Knowledge Sharing, Culture and Media Usage in an Academic Network: a Network Analysis 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 Analysis 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. Moreover, whereas European universities were the most central ones at the beginning of the project, the Chinese universities are now involving more participants, developing more contact ties and thus getting more central positions in the network. With regard to cultural aspects we found evidence contrary to Hofstede’s assumptions and we could not relate the cultural aspects to the network characteristics in a significant way. In a similar way, with regard to preferences for channels or the formal and informal ways of communication the results are rather homogeneous between the sub samples, except that the Chinese participants have a significantly higher tendency to use and speak within informal settings.