Assignment
Competitive Advantage - Clusters
General:
This assignment involves research and analysis of an emerging area of business involving competitive advantage.
1. Explain the concept of clusters in your own words using at least two sources or definitions of clusters with appropriate referencing. One definition of cluster should be unrelated to business. Look for examples related to fruit, trees or other components. The second definition should involve the notion of concepts as explained by the above presentation and video. Then, add, in your own words, what you have learned is the rationale behind the creation of clusters?
2. What different types of organizations are important to form a successful cluster?
3. In your own words, explain how clusters relate to economic development, innovation and/or job creation?
4. Provide 3 examples of successful clusters that we have not discussed in class. Outline the various participants in each cluster.
5. Identify five specific organizations/firms/other that are or could contribute to an existing or potential cluster for the business selected for your FITT project. This could be in Canada and/or the country/state/market you are researching (AUSTRALIA).
Logistics
• Maximum 3 pages double-spaced
• Paragraph form for 1 and 3. Point form is fine for 2, 4 and 5.
• All reference sources must be properly cited (in text, endnotes, footnotes, bibliography.)
MORE READING IF YOU LIKE
Clusters and Competition: New Agendas for Companies, Governments, and Institutions
Publication Date: Jun 7, 1999 Author(s):Michael E. Porter
Product Number: 2034 Length: 50p Hard Copy $10.95 each
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Description:
Today's economic map of the world is characterized by what Michael Porter calls clusters: geographic concentrations of firms, suppliers, related industries, and specialized institutions that occur in a particular field in a nation, state, or city. This chapter from Porter's book On Competition explores this essential ingredient of economic development and how it can foster new roles for business, government, and institutions as well as new ways to structure relationships among them. This chapter formed the basis of Michael Porter's Harvard Business Review article Clusters and the New Economics of Competition (November/December 1998).
Article Abstract
Title: From clusters to cluster-based economic development
Author: Christian H.M. Ketels, Olga Memedovic
https://www.inderscience.com/search/index.php?action=record&rec_id=19979&prevQuery=&ps=10&m=or
Innovation and Clusters
European Presidency Conference on Innovation and Clusters
22-23 January 2008, Stockholm
Clusters or Business Clusters
Listed below are several relevant articles/websites. The Development of the cluster concept - present experiences and further developments
Michael Porter at Harvard has done considerable work in this field. An internet search may surface other explanations. Christian Ketels and other have based their work on Porter's ideas.
Here is the link for the 2008 Michael Porter presentation we reviewed in class
https://www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/20080122_EuropeanClusterPolicy.pdf
Here is Dr. Porter in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5I_cnpP99U&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLC9BC99B388D1FFA7
Another video reviewed in class https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWKjEO3RI38
By Christian H. M. Ketels https://www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/Frontiers_of_Cluster_Research_2003.11.23.pdf
https://www.vinnova.se/In-English/misc/Speciella_sidor/Innovation-and-Clusters/