In the early 1800s, the Springfield Armory located in Western Massachusetts was the hub of an industrial district that stretched along the Connecticut River Valley between Hartford, Connecticut and White River Junction, Vermont, populated by networked groups of small metalworking and machine-making firms and a diverse group of final goods producers. The metalworking firms perfected numerous production techniques as they built tools, fixtures, molds, rifles, carriages, rail cars, and automobiles that were diffused to other regional producers. Without the Armory, Springfield was destined to become a transportation center according to Armory historian Derwent Whittlesey. Employing highly skilled labor and producing fine grade steel goods, Springfield developed an economic life which, according to Whittlesey, had 'fewer drawbacks than that of most manufacturing cities. As a consequence, Springfield is neither a sleepy village resting on its past glories, nor is it a coarse factory town, conspicuous for its slums and tired workers'.
In establishing themselves as global players, Japanese electronics firms moved over the years from a position of dependence on foreign technology to one of technological leadership. This chapter explores how this transformation was achieved and how Japanese electronics firms have learned to control and exploit knowledge creating systems and processes. It distinguishes throughout between the proximate and ultimate sources of industrial growth. In particular, the chapter seeks to establish the multi-faceted context and complex set of relationships that have conditioned strategic decision making and the creation of technological capabilities. It begins by analyzing the proximate causes of industrial growth and put forward a simple interpretive model. The analysis is deepened through a discussion of the ultimate (historical, cultural and political) sources of industrial growth. The chapter aims to contextualize and explain the movement from knowledge dependence to knowledge creation. It concludes by analyzing the outcomes and implications of the growth and technological advance of the Japanese electronics industry since 1945.
This chapter provides a detailed empirical foundation for discussing the role of dissemination of technical, organizational, and managerial knowledge within regional innovation systems. Accordingly, it focuses on qualification for management in regional innovation systems. In Norway, the policy of transferring knowledge to regional business has developed through three different regimes with its respective systemic traits. The first regime was active from 1917 until 1953, based on the cooperation between small business advisory branches in the regions, Smaindustrikontorer, and a semi-public advisory organisation Statens teknologiske institutt (STI), which was set up in 1916 to facilitate flow of knowledge to businesses by the use of liaisons or consultants. The second regime emerged in 1953 was created in connection with the Marshall Plan and the productivity drive in Europe. The third regime emerged after 1987, as the Government decided that the County authorities should take over the local branches of the STI and be responsible for developing the regional flow of knowledge.
