Explaining the relative frequency of face to face meetings in cooperative relationships between companies

Anne Aguilera (1) , Virginie Lethiais (2, 3, 4)

1 LVMT - Laboratoire Ville, Mobilité, Transport
2 ICI - Laboratoire Information, Coordination, Incitations
3 MARSOUIN - Môle Armoricain de Recherche sur la SOciété de l'information et des usages d'INternet
4 DS - Direction Scientifique

This paper analyses the factors that influence the relative frequency of face-to-face meetings when companies cooperate with each other. Specifically, we explore the role of geographical distance between the partners and how it affects the influence of other factors, especially the nature of knowledge and the ability to use information technology. An econometric analysis based on a survey of 338 companies in the Brittany region (France) shows that the factors that influence the relative frequency of face-to-face encounters differ according to whether the partners are located within or outside a single region. In particular, the nature of knowledge plays a role only when the partners are remote.

Mots clés: Face to face meetings; distance; ICT; firms

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Anne Aguilera, Virginie Lethiais. Explaining the relative frequency of face to face meetings in cooperative relationships between companies: An econometric analysis. Growth and Change, 2016, 47 (1), pp.218-235. ⟨10.1111/grow.12135⟩. ⟨halshs-01246604⟩