José Antonio Belso-Martínez

Why are some Spanish manufacturing firms internationalizing rapidly? The role of business and institutional international networks

The aim of this paper is to examine the profile of international manufacturing firms located in Spain. After reviewing previous research on the internationalization of small and medium companies, we will look at whether the relevance of certain characteristics and key internationalization factors differ between firms following the traditional gradual internationalization process and firms internationalizing rapidly. Basically, economic literature points out that clients’, suppliers’, competitors’ and institutions’ networks and differentiation advantages such as marketing or technology play an essential role in the acceleration of the internationalization process. Our empirical analysis for the Valencian Community (a southern Spanish region) shows that some small and medium-sized companies exhibit an accelerated internationalization process. Research findings evidence that firms which admitted an accelerated internationalization process present greater integration in client networks and greater international orientation of sector and company. Our investigation does not find greater differentiation for rapidly internationalized Spanish manufacturing firms. Neither does it recognize suppliers’, competitors’ and institutions’ networks as key factors for developing a rapid internationalization process. Policy-makers and public agencies can benefit from these results: manufacturing sectors appear as targets for programmes focused on rapid internationalization promotion, networking and knowledge-based activities should be constantly encouraged in order to accelerate the internationalization process, entrepreneurs’ and managers’ international orientation and capabilities should also be promoted if more rapid internationalization process is desirable.

The Dynamics of Technical and Business Knowledge Networks in Industrial Clusters: Embeddedness, Status, or Proximity?

Abstract Although informal knowledge networks have often been regarded as a key ingredient behind the success of industrial clusters, the forces that shape their structure and dynamics remain largely unknown. Drawing on recent network dynamic models, we analyze the evolution of business and technical knowledge networks within a toy cluster in Spain. Empirical results suggest that the dynamics of the two networks differ to a large extent. We find that status drives the formation of business knowledge networks, proximity is more crucial for technical knowledge networks, while embeddedness plays an equally important role in the dynamics of both networks.

Industrial clusters in Mexico and Spain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the structure of knowledge networks and the geographical patterns of knowledge networking in mature industrial clusters. To such end, it is assumed that proximity is not really what matters in innovation, but rather the embeddedness of firms into localised networks, enhancing collective learning and knowledge diffusion.Design/methodology/approach – The research is contextualized in the footwear industry and applies the microeconomics of innovation (grounded in the resource based view and social capital approach) and industrial clusters/districts as theoretical frameworks. Methodologically, the paper adopts an exploratory perspective and employs a qualitative approach to conduct a cross‐case analysis of the Leon‐Guanajuato cluster (Mexico) and the Vinalopo cluster (Spain).Findings – Firstly, this paper endorses recent research trends suggesting that knowledge is unevenly and selectively distributed among clustered firms. Secondly, it evidences how internal ...

Outsourcing Decisions, Product Innovation and the Spatial Dimension: Evidence from the Spanish Footwear Industry

Recent studies in developed countries frequently emphasise the importance of outsourcing as a strategy for manufacturing industries to survive. However, there is little qualitative evidence that specifically describes outsourcers in mature industries with competitive problems, particularly in southern Europe. This paper attempts to fill this gap by investigating the distinctive traits of firms located in the most important Spanish footwear industrial districts. From a sample of 401 Spanish firms surveyed in January and February 2006, it was found that size, design and product innovation, prior institutional networks and location in specific industrial districts favour the development of outsourcing strategies. By contrast, clients’ prior networks are negatively related with contracting-out productive activities. These results are relevant in several dimensions. However, the positive impact of some districts in the externalisation decision should be specifically mentioned. Such evidence seems to: confirm the consistency of the competition—co-operation dynamics in some geographical areas and the decline of others; and point out the existence of divergences in the outsourcing strategies at district level due to product and market characteristics.

Synergistic effects and the co-existence of networks in clusters

Abstract Network systems like clusters are characterized by the coexistence of relational architectures with ties and nodes of different nature. While recent research has analysed how a set of structural features shape the dynamics and effects of one cluster network, the outstanding question is to what extent such features and outcomes are influenced by the concomitance of distinct content-related linkages. This paper integrates both network and evolutionary economic geography perspectives to develop and test a model that links innovation performance with the benefits that stem from technical and business relations. Data collected in a biotech cluster in the Valencia region (Spain) demonstrate the changing effect of brokerage and overlapping ties on innovation as a function of knowledge shared. Findings extend the theoretical understanding of how knowledge diffuses in clusters and provide valuable insights for both practitioners and policy makers.

The brokerage role of supporting organizations inside clusters: how does it work?

ABSTRACT The objective of this research is to examine in depth the brokerage roles that supporting institutions play in conducting local business and applying technical knowledge inside clusters. We identify three main roles: a coordination role, characterized by the efforts that organizations play in internally coordinating themselves and establishing a shared institutional framework; an interconnector role, where organizations foster communication along the value chain of the industry; and a gatekeeper role that allows organizations to connect cluster members with external networks. Results obtained in the Toy Valley cluster provide evidence that each kind of supporting organization tends to specialize in specific roles, since universities are best for a coordination role with regard to technical knowledge while private organizations are key for vertical communication and coordination. Similar results were obtained when analysing the extra-cluster contacts that these organizations develop as gatekeepers, as they tend to establish specific communication conduits with similar alters in external networks.

Firm’s strategic choices and network knowledge dynamics: how do they affect innovation?

Purpose This paper aims to explain how the evolution of knowledge networks and firms’ strategic choices affect innovation. Endogenous factors associated with a path-dependent evolution of the knowledge network are jointly considered with a firm’s development of international relationships and increasing internal absorptive capacity over time. Design/methodology/approach In a biotech cluster, the authors gathered data on the firms’ characteristics and network relationships by asking about the technological knowledge they received in the cluster in 2007 and 2012 – “roster-recall” method. Estimation results were obtained using moderated regression analysis. Findings Firms that increase their involvement in knowledge networks over time also tend to increase their innovative capacity. However, efforts devoted to building international links or absorptive capacity negatively moderate the impact of network growth on innovation. Practical implications Practitioners have two alternative ways of increasing innovation inside knowledge networks: they can increase their centrality by developing their knowledge network interactions or invest in developing their internal absorptive capacity and new international sources of knowledge. Investing in both of these simultaneously does not seem to improve a firm’s innovative capacity. Originality/value Coupling firms’ strategic options with knowledge network dynamics provide a more complete way of explaining how firms can improve their innovative capacity.

New Roles for Supporting Organizations in Clusters: Enhancing Connectedness in Knowledge Networks

In today’s context of economic crisis, certain structures such as industrial clusters have been forced to change in order to remain competitive. For years, local supporting organizations have been focused on strengthening cluster networks, providing specialized services, and fostering innovation practices. Nowadays, thanks to their increasing connectivity, supporting organizations have become hybridizers and catalyzers of knowledge that spreads among local firms after an intense process of refinement. Acting as mediators between local firms and gatekeepers of extra-cluster knowledge, they smooth firms’ access to fresh knowledge and nourish the innovativeness of the system. Using data collected in the Toy Valley cluster during 2014, this chapter looks at the mechanisms allowing supporting organizations to successfully diffuse knowledge and pays attention to these two in-between positions. In line with previous research, findings corroborate the particular relevance of facilitators of knowledge. However, important differences emerge when considering the profile of the local organization and the type of knowledge shared.

Building resilient clusters through HRM systems: a multiple mediator model

Purpose There is a growing research interest in the relationships between networks and the firm’s assets and between networks and innovation. Studies have shown the complexity and idiosyncrasies of these relationships for firms in clusters. The way firms in clusters build certain organizational resources and capabilities, however, remains underexplored. Based on the assumption that most of these organizational assets rely on human resources, the purpose of this paper is to shed light on the mechanisms through which a set of managerial practices (the human resource management (HRM) system) enhances innovation. Design/methodology/approach Micro-level data were collected for 139 firms located in three Spanish industrial clusters. Next, the main constructs were developed. A multiple mediator model was then used to examine how HRM systems influence innovation through strategic vision, embeddedness in local networks, the implementation of enterprise systems, and cluster characteristics. Findings The effect of HRM systems on innovation performance was indirect rather than direct. All four mediating variables included in the model were found to be relevant mechanisms through which HRM systems affect innovation performance. The statistical significance of these variables, however, varied depending on the type of innovation (product, process, organizational, or marketing). Practical implications Greater attention should be paid to the structure and sophistication of HRM systems. Top-level managers should be aware of the linkages between HRM systems and mediators. Greater human resource orientation in strategic planning, enterprise system design, and networking practices reinforces the association between HRM systems and innovation. Originality/value This study advances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between HRM systems and innovation. From an academic perspective, this study enriches the cluster literature by better integrating human resources with innovation processes. Furthermore, this study creates research opportunities by disentangling the role of different managerial practices and refining the operationalization of the mediating variables. The findings can also help managers develop human resources and innovation strategies.