Societal Differences in Innovation Systems: Small vs Large-Scale Apparel Supply Chains

该项目研究创新及其在小规模服装供应链中的传播。大规模批量生产技术的趋势主导着大型服装制造商。然而，随着大规模供应链的生产继续向海外转移，越来越多的证据表明，工业化国家该行业的未来可能取决于为周期极短的时尚产品的快速反应市场提供服务的小规模供应链。小型供应商部门长期以来一直处于大多数工业化国家服装业的边缘地位，但该部门的创新正在开辟新的生产力来源和新的市场利基，而这些是海外供应商很难进入的。与大公司驱动的供应链不同，小规模供应链存在重大的社会差异。这些研究人员在美国和欧洲确定了几种不同的供应链模式--全球批发商模式（法国）、快速时尚模式（法国、意大利和英国）、救援商店模式（美国）和地区模式（意大利）。消费者偏好和零售结构的差异可以解释其中的一些社会差异，但主要的解释在于快速灵活的制造、生产网络的外部性以及来自“隐性”知识的渐进式创新。今后的挑战包括设法使小公司能够获得“编纂的”知识和新技术，在小规模供应链网络内建立新的协调机制，以及寻找将小规模供应商与大规模零售链联系起来的新方法。为了帮助发展这些改进，本项目将分析这些社会差异，在美国，法国，英国和意大利进行实地研究和关键信息调查。这项研究将增进对创新和国家生产力增长的制度来源的认识。它还将有助于完善企业，商业网络和战略商业行为的理论在几个社会科学学科-经济学，经济社会学，政治学和区域科学。其成果将通过改进创新流程加强服装行业的竞争力，使该行业能够继续为移民和其他弱势工人提供就业和创业机会。该提案概述了为实现这些目标而开展的具体传播和技术援助工作。

This project studies innovation, and its diffusion, within small-scale apparel supply chains. Trends to large-scale mass production technologies dominate the large apparel manufacturers. However, as production by large-scale supply chains continues to move offshore, there is growing evidence that the future of the industry in industrialized countries may lie with smaller-scale supply chains serving quick response markets for very short-cycle fashion products. Innovation in the small supplier sector, long marginal to the apparel industries of most industrialized countries, is opening new sources of productivity and new market niches that are very difficult for offshore suppliers to enter. Unlike supply chains driven by large firms, there are major societal differences in small-scale supply chains. These researchers have identified several different supply chain models in the United States and Europe -- a global jobber model (France), a quick fashion model (France, Italy, and the UK), a rescue-shop model (the United States), and a district model (Italy). Differences in consumer preferences and the structure of retailing can explain some of these societal differences, but the major explanations lie in quick and flexible manufacturing, the externalities of production networks, and the incremental innovations derived from "tacit" knowledge. Future challenges involve developing ways to make "codified" knowledge and new technologies accessible to small firms, establishing new coordinating mechanisms within small-scale supply chain networks, and finding new ways to link small-scale suppliers to mass retail chains. To assist in developing these improvements, this project will analyze these societal differences, using field research and key-informant surveys in the United States, France, the UK, and Italy. This research will advance knowledge about the institutional sources of innovation and national productivity growth. It will also help to refine theories of the firm, business networks, and strategic business behavior in several social science disciplines -economics, economic sociology, political science, and regional science. Results will strengthen the competitiveness of the apparel industry through improved innovation processes, so that the industry can continue to provide jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for immigrants and other disadvantaged workers. The proposal outlines concrete dissemination and technical assistance efforts to achieve these goals.