Quand le réseau influence la délocalisation de PME en Tunisie : une approche par l’économie de la proximité

Placed in a context of globalization, SMEs ? Small and Medium Enterprises, like large enterprises, often resort to offshoring. However, some of them choose to develop other strategies in order to keep their operations in the country of origin. For instance, belonging to a network, such as a local productive system ? small French cluster, is a preferred solution. We hypothesize that belonging to a network influences the decision to relocate because the SME is characterized by a number of proximities, including territorial proximity with other organizations. The network promotes synergies, improves competitiveness, and can help SMEs avoid offshoring. This research aims to highlight the ambiguous role of SME networks in the choice of location based on proximity economics. We conducted a longitudinal study with an SME belonging to a business network. The results demonstrate the network?s role in decision-making.