Abstract
This paper addresses the performance of creative firms from the perspective of complex spatial systems. Based on an extensive high-dimensional database on both the attributes of individual creative firms in the Netherlands and a series of detailed regional facilitating and driving factors related, inter alia, to talent, innovation, skills, networks, accessibility and hardware, a new methodology called self-organizing mapping is applied to identify and explain in virtual topological space, the relative differences between these firms and their business performance in various regions. It turns out that there are significant differences in the spatial and functional profile of large firms vis-à-vis SMEs across distinct geographical areas in the country.
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Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
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Kourtit, K., Arribas-Bel, D. & Nijkamp, P. High performers in complex spatial systems: a self-organizing mapping approach with reference to The Netherlands. Ann Reg Sci 48, 501–527 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-011-0483-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-011-0483-z