Application of correspondence analysis to the identification of the determinants of the economic condition of the e-services sector enterprises in Podlaskie region

Abstract

Correspondence analysis (CA) is a descriptive, exploratory technique of multivariate statistical analysis, allowing to define the nature and structure of the relationship between qualitative variables, measured in nominal and ordinal scales. This technique, on the cost of losing some of the information, leads to an increase in the transparency of data and simplifies their interpretation. In this paper the results of the classical correspondence analysis of the selected data collected within CAWI/CATI survey are presented. The survey was carried out on a sample of 60 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) representing both e-commerce and e-services located in Podlaskie region. The application of correspondence analysis allowed the authors to identify some relations between the economic situation of companies in the e-services sector and the factors hampering their activities. In addition, CA technique allowed to indicate the relationship between the economic situation and the factors enabling firms to effectively compete in the market. It has been observed that companies with good economic situation often indicate the quality of services and quality of customers service as the main sources of their competitiveness.