IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/ifhwps/372022.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

An urban-rural divide (or not?): Small firm location and the use of digital technologies

Author

Listed:
  • Thomä, Jörg

Abstract

Regarding the spatial impact of digitalization, the concern is often expressed that rural areas and the companies located there are disadvantaged by a digital divide compared to urban regions. Against this background, this paper explores the role of the urban/rural location of a small firm in the use of digital communication and information technologies (ICT). With the help of a cluster analysis approach, different modes of digitalization in the German small enterprise sector are identified. According to this, four groups of small firms can be distinguished in accordance to the maturity level concept of digital transformation: non-digital firms, digital beginners, platform-oriented firms and digital manufacturers. From a spatial perspective, it can be seen that the members of the platform-oriented group are relatively often located in urban regions, whereas the digital manufacturers are relatively often found in rural areas. These findings are interpreted as an indication that small firms at least partially consciously assign themselves to one of these digitalization modes, depending on which business model is most effective in the respective (urban or rural) business environment. By contrast, whether a small firm has not yet done anything in terms of digitalization or is only at the beginning of the digital transformation process does not significantly depend on the location of the company. The paper concludes with implications for policy and research.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomä, Jörg, 2022. "An urban-rural divide (or not?): Small firm location and the use of digital technologies," ifh Working Papers 37/2022, Volkswirtschaftliches Institut für Mittelstand und Handwerk an der Universität Göttingen (ifh).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ifhwps:372022
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/264973/1/1817285947.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Danielle Galliano & Pascale Roux, 2008. "Organisational motives and spatial effects in Internet adoption and intensity of use: evidence from French industrial firms," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 42(2), pages 425-448, June.
    2. André Pahnke & Friederike Welter, 2019. "The German Mittelstand: antithesis to Silicon Valley entrepreneurship?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 345-358, February.
    3. de Jong, Jeroen P.J. & Marsili, Orietta, 2006. "The fruit flies of innovations: A taxonomy of innovative small firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 213-229, March.
    4. Thomä, Jörg & Bizer, Kilian, 2013. "To protect or not to protect? Modes of appropriability in the small enterprise sector," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 35-49.
    5. David Smallbone & David North & Christos Kalantaridis, 1999. "Adapting to peripherality: a study of small rural manufacturing firms in northern England," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(2), pages 109-127, April.
    6. Josep Domenech & Victor Martinez-Gomez & Francisco Mas-Verdú, 2014. "Location and adoption of ICT innovations in the agri-food industry," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(6), pages 421-424, April.
    7. Nola Hewitt-Dundas, 2006. "Resource and Capability Constraints to Innovation in Small and Large Plants," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 257-277, April.
    8. Margarita Billon & Fernando Lera-Lopez & Rocio Marco, 2016. "ICT use by households and firms in the EU: links and determinants from a multivariate perspective," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(4), pages 629-654, November.
    9. Rosa Maria Fanelli, 2021. "Barriers to Adopting New Technologies within Rural Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    10. Jarosław Brodny & Magdalena Tutak, 2021. "Assessing the level of digital maturity of enterprises in the Central and Eastern European countries using the MCDM and Shannon’s entropy methods," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(7), pages 1-38, July.
    11. Till Proeger & Petrik Runst, 2020. "Digitization and Knowledge Spillover Effectiveness—Evidence from the “German Mittelstand”," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 11(4), pages 1509-1528, December.
    12. Pahnke, André & Welter, Friederike, 2019. "The German Mittelstand: Antithesis to the Silicon Valley entrepreneurship model?," Working Papers 01/19, Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn.
    13. Gabriele Fischer & Florian Janik & Dana Müller & Alexandra Schmucker, 2009. "European Data Watch: The IAB Establishment Panel - Things Users Should Know," Schmollers Jahrbuch : Journal of Applied Social Science Studies / Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 129(1), pages 133-148.
    14. David North & David Smallbone, 2000. "Innovative Activity in SMEs and Rural Economic Development: Some Evidence from England," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 87-106, February.
    15. Danielle Galliano & Pascale Roux, 2008. "Organisational motives and spatial effects in Internet adoption and intensity of use: evidence from French industrial firms," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 42(2), pages 425-448, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Matthies, Eike & Thomä, Jörg & Bizer, Kilian, 2022. "A hidden source of innovation? Revisiting the impact of initial vocational training on technological innovation," ifh Working Papers 33/2022, Volkswirtschaftliches Institut für Mittelstand und Handwerk an der Universität Göttingen (ifh), revised 2022.
    2. Anne Margarian & Cécile Détang-Dessendre & Aleksandra Barczak & Corinne Tanguy, 2022. "Endogenous rural dynamics: an analysis of labour markets, human resource practices and firm performance," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(8), pages 1-33, August.
    3. Thomä, Jörg & Zimmermann, Volker, 2016. "Innovationshemmnisse in KMU - Eine empirische Analyse unter Berücksichtigung des Handwerks," Göttinger Beiträge zur Handwerksforschung 6, Volkswirtschaftliches Institut für Mittelstand und Handwerk an der Universität Göttingen (ifh).
    4. Margarita Billon & Fernando Lera-Lopez & Rocio Marco, 2016. "ICT use by households and firms in the EU: links and determinants from a multivariate perspective," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(4), pages 629-654, November.
    5. Andrew Copus & Dimitris Skuras & Kyriaki Tsegenidi, 2006. "Innovation and Peripherality: A Comparative Study in Six EU Member Countries," ERSA conference papers ersa06p295, European Regional Science Association.
    6. Joël Cariolle & Michele Imbruno & Jaime de Melo, 2020. "Bilateral digital connectivity and firm participation in export markets," Working Papers hal-03182438, HAL.
    7. Michael Berlemann & Vera Jahn & Robert Lehmann, 2022. "Is the German Mittelstand more resistant to crises?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 1169-1195, October.
    8. Allan O’Connor & David Audretsch, 2023. "Regional entrepreneurial ecosystems: learning from forest ecosystems," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 1051-1079, March.
    9. Florian Ploeckl, 2012. "Market Access and Information Technology Adoption: Historical Evidence from the Telephone in Bavaria," Economics Series Working Papers 620, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    10. Chang, C-L. & McAleer, M.J. & Wu, Y-C., 2016. "Industrial Penetration and Internet Intensity," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI2016-23, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    11. Chia-Lin Chang & Michael McAleer & Yu-Chieh Wu, 2015. "Industrial Agglomeration and Use of the Internet," Documentos de Trabajo del ICAE 2015-09, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Instituto Complutense de Análisis Económico.
    12. Danielle Galliano & Nicolas Souli�, 2012. "Organizational and Spatial Determinants of the Multi-unit Firm: Evidence from French Industry," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(7), pages 907-926, October.
    13. James J. Chrisman & Donald O. Neubaum & Friederike Welter & Karl Wennberg, 2022. "Knowledge Accumulation in Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(3), pages 479-496, May.
    14. Bürgel, Tobias R. & Hiebl, Martin R.W. & Pielsticker, David I., 2023. "Digitalization and entrepreneurial firms' resilience to pandemic crises: Evidence from COVID-19 and the German Mittelstand," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    15. Audretsch, David & Hafenstein, Marian & Kritikos, Alexander S. & Schiersch, Alexander, 2018. "Firm Size and Innovation in the Service Sector," IZA Discussion Papers 12035, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Suwala Lech & Ahrens Jan-Philipp & Basco Rodrigo, 2024. "Family firms, hidden champions and regional development," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 68(1), pages 1-8.
    17. de Groote, Julia & Soluk, Jonas & Laue, Sarah-Larissa & Heck, Marius & Kammerlander, Nadine, 2023. "How can family-owned Mittelstand firms use their unique resources to master the digitalization age? The role of family historical, venture, and collaborative capital," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 133-152.
    18. Yanlin Sun & Shaoxiong Ma & Hao Feng, 2023. "The New Geography of Manufacturing in China: The Internet and Manufacturing Agglomeration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-21, August.
    19. Danielle Galliano & Luis Orozco, 2011. "Les déterminants industriels et spatiaux du processus d'adoption de technologies : Le cas des systèmes de traçabilité dans les firmes industrielles françaises," Géographie, économie, société, Lavoisier, vol. 13(2), pages 135-163.
    20. Jörn H. Block & Christian Fisch & Walter Diegel, 2024. "Schumpeterian entrepreneurial digital identity and funding from venture capital firms," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 119-157, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Digitalization; Rural regions; Digital divide; Urban-rural typology; SMEs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:ifhwps:372022. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ifgoede.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.