产业集群和网络建设外文翻译文献.docx

产业集群和网络建设外文翻译文献.docx

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产业集群和网络建设外文翻译文献

产业集群和网络建设外文翻译文献

（文档含英文原文和中文翻译）

外文：

CLUSTERING,NETWORKINGANDCOMPETITIVEADVANTAGE

Author:

JohnHumphrey&HubertSchmitz

Nationality:

U.K.

Derivation:

Principlesforpromotingclusters&networksofSMEs,CommissionedbytheSmallandMediumEnterprisesBranchOctober1995

IndustrialdistrictsinEuropeappeartohavesecuredcompetitiveadvantageinthesupplytodemandnichemarkets.Theyhavedonethisbycompetingmainlyonthebasisofquality,design,speedofinnovationandspeedofresponse.Thismightseemfarremovedfrom,forexample,thecottonknitwearclusterofTiruppurinSouthIndia.Thisclusterhasachievedgreatsuccessinexportingbasiccottontextiles,butasyetitshowslittlecapacitytomoveintohighervaluemarketniches（SwaminathanandJeyaranjan1994）.AnenormousgulfremainsbetweenthesmallknitwearfirmsofTiruppurandthe‘networksoftechnologicallysophisticated,highlyflexiblemanufacturingfirms’whichPioreandSabel（1984:

17）characterizeasthebasisoftheItaliansuccess.However,itwillbearguedherethatthesedifferingcasesdohaveimportantthingsincommon,andthatwhattheyhaveincommonprovidesthepotentialforclusterssuchasTiruppurtoupgradetheirfacilitiesandbecometechnologicallymoresophisticatedandmorecapableofcompetingindemandingmarkets.Whattheyhaveincommonisthecompetitiveadvantagewhichariseswhenenterpriseswhichareclusteredtogetheraredrivenforwardbytheneedsofdemandingcustomers.

Theideathattherearegainsinclusteringisoldhatinindustrialeconomics.ItcanbetracedbacktoAlfredMarshall’sanalysisofindustrialdistrictsinBritain.InhisPrinciplesofEconomics（1stedition,1890）,Marshallstressedtheeconomieswhich‘canoftenbesecuredbytheconcentrationofmanysmallbusinessesofasimilarcharacterinparticularlocalities’（8thedition,1920,221）.Hereferstosuchgainsas‘externaleconomies’andseesthemasparticularlyrelevanttosmallfirms.TheconceptofexternaleconomiesisintroducedbyMarshallinordertodrawout（i）whyandhowthelocationofindustrymatters,and（ii）whyandhowsmallfirmscanbeefficientandcompetitive.Inhisownwords,‘wenowproceedtoexaminethoseveryimportantexternaleconomieswhichcanoftenbesecuredbytheconcentrationofmanysmallbusinessesofasimilarcharacterinparticularlocalities’（1920:

221）.Hereferstosuchlocalitiesas‘localizedindustry’or‘industrialdistricts’.Hedoesnotprovideadefinitionforeither,buthisexamplesmakeitclearthathemeantaclusterwithadeepinter-firmdivisionoflabour.

Theconceptofexternaleconomiesisessentialtounderstandefficiencyadvantageswhichsmallfirmsderivefromclustering.Thereremains,however,theproblemthattheconceptisrestrictedtounplannedgainsorlosses.AsstatedbyMishan（1971:

2）,‘theessentialfeatureoftheconceptofanexternaleffectisthattheeffectproducedisnotadeliberatecreationbutanunintendedorincidentalby-productofsomeotherwiselegitimateactivity.Suchincidentaleffectsareofenormousimportanceincontemporaryindustrialdistricts,but-asstressedbyBrusco（1990）,PioreandSabel（1984）,Trigilia（1989）andothers-thereisalsoconsciouslypursuedjointaction.Suchjointactioncanbeoftwotypes,individualfirmscooperating（forexample,sharingequipmentordevelopinganewproduct）andgroupsoffirmsjoiningforcesinbusinessassociations,producerconsortiaandthelike.Theconceptofcollectiveefficiencybringstogethertheincidentalandconsciouslypursuedfirmsandseekstocapturetheessentialpointthatcompetitivenesscanneitherbeunderstoodnorenhancedbyfocusingonindividualfirms.Collectiveefficiencycanbedefinedasthecompetitiveadvantagesderivedfromlocalexternaleconomiesandjointaction（Schmitz1995b）.

Aclearunderstandingofwhatbringsaboutthiscollectiveefficiencyiscriticalforbothanalysisandpolicy.Agroupofproducersmakingsimilarthingsinthesamelocalityinitselfbringsfewbenefits.Itdoeshoweverhelpthemtospecialize;itattractssuppliersandbuyers,anditgeneratesapoolofspecializedworkers.AsshownbyRabellotti（1995b）theexternaleconomieswhichariserangefromstaticgainssuchaseasyavailabilityofinputs,todynamicgainssuchasthefastspreadofnewideasofhowtoinnovate.Beinginthesamesectorandlocationalsofacilitatestakingjointactionwhichagaincanrangefrommorestaticconcernssuchasassociationsdefendinglocalproducersindisputeswithgovernmentordynamicconcernssuchastakinggroupsoflocalproducerstoforeigntradefairsinthesearchfornewmarkets.

Acommonmisconceptionisthatthestressoncollectiveefficiencymeansdenyingcompetition.Itdoesnot.Onthecontrary,rivalryisoftenparticularlysevereamongstclusteringproduce