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Corporate Location, Concentration and Performance: Large Company Headquarters in the Australian Urban System

Author

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  • Matthew Tonts

    (School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia, mtonts@cyllene.uwa.edu.au)

  • Michael Taylor

    (School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK, m.j.taylor@bham.ac.uk)

Abstract

The paper examines the geography of corporate headquarters in the Australian urban system, giving consideration to their location, control of capital and performance. The paper argues that, while considerable recent attention has been given to global cities in the networks of corporate power, the spatial organisation of company headquarters remains important within national urban systems. In the case of Australia, Sydney and Melbourne dominate the corporate landscape, although the smaller cities of Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth occupy important niches. The paper demonstrates that there are clear variations in the relative performance of companies across the Australian urban system. There is also a pattern of sectoral specialisation within Australia’s cities which, in part, helps to explain the different development trajectories and relative levels of corporate performance. The paper concludes by exploring some of the implications of the study for the understanding of urban systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Tonts & Michael Taylor, 2010. "Corporate Location, Concentration and Performance: Large Company Headquarters in the Australian Urban System," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(12), pages 2641-2664, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:47:y:2010:i:12:p:2641-2664
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098009359029
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Michele Acuto, 2011. "Sydney: The Wicked Power-geometry of a Greening Global City," Chapters, in: Ben Derudder & Michael Hoyler & Peter J. Taylor & Frank Witlox (ed.), International Handbook of Globalization and World Cities, chapter 50, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Ling Zhang & Hui Zhang & Hao Yang, 2018. "Spatial Distribution Pattern of the Headquarters of Listed Firms in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-20, July.
    3. Chuanglin Fang & Zhenbo Wang, 2015. "Quantitative Diagnoses and Comprehensive Evaluations of the Rationality of Chinese Urban Development Patterns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-26, March.
    4. Csomós György & Derudder Ben, 2014. "Ranking Asia-Pacific cities: Economic performance of multinational corporations and the regional urban hierarchy," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 25(25), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Richard Hu, 2015. "Competitiveness, Migration, and Mobility in the Global City: Insights from Sydney, Australia," Economies, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-18, February.
    6. Ben Derudder & Michael Hoyler & Peter J. Taylor & Frank Witlox (ed.), 2011. "International Handbook of Globalization and World Cities," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13622.

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