- Title
- Small firms and regional towns : Towards a typology
- Creator
- Lowe, Julian; Henson, Sam
- Date
- 2005
- Type
- Text; Conference paper
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/58521
- Identifier
- vital:1439
- Abstract
- The dominant forms of enterprise in Small Towns are, not surprisingly, small firms. But are these small firms different to their metropolitan counterparts, and are these differences related to their location in regional towns? In addition, are these regional small firms governed by different rules and principles? Overseas studies, generally focusing on firm start-ups, have identified differences between regional and urban enterprises, but the differences are usually small (Westhead, 1995). The explanatory variables identified vary from study to study but include access to finance, physical resources, employment levels, population density, industry structure, regional externalities, human capital, knowledge spillovers, and resource munificent regions as possible explanations for the variations (Armington & Acs, 2002; Keeble, 1997). In this paper, the basic proposition is that regional firms in Australia may be different, but they are not necessarily disadvantaged. Focusing on issues of firm behaviour and competitiveness the paper presents a typology of firms that attempts to explain the fit between a small firm and its regional location. The typology is illustrated and discussed, using preliminary findings from a qualitative, case-based study of small, Western Victorian firms.; E1
- Publisher
- Bendigo, Australia : Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities
- Relation
- Paper presented at the 2nd National Conference on the Future of Australian Country Towns, Bendigo, Australia : 11th -13th July, 2005
- Rights
- Open Access
- Rights
- Copyright Unknown
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- Small business; Regional Australia
- Full Text
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