Knowledge sharing, culture and media usage in an academic network: a network analyses of the Eberea Irses case

Collaboration between scientist in Europe and China is becoming more and more relevant in order to exchange know-how, and stimulate academic exchange in order to realize market entrance as well as innovation in both European and Chinese markets. This paper explores how collaboration merges and what the cultural impediments or challenges are. To do so we analysed how a network in the field of eBusiness research developed over time in the context of a specific EU-funded project and how cultural attributes and preferences for information exchange and media-preferences affect the networks. Based on Social Network Analyses making use of data collected on two moments in time, at the start of the project and after two years, we will not only give a description of the network but also explore how this network is affected by cultural and media preferences of members of the network. The results indicate that the network has expanded and became denser. Although there is still a strong trend towards interactions and collaboration with universities of origin and within national boarders, we see some interesting clusters between individual researchers that overcome the boundaries of universities and national orientation. With regard to cultural aspects we found evidence contrary to Hofstede’s assumptions, more over we could in no way relate Hofstede’s concepts in a significant way to network concepts. In a similar way also preferences for formal and informal communications or specific channels didn’t have a relation with networks measures.