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The Role of Leading Firms in the Evolution of SME Clusters: Evidence from the Leather Products Cluster in Florence

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  • Filippo Randelli
  • Mauro Lombardi

Abstract

Clusters that emerged in the past have changed during the latest decades, so that today the research challenge in economic geography is on their evolution over time. The aim of this paper is to update the evolutionary path of SME Italian clusters, which faced the economic crisis are undergoing a process of decline in the number of firms. Furthermore, changes in the techno-economic landscape and in the competitive environment have generated new challenges. In this context, some leading firms, able to connect local resources (and firms) to global networks, have emerged over time and today they act as a gatekeeper. The focus will be on local networks interacting with leading firms and particular attention will be devoted to the pattern of co-evolution and to the geographical dimension of this co-evolutionary process. To empirically verify if other firms in the cluster may co-evolve with the leading firm over time, a deep analysis of the Gucci network in the leather products cluster in Florence will be carried out.

Suggested Citation

  • Filippo Randelli & Mauro Lombardi, 2014. "The Role of Leading Firms in the Evolution of SME Clusters: Evidence from the Leather Products Cluster in Florence," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(6), pages 1199-1211, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eurpls:v:22:y:2014:i:6:p:1199-1211
    DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2013.773963
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    7. Grumadaitė Kristina & Jucevičius Giedrius, 2017. "Preconditions for Emergence of Lithuanian Clusters: from Informal Cooperation to Its Legitimation," Management of Organizations: Systematic Research, Sciendo, vol. 77(1), pages 37-56, June.
    8. Sun, Yutao, 2016. "The structure and dynamics of intra- and inter-regional research collaborative networks: The case of China (1985–2008)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 70-82.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • L67 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Other Consumer Nondurables: Clothing, Textiles, Shoes, and Leather Goods; Household Goods; Sports Equipment
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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