摘要：Entrepreneurs’ and regional stakeholder’s capacity to turn knowledge, skills and competenciesinto sustainable competitive advantage is crucial to a region' economic performance. The article attempts toreveal their synergy by gathering evidence in the particular context of the Romanian automotive industry.Based on primary data collected through structured interviews and experiential visits, the research isorganized around three investigative themes: (1) entrepreneurs’ approach to and perception on innovation,(2) factors affecting innovation, and (3) networking and knowledge diffusion in the regional productiveenvironment. The findings emphasize the convergent opinion of the regional stakeholders on the vital roleinnovation plays at the current stage of the industry and the key role entrepreneurs have in stimulatinginnovation in the regional context. A series of three factors underlay the innovative performance at regionaland industry level, namely the presence of an innovation friendly business environment, entrepreneurs’personality, as well as the external competitive environment
关键词：automotive; entrepreneurship; technology; innovation; Romania
