Title: Spatial externalities, organisation of the firm and ICT adoption: the specificities of French agri-food firms

Authors: Danielle Galliano, Pascale Roux

Addresses: INRA-ETIC, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, BP 27, 31 326 Castanet Tolosan cedex, France. ' LEREPS GRES, University of Social Sciences of Toulouse, 21 allees de Brienne, 31000 Toulouse, France

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to define the organisational foundations of the process of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adaption, and to show the influence of determinants related to the spatial structure of firms. We examine the existence of specificities in the adoption behaviour of agri-food firms. For this purpose, our econometric study makes use of individual data from almost 4,000 industrial French firms. This data provides information concerning the behaviour of firms in terms of ICT adoption, but also the different components of the firms| internal and external modes of organisation and their relations to space. Beyond the determinants traditionally examined in empirical studies concerning firms| ability to innovate, results show that the organisational and spatial factors have a significant impact on ICT adoption. They also enable us to highlight agri-food specificities, in particular those related to their spatial and managerial organisation.

Keywords: ICT adoption; innovation; spatial externalities; organisation of the firm; internal and external coordination; agri-food industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBT.2003.004098

International Journal of Biotechnology, 2003 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.269 - 296

Published online: 10 May 2004 *

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