Research Of Urban Network Based On Firm Network

Since the1990s, the globalization of TNCs and revolution of information technology have been changing fast. They have profound impacts on the spatial behavior of enterprises and urban spatial organization. With entering the globalization and information age, the urban spatial organization arouses some new trends, more and more researches show that geography is still an important factor of the firm network and urban network.The significance of cities as innovation center is becoming more clearly in the globalization era.By the mechanism of division, power and rent, firm networks from local to global scale are constructed by actors. With the development of firm network, the links between cities become close, and promote the development of the urban network. The urban network is an essential factor for the development of firm network. The firm network and urban network complement each other. The firm network and urban network have become important engine of world economy in the information era. The research on urban network based on the firm network has also become the forefront of the international academic community. The most important research approaches are actor-network theory (ANT) and social network analysis (SNA). ANT is a post-structuralist approach, which focus on the formation process of firm network and the urban network qualitatively. SNA can accurately reveal the nature and links of firm network and urban network more quantitatively.With the development of China's reform and opening up, the modern enterprise system and the socialist market economic system gradually established in China. Firm spatial organization is more and more affected by laws of market economy, and the complex firm network has been formed on the regional, national, and global spatial scale. The links between headquarters and subsidiary constitute an important connotation of the inter-linkages between the cities. Cities which firm headquarters located are powerful control centers of firm network and urban network. It is important to learn international advanced theory critically and do research on urban network of China based on firm network. This research will enrich both Chinese and international urban network theory research and promote the Chinese urban network development.This research based on the latest international research trend of economic geography and urban geography to study firm network and urban network. It collected Chinese A share listed company annual report in2005and2010, established a corporate headquarters subsidiary network database, and used the related statistical data, carry out research on regional, national and global three spatial scales. On the regional scale, it used social network analysis (SNA) method to carry out an in-depth quantitative analysis on regional urban network structure of the Yangtze River Delta. On the national scale, it studied gravity of Shanghai on Chinese urban network from the perspective of firm network. On the global scale; it studied economic contact of Yangtze River Delta urban network and oversea city-regions. Research on the Yangtze River Delta urban network structure at regional scale makes the following conclusion:(1) Spatial polarization trend exists in the Yangtze River Delta urban network. Cities located at Z shape development corridor city (except Changzhou,Zhengjiang) have a strong power controlling the network, even as the control center of network. Shanghai is the most powerful city in this network.Nanjing and Hangzhou are sub-center. Central Jiangsu (except Nantong), North Jiangsu, Southwest Zhejiang (except Taizhou) become the attachment nodes in the network. From2005to2010, the Yangtze River Delta city network structure concentrated force is still greater than the scattered forces. Z shape development corridor city (except Changzhou.Zhengjiang) consolidate the network power as control centers.(2)Structure of Yangtze River Delta urban network is often affected by the Administrative Region Economic. Subgroups Analysis showed that, from2005to2010, Shanghai is the core of all factions; Zhejiang cities, Jiangsu cities, respectively around Hangzhou, Nanjing to form a small faction. Investment between Jiangsu and Zhejiang cities is relatively small except Nanjing and Hangzhou. This reflected the fact that Yangtze River Delta economic integration happened between the major cities. Based on firm of services industry network the Administrative Region Economic of the Yangtze River Delta urban network becomes more apparent.(3) On the whole, we found urban network structure based on the firm network of the Yangtze River Delta and the level of economic development were closely related to each other. Economic development level and the tertiary industry development level have positive influence respectively on entire industry network and service network node centrality. Entrepreneur spirit also has positive effects on out dergree of network. From the perspective of firm network to study the gravity of YRD on the Chinese urban network make conclusion as follows:(1) Shanghai is the most important city of YRD to effect other Chinese cities. Cities located at Z shape development corridor city (except Changzhou) have a strong power on the interaction between Chinese urban network.(2)There are regional differences of Shanghai's gravitation. East, North and South China urban economic zone has close relationship with Shanghai. Yangtze River Delta region is the most closely connected with Shanghai.(3) There are adjacent diffusion and hierarchical diffusion characteristics of the radiation of Shanghai's gravity on Chinese urban network. It tends to agglomerate at the coast region and Yangtze River Region. Beijing, Shenzhen which are also financial center of China have Close economic ties with Shanghai. From the perspective of FDI and ODI to study economic ties between Yangtze River Delta and Shanghai have the following main conclusions:(1) FDI promotes the globalization of the Yangtze River Delta but locks it in lower end of global value chain. East Asia, North America, Western Europe are most important trading partner with the Yangtze River Delta.Hong Kong plays as an important export market and the largest source of FDI for Yangtze River Delta.(2) ODI from the Yangtze River Delta's listed companies is mainly concentrated in East Asia, Western Europe, North America and offshore financial center. Hong Kong is the most important destination of ODI from Yangtze River Delta.(3) World city network shaped by the Yangtze River Delta is very important for Yangtze River Delta to become powerful control center of world economic. Z shape development corridor city (except Changzhou) have strong power in this world city network.(4) Regression analysis shows that the development of the financial industry and the level of entrepreneurship had positive effect on the Yangtze River Delta's ODI. On the base of theoretical and empirical analysis,this study discussed three question(1) First, firm network's agglomeration and diffusion process was the main motive force of YRD city-region development.(2)Second, Yangtze River Delta regional spatial structure had one axis and two district three center.Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou along the Z shape development corridor were there centers of network.(3) Third, Shanghai is important node of world city newtwork.It needs to play the function of" Global City"and " World City"together. Based on the three empirical analyses and discussion, this research gives some suggestion:(1)On regional scale,Yangtze River Delta should speed up regional economic integration, strengthen regional economic cooperation, encourage enterprises to break the shackles of the administrative divisions to optimize the network form, and promote the corporate network development of the relatively less developed region in order to promote a relatively balanced development.(2)0n a national scale, Shanghai should further enhance the gravitation for China's urban network, especially to strengthen the radiation of North China,South China, Fujian Province, and Northwest China.(3) On a global scale, the Yangtze River Delta should actively implement the'Going Out' development strategy to encourage more listed companies to expand overseas firm network, thereby enhancing the power to control the world economy. Yangtze River Delta should upgrade itself from world factory to be world office and get more benefit from world economy.