The Dynamic Evolution of the Proximity Effect in the Textile Industry
This paper tests the evolution of the relationship between localization and proximity and their effect on firm performance for a sample of 10,490 Spanish textile firms in the period 2001–2006. Using coefficients of specialization two levels of geographical disaggregation are distinguished: (i) the provincial cluster and (ii) the industrial district. The results obtained show a positive and significant impact of the specialization level on productivity, both for industrial districts and provincial clusters (in this case only when the levels of specialization are high enough). In general, the effect is higher for industrial districts than for provincial clusters, although in both cases it dec…
Globalization and its impact on operational decisions
PurposeThis paper aims to analyse the impact of globalization on the manufacturing operations of industries and industrial districts and how it influences the specialization and diversification of manufacturing decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes 9,684 Spanish manufacturing textile firms and the analysis is both cross‐sectional and longitudinal.FindingsThe results show that globalization tends to diminish the district and subsector effects over time, but they also show the positive impact of specialization on productivity and of diversification on business growth.Originality/valueThe paper indicates to managers that the production function in textile firms has viability…