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The communication subsystem of NASA’s Lunar Atmospheric and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) makes use of the Space Micro µSTDN, a digitally intensive S-Band transponder. The effects of received radio frequency power, downlink data rate and temperature on transponder’s ranging accuracy were investigated. The LADEE flight ranging data is corrected using calibration data taken during thermal vacuum testing of the flight transponder. The root mean square single standard deviation accuracy of the LADEE transponder ranging after calibration for temperature and uplink power is 5.2 ns, which corresponds to a single shot range accuracy of just 78 cm. Since both uplink power and temperature are measured inside the transponder, such post measurement calibration is valid over the entire qualification temperature range (-30 ºC to 65 ºC) and over four orders of magnitude of radio frequency uplink power (-120 dBm - -80 dBm). The root mean square variability of the flight data after calibration is found to be just 2.2 ns.

Historically, perspectives on the economic development of rural regions have been dominated by the modernization model of agriculture (van der Ploeg and Van Dijk, 1995). During the last decades this model has increasingly been abandoned in an effort to reduce the negative outcomes associated with that model, driven by the changing concerns of consumers and society in response to these outcomes (van der Ploeg, 1999, Weatherell et al., 2003). Parallel to this socioeconomic evolution the theoretical perspectives on rural development altered. Discourses about the evolution of rural development describe the succession of an exogenous, modernist model of rural development by an endogenous model and in the end leading to an integrated model of rural development, combining the best of both worlds (Lowe et al., 1999, Ray, 1999, Murdoch, 2000, Siôn, 2002, Nemes, 2005, Vázquez-Barquero, 2006). Thereby it is argued that contemporary rural development should stress “the interplay between local and external forces in the control of development processes” (Lowe et al., 1995). This integrated perspective is also reflected in policy models, aiming at the creation of the conditions under which family farming, rural landscapes and society as a whole can flourish. This was formulated at the EU-level in the Cork Declaration on Rural Development in 1996 and since then became a pillar of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (Potter and Tilzey, 2005). This will persist during the coming Rural Development programming period 2007-2013 (EC, 2005).

This paper presents an explorative study through focus groups in 9 rural EU regions. It studies the importance of - and relationship between endogenous and exogenous drivers of rural business development. The analysis describes which drivers are perceived important by rural entrepreneurs and rural development experts and classifies them endogenous or exogenous. The findings stress the importance of social networks to anticipate on exogenous drivers. This complies with social capital theory stating that ‘bridging’ relations are more efficient in transferring specific knowledge than ‘bonding’ relations. Eventually, research hypotheses are formulated for better understanding how to reconcile endogenous and exogenous drivers.

The participation in regional networks is an important factor in explaining the food companies’ innovation capacity which – in turn - is an important driver of competitiveness (Gellynck et al., 2006a; Gellynck et al., 2007). Further, it is argued in cluster theory that intensive networking between related companies and other actors in a given region is a driver of competitive advantage of this region (Enright, 1998; Porter, 1998). In this paper the food cluster is understood as a set of geographically and socially embedded network relations based on a range of complementarities and communalities between regional actors and enhancing the competitiveness of the regional food industry. Each cluster shows distinct patterns of learning and uses different sources of knowledge (Pittaway et al., 2004; Steiner and Hartmann, 2006). As such, clusters exist in different forms, characterised by distinct configurations of network relations. By joining a network and taking part in a collaborative process with partners belonging to the network, the company is able to overcome internal restrictions (Camps, 2004; Daskalakis and Kauffeld-Monz, 2005; Janszen, 2002). Network configurations are diverse in character, dynamic and principally guided by the choices of partners and by the network infrastructure itself (Pittaway et al., 2004). Further, networks are considered to be embedded in the environment (Etzkowitz and Klofsten, 2005). This environment can cover different geographical scales of which the regional scale proves to be a significant one (Bunnell and Coe, 2001). Earlier research demonstrates that the company’s networking behaviour is important to explain its innovation capacity and competitiveness: it is the condition which has to be fulfilled to benefit from other regional external resources for innovation, such as the presence of a strong food chain, a competitive market or leading-edge facilities (Gellynck et al., 2006b; Gellynck et al., 2007). Further, networking relations are established with a diversity of partners. There is evidence that networks are more effective where there is exchange of knowledge between systems, for example between different industrial sectors, regions or stakeholders (Foster et al., 2003; Kaufmann and Todtling, 2001). This is also acknowledged in cluster theory, where reference is made to networks between concentrated groups of companies and a range of other organisations (Porter, 1996; Raines, 2001). Following the important role of networking in innovation processes and the diversity of network relations existing within regional food clusters, our paper focuses on the question which network characteristics have the strongest relationship with the competitiveness of the regional food industry. In particular, this paper formulates an answer to this question based on the perception of the main stakeholders in the network: entrepreneurs, scientists, policy makers and network actors (understood as regional development initiatives and formal networks). This paper is structured as follows. In the following section the conceptual framework is described, leading to the research question. In section three the research design and methodology are described. Afterwards, in section four the analysis and main findings are presented, leading to the conclusions in section five.

In the European Union the awareness to retain cultural heritage within the different European regions is rising. An important element of the cultural heritage is the production of traditional food products. Few published studies are related to traditional food products and even less to innovation in this specific food sector. Taking into consideration the increasing demand for traditional food products and the importance of innovation to gain competitive advantage, there is a great need to carry out research in this field. In the frame of this research a traditional food network is understood as the network of traditional food firms, research centers and stakeholders of this sector. A traditional food firm (TFF) is comprehended as a manufacturer of traditional food products, with special attention to small and medium sized TFFs. Hereby, a new definition of traditional food products has been developed. This definition states that the key production steps of a traditional food product must be performed in a certain area, which can be national, regional or local. The traditional food product must have an authentic recipe (mix of ingredients), and/or an authentic origin of raw material, and/or an authentic production process. Furthermore, it must be commercially available for the public in stores or restaurants for at least 50 years and it must be part of the gastronomic heritage, which can be described in a one-page story (Gellynck et al., 2006a). In the literature, it is emphasized that a network, rather than a single firm determines the potential for innovation (Pittaway et al., 2004; Powell et al., 1996). Innovation involves changes in an organization (Damanpour, 1991). On the one hand, it is a response to changes of the firm's internal or external environment and a preventive step to anticipate changes in the firm's environment on the other. The implementation of organizational innovation contributes to the performance and effectiveness of TFFs and their networks (Damanpour, 1991; Gellynck et al., 2006c). Therefore, innovation is regarded as an important strategic tool to obtain competitive advantage (Avermaete et al., 2004a; Gellynck et al., 2006b). However, not all TFFs develop and implement organizational innovation through their network. Therefore, the aim of the present paper is to construct a conceptual framework for the investigation of barriers and drivers of organizational innovation developed by TFFs in traditional food networks.