• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.240-257
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• 2012

Regional innovation cluster is closely related to promoting innovations through activities for knowledge sharing and exchanges among organizations in an adjacent regional context. However, performance of activities for knowledge sharing and exchanges are basically influenced by cultural characteristics of the industries or regions where the organization belongs to. Therefore, knowledge management strategies in a unit of a regional cluster need to consider the cultural characteristics of an industry or region and in turn different activities need to be adopted according to cultural characteristics. This study explores the relationship between cultural differences and the performance of the activities to promote knowledge exchanges in a regional innovation cluster. For this study, factors reflecting cultural characteristics of diverse industries and regions were extracted and the relationships with the performance of the activities promoting inter-organizational knowledge exchanges were analyzed through statistical method.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.133-155
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• 2005

After the publication of the competitive advantage of nations by Porter in 1990, the competitiveness of regional concentrations of industries has been often explained by the cluster concept. There are many definitions of clusters, but they mainly boil down to a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities. The shipbuilding industry in Korea can for sure be regarded as a competitive industry, as the spectacular rise of its world market share from 2% in the early 1970s to the current 38% impressively testifies, but can it be considered a cluster? Based on an analytical framework consisting of a typology of clusters and a context-sensitive evolutionary approach, the paper will show that over the last thirty years Korea's shipbuilding developed from a mere number of isolated, large shipyards (cathedrals in the desert) established by large conglomerates (chaebol) in close collaboration with the central government into an innovative cluster. The cluster is on the one hand characterised by a strongly developed supply industry and specialised universities and research institutes, but on the other hand by a weak, yet increasing role for local and regional institutions The specific and context-dependent characteristics of this innovative cluster are more important explanations for its competitiveness than the financial interventions by the central government, which are repeatedly put forward by European policy-makers in their trade war with Korea.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1-27
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• 2006

This paper rejuvenates the existing discussion on the importance of cluster approach to industry development strategies. Current evidences suggest that the shape of economic policy and practice is changing significantly around the world. Governments continually search for new tools and policy formulas to improve economic performance and create economic prosperity for all citizens. In this context a more proactive and strategic role for government in support of the cluster-based economic development model has emerged. This paper uses Singapore's petrochemical industry as an example to study the cluster approach to industry development. In doing so, there is much optimism to the importance of state and its institutions to play a significant role on industry development. Nevertheless, the study also raises doubts on whether the cluster-based strategy is due to the concept itself or due to other important factors.

• Proceedings of the Technology Innovation Conference
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• 2002.06a
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• pp.238-256
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• 2002

Competitiveness of a nation can be explained by the concept of national innovation systems(NIS). As components of NIS, industry clusters become the issue in analysing innovative activity of an economy. Innovative clusters can be identified by the innovation survey or other economic activity data. Input-output Table was used widely as a tool for quantitative analysis, This paper classifies seven clusters in Korean industry based on inter-industries trade of intermediary goods and services, Maximizing procedure method is used in analysing input-output table. Identified clusters are Textiles/chemicals, Construction/Material, Instrument/Equipment, Automobile, Services, Energy, and Agriculture/Food cluster, Among these clusters, some different characteristics in R&D portfolios are detected. R&D investment characteristics of each cluster give us significant implications in understanding innovative dynamics of Korean industry.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.63-79
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• 2012

Regional innovation systems and clusters represent a fashionable conceptual basis for regional innovation policies in many industrialized countries (including South Korea). Due to questions related to climate change and environment-friendly energy production, the green industry has been increasingly discussed in relation to regional innovation systems and clusters. This explorative paper analyzes these discussions and critically examines the emergence of green clusters in South Korea based on the case of the wind power cluster in Jeonbuk Province. It tentatively concludes that the role of the central government is too powerful and the role of regional actors (policy-makers and entrepreneurs) is too weak for the successful emergence of green clusters.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.362-374
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• 2008

Under a knowledge-based economy, regional innovation policies have been treated as important regional policies. In this paper, the author attempts to argue the possibilities and problems for regional innovation in Japan. For this purpose, the author has investigated the development of industry-academy-government collaboration in Ube City which has been designated as one of a number of knowledge cluster projects by the National Government. Ube City is a typical company town and the regional system had been characterized by the vertical relationship between a core company and it's subcontractors. Since the late 19905, the local national university has played an important role to promote cooperation with various types of enterprises, research institutions, and local governments. As such horizontal relationships have become more influential, it is necessary to overcome the gap in interest and knowledge base between the core company and the local university.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.197-224
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• 2005

Recently, the notion of National Innovation System (NIS) has attracted considerable attention as a key driver of the economic success. Amongst others, the Northeast Asian countries deserve highlight as central cases of NIS. This research attempts to examine inter-industrial knowledge flows and structure among Northeast Asian countries. To this end, Korea, Japan and Taiwan are selected and the patent citation data, a proxy of disembodied knowledge flows, from United Stated Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO) are employed for cluster analysis and network analysis. Some meaningful findings are presented and distinctive characteristics of respective countries are contrasted.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.149-163
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• 2023

The policy of promoting innovation clusters aims to enhance the competitiveness of industries by strengthening the linkages between industry sectors and research sectors in specific regions. In Korea, after the concept of innovation clusters was introduced by the OECD in 1997, Korean government actively pursued policies based on this concept in the fields of industry, region, and science and technology. Previous policies and research on the activation of innovation clusters have tended to focus on the exchange and collaboration among members. However, this study focused on enhancing the competitiveness of industries and regions, in other words, strengthening the competitiveness of companies, which is the fundamental reason for fostering innovative clusters. Accordingly, this study aimed to analyze the impact of factors activating innovation clusters on the business performance of SMEs located in the Daedeok Innopolis. To achieve this, based on the essential concept of innovation clusters such as industrial agglomeration factors, networking factors, innovation generation factors, the study derived factors for activating innovation clusters and verified hypotheses using the survey results of 175 companies. Among the factors activating innovation clusters, industrial agglomeration and innovation generation were found to have a positive impact on the business performance of companies. However, networking factors were analyzed to have no significant influence on the business performance of companies. This study differentiates itself by addressing the factors for activating innovation clusters through empirical analysis, unlike previous case-based studies. Furthermore, considering the difference between intuitive judgments on networking factors in innovation clusters and their actual impact on business performance, the study raised the practical significance of conducting a comprehensive examination from various perspectives, such as the socially and culturally embedded structures in the region, the characteristics of specialized industries, and the needs of cluster members, to develop more effective policies for innovation clusters.

• Proceedings of the Korea Technology Innovation Society Conference
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.556-564
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• 2014

• Proceedings of the Technology Innovation Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.88-111
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• 2004