Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Barriers to Electronic Clustering

  • Chapter
Electronic Markets

  • 236 Accesses

Abstract

Within industrialized countries one of the main producers of wealth and prosperity has been ‘well coordinated and sustainable systems, capable of converting technological innovation assets into substantial levels of local industrial productivity and global competitiveness’, (Scheel, 2002, p. 356). One of the ways of achieving this has been through the establishment of regional clusters. At the time of this research, there was a belief within government circles in Western Australia that collaboration using information communication technology (ICT) would assist regional economic growth. Initial research in a multi-industry regional cluster showed a low level of ICT sophistication, therefore, the research focused on the relationships between the firms in the cluster and the use of collaborative e-commerce. The study was undertaken in a cluster located south of the city of Perth. The cluster had a number of unique elements including the dominance of high-priced and low-volume industrial manufacturing, a number of large multinational firms and the pre-eminence of large defense contractors. The drive behind the government-funded research was to find ways to facilitate greater collaboration using ICT between the firms in the regional cluster. It was perceived that there was a significant gap between the large firms and the lower tiers of middle-sized and small firms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Australian Business Foundation (ABF). (2005). National innovation systems: Finland, Sweden & Australia compared. Learnings for Australia,http://www.abfoundation.com.au/pdf/NISRoosShortPaper22Nov05.pdf. (accessed 15 March 2006).

  • Australian Research Council. (2004). Collaborative SME commerce in regional knowledge ketworks Australian Research Council grant application, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blandy, R. (2004). Industry clusters program: a review.http://www.business.unisa.edu.au/cid/publications/blandy/BV2010/clusters/review.pdf. (accessed 11 November 2006 ).

  • Boekholt, P. & Thuriaux, B. (1999). Public policies to facilitate clusters: background, rationale and policy practices in international perspective. In OECD (ed.), Boosting Innovation: The Cluster Approach, Paris: OECD, 381–412.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chau, S. (2004). The use of e-commerce amongst 34 Australian SMEs: an experiment or a strategic business tool. Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 7 (1), 49–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cripps, H. (2007). Collaborative business relationships and the use of ICT: the case of the marine, defence and resources cluster, Western Australia. Phd Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Perth Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources. (2004). AEEMA–Enhancing national economic benefits through a new cluster paradigm, final report. Prepared under the Innovation Access Program, http://www.aeema.asn.au/ArticleDocuments/61/Final(%)20Cluster(%)20Report(%)20(%)20Jan(%)2004.pdf. (accessed 15 February 2007).

  • Department of Transport and Regional Services. (2002). Regional Business Development Literature Review, Melbourne: SGS Economics and Planning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drabenstott, M. (2005). A review of the federal role in regional economic development, www.kansascityfed.org (accessed 23 January 2007 ).

    Google Scholar 

  • du Plessis, M. & Boon, J. A. (2004). Knowledge management in ebusiness and customer relationship management: South African case study findings. International Journal of Information Management, 24, 73–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etzkowitz, Henry. (2007). Strategic business nets—their type and management triple-helix relations among technology, organization, and territory. Research Policy, (forthcoming).

    Google Scholar 

  • Feser E. (2002). The relevance of clusters for innovation policy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Background paper prepared for the World Bank, LAC Group. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzsimons, P., O’Gorman, C. & Murray, S. (2004). How entrepreneurial was Ireland in 2004? The Irish Annual Report. Dublin: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Cahill Printers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fulop, L. (2000). A study of government-funded small business networks in Australia. Journal of Small Business Management, 38 (4), 87–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Innovation Lab Australia. (2002). Innovation Lab Australia as an ICT cluster. Mimeo, Canberra.

    Google Scholar 

  • Killen, C., Hunt, R., Ayres, B. & Janssen, C. (2003). Strategic alliances for world competitiveness: the case of GPC electronics.http://www.mgsm.edu.au/download.cfm?DownloadFile=E4E5ACEA-C18F–4D5F–9FF9CF58EC539D4A. (accessed 20 August 2006).

  • Lawton-Smith, H. & Dickson, K. (2003). Critical factors in inter-firm collaboration. National Journal of Technology Management, 25 (1/2), 34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, W. B., Cheung, C. F., Lau H. C. & Choy, K. L. (2003). Development of a web-based enterprise collaborative platform for networked enterprises. Business Process Management Journal, 9 (1), 46–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lundequist, P. & Power, D. (2002). Putting Porterinto practice? Practices of regional cluster building: evidence from Sweden. European Planning Studies, 10 (6), 209–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, L. M. & Matlay, H. (2001). Blanket approaches to promoting ICT in small firms: some lessons from the DTI ladder adoption model in the UK. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 11 (5), 399–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maude, A. (2004). Regional development processes and policies in Australia: a review of research 1990–2002. European Planning Studies, 12 (1), pp. 3–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McIvor, R. & Humphreys, P. (2004). The implications of electronic B2B intermediaries for the buyer-supplier interface. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 24 (3), 241–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miles, M. B. & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis ( 2nd ed. ), Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, D. Tasliyan, M. & Wood, G. (2003). The social and organizational consequences of the implementation of electronic data interchange systems: reinforcing existing power relations or a contested domain? Organization Studies, 24 (4), 557–574.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2001). The internet and business performance. Business and Industry Policy Forum Series, Reports and Proceedings, Paris: France.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2004). ICT, e-business and SMEs. Working Party on the Information Economy, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Paris: France.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2005). Business clusters: promoting enterprise in Central and Eastern Europe. Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, Paris: France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palazuelos, M. (2005). Clusters: myth or realistic ambition for policy-makers? Local Economy, 20 (2), 131–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, C., Cavaye, A. & Coote, L. (2002). Technical and social bonds within business-to-business relationships. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 17 (1), 75–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, M. E. (2000). Location, competition, and economic development: local clusters in a global economy. Economic Development Quarterly, 14 (1), 15–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raisinghani, M. S., Melemez, T., Zhou, L., Paslowski, C., Kikvidze, I., Taha, S. & Simons, K., (2005). E-business models in B2B: process based categorization and analysis of B2B models. International Journal of E-Business Research, 1 (1), 16–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ratnasingam. P. (2004). The impact of collaborative commerce and trust in web services. Journal of Enterprise Information Management: An International Journal, 17 (5), 382–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, B. H. & Enright, M. J. (2004). Industry clusters in Australia: recent trends and prospects. European Planning Studies, 12 (1), 99–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryssel, R., Ritter, T. & Gemünden, H.G. (2004). The impact of information technology deployment on trust, commitment and value creation in business relationships. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 19 (3), 197–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salo, J. & Cripps, H. (2007). Impediments to IT adoption in business relationships: evidence from Australia and Finland. Paper presented at the 2007 IMP Conference, Manchester, August 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheel, C. (2002). Knowledge clusters of technological innovation systems. Journal of Knowledge Management, 6 (4), 356–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sölvell, O. Lindqvist, G. & Ketels, C. (2003). The cluster initiative greenbook. Presentation at the TCI Global Conference, Gothenburg: Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vlosky, R. P., Wilson, D. T. & Vlosky, R. B. (1997). Closing the interorganizational information systems relationship satisfaction gap. Journal of Marketing Practice, 3 (2), 75–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, F., Mahajan, V. & Balasubramanian, S. (2003). An analysis of e-business adoption and its impact on business performance. Academy of Marketing Science Journal, 31 (4), 425–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, K., Kraemer, K. L. & Xu, S. (2003). Electronic business adoption by European firms: a cross-country assessment of the facilitators and inhibitors. European Journal of Information Systems, 12, 251–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Helen Cripps
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, Edith Cowan University, Australia

    Craig Standing (Professor of Strategic Information Management) (Professor of Strategic Information Management)

Copyright information

© 2009 Helen Cripps

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Cripps, H. (2009). Barriers to Electronic Clustering. In: Standing, C. (eds) Electronic Markets. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230274235_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation