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Will Industrial Districts Exploit B2B? A local experience and a general assessment

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  • Guido Fioretti

    (University of Bologna)

Abstract

What are the prospects of B2B electronic commerce when production is carried out by a number of small firms specialized in single production phases? Prato, Italy, is home to thousands of textile firms as well as the locus of an early and innovative experience of a local Internet in the mid-1980s. This experience suggests that, since they fear to be imatated by their geographical proximates, geographically clustered firms may lag behind in the exploitation of information and communication technologies. Analysis of today's web sites of Pratese firms confiorms this intuition. A similar analysis of web sites is carried out for producers of fabrics worldwide. Contrary to Europe, in Asian countries geographically clustered firms exhibit little fear of information leakages. Differences in the organization of production may explain this puzzle.

Suggested Citation

  • Guido Fioretti, 2005. "Will Industrial Districts Exploit B2B? A local experience and a general assessment," Urban/Regional 0504008, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpur:0504008
    Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 29
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Kwoka, 2001. "Automobiles: The Old Economy Collides with the New," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 19(1), pages 55-69, August.
    2. Guido Fioretti, 2001. "Structure and behaviour of a textile industrial district," ICER Working Papers 02-2001, ICER - International Centre for Economic Research.
    3. Srilata Zaheer & Shalini Manrakhan, 2001. "Concentration and Dispersion in Global Industries: Remote Electronic Access and the Location of Economic Activities," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(4), pages 667-686, December.
    4. David Lucking-Reiley & Daniel F. Spulber, 2001. "Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 15(1), pages 55-68, Winter.
    5. Sebastiano Brusco & Tommaso Minerva & Irene Poli & Giovanni Solinas, 2002. "Un automa cellulare per lo studio del distretto industriale," Politica economica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 2, pages 147-192.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ICT; e-commerce; B2B; Textile Industry; Industrial Clusters; Industrial Districts; Prato.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • F29 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Other
    • L67 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Other Consumer Nondurables: Clothing, Textiles, Shoes, and Leather Goods; Household Goods; Sports Equipment
    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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