A model for simulating reputation dynamics in industrial districts

Abstract In this work we try to draw an interdisciplinary framework aimed to integrate a socio-cognitive approach with organizational research about industrial clusters, in order to investigate whether and how social evaluations may affect clusters’ dynamics. Industrial districts are sort of “small-worlds” that provide a suitable environment for testing the predictions of our model through multi-agent-based social simulation (MABSS) experiments. Artificial agents will be allowed to exchange products and to transmit social evaluations, and the main features of a cluster will be implemented. The effects of evaluation transmission on products’ quality, partner selection and cheaters’ isolation will be discussed.

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