Knowledge networks are now recognised as a crucial element underlying the economic success and competitiveness of geographic locations, in particular regions. The aim of this paper is to assess the types of knowledge networks utilised and formed by knowledge-based small- and medium-sized...

This paper investigates awareness among Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) and firms in the UK of inter-firm networking, and the effectiveness of the instruments used by TECs to generate networking. It evaluates the consequential outputs of and barriers to networking, the level of...

The academic discussion of business co-operation and networks is often undertaken in fairly abstract terms. The objective of this paper is to add some realism through “on-the-ground” examples of inter-firm networks in which Training and Enterprise Councils (TECS) have acted in a facilitating...

This paper discusses two economic functions of the University of Wales Cardiff (Cardiff University) in relation to local and regional economic development. The first concerns its direct and indirect impact as an economic force in its own rights in the locality and the wider city-region of South...

The author reviews and examines the relevant literature concerning the role that networks have played in the local economic development activities of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). The analysis focuses on TECs as actors within, and catalysts of, networks -- specifically at the local...

The objective of this paper is to review, from a TEC perspective, the effect of changing Conservative Government policies in the 1990s, such as the introduction of Business Links, on local economic development strategies. The paper focuses on the effects of the Government's attempt to vest in...

The author examines the role of workforce development - in the form of skills upgrading and training - in integrating and embedding foreign direct investment (FDI) in the economy of Wales. He finds that by far the most important deciding factor in choosing Wales as an investment location is the...

This article considers the role of trust in structuring and sustaining entrepreneurial networks in Anglo-American communities. Interviews with stakeholders involved in innovation investment demonstrate how shared identity and experience serve as proxies for trust in influencing decisions, and...

This paper reports on a new initiative aimed at creating an integrated approach to encouraging the formation of a new cluster of Arts, Crafts and Technology (ACT) in London around the London Bridge area by emphasising the importance of identity and branding in urban centres. Here we present the...