Cluster-based knowledge is recognized as a cornerstone of competitiveness
(FurmanS et al., 2002; Malmberg and Maskell, 1997). However, whereas production
and knowledge development used to co-locate, providing companies with knowledge
benefits, cluster-based firms (CBFs) must increasingly keep in pace with global
developments and integrate these in local skill building. Rabellotti et al. (2009) suggests
that clusters are taking on new international strategies such as outsourcing and foreign
direct investment to maintain their competitive ability. This has led some to challenge
the conventional wisdom concerning the role of clusters in shaping competitiveness
(Wells and Rawlinson, 1994), suggesting that leading models of the major forces
driving the clustering of activities should be rethought (Dunning, 2002).