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Volume 33 Number 1 June 2008 |
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A Functionalist Framework for Identifying Business Clusters: Applications in Far North Queensland |
| Adee Athiyaman and Celik Parkan
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Abstract |
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The extant literature on industry-cluster identification recommends the use of both quantitative and qualitative data to uncover clusters. We argue for a functionalist approach to identifying clusters. The logic here is that since spatial proximity of firms is an observed fact, attempts to uncover business clusters should begin with a statistical test of the randomness of firm density in a region. Rejection of this hypothesis should lead to an inter-firm analysis that identifies the relationships among firms in the region. Data from a regional area in the state of Queensland, Australia, are employed to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework.
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Keywords |
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INDUSTRY CLUSTERS; COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE; SPATIAL ANALYSIS; Q-METHODOLOGY; CAIRNS; AUSTRALIA
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Contact DetailsAdee AthiyamanWestern Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455, USA Celik Parkan Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548, USA Email: cparkan@liu.edu |
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This page was last updated in September 2008. Copyright © The University of New South Wales Phone: +61 2 9931 9200; Email: eajm@agsm.edu.au |