Browsing by Author "Peters John Edward"

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    A critical assessment of informal networking as contributing to manufacturing firm competitiveness in the clothing cluster of the Western Cape.
    (University of the Western Cape, 2011) Peters John Edward
    The clothing industry remains an important contributor to the Western Cape economy both in terms of employment and manufacturing. During recent years the sector , viewed and supported by government as a cluster, has been battling against both internal challenges such as low productivity and unwillingness to change, and external factors which include trade liberalisation and cheap imports. Additionally , co­ operation and interaction among role-players seem to be lacking and ultimately affecting firm and cluster performance. Recent research has focussed on networking within a cluster context. That research questions the assumption that the mere existence of a cluster contributes to firm and industry competitiveness. The extent of informal networking was identified as critical to the competitiveness of firms located within a cluster. The clothing sector of the Western Cape presented an ideal opportunity to consider this link between informal networking and firm performance within a cluster context. Six clothing manufacturing firms comprising four CMTs and two full line manufacturers were selected as respondents. A literature review of past and recent publications on industrial policy, the clothing sector , clusters and networking was conducted. Qualitative data was collected by means of questionnaires and semi­ structured interviews with the six firms located in the Western Cape. Case studies for each of the six firms were developed. The findings of the research indicated that the successful firms proactively engaged in informal networking in maintaining and improving their competitiveness. The firms that reported limited engagement in informal networking experienced challenges related to productivity and firm growth and were ultimately significantly less competitive. Furthermore, network intensity and network range correlated with firm productivity and growth.