry cohorts within and between regions over time, entries substantially increase the overall diversity of regions. Market selection favoured less similar entries in comparison with the initial industry structure and, thus, allowed regional diversity to increase. Overall, the regional specialization processes within each entry cohort did not become less important; however, the fields of regional specialization changed continuously over time, resulting in more diversity.

The direct and indirect effects of new businesses on regional employment: an empirical analysis

We analyse the different types of effects that new businesses may have on regional employment. One of these effects is the direct contribution of employment in the new businesses to overall employment. We also estimate the indirect effect of new business formation on incumbent employment. We find pronounced differences between regions with regard to the two effects. Effects of new business formation on incumbent employment are considerably larger than the direct contribution of new businesses to employment.

Changes and variations in online and offline communication patterns: Including peer effects

The impact of online communication on offline communication has received considerable research attention. Yet predominantly single level studies yield conflicting research findings and lack theoretical foundation. This study deviates from previous studies by developing a peer effect model rooted in Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) in which the individual is embedded in social and technological structures. Offline communication is dependent on own online communication as well as the opportunities to connect with peers online. We argue that own online communication is only supplemental to offline communication if substitution is hampered by infrequent online communication of peers within the local environment as “it takes two to tango”. Furthermore, frequent online communication of peers within the local environment results in a reduction in offline communication among users and non-users, resulting in non-users’ social exclusion both online and offline. Our model predicts that substitution and exclusion effects become stronger as the internet is used for more divers forms of interactive communication. Results from our analysis using a multi-country dataset covering the years 2002 to 2012 provide empirical support for our model. We contribute to online communication literature with an AST perspective including on peer effects and technological change. Research and policy implications are discussed.

Multistep Knowledge Transfer in Multinational Corporation Networks: When Do Subsidiaries Benefit From Unconnected Sister Alliances?

In this paper, we explore under which conditions subsidiaries of multinational corporations can benefit from the external networks of sister subsidiaries in terms of new knowledge generation. We focus on the phenomenon of unconnected sister alliances—that is, alliances of sister subsidiaries with whom the focal subsidiary lacks a recent history of internal R&D collaboration. Whereas unconnected sister alliances provide knowledge recombination opportunities for the focal subsidiary, realizing them is challenging because of particular knowledge transfer frictions. In this paper, we theorize on how particular conditions (i.e., headquarters proximity, knowledge overlap, size of focal subsidiary’s own alliance network) influence the strength of these frictions, resulting in hypotheses on how these conditions moderate the relationship between the number of unconnected sister alliances and the generation of new knowledge by focal subsidiaries. We rely on a panel data set of 2,258 R&D subsidiaries belonging to 118 firms in the pharmaceutical industry to empirically test our hypotheses. Jointly, our findings enrich our current theoretical understanding of how different types of external linkages and their interactions shape subsidiaries’ generation of new knowledge. We also illuminate the opportunities and challenges that multistep knowledge transfer processes entail.

Deploying strategic resources: comparing members of farmer cooperatives to non-members in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Primary producers in global value chains, like any other firm, aim for entrepreneurial success through deploying strategic resources, collective action, strategic intent, and a supportive institutional environment. In the current article, we analyze the extent to which members of farmer cooperatives in Ethiopia succeed in deploying strategic resources. We find that non-members utilize resources more efficiently and that the potential for collective action is not realized. The potential for collective action remains unrealized due to the institutional environment. We suggest pathways for further research.

Transitional governance trajectories: Organization, place and space

Abstract Alliances often turn into acquisitions (i.e., one alliance partner is acquired by the other). In these transitional governance trajectories, geography-related factors can play a crucial role. Factors like location and distance can notably influence the decision to acquire the alliance partner, as well as the performance implications of such a transition. However, existing studies on transitional governance tend to underemphasize the geographic dimension of the phenomenon. In this chapter, we take a first step toward connecting the field of transitional governance and the discipline of economic geography, which does emphasize location and distance as critical determinants of economic activities. We discuss how economic geography can inform the field of transitional governance and propose some promising avenues for future studies linking organization, place, and space in transitional governance trajectories.