IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/tvecsg/v100y2009i2p224-235.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Janus‐Faced Economy: Hong Kong Firms As Intermediaries Between Global Customers And Local Producers In The Electronics Industry

Author

Listed:
  • SUSANNE MEYER
  • DANIEL SCHILLER
  • JAVIER REVILLA DIEZ

Abstract

The influence of the institutional framework on governance modes is well covered in economic geography literature but lacks empirical evidence. The main focus of this work is to explain the governance of customer and producer relations of Hong Kong‐based electronics firms by institutional factors. Hong Kong firms are able to deal simultaneously with both the Chinese transitional setting and global markets, thus leading them to be described as Janus‐faced. Producer relations with the Pearl River Delta are mainly organised in hierarchical ways, whereas globally spread customers govern their relations with Hong Kong firms via the market. Despite the differences of the institutional setting, the advantages of spatial concentration of producers in proximity to Hong Kong have been proven.

Suggested Citation

  • Susanne Meyer & Daniel Schiller & Javier Revilla Diez, 2009. "The Janus‐Faced Economy: Hong Kong Firms As Intermediaries Between Global Customers And Local Producers In The Electronics Industry," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 100(2), pages 224-235, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:100:y:2009:i:2:p:224-235
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9663.2009.00531.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9663.2009.00531.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-9663.2009.00531.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Oliver Hart & John Moore, 2004. "Agreeing Now to Agree Later: Contracts that Rule Out but do not Rule In," Edinburgh School of Economics Discussion Paper Series 109, Edinburgh School of Economics, University of Edinburgh.
    2. Godfrey Yeung, 2002. "WTO Accession, the Changing Competitiveness of Foreign-financed Firms and Regional Development in Guangdong of Southern China," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(6), pages 627-642.
    3. Oliver Hart & John Moore, 1999. "Foundations of Incomplete Contracts," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 66(1), pages 115-138.
    4. Chun Yang, 2005. "Multilevel Governance in the Cross-Boundary Region of Hong Kong–Pearl River Delta, China," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(12), pages 2147-2168, December.
    5. Margot Schüller, 2002. "China nach dem WTO-Beitritt," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 31(2), pages 140-150.
    6. Javier Revilla Diez & Matthias Kiese, 2006. "Scaling Innovation in South East Asia: Empirical Evidence from Singapore, Penang (Malaysia) and Bangkok," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(9), pages 1005-1023.
    7. John Child & Guido Möllering, 2003. "Contextual Confidence and Active Trust Development in the Chinese Business Environment," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 69-80, February.
    8. Ernst, Dieter & Kim, Linsu, 2002. "Global production networks, knowledge diffusion, and local capability formation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1417-1429, December.
    9. Krug, B. & Hendrischke, H., 2006. "Institution Building and Change in China," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2006-008-ORG, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    10. Gavin A. Wood & John B. Parr, 2005. "Transaction Costs, Agglomeration Economies, and Industrial Location," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1), pages 1-15, February.
    11. Philip McCann, 1995. "Rethinking the Economics of Location and Agglomeration," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 32(3), pages 563-577, April.
    12. Dieter Ernst, 2002. "Global production networks and the changing geography of innovation systems. Implications for developing countries," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(6), pages 497-523.
    13. Henry Wai-chung Yeung & George C. S. Lin, 2003. "Theorizing Economic Geographies of Asia," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 79(2), pages 107-128, April.
    14. Ron Boschma, 2005. "Proximity and Innovation: A Critical Assessment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 61-74.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Meyer Susanne, 2012. "The world’s factory and informal ties – organisation of firm networks in the electronics industry in the Greater Pearl River Delta, China," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 56(1-2), pages 9-24, October.
    2. Kilian Pamela Hartmann & Schiller Daniel & Kraas Frauke, 2012. "Workplace quality and labour turnover in the electronics industry of the Pearl River Delta, China: Contrasting employer and employee perspectives," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 56(1-2), pages 58-79, October.
    3. Fu Wenying & Schiller Daniel & Diez Javier Revilla, 2012. "Strategies of using social proximity and organizational proximity in product innovation: Empirical insight from the Pearl River Delta, China," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 56(1-2), pages 80-96, October.
    4. Moritz Breul & Javier Revilla Diez, 2021. "“One thing leads to another”, but where? – Gateway cities and the geography of production linkages," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 29-47, March.
    5. Francis E. Hutchinson, 2021. "In the gateway's shadow: Interactions between Singapore's Hinterlands," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 71-87, March.
    6. Fu, Wenying & Revilla Diez, Javier & Schiller, Daniel, 2013. "Interactive learning, informal networks and innovation: Evidence from electronics firm survey in the Pearl River Delta, China," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 635-646.
    7. Wenying Fu, 2016. "Industrial clusters as hothouses for nascent entrepreneurs? The case of Tianhe Software Park in Guangzhou, China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 57(1), pages 253-270, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cristina Chaminade & Claudia De Fuentes & Gouya Harirchi & Monica Plechero, 2016. "The geography and structure of global innovation networks: global scope and regional embeddedness," Chapters, in: Richard Shearmu & Christophe Carrincazeaux & David Doloreux (ed.), Handbook on the Geographies of Innovation, chapter 22, pages 370-381, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Weidenfeld, Adi & Makkonen, Teemu & Clifton, Nick, 2021. "From interregional knowledge networks to systems," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    3. Jarle Hildrum & Dieter Ernst & Jan Fagerberg, 2011. "The Complex Interaction between Global Production Networks, Digital Information Systems and International Knowledge Transfers," Chapters, in: Cristiano Antonelli (ed.), Handbook on the Economic Complexity of Technological Change, chapter 16, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Pleticha, Petr, 2021. "Who Benefits from Global Value Chain Participation? Does Functional Specialization Matter?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 291-299.
    5. Lall, Sanjaya & Albaladejo, Manuel, 2004. "China's Competitive Performance: A Threat to East Asian Manufactured Exports?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(9), pages 1441-1466, September.
    6. Ascani, Andrea & Bettarelli, Luca & Resmini, Laura & Balland, Pierre-Alexandre, 2020. "Global networks, local specialisation and regional patterns of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(8).
    7. Benoit, Florence & Belderbos, René, 2024. "International connection, local disconnection: The (heterogeneous) role of global cities in local and global innovation networks," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    8. Kristin Kronenberg & Kati Volgmann, 2014. "Knowledge-intensive employment change in the Dutch Randstad and the German Rhine-Ruhr area: comparable patterns of growth and decline in two metropolitan regions?," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 34(1), pages 39-60, February.
    9. Jan-Philipp Kramer & Javier Revilla Diez & Elisabetta Marinelli & Simona Iammarino, 2010. "Intangible assets and MNEs’ locational strategies for innovation—or: why the regional matters," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 30(2), pages 129-157, September.
    10. Iammarino, Simona & McCann, Philip, 2006. "The structure and evolution of industrial clusters: Transactions, technology and knowledge spillovers," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1018-1036, September.
    11. Basant, Rakesh, 2002. "Knowledge Flows and IndustrialClusters: An Analytical Review of Literature," IIMA Working Papers WP2002-02-01, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    12. Evert Meijers & Martijn Burger & Michiel Meeteren & Zachary Neal & Ben Derudder, 2016. "Disentangling agglomeration and network externalities: A conceptual typology," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 95(1), pages 61-80, March.
    13. Demirbag, Mehmet & Apaydin, Marina & Sahadev, Sunil, 2021. "Micro-foundational dimensions of firm internationalisation as determinants of knowledge management strategy: A case for global strategic partnerships," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    14. Lucy White & Mark Williams, 2009. "Bargaining with imperfect enforcement," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 40(2), pages 317-339, June.
    15. Leonardo Costa Ribeiro & Glenda Kruss & Gustavo Britto & Ricardo Machado Ruiz & Américo Tristão Bernardes & Eduardo da Motta e Albuquerque, 2012. "Unveiling Global Innovation Networks," Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG 463, Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
    16. Sidonia von Proff & Thomas Brenner, 2011. "The Dynamics of Inter-Regional Collaboration – An Analysis of Co-Patenting," Working Papers on Innovation and Space 2011-06, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    17. Antonio Estache & L. Wren-Lewis, 2008. "Towards a Theory of Regulation for Developing Countries: Following Laffont's Lead," Working Papers ECARES 2008_018, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    18. Choung, Jae-Yong & Hwang, Hye-Ran & Song, Wichin, 2014. "Transitions of Innovation Activities in Latecomer Countries: An Exploratory Case Study of South Korea," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 156-167.
    19. Garrouste, Pierre & Saussier, Stephane, 2005. "Looking for a theory of the firm: Future challenges," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 178-199, October.
    20. Pranpreya Sriwannawit & Ulf Sandström, 2015. "Large-scale bibliometric review of diffusion research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(2), pages 1615-1645, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:100:y:2009:i:2:p:224-235. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0040-747X .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.