Forms of knowledge and operation
pattern of virtual GUI platform
An analysis of China Zhejiang Online
Technology Market
Jin Chen
College of Public Administration, Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
Aifang Guo
College of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou,
People’s Republic of China and
School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Sci-tech University,
Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China, and
Yan Mo
School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Sci-tech University,
Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the operation pattern of the virtual
university-industry-government (GUI) platform from the perspective of knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach – Following a theoretical framework, the case of the China
Zhejiang Online Technology Market (ZJOTM) is analyzed, which has been viewed as a model of the
national virtual GUI platform. The operation pattern and effect of ZJOTM are discussed. The material
and data are collected mainly from ZJOTM web site.
Findings – According to the types of knowledge interaction between university and industry, this
paper recognizes the context needed for knowledge interaction between industry and university as
“virtual ba”, “physical ba” and “practice ba”. The virtual GUI platform just provides a virtual ba for
knowledge interaction between industry and university. However, only “virtual ba” is not sufficient,
“physical ba” and “practice ba” are also needed. Therefore, the operation of virtual GUI should utilize
the complementary action of physical ba and practice ba. Moreover, it is better to deploy the ba
flexibly according to the knowledge and sector characteristic.
Originality/value – The paper specifies the innovation knowledge rich in industry and university
and the knowledge interaction context needed, that provides a favourable framework to study the
operation pattern of the virtual GUI platform. The findings also have important implications for
government policy makers, university and industry practice for designing and implementing
knowledge-base innovation strategies.
Keywords Knowledge management, Knowledge transfer, Universities, China
Paper type Research paper
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1746-8779.htm
The authors would like to express their thanks to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable
suggestions and Dr Lucy Lu, the Editor. They also acknowledge the support of the National
Science Foundation of China (No. 70672048; 70601025) and the Philosophy and Social Science
Foundation of Zhejiang Province, China (07JDSM032).
JTMC
3,1
82
Journal of Technology Management
in China
Vol. 3 No. 1, 2008
pp. 82-93
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1746-8779
DOI 10.1108/17468770810851511