ABSTRACT
In an increasingly competitive business environment, profitable firms find ways to secure competitive advantages. An example of this is knowledge in the form of corporate strategy. How do high-performing firms constantly upgrade their knowledge to improve corporate strategy and sustain growth?One generally acceptedmethod is through interlocking directorates. An interlocking directorate occurs when a director sits on two or more boards, creating a link between the two boards (and firms). A characteristic of an interlocking directorate is the fluidity of knowledge transfer the position facilitates as a director is able to pass knowledge of one from to another. Resource dependency theorists argue that these connections yield knowledge transfer between companies (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978). One purpose of this study is to examine the spatiality found within the interlocking of Canadian companies. Particular emphasis is given to
aDepartment of Geography, Nipissing University, North Bay, Canada; bDepartment of Geography, University of North Texas, Denton, USA
international interlocks, that is, when Canadian companies are linked to international companies through the same director. From a geographical standpoint, cities are important nodes in a globalizing world. McCann andWard (2011) suggest that an important area of study is to focus on the practices that constitute cities as sites of intersection between network typologies and territorial legacies. In response we ask, do interlocks to foreign firms reinforce the importance of Canada’s top corporate cities as “gateways” to international business? Is there a geography associated with these international connections and gateway cities?
