IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i7p1837-d217468.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Can a Firm Innovate When Embedded in a Cluster?—Evidence from the Automobile Industrial Cluster in China

Author

Listed:
  • Shuaishuai Li

    (School of Government, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
    The Center for Spatial Data Science, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA)

  • Suyang Han

    (School of Government, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China)

  • Tiyan Shen

    (School of Government, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China)

Abstract

In the era of the knowledge economy, knowledge management is increasingly important. Knowledge management ability is one of the core factors influencing enterprise competitiveness, affecting innovation performance and sustainable development. To test the impact mechanism of the knowledge management of enterprises on innovation performance, a multilevel structural equation model was established using data from the automobile industry in China, with “knowledge management” (KM) as the independent variable, the three dimensions of absorptive capacity as the mediating variables, and “innovation performance” (IP) as the dependent variable at the firm level. At the cluster level, the innovation milieu of the cluster was introduced into the model. The results show that the three dimensions of absorptive capacity all significantly mediate the relationship between knowledge management and innovation performance. The innovation milieu of the cluster had a direct cross-level effect on the innovation performance of enterprises and a positive cross-level moderated effect on the relationship between explorative learning and innovation performance. These results support the promotion of enterprise innovation ability and the creation of an innovation milieu in the automobile industry in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Shuaishuai Li & Suyang Han & Tiyan Shen, 2019. "How Can a Firm Innovate When Embedded in a Cluster?—Evidence from the Automobile Industrial Cluster in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:7:p:1837-:d:217468
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/7/1837/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/7/1837/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Flor, M. Luisa & Cooper, Sarah Y. & Oltra, María J., 2018. "External knowledge search, absorptive capacity and radical innovation in high-technology firms," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 183-194.
    2. Elisa Giuliani, 2011. "Role of Technological Gatekeepers in the Growth of Industrial Clusters: Evidence from Chile," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(10), pages 1329-1348, November.
    3. Lai, Yung-Lung & Hsu, Maw-Shin & Lin, Feng-Jyh & Chen, Yi-Min & Lin, Yi-Hsin, 2014. "The effects of industry cluster knowledge management on innovation performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 734-739.
    4. Ellison, Glenn & Glaeser, Edward L, 1997. "Geographic Concentration in U.S. Manufacturing Industries: A Dartboard Approach," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 105(5), pages 889-927, October.
    5. Krugman, Paul, 1991. "Increasing Returns and Economic Geography," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(3), pages 483-499, June.
    6. Billie Jo Zirger & Modesto A. Maidique, 1990. "A Model of New Product Development: An Empirical Test," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(7), pages 867-883, July.
    7. Feng Xu & Xuejiao Lin & Shuaishuai Li & Wenxia Niu, 2018. "Is Southern Xinjiang Really Unsafe?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Paul Hughes & Ian R. Hodgkinson & Mathew Hughes & Darwina Arshad, 2018. "Explaining the entrepreneurial orientation–performance relationship in emerging economies: The intermediate roles of absorptive capacity and improvisation," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 35(4), pages 1025-1053, December.
    9. Clive Lawson & Edward Lorenz, 1999. "Collective Learning, Tacit Knowledge and Regional Innovative Capacity," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 305-317.
    10. Marco Tortoriello, 2015. "The social underpinnings of absorptive capacity: The moderating effects of structural holes on innovation generation based on external knowledge," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 586-597, April.
    11. M Patterson & P Warr & M West, 2004. "Organizational Climate and Company Productivity: the Role of Employee Affect and Employee Level," CEP Discussion Papers dp0626, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    12. Romijn, Henny & Albaladejo, Manuel, 2002. "Determinants of innovation capability in small electronics and software firms in southeast England," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1053-1067, September.
    13. Ritter, Thomas & Gemunden, Hans Georg, 2004. "The impact of a company's business strategy on its technological competence, network competence and innovation success," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(5), pages 548-556, May.
    14. Elisabeth F. Mueller & Carola Jungwirth, 2016. "What drives the effectiveness of industrial clusters? Exploring the impact of contextual, structural and functioning determinants," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(5-6), pages 424-447, May.
    15. Audretsch, David B & Feldman, Maryann P, 1996. "R&D Spillovers and the Geography of Innovation and Production," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(3), pages 630-640, June.
    16. David J. Teece, 2007. "Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(13), pages 1319-1350, December.
    17. Yam, Richard C.M. & Lo, William & Tang, Esther P.Y. & Lau, Antonio K.W., 2011. "Analysis of sources of innovation, technological innovation capabilities, and performance: An empirical study of Hong Kong manufacturing industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 391-402, April.
    18. Casanueva, Cristóbal & Castro, Ignacio & Galán, José L., 2013. "Informational networks and innovation in mature industrial clusters," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(5), pages 603-613.
    19. Xie, Xuemei & Zou, Hailiang & Qi, Guoyou, 2018. "Knowledge absorptive capacity and innovation performance in high-tech companies: A multi-mediating analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 289-297.
    20. Denicolai, Stefano & Ramirez, Matias & Tidd, Joe, 2016. "Overcoming the false dichotomy between internal R&D and external knowledge acquisition: Absorptive capacity dynamics over time," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 57-65.
    21. Peter J. Lane & Jane E. Salk & Marjorie A. Lyles, 2001. "Absorptive capacity, learning, and performance in international joint ventures," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(12), pages 1139-1161, December.
    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. Haishi Li & Xiangyi Xu & Shuaishuai Li, 2020. "Does Entrepreneurship Contribute to Innovation Performance When Considering Spatial Spillover Effects? Evidence From the Automobile Industrial Cluster in China," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, December.
    2. Niki Derlukiewicz & Anna Mempel-Śnieżyk & Dominika Mankowska & Arkadiusz Dyjakon & Stanisław Minta & Tomasz Pilawka, 2020. "How do Clusters Foster Sustainable Development? An Analysis of EU Policies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Lenka Ližbetinová & Peter Štarchoň & Silvia Lorincová & Dagmar Weberová & Petr Průša, 2019. "Application of Cluster Analysis in Marketing Communications in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: An Empirical Study in the Slovak Republic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, April.
    4. Michael Yao-Ping Peng & Ku-Ho Lin, 2019. "Impact of Ambidexterity and Environmental Dynamism on Dynamic Capability Development Trade-Offs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, April.
    5. Michael Yao-Ping Peng & Ku-Ho Lin & Dennis Liute Peng & Peihua Chen, 2019. "Linking Organizational Ambidexterity and Performance: The Drivers of Sustainability in High-Tech Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-17, July.
    6. Feng Xu & Yuli Bai & Shuaishuai Li, 2020. "Examining the Antecedents of Brand Engagement of Tourists Based on the Theory of Value Co-Creation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-21, March.
    7. Onan Marakali Siregar & Hatta Ridho & Muhammad Arifin Nasution & Muhammad Dharma Tuah Putra Nasution, 2024. "Knowledge Dynamics and Absorptive Capacity: Shaping Innovation Performance in the Service Business of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 14(5), pages 53-66, September.
    8. Ferasso, Marcos & Grenier, Corinne, 2021. "Fostering SME's co-development of innovative projects in biotech clusters: Extending the sets of enablers for the knowledge creation process," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    9. Feng Xu & Wenxia Niu & Shuaishuai Li & Yuli Bai, 2020. "The Mechanism of Word-of-Mouth for Tourist Destinations in Crisis," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(2), pages 21582440209, May.

    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. Hamidi, Shima & Zandiatashbar, Ahoura & Bonakdar, Ahmad, 2019. "The relationship between regional compactness and regional innovation capacity (RIC): Empirical evidence from a national study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 394-402.
    2. You, Shuyang & Zhou, Kevin Zheng & Jia, Liangding, 2021. "How does human capital foster product innovation? The contingent roles of industry cluster features," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 335-347.
    3. Mohamed Amara & Khaled Thabet, 2019. "Firm and regional factors of productivity: a multilevel analysis of Tunisian manufacturing," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 63(1), pages 25-51, August.
    4. William Bowen & Mark Atlas & Sugie Lee, 2009. "Industrial agglomeration and the regional scientific explanation of perceived environmental injustice," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 43(4), pages 1013-1031, December.
    5. Barrios, Salvador & Bertinelli, Luisito & Strobl, Eric, 2006. "Coagglomeration and spillovers," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 467-481, July.
    6. Gerlach, Heiko & Rønde, Thomas & Stahl, Konrad, 2009. "Labor pooling in R&D intensive industries," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 99-111, January.
    7. Camisón, César & Forés, Beatriz, 2011. "Knowledge creation and absorptive capacity: The effect of intra-district shared competences," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 66-86, March.
    8. Feldman, Maryann P. & Kogler, Dieter F., 2010. "Stylized Facts in the Geography of Innovation," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 381-410, Elsevier.
    9. Charlie Karlsson, 2011. "Clusters, Networks and Creativity," Chapters, in: David Emanuel Andersson & Åke E. Andersson & Charlotta Mellander (ed.), Handbook of Creative Cities, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Sugam Agarwal & Smruti Ranjan Behera, 2022. "Geographical concentration of knowledge and technology-intensive industries in India: empirical evidence from establishment-level analysis," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 513-552, December.
    11. Pe'er, Aviad & Vertinsky, Ilan, 2008. "Firm exits as a determinant of new entry: Is there evidence of local creative destruction?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 280-306, May.
    12. BARRIOS, Salvador & BERTINELLI, Luisito & STROBL, Eric, 2002. "Coagglomeration and growth," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2002053, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    13. Moretti, Enrico, 2011. "Local Labor Markets," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 14, pages 1237-1313, Elsevier.
    14. Torres de Oliveira, Rui & Verreynne, Martie-Louise & Steen, John & Indulska, Marta, 2021. "Creating value by giving away: A typology of different innovation revealing strategies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 137-150.
    15. Adil Outla & Koraich Almahdi & Moustapha Hamzaoui, 2020. "Spatial and Externality Determinants of Co-operatives and their Growth Dynamics in Morocco," Working Papers hal-03089872, HAL.
    16. B. Dettori & R. Paci & S. Usai, 2005. "Technological activity in the european regions," Working Paper CRENoS 200513, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    17. Barrios, Salvador & Bertinelli, Luisito & Strobl, E. & Teixeira, Antonio-Carlos, 2005. "The dynamics of agglomeration: evidence from Ireland and Portugal," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 170-188, January.
    18. Martínez-Román, Juan A. & Gamero, Javier & Delgado-González, María de Loreto & Tamayo, Juan A., 2019. "Innovativeness and internationalization in SMEs: An empirical analysis in European countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    19. Juan Alcácer, 2006. "Location Choices Across the Value Chain: How Activity and Capability Influence Collocation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(10), pages 1457-1471, October.
    20. Emma Howard & Carol Newman & Finn Tarp, 2016. "Measuring industry coagglomeration and identifying the driving forces," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(5), pages 1055-1078.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:7:p:1837-:d:217468. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.