Knowledge and innovation diffusion in retailing clusters: an analysis based on the social perspective

This study addresses the diffusion of innovation in commercial clusters through the formal network analysis. The objective is to describe the innovation diffusion processes in business networks from Rogers' model perspective in which innovation is influenced by its social structure. The research considered the relation between centrality and diffusion potential of actors of a commercial cluster in Brazil. A survey was applied in the cluster of bars and restaurants of Vila Madalena region in Sao Paulo, Brazil. As result, the network with approximately 70 organisations was mapped. It allowed us to understand the social structure of the cluster, as well as the identification of the structural properties of the network. We found a significant relationship between centrality and innovation of the actors present in that cluster.