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We examine how hospital cost efficiency can improve because of knowledge spillover effects, arising from the experiences of members of a healthcare system. We identify two types of functional technology networks—that we term repository-type and workflow-type networks—which are defined by the adoption patterns of different types of electronic health record (EHR) systems application functions by hospitals in a health system. Additionally, we examine how structural features of these two network types—namely, network centrality and interconnectedness—impact such knowledge spillover effects. By analyzing seven years of panel data for 1,420 U.S. hospitals across 216 health systems, and data obtained from surveys of healthcare experts, we found that greater centrality of nodes in repository-type networks enhances the influence of partners' experiences on cost efficiency but has the opposite effect in workflow-type networks, while greater interconnectedness of workflow-type networks enhances the influence of partners' experiences on cost efficiency. Interestingly, we found the opposite effect in repository-type networks, where greater interconnectedness diminishes the influence of partners' experiences on cost efficiency. We discuss reasons for this surprising and counterintuitive finding. Overall, our results demonstrate that at least in healthcare settings where information technologies enable knowledge-sharing networks to be formed, benefits can accrue through knowledge spillover effects; moreover, variations across functional categories of technologies adopted in a network context can result in different technology-network structures with differential impacts on hospital cost efficiency because of their influence on knowledge spillover at both the hospital and system levels. Not only can these results explain mixed findings in the literature that has been dominated by a focus on cost efficiency outcomes dependent solely on the EHR adoption choices of individual hospitals, but they also provide the basis for guidelines for a network-based perspective of technology adoption. We discuss other possible settings to which our empirical findings can be reasonably generalized, including supply chain technologies and the Internet of Things. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from sites of yogic and Buddhist learning connecting Indonesia and India this article explores the politics, practices, transformation, dissemination and uses of knowledge on yoga and meditation in late colonial and postcolonial Indonesia, and their relation to moral geographies of Greater India. It follows, across (violent) regime changes, the trajectories of learning of a number of self-made experts and entrepreneurs in this field who were also involved in the postcolonial Buddhist reform movement in Indonesia: the Chinese Indonesians Souw Tjiang Poh (b.1929), better known, also as yoga guru, under his Buddhist name Yogamurti; and his meditation teacher, Tee Boan An (1923–2002), who, as Ashin Jinarakkhita, is more famous as motor behind the Buddhist reform movement in Indonesia from the 1950s onwards. Yogamurti's and Tee Boan An's histories of 'yogic' transformation reach back to 'alternative' spiritual reform trajectories of the Theosophical Society of late colonial times, and continue, across decolonization and the violent regime change of 1965, to those of the hippie trail of the 1970s. These spiritual and 'Indic' religious revivalist entrepreneurs provide alternative perspectives to the grand narratives of political history, yoga, 'Indian religion' or 'Greater India'. Across regime changes, their paths crossed and they exchanged knowledge, thereby changing and reshaping social hierarchies as they moved within an 'alternative present' in which spirituality seemed a way to move forward to 'alternative futures'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online reviews often contain considerable information redundancy. Understanding how to mine and identify valuable information is an important research topic. Based on knowledge-based theory and social network theory, this study discusses the impact of knowledge redundancy in online travel reviews on consumer purchase behaviour from the perspective of knowledge networks. By crawling 943,516 online reviews of 609 tourism products from Trip and Tuniu, we conduct an empirical analysis of the relationships among knowledge redundancy, knowledge diversity and consumer purchase behaviour. The results show that there is a U-shaped relationship between knowledge redundancy in online tourism reviews and consumer purchase behaviour, and knowledge diversity plays an intermediary role in the relationship between knowledge redundancy and consumer purchase behaviour. The results provide valuable and timely insights for the development of the online tourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge construction can be facilitated through different types of social interactive environment. A knowledge network environment (KN) develops a knowledge-centered network visualizing the structure of collective knowledge. A social network environment (SN) creates a people-centered network visualizing the social relationships among people. Considering the connectedness of knowledge and people, this study moves the conversation forward by introducing an integrated environment of both knowledge- and people-centered network, a social knowledge network environment (SKN). The study aimed at comparing the three types of environments and investigated their effect on collaborative knowledge construction processes and individual learning outcomes. The quasi-experiment results indicated that these three environments differed in their effects on learners' knowledge construction levels, the sequential patterns, as well as individual learning outcomes. Learners in SN had a highest rate of social interaction than the learners in the other environments. KN learners had a higher rate of allocentric elaboration than SN learners. SKN learners showed a higher level of surface and elaborative application, reflection, and knowledge construction outcomes than KN and SN learners. The different roles of social interactions were further discussed across three environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to investigate firm-level innovation, exploring whether social relationships located in knowledge networks influence the transfer of university knowledge to Ghanaian firms. Firms' informal relationships with universities have been under-researched in developing economies. The extant literature suggests that informal relationships in the context of economies with advanced regional and national innovation systems have a positive association with firm level innovation performance. The research project employs a cross-sectional survey of 245 firms in Ghana. The aim of the project is to explore the influence of informal mechanisms of university knowledge transfer on firm level innovation performance in Ghana. The study adopts a structural model with partial least squares as an analytical technique. The findings reveal that to deliver positive results in a firm's innovation performance by informal means, a well-coordinated social system to attract research knowledge from all aspects of the university system is required. The research project's implications for Ghana's innovation system include a need to be aware of the impact of corruption and lack of intellectual property rights on the efficacy informal knowledge transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature on regional innovation systems (RIS) points to the importance of the knowledge network inside the RIS. Empirics have shown the importance of certain pivotal actors for the RIS, however, their identification differs from case to case due to the different embeddedness of the actors to the knowledge network. This paper traces these influential actors for the Trentino information and communication technologies (ICT) innovation system, by analysing its knowledge network, for understanding their contribution to the resilience of the network. The local knowledge network is developed around a tightly knit core of key actors, whose malfunction would raise several issues for knowledge management and funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Think tank experts and their opinions have acquired a very influential position in China's public diplomacy. While the presence and roles of think tanks is rarely questioned within developed democracies, their position in emerging powers and the developing world is debatable. This article argues that the landscape of the think tank sector in China—indeed the biggest developing country and the most powerful emerging economy—has changed over the course of the last decade. By providing a detailed account of the evolution of this sector in China, the intent is to enlarge think tank studies beyond liberal contexts and to overcome limitations about the study of Chinese think tanks. As demonstrate by the expanding role of think tank networks in the Belt and Road Initiative they have been able to secure a special niche with regard to foreign policy and diplomacy, notwithstanding China's authoritarian political environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A knowledge-measuring method applicable to enterprises' production is constructed and a simulation is carried out to prove the applicability of the method. First, the total amount of knowledge increases exponentially with the increase of task modularisations. Second, the relationship between single-task modularisations makes the amount at a lower level; however, as the types of relationship between modularisations become increasingly rich and when various relationships between modularisations achieve equilibrium, the total amount would reach a higher level. Meanwhile, the total amount of knowledge in knowledge networks shows a linear growth with the increase of comprehensive measuring of relationship between inter-modularisation elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effect of external knowledge sources and the uneven geography on innovation activity in small Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS). It draws on results from a survey of 342 small and medium (SME) KIBS located in the UK's North East and West Midlands, both de-industrialized regions. It is shown that innovation is supported by knowledge gained from frequent interaction with customers both regional and UK based as well as international. More frequent interaction with local business networks, informal contacts and national licencing arrangements also enhances innovativeness. Various industry-specific business networks and regional government agencies act as important sources of knowledge and networking and these are more important for KIBS located in the North East. The results indicate that more frequent collaboration with regional universities and regional public sector organizations does not benefit KIBS from either region. Also, while we acknowledge a positive effect of R&D on KIBS innovativeness we argue that its effect is less important compared to regional and extra regional knowledge sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade has shown a shift of focus of the literature on networks to a more dynamic perspective, and towards the study of mechanisms that drive network evolution inside regions. The strategic behaviour of network agents and the evolution of networks may be affected by the occurrence of macroeconomic events external to the region. This paper assesses the impact of different factors on the trust created between agents through repetition of previous collaborations before and after the global economic recession of 2008. Main findings show that actors in periods of crisis prefer collaboration with trustful actors with whom they cooperated in the past, than to actors with whom they share common characteristics (proximities). In high-risk periods, the knowledge network is more inert, while in low risk periods, actors prefer to expand the knowledge network of the region, investing in global pipelines and importing knowledge from distant regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses links in knowledge networks that are essential for the integration and knowledge diffusion properties of the entire network. By focusing on critical links, as defined in network science, we evaluate these links’ properties from the perspective of the proximity and regional gatekeeper literature. We thereby gain insights into likely conditions of their emergence and functions. Moreover, we extend the dyadic perspective on regional gatekeeper organisations and link it more strongly to the network science and proximity framework literature. An empirical study applies these arguments and investigates the proximity characteristics of critical links in 132 technology-specific subsidised knowledge networks in Germany. The results show that critical links tend be formed between regional gatekeepers that offer related knowledge resources. The links bridge institutional distances by utilising the benefits of geographic and social proximity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how young high-tech ventures create openness in their knowledge networks. This paper explores the influence of antecedent resources on openness in knowledge networks, seen as diversity in knowledge partners, and explores the impact of openness on growth. The results from 105 university spin-off firms suggest that three antecedents positively influence openness, namely, founders’ prestart experience, education and innovation experience, and one negatively, namely, size of the founding team. Regarding non-linearity, there are signs of cubic influences, potentially in line with passing critical junctures. In addition, external factors tend to have no influence on openness, except for region of location. Further, shaping the right amount of openness and benefitting from it seem a struggle, as an increasing openness tends to influence growth with decreasing returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research into regional innovation clusters has argued that high technology clusters exchange primarily technological knowledge in developing innovations. In this paper, I propose that high technology innovation clusters will include technological knowledge but also may include two other types of knowledge. Drawing from market pull research, I examine the role of market knowledge and then I introduce the concept of managerial knowledge to regional innovation clusters research. I propose that the communication of different kinds of knowledge between organisations - through formal and informal ties - creates different knowledge flows that produce different types of networks. To explore these arguments, I analyse whole-network data for 56 electronic information firms in a Dongguan, China cluster. Specifically, I identify and illustrate these different knowledge networks for a focal company, analyse the resulting network structures for each type of knowledge, and explore which actors in the network contribute which type of knowledge. The research contributes to the knowledge-based view by elucidating the importance of different knowledge content to the enterprises’ innovation and illustrates different knowledge flows in knowledge networks in the clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses knowledge networks on co-benefits of climate and development. The world’s most sizeable populations live in middle-income countries with emerging economies and growing emissions. This situation requires political intervention to facilitate economic growth, job creation and poverty eradication alongside efforts to control emissions growth. This interdisciplinary study draws on concepts and methods from sociology, political science, science and technology studies and the management literature. The authors combine social network and discourse network analysis in an innovative way. The methodology analyses both the interactions between researchers as well as their actual knowledge contributions. The study argues that there is a substantial network of knowledge holders involved in knowledge creation on climate and development co-benefits. Our analysis shows the type of interactions between two knowledge networks as well as new knowledge emerging from these networks. Research groups and practitioners have produced 17 novel knowledge contributions, ranging from definitions of co-benefits, methodology and implementation. Yet the networks remain loosely connected. Practitioners who have less time to assess academic literature could benefit from closer interactions with more academically oriented experts and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Framed by the debate on the privatization of transnational forest governance and the integration of environmental aspects into economic geography, this study employs a relational conceptualization of governance spaces to evaluate aspects of environmental business customer demands on transnational wood processing corporations. The role of forest certification systems on forest governance is critically discussed, as are inter-firm relations and networks of knowledge production concerning sustainable forest management. A case study of four transnational Finnish corporations is employed to display how environmental aspects of resource exploitation are negotiated by various actors and networks along value chains from producers to European core markets. The role of environmentally focused knowledge networks in environmental governance is stressed. The case study is based on qualitative data (in the form of interviews) gathered from representatives of the respective corporations and other forest governance actors. While forest certification systems are acknowledged as an important driver, this study argues that other real and perceived external relations between actors, institutions and resource areas play a more important role in transnational forest governance than most of the current literature on ‘market-driven forest governance’ suggests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure & Events is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There has been a growing recognition regarding the use of social networks to engage communities in government actions. However, despite increasing awareness of social networks, there is very limited evidence for their application in relation to climate policy. This study fills this gap by assessing the potential of social networks for engaging local communities in climate adaptation policy, drawing on a case study of the Shoalhaven region in Australia. Participants from key representative groups were recruited using a purposive snowball sampling technique (N = 24). By mapping knowledge acquisition and diffusion networks in relation to climate adaption at the local scale, this study identified key nodes within the networks. Findings demonstrate that although climate adaptation information was acquired from a diverse range of sources, the sharing knowledge networks were far more dispersed. Furthermore, although 165 knowledge sources were identified, three nodes had coverage cross the entire network, and as such acted as boundary spanners within the sharing network. This research demonstrates the utility of social network analysis to reveal the underlying knowledge networks and structures that influence community engagement pathways and in doing so outlines key implications in relation to engaging local communities in climate policy and action. Policy relevance The rapid development of adaptation as a mainstream strategy for managing the risks of climate change has resulted in the emergence of a broad range of adaptation policies and management strategies globally. However, the success of these initiatives is largely dependent on their acceptance and uptake by local communities, which to date remains a significant challenge. Accordingly, policy makers require novel approaches to overcome barriers to community engagement so as to enhance the likely success of community engagement pathways. This article demonstrates the value of using social network analysis to reveal the underlying knowledge network structures. This approach makes it possible to identify key individuals within a community who can disseminate adaptation information quickly across broad geographic ranges. By utilizing this approach, policy makers globally will be able to increase the extent to which adaption initiatives are accepted and adhered to by local communities, thus increasing their success. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joseph Orpen's 1874 Cape Monthly Magazine article relating the testimony of Qing, a San man in the Maloti Mountains, is a bedrock text of southern San cosmology. For the last few decades, this article has been the subject of intense scrutiny by rock art researchers and archaeologists studying hunter-gatherer societies. Recently, scholars have questioned whether Orpen's encounter with Qing has been appropriately contextualised, citing lingering uncertainties over Orpen's motivations and biases that may have informed the article. This paper addresses these concerns through examination of Orpen's archival corpus. It draws on new archival data to articulate the development of Orpen's personal politics, research motives, and interpersonal relationships within Cape knowledge networks. When examined more broadly, Orpen's intellectual career appears primarily concerned with native history and land title rather than a specifically philological or anthropological agenda, and his encounter with Qing as having been overshadowed by his dedication to represent the interests of Basotho sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to identify different innovation modes and their territorial embeddedness, relating them to firms’ innovative and economic performance. We also analyse the relationship between the different innovation modes and the economic impact of the crisis on firms’ performance. These relationships are tested by regression and latent class models for the Portuguese population of firms, using a sample of 397 firms classified according to technological intensity, size and region. Our results show three different innovation modes: a DUI (Doing, Using and Interacting) mode, an STI (Science, Technology and Innovation) mode and a TEI (Territorial Embeddedness Innovation) mode in which territory plays a key role. These innovative modes are related in different ways to firms’ economic and innovative performance and also have marked distinctions in terms of resilience to the economic crisis. These findings lead to a reflection on regional innovation policy in the European context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Translation Studies is performed through an international network of relations between largely isolated scholars, many of whom cooperate in order to create knowledge. The sparse nature of the relations, however, coupled with the difficulties of relatively opaque languages and hard-to-assemble materials, means that the cooperative production of knowledge is often fraught with difficulties: the network only vaguely discerns its international extension (rarely reducible to the West vs. the Rest) and has a very sketchy awareness of its own origins. Russian translation theories published between 1950 and 1953 constitute an acute case in point. Although highly innovative precursors of later theories of text types, purposes, and indeed of Translation Studies as a unified field, the formalist theories of Retsker, Sobolev and Fedorov were associated with the final years of Stalinism and were thus strangely cut off from the development of Translation Studies in most other languages. We recount our attempts to locate, construe and make known the translation theories trapped in a very particular time capsule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Regional Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on innovation matchmaking by online innovation intermediaries that operate as technology outsourcing services. These services connect employers wishing to commission individuals to complete technical activities to individuals with knowledge to undertake the project. We present three new metrics based on the statistical mechanics of complex networks to assess forms of knowledge matches between the knowledge required by employers’ projects and the knowledge offered by service providers. Based upon the results, we identify several challenges open innovation intermediaries, employers, and providers face: structuring knowledge to identify providers who can provide solutions beyond the immediate exigencies of the problem, choosing a provider among many potential matches, and choosing an online innovation intermediary when several suitable alternatives exist. The metrics provide insight into potential solutions to these challenges. We conclude with recommendations to improve the service offerings of online innovation intermediaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on knowledge management to enhance decision support systems for strategic intervention in information technology (IT) project-oriented change management. It proposes a model of change management knowledge networks (CMKNM) to support decision by tackling three existing issues: insufficient knowledge traceability based on the relationships between knowledge elements and key factors, lack of procedural knowledge to provide adequate policies to guide changes, and lack of ‘lessons learned’ documentation in knowledge bases. A qualitative method was used to investigate issues surrounding knowledge mobilisation and knowledge networks. Empirical study was undertaken with industries to test the CMKNM. Results are presented from the empirical study on the key factors influencing knowledge mobilisation in IT project-oriented change management, knowledge networks and connections. The CMKNM model allows key knowledge mobilisation factors to be aligned with each other; it also defines the connections between knowledge networks allowing knowledge to be mobilised by tracing knowledge channels to support decision. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The production of sociological knowledge in Australian universities is explored through an empirical study of research papers published in a selection of academic outlets between 1960 and 2011. Drawing on theories concerning scholarly practices, institutional formation and the sociology of knowledge, questions are posed about the factors that shape and structure the production of sociological knowledge about health and medicine. The concept of intellectual schools is examined, with evidence sought for the presence of these 'knowledge networks' in the Australian context. The study suggests the formation and maintenance of schools are subject to structural factors within the university sector, specifically the relative wealth and prestige of the university and the dictates of the higher education market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article illustrates how the South Africa–Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD), a doctoral research preparation programme for candidates on the African continent, evolved from an aid programme to an exemplary model of innovation, namely SANTRUST, an ownership-driven partnership within the framework of internationalization. This model of innovation includes a programme with a novel approach to focus on redress in South Africa, particularly for Black women researchers. The research design for this inquiry used an intrinsic case study, with interviews, observations and document analysis as data collection strategies. The case study revealed how SANTRUST, the innovation model, which is now the fully-fledged South-owned programme, sustained the SANPAD aid programme. The key finding revealed that SANTRUST in its relationship with research universities has matured into an example of sustainable national and international cooperation within a knowledge network paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic journals, with their rigorous peer-review process, play a central role in the scientification of knowledge. However, researchers and scholars often fail to appreciate and understand the black box of such agents of knowledge production. Using content analysis of articles published in the two most recent volumes of Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, this article attempts to shed some lights on the nature of knowledge in hospitality studies. The results indicated that research is highly concentrated in the developed world, while the voices of developing nations are marginalized. This pattern provides some indication of underlying power dimensions in the production of hospitality knowledge. A social network analysis of contributors indicated that hospitality research is largely the product of collaborative efforts among members of the scientific community. Collaboration among researchers from the same country was the most common form of networking. In terms of research areas, the behaviors of travelers and consumers of hospitality and tourism services were well-studied among scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sports coaching is largely a social activity where engagement with athletes and support staff can enhance the experiences for all involved. This paper examines how high performance football coaches develop knowledge through their interactions with others within a social learning theory framework. Purpose: The key purpose of this study was to explore how coaches interact with others in developing their coaching knowledge within the Australian Football (soccer) context. Moreover, this project examined how to best conceptualise these interactions using social learning concepts such as communities of practice (Wenger 1998), informal knowledge networks (Allee 2000), networks of practice (Nichani and Hung 2002) and dynamic social networks (Mallett, Rossi, and Tinning 2007). Method: Six high performance football coaches were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule. The interview data, which was transcribed verbatim, was content analysed using the procedure outlined by Côté et al. (1993). Results: From the interviews three themes emerged: influence of others on learning; learning through work and play; and elite football identity. These themes were examined under the lens of social learning theory. Conclusions: The coaches in this study reported that they considered ‘coaches of influence’ as their most important source of information. In particular, it was the interactions with experienced football coaches who were most valued. In these interactions ideas and views about football coaching were exchanged and are best represented as a dynamic social network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration and dispersion of innovative activities in space have been largely explained and evidenced by the nature of knowledge and the geographical extent of knowledge spillovers. One of the empirical challenges is to go beyond this by understanding how the geography of innovation is shaped by particular structural properties of knowledge networks. This paper contributes to this challenge, focusing on the particular case of global navigation satellite systems at the European level. We exploit a database of R&D collaborative projects based on the fifth and sixth European Union Framework Programs, and apply social network analysis in economic geography. We study the properties both of the network of organizations and the network of collaborative projects. We show that the nature of the knowledge involved in relationships influences the geographical and structural organizations of the technological field. The observed coexistence of a relational core/periphery structure with a geographical cluster/pipeline one is discussed in the light of the industrial and geographical dynamics of technological standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huber F. On the role and interrelationship of spatial, social and cognitive proximity: personal knowledge relationships of R&D workers in the Cambridge information technology cluster, Regional Studies. Although the importance of proximity has been highlighted, it remains an open question which types and levels of proximity are critical for knowledge networks. This paper addresses this issue by examining the role of spatial, social and cognitive proximity of personal knowledge relationships in the Cambridge information technology cluster. It is shown that distinguishing between sub-dimensions of cognitive proximity can clarify the ‘proximity paradox’. Moreover, the results highlight that local relationships enable access to cognitively more diverse knowledge than non-local ones. Finally, the paper provides empirical evidence of a compensation mechanism: distance in one dimension is compensated by proximity in at least one other dimension. However, similarity in terms of technical language cannot be easily substituted. Huber F. 空间、社会及认知毗邻性的相互关系与作用：剑桥IT产业集群研发部门中从业人员间的个体知识关系，区域研究。尽管目前在大量研究中已经强调了毗邻性的重要性，如下问题依旧值得探讨：什么类型及层次的毗邻性对于知识网络构建而言是至关重要的？本文通过考察剑桥IT产业集群创新及发展部门中从业人员间的个体知识关系讨论了这一问题。研究发现，对毗邻性概念进行的细分有助于明确‘毗邻性悖论’。研究同时表明可以将更多样化的知识整合入地方关系中。最终，文章为补偿机制提供了经验证据：某一层面的差距可以由其他层面的毗邻性进行补充。然而，技术语言的相似性不可轻易被取代。 毗邻性 认知毗邻性 社会毗邻性 个人网络 知识网络 毗邻悖论 Huber F. Sur le rôle et la corrélation de la proximité spatiale, sociale et cognitive: les rapports de connaisance personnels des travailleurs de R et D dans le cluster de la technologie de l'information situé à Cambridge, Regional Studies. Bien que l'on ait souligné l'importance de la proximité, on doute quels types et quels niveaux de proximité soient essentiels pour les réseaux de connaissance. Cet article aborde la question en examinant le rôle de la proximité spatiale, sociale et cognitive des rapports de connaissance personnels dans le cluster de la technologie de l'information situé à Cambridge. On montre que distinguer entre les subdivisions de la proximité cognitive peut éclaircir le ‘paradoxe de la proximité’. Qui plus est, les résultats laissent voir que les rapports locaux permettent un accès à la connaissance qui est plus divers du point de vue cognitif que ne le sont les rapports non-locaux. Pour terminer, l'article fournit des preuves empiriques d'un mécanisme de compensation: la distance dans un sens se voit compenser par la proximité dans au moins un autre sens. Cependant, on ne peut pas compenser facilement le langage technique. Proximité Proximité cognitive Proximité sociale Réseaux personnels Réseaux de connaissance Paradoxe de proximité Huber F. Die Rolle und wechselseitigen Beziehungen von räumlicher, sozialer und kognitiver Nähe: persönliche Wissensbeziehungen von F&E-Kräften im IT-Cluster Cambridge, Regional Studies. Die Wichtigkeit von Nähe wurde zwar bereits hervorgehoben, doch es bleibt ungeklärt, welche Arten und Stufen von Nähe für Wissensnetzwerke entscheidend sind. In diesem Beitrag wird dieses Thema aufgegriffen und untersucht, welche Rolle die räumliche, soziale und kognitive Nähe von persönlichen Wissensbeziehungen im Informationstechnologie-Cluster von Cambridge spielt. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich das ‘Paradoxon der Nähe’ durch eine Differenzierung der Subdimensionen der kognitiven Nähe klären lässt. Darüber machen die Ergebnisse deutlich, dass lokale Beziehungen einen Zugriff auf ein kognitiv breiteres Wissensspektrum ermöglichen als nicht-lokale Beziehungen. Ebenso liefert dieser Beitrag empirische Belege für einen Kompensationsmechanismus: Die Entfernung in einer Dimension wird durch Nähe in mindestens einer anderen Dimension kompensiert. Allerdings lässt sich eine Ähnlichkeit in puncto Fachsprache nicht einfach substituieren. Nähe Kognitive Nähe Soziale Nähe Persönliche Netzwerke Wissensnetzwerke Paradoxon der Nähe Huber F. El papel y la interrelación de la proximidad espacial, social y cognitiva: relaciones del conocimiento personal entre trabajadores de I + D en la aglomeración de la TI de Cambridge, Regional Studies. Aunque se ha puesto de relieve la importancia de la proximidad, sigue abierta la cuestión sobre qué tipos y niveles de proximidad son fundamentales para las redes de conocimiento. En este artículo abordamos esta cuestión al examinar el papel de la proximidad espacial, social y cognitiva de las relaciones del conocimiento personal en la aglomeración de la tecnología de la información de Cambridge. Mostramos que distinguir entre subdimensiones de proximidad cognitiva puede aclarar la ‘paradoja de la proximidad’. Además, los resultados destacan que las relaciones locales permiten un acceso a conocimiento cognitivamente más diverso. Para terminar, en este artículo ofrecemos evidencias empíricas de un mecanismo de compensación: la distancia en una dimensión está compensada por la proximidad en como mínimo una dimensión diferente. Sin embargo, no puede sustituirse fácilmente la similitud del lenguaje técnico. Proximidad Proximidad cognitiva Proximidad social Redes personales Redes de conocimiento Paradoja de la proximidad [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges posed by a globalised world have made it imperative for society to search for solutions to emerging issues and to develop new ways of looking at old problems. Current discussions about global public health demand a shift in paradigms and the strategic positioning of public health within broader policy discussions that will enable it to influence political and action agendas. Critical to responding to these challenges is the generation, transmission and dissemination of new knowledge to create value. Recognising the cutting-edge role of knowledge, as a new form of capital that drives innovation and transforms society, the formation of knowledge networks is viewed as a strategy for developing a shared intellectual, conceptual and ethical infrastructure for the field of global public health. These knowledge networks are envisioned as a vehicle for sharing diverse perspectives, encouraging debate and sustaining alternative ways of thinking about and responding to the challenges that confront global public health today and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GiulianiE. Role of technological gatekeepers in the growth of industrial clusters: evidence from Chile,Regional Studies. Industrial clusters are often associated with innovative success. However, there is very little research on what types of organizational models apply to clusters as they grow. This paper uses longitudinal micro-level data for a wine cluster in Chile. It shows that the most advanced firms in the cluster behave as technological gatekeepers – that is, they acquire knowledge outside cluster boundaries and contribute to diffusing knowledge to other local firms – and do so persistently over time. The results are explained by combining three theoretical perspectives: evolutionary economics theory; business studies on communities of practice and knowledge workers' know-how trade; and embeddedness theory. GiulianiE. 技术守门者在产业集群增长过程中的作用：来自智利的相关证据，区域研究。产业集群常常与创新成功相联系。然而，鲜有研究着重于分析组织模型在集群增长中的应用。本文利用纵向微观数据对智利的白酒产业集群进行了分析。研究表明，产业集群中最高等级的公司扮演着技术门卫的作用，即上述公司持续地在产业领域之外对所需相关知识进行了定义，同时也为知识向地方公司进行传播做出贡献。通过整合分析三个理论观点本研究对结果进行了解释：演进经济理论、针对实践型及知识型工人的“如何进行贸易”社团的商业研究，以及嵌入理论。 产业集群 技术守门者 知识网络 白酒产业 智利 GiulianiE. Le rôle des gardiens technologiques dans le développement des clusters industriels: des preuves provenant du Chili,Regional Studies. Les clusters industriels se rapportent souvent au succès de l'innovation. Cependant, rares sont les recherches sur les modèles organisationnels qui s'appliquent aux clusters au fur et à mesure de leur développement. Cet article emploie des données microéconomiques longitudinales relatives à un cluster vinicole situé au Chili. On montre que les entreprises les plus avancées du cluster se comportent en gardiens technologiques – autrement dit, elles acquièrent des connaissances au-delà des frontières du cluster et contribuent à la diffusion des connaissances à d'autres entreprises locales – ce qui continue dans le temps. On explique les résultats à partir d'une conjonction de trois facteurs théoriques; à savoir, la théorie de l'économie évolutionnaire; des études commerciales des communautés de pratique et du savoir-faire des travailleurs de la connaissance; et la théorie de l'intégration. Clusters industriels Gardiens technologiques Réseaux de connaissances Industrie vinicole Chili GiulianiE. Die Rolle von technologischen Gatekeepern für das Wachstum von Branchenclustern: Belege aus Chile,Regional Studies. Branchencluster werden oft mit innovativem Erfolg in Verbindung gebracht. Allerdings wurde bisher nur sehr wenig erforscht, welche Arten von Organisationsmodellen für im Wachstum befindliche Cluster gelten. In diesem Beitrag werden longitudinale Daten auf Mikroebene für einen Weinbau-Cluster in Chile genutzt. Es wird gezeigt, dass die fortgeschrittensten Firmen des Clusters als technologische Gatekeeper wirken: Sie verschaffen sich außerhalb der Clustergrenzen Wissen und tragen zur Weitergabe von Wissen an andere Firmen vor Ort bei – und zwar konsequent über längere Zeit hinweg. Die Ergebnisse werden durch eine Kombination aus drei theoretischen Perspektiven erklärt: evolutionäre Wirtschaftstheorie, eine betriebswirtschaftliche Untersuchung über Praxisgemeinschaften und den Wissenshandel durch Kopfarbeiter sowie die Theorie der Eingebettetheit. Branchencluster Technologische Gatekeeper Wissensnetzwerke Weinindustrie Chile GiulianiE. Papel de los guardianes tecnológicos en el crecimiento de las aglomeraciones industriales: el ejemplo de Chile,Regional Studies. Las aglomeraciones industriales se asocian con frecuencia con innovaciones fructíferas. Sin embargo, existen muy pocos estudios sobre qué tipos de modelos organizativos se aplican en las aglomeraciones en crecimiento. En este artículo utilizamos datos longitudinales a nivel micro para una aglomeración vinícola en Chile. Demostramos que las empresas más avanzadas en la aglomeración se comportan como guardianes tecnológicos: adquieren conocimientos fuera de los límites de la aglomeración y contribuyen a difundir el conocimiento a otras empresas locales, y funcionan así continuamente con el paso del tiempo. Explicamos los resultados combinando tres perspectivas teóricas: la teoría de la economía evolucionaria, los estudios comerciales sobre las comunidades de práctica y el comercio del conocimiento de trabajadores intelectuales así como la teoría de integración. Aglomeraciones industriales Guardianes tecnológicos Redes de conocimiento Industria vinícola Chile [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Global indices of economic competitiveness, such as the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index (EDBI), score and rank states according to the quality of local business regulations. Quantifying and indexing regulatory quality to a singular ranking constructs a 'best practice' model that characterizes regulation in the highest-ranked states. States that outcompete others in transferring regulatory best practices from higher-ranked states are rewarded with an improved international reputation for having investor-friendly policies. By helping to attract the interest of foreign investors, the production of higher competitiveness rankings serves as an extraterritorial state strategy for gaining from globalization. This article details the reform strategy that was used to produce the (post-Soviet) Republic of Georgia's 2006-2009 vault up the EDBI rankings. These higher rankings were the centerpiece of an investment-promotion campaign that accompanied strong inflows of foreign direct investment. Making full use of EDBI as a strategic resource for promoting increased foreign investment involved the composition of an institutional assemblage of the Georgian government, USAID, and the World Bank's Doing Business project. Ethnographic research revealed how power geometries emerged among the assembled organizations to enable the transfer of EDBI's best practice regulations in some areas, and to impede it in others. The case study reveals how limits to policy transfer are created by geographic context and how EDBI rankings can be exploited to obfuscate problematic business conditions that are overlooked by its measurement methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural systems operate through the enrollment of local actors into social networks. These social networks share common idioms and expectations concerning appropriate knowledge and practices. Interaction and competition between social network segments creates the potential for technological change and sustainable production. In the past, global actors enrolled local actors into the networks of modern agriculture through the success of the technology transfer model. However, the innovation to resolve the current problems of local agroecologies requires a more reflexive approach. The adaptive management model facilitates the negotiation of boundaries between networks while addressing the most pressing issues of sustainable local agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research indicates that students with enhanced knowledge networks are more effective in learning science content and applying higher order thinking skills in open-ended inquiry learning. This research examined teacher implementation of a novel teaching strategy called “web diagramming,” a form of network mapping, in a secondary school earth science class. We report evidence for student improvement in knowledge networking, questionnaire-based reports by the students on the merits of web diagramming in terms of interest and usefulness, and information on the collaborating teacher’s perceptions of the process of implementation, including implications for teacher education. This is among the first reports that teachers can be provided with strategies to enhance student knowledge networking capacity, especially for those students whose initial networking scores are among the lowest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a preliminary analysis of one element of a research study into knowledge sharing between business people in the tourism sector of the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch conurbation in England. The paper sets out the academic context of the analysis of knowledge sharing, the methodology and methods used to explore the nature and outcomes of knowledge sharing and preliminary results relating to knowledge network mapping. The overall aims of the research are to better understand knowledge sharing between people in the tourism sector and to suggest how knowledge sharing can be improved to the benefit of the tourism sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to analyse the characteristics and nature of the networks that firms utilize to access knowledge and facilitate innovation. The paper draws on the notion of network resources, distinguishing two types: social capital-consisting of the social relations and networks held by individuals; and network capital-consisting of the strategic and calculative relations and networks held by firms. The methodological approach consists of a quantitative analysis of data from a survey of firms operating in knowledge-intensive sectors of activity. The key findings include: social capital investment is more prevalent among firms frequently interacting with actors from within their own region; social capital investment is related to the size of firms; firm size plays a role in knowledge network patterns; and network dynamism is an important source of innovation. Overall, firms investing more in the development of their inter-firm and other external knowledge networks enjoy higher levels of innovation. It is suggested that an over-reliance on social capital forms of network resource investment may hinder the capability of firms to manage their knowledge networks. It is concluded that the link between a dynamic inter-firm network environment and innovation provides an alternative thesis to that advocating the advantage of network stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to discuss the space and scale of knowledge networks for innovation. The point of departure is a critical review of territorialised innovation theories according to which the source of growth and competitiveness is to be found in the innovative interplay among local actors and institutions. The region is believed to play a particular role as incubator or mediator for small firms. On this background the question raised is what globalisation and the emergence of time and space shrinking technologies imply to the spatial scale of knowledge networks. It is shown that the territorialised innovation theories rest on simplistic perceptions of embeddedness and space, and on functional notions of proximity which treat the firms as black box. The result is a considerable regional determinism. On the basis of recent network theory and empirical results, it is argued that firms do find knowledge sources on different spatial scales. Global networks or distant knowledge sources are particularly beneficial to innovation and firms are able to establish and participate in knowledge networks on all spatial scales. The political focus on local and regional innovation networks should therefore be changed and the role of the region redefined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's dynamic competitive business environment, project reviews are fundamental for most organizations ability to complete their projects successfully; however, it is important to know how to execute project reviews effectively. One important quality of an effective project review is the independence of its reviewers-the central focus of this article. Through four case studies chosen from different scenarios, we have shown that, despite independence being an important quality of project reviews, most organizations choose reviewers who are within their own social network. This issue can partially be resolved by the use of knowledge network theory and analysis (KNA), which will help us characterize relationships which can significantly influence the effective execution of project reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores how young innovative companies shape knowledge networks in seizing local and global opportunities of learning. The perspective used in the paper is derived from management and business literature, that is, knowledge networking is perceived as based upon choices following from strategies and networking capabilities. The empirical part makes use of a small sample of urban innovators in the Netherlands and of rough set analysis as a relatively new way of revealing 'causal' relations. The paper reports that local/regional and global networks tend to coexist in clusters, and that this pattern follows from particular organizational capabilities derived from the company of origin and particular strategies in building customer and supplier relationships. An in-depth study of a biotechnology cluster supports the idea of coexistence of local and global networks, in that a local/regional orientation is associated with research companies in early stages of existence and with particular service companies, whereas a global orientation is associated with research companies that have passed the early stages. However, there seems to be a general trend that knowledge networks are increasingly shaped on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional district literature tends to assume that: (1) the competitiveness of firms depends on external sources of knowledge; (2) all firms in a district benefit from knowledge externalities; (3) relying on external knowledge relationships necessarily means these are confined to the district area. Our case study of the Barletta footwear district in the South of Italy suggests otherwise. Based on social network analysis, we demonstrate that the local knowledge network is quite weak and unevenly distributed among the local firms. A strong local network position of a firm tended to increase their innovative performance, and so did their connectivity to extra-local firms. So, it mattered being connected either locally or non-locally: being co-located was surely not enough. Having a high absorptive capacity seemed to raise only indirectly, through non-local relationships, the innovative performance of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As public programs become more complex and interdependent, their effectiveness increasingly relies on interorganizational networks in which knowledge and information are the main currencies of interaction. This paper reports the results of a study of seven knowledge-networking projects in New York State government. Each project was followed for 3 years as a case study. In addition, the participants took part in two surveys that gathered expectations at the beginning of the study and perceptions of actual experience near the end. The surveys focus on the benefits, barriers, and extent of success associated with knowledge and information sharing. The results show that prior expectations changed as a result of experience. After engaging in the projects for more than 2 years, participants perceived that achieved benefits of knowledge networking were not as great as they expected and the barriers were not as formidable. In addition, the survey shows that organizational and individual networking successes are separable from project success. Perceived technological barriers appear to limit individual networking success. Perceived policy and legal barriers appear to constrain the achievement of substantive project goals. Expected and perceived organizational barriers were negatively associated with all three kinds of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational behavior theories generally agree that human capital is critical to teams and organizations, but little guidance exists on the extent to which such theories accurately explain the relative contributions of individual actors to overall performance. Using newly created network measures and simulations based on data obtained from a software development firm, we investigate the relative effectiveness of social network theory and resource dependency theory as predictors of individuals' contributions to team performance. Our results indicate that individual impacts on team performance are more closely associated with knowledge and task dimensions than with social network structure. Furthermore, given that knowledge may be assessed a priori, these factors provide useful guidance for structuring teams and predicting team performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional environmental competence is constituted and shaped in the interplay between disciplinary knowledge and practices from the field of environmental regulation and management. Environmental professionals are in this article conceptualised and analysed as a community of practitioners who span the traditional disciplinary fragmentation of (natural) sciences and established institutional arrangements. This community has come to function as a series of trans-disciplinary networks, where key features of recognising and constituting socially and politically relevant environmental issues and objects are maintained and developed as operational knowledge and routines. The work involved in constituting the field of environmental engagement is not easily accessible to outsiders because of the rather heterogeneous character of the environmental objects. The importance of these 'hidden' networks of practice in the environmental community is reflected in the master and apprentice model used in most professional consultant and auditor companies. As a supplement to this model of learning of practice-related knowledge, it is pointed out that necessary competences can be developed through continued education of professionals in a combination of educational and practice learning, which has been termed 'reflexive learning'. Danish experiences from working with reflexive learning are discussed in relation to the role that this type of continued education can play, in developing new professional environmental competences that can improve both governmental regulation and companies' environmental performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the emergence of small indigenous software companies in Scotland, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the region's socio-economic infrastructure as a foundation for innovative new business ventures. Following a brief review of some of the accepted wisdom on high-tech start-ups and regional economic development the paper provides some background information on the Scottish region, comparing new firms in the software industry with the foreign multinationals that dominate the local IT industry. A framework—the ‘socio-technical constituencies’ approach—is then proposed that allows the author to examine networks of specialist knowledge that underlie new business development. Agglomeration effects and the influence of ‘clusters’ of complementary types of knowledge, expertise and innovative competencies at the regional level are at the heart of the analysis. The framework is applied to a sample of local firms, looking at how ‘learning’ via socio-technical networks underlies their evolution. Policy-makers' attempts to boost the region's new business birth rate and promote the hoped-for ‘silicon glen’ effect are viewed in the light of the study's findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]