Title: Information technology, communication and networking in software companies of northern Finland

Authors: Katariina Ala-Rami, Tommi Inkinen

Addresses: Department of Geography, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, Oulu FIN-90014, Finland. ' Department of Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, Helsinki FIN-00014, Finland

Abstract: Information technology has extended and provided new possibilities for telecommunication and distance collaboration. This paper deals with social networking and communication in the process of software product development. Our study is based on a survey of small- and medium-sized software companies in northern Finland. The case location is interesting because it is a peripheral region, but at the same time one of the most successful regions in high technology in Europe. The main results indicate that social networks and the possibilities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play an important role in companies| activities, but physical proximity still has not lost its magnitude.

Keywords: physical proximity; information technology; face-to-face; communication; social networking; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; product development; collaboration; software industry; ICT; Finland.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKMS.2008.018795

International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 2008 Vol.2 No.3, pp.320 - 334

Published online: 18 Jun 2008 *

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