Posts tagged ‘shoe industry’

Social networks and industrial geography

August 7, 2009No Comments »

Olav Sorenson In many industries, production resides in a small number of highly concentrated regions; for example, several high tech industries cluster in Silicon Valley. Explanations for this phenomenon have focused on how the co-location of firms in an industry might increase the efficiency of production. In contrast, this article argues that industries cluster because [...]

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Tradeoffs in the organization of production: Multi-unit firms, geographic dispersion and organizational learning

August 7, 2009No Comments »

Pino G. Audia, Olav Sorenson and Jerald Hage Firms face a choice in the organization of production. By concentrating production at one site, they can enjoy economies of scale. Or, by dispersing production across multiple facilities, firms can benefit from product-specific efficiencies and enhanced organizational learning. When choosing to organize in multiple units, firms must [...]

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The social structure of entrepreneurial activity: Geographic concentration of footwear production in the U.S., 1940-1989

August 7, 2009No Comments »

Olav Sorenson and Pino G. Audia Nearly all industries exhibit geographic concentration. Most theories of the location of industry explain the persistence of these production centers as the result of economic efficiency. This article argues instead that heterogeneity in entrepreneurial opportunities, rather than differential performance, maintains geographic concentration. Entrepreneurs need exposure to existing organizations in [...]

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