Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
a positive or negative impact of trust and reputation. All nodes can be linked with one
another by informal relations: relational trust, competence-based trust and knowledge
l ows. The impact of a i rm's both relational and competence-based reputation on
network structure can be appreciated in terms of correlation with the centrality of the
same i rm inside the network structure.
This study aims at verifying this correlation, with reference to the following research
propositions:
(Hp1)
There is a positive correlation between the degree of relational reputation and
degree of centrality of a single actor inside the network
.
(Hp2)
There is a positive correlation between the degree of competence-based reputation
and degree of centrality of a single actor inside the network
.
These kinds of correlation, if they exist, inl uence the network trajectory (Glückler,
2007; Kenis and Knoke 2002; Kilduf and Tsai 2003). The question is whether the
structural dimensions of a social network and its variety at time 1 af ect the interac-
tions between local actors at time 2, and how this evolutionary path shapes patterns of
knowledge sharing and i rm heterogeneity. The network trajectory combines elements
of evolutionary, network and economic geography streams. As discussed above, the
next empirical section covers only the static side of the research question, and not the
network trajectory dimension. However, the cumulative evolution associated with
the network trajectory emphasizes the continuous processes of social embedding (Gulati
and Gargiulo, 1999), which highlights the relevance of factors such as trust and reputa-
tion in an evolutionary economic geography framework.
4. An analysis of tourist districts: empirical i ndings
The theoretical sections indicate two patterns for the analysis of the impact of trust and
reputation on network structure and inter-organizational routine formation. In particu-
lar, section 2 focuses on the meaning and features of the concepts of trust and reputation;
section 3 approaches the problem by building on network theory. The aim of this section
is to merge the two patterns, and to test the two research propositions formulated by
using an empirical survey carried out on three Italian tourist districts interpreted as local
networks: Bormio, Cortina d'Ampezzo and Pila. As the three local clusters share the
same economic activity, i ndings can well be compared.
Bormio is an alpine town in the centre of high Valtellina, province of Sondrio, with
approximately 4100 inhabitants, and a tourist tradition dating back to the second half of
the nineteenth century. Its alpine valleys and passes have always been points of passage
for people and products between northern and southern Europe. Cortina is a town
located in the Dolomites with about 6500 inhabitants and a long tourist tradition. On
the contrary, Pila, a small hamlet in the vicinity of Gressan (Aosta Valley), has a more
recent tourist history and operates mostly during the winter season. Tourist districts are
particularly interesting for this type of research because: (1) the i rms involved operate
in a complex system of symbiotic inter-dependencies; and (2) informal dynamics, such as
knowledge sharing, trust and reputation play a very important role.
The empirical research was carried out through network analysis methodologies
(George and Allen, 1989; Knoke and Kuklinski, 1982; Nieminen, 1974) and based on
