Industrial clusters, shared resources and firm performance

Drawing upon the resource-based view, this paper examines the relationships between various types of cluster-based shared resources and cluster firm performance in the Chinese context. Using survey data from a sample of 294 small-and medium-sized enterprises from industrial clusters in Zhejiang Province, we find evidence to support arguments that cluster firms in comparison with non-cluster firms demonstrate significantly higher perceptions of shared resources and that shared resources exclusively available to cluster firms link to better cluster firm performance. The findings of our research suggest that cluster policy needs to attend to the constituents of shared resources in order to enhance firm performance. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.