Management Research Seminar: “The Primordial Soup Of Cluster Genesis: The Historical Case Of The British Motor Clubs”
Speaker
Paolo Aversa – Cass Business School, UK
Thursday, June 21st, 2018 – 2:30 – 4:00
Paris: Room P304
Lille: Visio Room E220
Abstract
Literature has investigated how industrial clusters and localized industries emerge and evolve thanks to several factors – entrepreneurs, firms, institutions, resource and knowledge concentrations, among others. Yet, there is still little understanding of the antecedents of clusters before the emergence of any entrepreneurial venture. Through an historical, inductive exploration of archival data and interviews, this study aims to disentangle the distinct elements and process of the “primordial soup” leading to cluster genesis. The historical case study of the British motor clubs as antecedents of the British ‘Motorsport Valley’ is analysed. The construct of collective passion emerges as a coalescing force binding institutions, collective practices and collective artefacts across multiple generative events. Ultimately our process exploration shows how endogenous and exogenous shocks enable the ingredients to react and transform amateur practices into a clustered population of businesses ventures.
