%T Influence of Geographical Proximity on Cooperation and Competition in Innovation Networks
%A Marco Russo
%L theses_frw3959
%D 2022
%X The role of proximity in innovation networks has increasingly become a topic of interest in management studies, organizational studies, economic geography, etc. (Lazzaretti & Capone, 2016). Close proximity brings firms together (Boschma, 2005), granting them access to assets that they do not own but are necessary for developing certain activities (Quintana-Garcia and Benavides-Velasco, 2004). These benefits result from cooperation between the firms in knowledge creation and innovation, but the driving force behind networks of firms is competition (Newlands, 2002). Competition and cooperation complement each other through a process called “coopetition” (Kim, 2020). The aim of this research is to investigate the degree to which geographical proximity influences the cooperation and simultaneous competition among firms in an innovation network. The Umbria E-mobility Network was used as a case study in order to conduct this research. Quantitative research methods were used and resulted insignificant, suggesting that, in the case of the Umbria E-mobility Network, geographical proximity does not influence competition and cooperation.