Research On Knowledge Creation Of Clustered Enterprises’ Upgrading

Can knowledge support upgrading of clustered enterprises? What factors caninfluence the support? And, what is the knowledge-creating process to fulfill theupgrading? To address these questions, this thesis respectively finishes an empiricalstudy and an exploratory case study taking the small and medium enterprises in theindustrial cluster of mobile phones in the Shenzhen City in Guangdong province assamples.Regarding the knowledge supporting upgrading of clustered enterprises. Thisthesis proves the positive impacts of several kinds of important knowledge outflowson the upgrading, such as patents and skills in manufacturing or R&D frommultinationals, policy consultancy from public agencies, new management ideas fromuniversities or institutes, and patents outside the cluster. Also, it proves thecause-effect links among process upgrading, product upgrading, R&D functionupgrading and marketing function upgrading. In the course of analysis, structureequation model is taken as main empirical study method, and LISREL as the tool.Further, this thesis utilizes regression analysis to prove the moderating role of theabsorptive capability over above impacts. Also, it analyzes the influences of humanresources and networking with different knowledge sources on knowledge outflowsand absorptive capability of clustered enterprises. SPSS is the tool of regressionanalysis.Regarding the knowledge-creating process of clustered enterprises. This thesisfinishes an exploratory case study over the sample firms based on theknowledge-creating spiral model proposed by Nonaka et al.. It analyzes the knowledgeconversion, the structure and forms of Ba, and evolvement of knowledge assets in themanagement course of mobile phones from the small and medium enterprises. Then itdevelops a new model that can facilitate spread and creative utilization of existingknowledge, called the cycling model of knowledge radiation and evolvement.Innovation of this thesis lies in three aspects. Firstly, it proves the impacts of theknowledge outflows on the upgrading of clustered enterprises, and also proves the moderating role of absorptive capability of the firms. Secondly, it proves thatnetworking with domestic firms positively influences the absorptive capability, and thequantity of human resources positively influences knowledge outflows of differentsources and the absorptive capability. Thirdly, it develops the cycling model ofknowledge radiation and evolvement of clustered enterprises based on the exploratorycase study.