Identification, Typologization, and Performance Implications of Regional Clusters' Business Models

企业在区域集群中定位，以便通过与附近相关行业的企业以及与研究设施等其他机构合作来创造附加值。它们寻求从集群的积极外部效应中获益，如增加知识外溢，以提高竞争优势。在过去几十年中，公共补贴和私人投资推动了新的区域集群的形成，特别是在欧洲和美国。由于这些举措，今天的集群景观是多样和分散的，到目前为止，并不是所有的集群都被认为是成功地产生积极的集群外部性。现有的关于区域集群的研究在战略和组织的子学科缺乏一个系统的方法，使集群的商业逻辑的全面分析，从而揭示为什么一些集群成功地为现有的企业创造价值，而其他人没有。商业模式概念可以作为这种分析的基础。到目前为止，它是在组织层面上用来解释企业如何工作和实现创造价值。本研究项目的目标是首次将商业模式概念转移到区域集群的组织间层面，并开发一种区域集群商业模式的类型学，以便系统分析集群之间的绩效差异。我试图在沃顿商学院（宾夕法尼亚大学，美国）为期五个月的研究期间实现这一目标，重点是两个主要步骤：1）我在概念上转移的商业模式元素，因为他们在文献中定义的，从组织背景下的区域集群的组织间背景。在必要的情况下，根据各子学科的主要理论（如交易成本经济学、战略网络理论），对以下理论要素进行调整。2）然后，对这种新型商业模式概念在欧美集群中的实证表现进行研究。特别是，我确定经验的商业模式类型的区域集群使用观察，访谈，调查和二手数据，以捕捉单一的商业模式元素。最后，我统计分析的类型之间的性能差异的来源，得出结论的意义上的商业模式要素集群的成功。在这个研究项目中，我创建的商业模式概念的知识，扩大其解释力，并适应它在组织间的背景下使用。因此，我的贡献是在战略和组织的子学科更强有力的建立概念。此外，该项目还通过提供一种新的方法来调查其业务逻辑，为进一步系统分析区域集群等组织间结构开辟了途径。

Firms locate in regional clusters in order to generate added value by cooperating with nearby firms from related industries and with other institutions like research facilities. They seek to benefit from positive cluster externalities, such as increased knowledge spillovers, to enhance their competitive edge. In the last few decades, public subsidies and private investments pushed the formation of new regional clusters, particularly in Europe and the United States. Due to these initiatives, today's cluster landscape is heterogeneous and fragmented and by far not all clusters are considered to be successful in generating positive cluster externalities. Extant research on regional clusters in the sub-disciplines of strategy and organization lacks a systematic approach that enables a comprehensive analysis of the clusters' business logics and thus sheds light on why some clusters succeed in creating value for the incumbent firms while others do not. The business model concept can serve as the foundation for this analysis. So far, it is used on an organizational level to explain how firms work and achieve to create value. The objective of this research project is to transfer the business model concept for the first time to the inter-organizational level of regional clusters and to develop a typology of regional clusters' business models that allows for a systematic analysis of performance differentials between the clusters. I seek to accomplish this objective during a five-month research stay at the Wharton School of Business (University of Pennsylvania, USA), focusing on two major steps: 1) I conceptually transfer the business model elements, as they are defined in the literature, from the organizational context to the inter-organizational context of regional clusters. As far as necessary, I adapt the elements following theoretical considerations based on the main theories of the sub-disciplines (e.g. transaction cost economics, strategic network theory).2) The novel business model concept is then studied with regard to its empirical manifestation in European and US-American clusters. In particular, I identify empirical business model types of regional clusters using observation, interview, survey, and secondary data to capture the single business model elements. Finally, I statistically analyze the sources of performance differentials between the types to conclude on the meaningfulness of the business model elements for the success of a cluster. In this research project, I create knowledge on the business model concept, expand its explanatory power, and adapt it for the use in the inter-organizational context. Therewith, I contribute to a stronger establishment of the concept in the sub-disciplines of strategy and organization. Also, this project opens avenues for further systematic analyses of inter-organizational constructs, such as regional clusters, by providing a novel approach to investigating their business logics.