This paper examines the processes and causes of inter-firm network success and failure, defined in terms of the ability of networks to become a sustained and valued form of business activity for their members. The paper examines four different case study network initiatives: (1) a failed...

This paper is a study of the skills economy of the rural region of Mid Wales, and the subsequent policy responses that could be activated to stimulate job creation and upgrading through skills development and training. A skills economy approach incorporates the means by which the expectations of...

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...

The global nature of foreign direct investment (FDI) is changing in terms of both location and sectors of activity. This paper analyses recent flows of R&D FDI across the globe. It is found that North America has been the source of one-half of all R&D FDI between 2002 and 2005. Asia Pacific,...

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...

Culture matters for regional economic development and is one source of cognitive lock-in that influences path creation and dependency. However, little is known about the sources of regional variation in culture. This study explores the long-term imprinting effect of the Industrial Revolution on...

This paper critically reviews the structure and function of regional knowledge networks and modes of engagement between universities and the business community. It is argued that while networks between universities and the business community are growing, it is often difficult to ascribe improved...

"Exploring the process of university collaboration from the perspective of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this book offers an in-depth examination of the collaboration process, dispelling the myth of the disengagement of these firms. Andrew Johnston and Robert Huggins present a...