摘要：Relationships between a business and its external parties are important for knowledge sharing and absorption. This is especially true for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in regional areas. This study aimed to identify the role of social networks in the Absorptive Capacity of regional SMEs by investigating the experiences of SME owners in the city of Whyalla, South Australia to determine how they harness their social networks to absorb external knowledge towards innovation. The results of the research will provide useful information to bodies such as universities and regional development boards, empowering them to develop policies and initiatives to support SMEs to create networking opportunities and improve their sustainability.
关键词：Knowledge acquisition; social networks; SMEs; sustainability; innovation
