Research On The Effect Of Social Capital On Enterprise’s Innovation In The Cluster

With the increasingly fierce global competition, the focus of market competition has changed. The original competition between enterprises, mainly to cost savings, has being replaced by the competition for the purpose of innovation. Whether to have the innovation ability has become the most important factor of enterprises to gain a competitive advantage in the fierce market. More and more enterprises through contractual agreement, social relations, and business ties, cooperate with other enterprises, universities, research institutions, government agencies so as to achieve the purpose of innovation. Study found that, when the enterprises or organizations adopt a mutual-trust and cooperative attitude to use the unique human, financial and material resources of both sides, they can not only greatly reduce transaction costs between organizations and improve production efficiency, but also can accelerate the speed of knowledge and technology exchange, thereby encourage innovation behavior and obtain more innovation achievements.Industrial cluster as a network form of organization, is the economic system in combination with other elements made by many associated businesses and institutions. This geographical proximity and industrial association, not only helps the cluster enterprises to use resources conveniently, but also promote the realization of corporate innovation. In the industrial clusters, enterprise innovation is mainly achieved through interaction, built on the basis of certain rules, networks and trust. Social capital, which involves the concepts of trust, norms and so on, provides a new perspective for us to explain the enterprise innovation in clusters.Many scholars have begun to introduce social capital theory and methods to the analysis of industrial clusters and enterprise innovation. Existing research has laid a theoretical foundation for our further research. But most studies only limited social capital as a whole concept, not to examine the impact of social capital on enterprise innovation from the three dimensions, and only those investigated from the three dimensions are not clear. Therefore, on the basis of previous research, this article attempts to study the social capital from its three dimensions, trying to figure out the specific structure of the corporate social capital in the cluster and its impact on enterprise innovation. Then further analyze the mechanism of social capital affects enterprise innovation through case studies, which provides a theoretical reference for further studies.This article uses the single case study method to analyze the relationship between corporate social capital and enterprise innovation in the cluster. It selects the Dalian Software Park as its research object. First of all, on the basis of the explicit "social capital" and "Business Innovation" concept, it proposes research questions and establishes a research object. Secondly, it reviews the relevant theory documents, providing the theoretical foundation for the study. Thirdly, it makes a scientific study design to ensure the reliability and validity of the case study. Under the guidance of the research design, it finishes data collection and research interviews, and classified the data of the Software Park. Fourthly, on the basis of the results of the interviews as well as second-hand data of the Dalian Software Park, the author analyzes the internal corporate social capital formation. Next, case discussion. Investigate the composition and characteristics of the corporate social capital in the cluster and discuss the influence of different types of corporate social capital on business innovation. Finally, we come to conclusions, summed up the triple cluster of corporate social capital dimensions and dimension of the sub-dimensions, and analyze the effects of various dimensions on corporate innovation. The triple dimensions of corporate social capital are structural dimension, cognitive dimension and relationship dimension. Structural dimensions, including the relationship of cluster enterprises with downstream customers and upstream suppliers, counterparts, government and related agencies, university and training institutions, as well as corporate manager clubs; cognitive dimension, including a shared vision between business organizations, common cognitive and behavioral patterns, and shared values; relationship dimension mainly involves trust between enterprises.The biggest innovation of this paper is to explore through case study and summarize the contents and its characteristics of corporate social capital in the cluster, and draw each dimension for Business Innovation. Directions for future research are very broad, such as multi-case studies from different industries and sectors, or studying the different characteristics of the enterprises in the same industry cluster.