The Geography of knowledge sources in the Czech outdoor equipment industry: key role of global temporary clusters and of national informal networks
Abstract
In contrast to the swiftly expanding set of studies devoted to the study of knowledge sources for high-tech industries in highly developed regions, the aim of this paper is to provide insights into the geography of knowledge sources of low-tech industry in the European semi-periphery. Czech outdoor equipment producing firms are primarily SMEs and are often based on a tradition of homemade manufacturing, dating from the period of communism.
Nevertheless, some of them now compete globally and, therefore, clearly needed to undergo a huge leap forward in competitiveness, during a relatively short period of time. Consequently, the paper seeks to discover what strategies they have employed for achieving higher competitiveness and to explore the geography of their knowledge sources.
The results suggest a complex pattern of knowledge flows on various levels and a significant role of global buzz in temporary clusters.