60 International Journal of E-Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 1(1), 60-82, January-March 2010
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Keywords: E-Business, Information and Communication Technologies, Knowledge Economy, Knowledge
Intensive Business, Location Decisions
1. introduCtion
The Lisbon European Council adopted, in
March 2000, an economic reform programme
with the aim of making the EU the most competi-
tive and dynamic knowledge-based economy
in the world by 2010. In that connection the
European Council highlighted the key role of
services in the economy and their potential for
growth and employment. Services are the main
motor of growth in the EU, accounting for 54%
of GDP (Eurostat, 2002) and for 67% of those
in employment.
However, interest on economic informa-
tion services goes back to 1980, at a time when
regional development in Europe and North
America was concerned with de-industrializa-
tion. Until then, those services were seen as
mere subsidiaries of transforming activities.
Over the last 20 years, special attention has been
decision-Making for location
of new Knowledge intensive
businesses on iCt sector:
Portuguese evidences
João J. Ferreira, University of Beira Interior, Portugal
Carla S. Marques, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal
Cristina Fernandes, University of Beira Interior, Portugal
abstraCt
Technological innovation associated with e-business is seen as one of the key drivers of the knowledge
economy and innovation performance and is a considerable test of a region’s or nation’s capacity to generate
e-entrepreneurship and sustain competitiveness. The importance of the knowledge intensive business services
(KIBS) sector to economic growth will increase signifcantly with the development of the knowledge economy
and the rise of e-entrepreneurship. This article identifes different types of new KIBS and recognizes factors
infuencing their location. A conceptual research model based on the link between KIBS and location attributes
is proposed and tested, and a survey was carried out in the Region Centro of Portugal to test a multidimen-
sional approach at the location decision level. The authors’ found many different factors associated with the
location of new KIBS, and their fndings highlight two profles of KIBS.
DOI: 10.4018/jeei.2010010104