lem Öz

Assessing Porter's framework for national advantage: the case of Turkey

Abstract This study applies Porters diamond framework, which tries to identify the sources of international competitive advantage, to Turkey. The major objective is to contribute towards an improvement of this framework, and thus towards a better understanding of the sources of competitive advantage. The study also aims to shed some light on the competitive structure of the Turkish industry. The findings are generally supportive of Porter, meaning that the diamond framework works in a developing country setting. The results suggest, however, some major areas in the framework (especially domestic rivalry and the role of government) where one or more of the Turkish case studies contradict the Porter hypothesis.

Using Boolean- and Fuzzy-Logic-Based Methods to Analyze Multiple Case Study Evidence in Management Research:

The case study method has been widely used as a research strategy in the management field. The issues of comparability and of generalizability when using this method, however, continue to raise profound challenges for researchers. Boolean- and fuzzy-logic-based methods offer a valuable basis for a contribution in this respect because they enable researchers to derive valid meaning from data and to introduce additional analytical rigor into case study research. Inspired by this opportunity, the present article focuses on the possible applications of these methods in the field of management. The article demonstrates that analysis of multiple case-study evidence is drastically improved with the help of Boolean and of fuzzy-set methods. Overall, by bringing these nontraditional methods to the attention of management scholars, the article contributes to the analytical variety of studies conducted in the management discipline.

Path Dependence, Lock-in, and the Emergence of Clusters: The Case of Istanbul’s Film Cluster

Film making, arguably the creative industry with the biggest cultural as well as economic impact, is considered both a craft and an industry, and the available evidence suggests that this form of economic activity tends to be concentrated geographically. Yet, there has been very little work examining the film industries in regions other than Hollywood (Dudrah, 2006). On the other hand, although the literature on clusters has been flourishing with interesting contributions in recent years (Martin and Sunley, 2003), it is rare to find studies in the existing literature that specifically focus on and systematically analyze the genetics of such agglomerations (an example of the exceptions is Sydow et al., 2010).

Scrutinizing the Link between Poverty and Business Strategy: What Can We Learn from the Case of Shuttle Traders in Laleli, Istanbul?

The literature on strategy has long been silent as regards the possible link between poverty and business strategy, and the subject matter has only recently begun to attract attention in this particular line of thinking. The main debate shaping this newly emerging literature (e.g., Rankin 2001; Prahalad 2005) seems to revolve around one basic idea, which advocates that a long-term solution to the problem could be attained if the poor become active participants in business life. Accordingly, the discipline of strategic management should help in this endeavor by working on ways to transform the poor into consumers and/or into producers/entrepreneurs. This argument is, in fact, not new in the broader literature on poverty, and the responses to this stream of thought range from those emphasizing the possibility that there might be instances in which such an approach might or might not work (thus there is a need to conduct ethnographically informed studies), to those severely criticizing the idea on both ideological and substantive grounds (Blowfield 2005; Darrell 2005; Walsh, Kress, and Beyerchen 2005).

‘Problem Spaces’ and Struggles Over the Right to the City: Challenges of Living Differentially in a Gentrifying Istanbul Neighborhood: ‘PROBLEM SPACES’ AND STRUGGLES OVER THE RIGHT TO THE CITY

Focusing on everyday life and the dynamics of contestations between very different groups thrown together in dangerous proximity in a neighborhood of Istanbul called Tophane, this article contributes to debates on urban transformation, political aspects of gentrification and the right to the city, with a focus on how to live differentially. Amidst rising political tensions and polarization in Turkey, competing economic interests, gentrification pressures and/or ultimate clashes over norms and values have fueled these contestations, which have degenerated into violent encounters. Calling for a re‐evaluation of ‘the right to the city’, we argue that, unless the concept of right to the city is complemented by a commitment to live differentially—that is, by a right to difference—mediating and addressing these contestations will be difficult. Whether clashes over the right to the city and everyday encounters can lead to a new politics committed to resisting urban transformation that pushes the boundaries of urban citizenship, or whether these uncomfortable encounters will continue to escalate, with one group claiming hegemony over space until the neighborhood is finally and fully gentrified, remains very uncertain. But it will, ultimately, be the litmus test of the countrys democracy and inclusive citizenship.

Clusters in the Management Literature

This chapter provides a review and discussion of recent debates on clusters in the management literature in order to complete the background on clusters presented in the previous chapter. An additional purpose of the chapter is to highlight the unique contribution made by the management literature in this regard. As Porter’s (1990, 1998) approach directly parallels the central concern of this study due to its focus on the link between clusters and competitiveness, the discussion will pay special attention to this approach and the literature it has spawned, after considering some recent studies in the general management literature that focus on different aspects of the issue.

Introduction: A Background to Clusters

This chapter introduces the concept of geographic clusters by first discussing the origins of cluster thinking and milestone contributions to the field. Selected examples of clusters in developed and developing countries are then provided in the second section. This is followed by a discussion on the definition of clusters, concentrating on their distinguishing characteristics compared with industrial districts and networks. The final section is devoted to the central issue of this study, that is, the link between clustering and competitiveness.

The Leather Clothing Cluster in Istanbul

The processing of leather and production of leather goods are traditional industries in Turkey, and Istanbul has historically been a centre of production and trade in this respect.1 This chapter examines the leather clothing cluster in Istanbul, which has gone through a strategic transformation over the past two decades. Interestingly, the change in the strategic orientation of firms has been accompanied by changes in the location of the industry within Istanbul, with the production and sales functions being concentrated in different locales. Specifically, the tanneries and factories are located in Tuzla, and firms that target the upper end of the market have retail outlets in Zeytinburnu while those which target the lower end of the market utilize the marketing channels in Laleli (Figure 7.1). The analysis of this cluster will therefore provide us with new insights into the evolution of competitive advantage in clusters and enable us to comment on the dynamics associated with the location of different activities in the value chain. Additionally, an analysis of the informal Laleli market will provide us with the opportunity to highlight a relatively understudied topic in the literature on clusters; that is, the fact that transnational linkages are formed not only by multinational enterprises but also by small entrepreneurs (Yukseker, 2003), and that informal transnational activities might also cluster in space.

The Towel and Bathrobe Cluster in Denizli

Textile production starts with the main inputs — natural or man-made fibres, dyes and chemicals — and involves two major operations, namely yarn preparation and fabric weaving. Although there are firms of all sizes operating at the various stages of production, larger firms have become increasingly dominant as the industry has become more and more capital-intensive. More than half of the output of the industry is used by clothing manufacturers. The rest goes to the manufacturers of household goods (for example bedclothes) and industrial goods (for example vehicle seat upholstery). Compared with the textile industry, the clothing industry is more labour-intensive and the technology used is less sophisticated. Distributors have become increasingly important in this sector due to the dominance of retail activities by large firms, a phenomenon that has affected the organization and geography of clothing manufacture (Dicken, 1998) since the Industrial Revolution. First Britain and then other developed countries such as Germany and France moved into the mass production of textiles, often in localized clusters. Later on the industry grew rapidly in developing countries and either stagnated or declined in developed ones. Despite this trend, however, several developed countries (including Italy, France, Germany and Britain) continue to be amongst the leading exporters of textiles and clothing.

The Furniture Cluster in Ankara

In many industrialized countries the furniture sector accounts for about 2–4 per cent of the production value of the manufacturing sector. The EU furniture industry is particularly strong, accounting for about half of the world’s production. Table 4.1 shows the market shares of the top ten exporters of furniture (SITC 821) in 1991–2000. As can be seen, Italy had the highest share with an impressive 17 per cent. Moreover Italy maintained its leading position throughout the period, while the export share of the runner-up, Germany, dropped from 15 per cent to around 9 per cent. The latter figure matched the US share, which remained fairly stable. The share of Canada, on the other hand, increased considerably in the second half of the 1990s and reached a significant 9 per cent. The shares of the two other important furniture producers, France and Denmark, fell slightly, each stabilizing at about 4 per cent. Belgium and Luxemburg also suffered a gradual decline from 4.5 per cent to 3 per cent. A similar market share (3 per cent) was captured by the United Kingdom, whose stake remained relatively stable. Meanwhile China and Poland emerged as new players and gradually increased their shares to 8 per cent and 4 per cent respectively.