Information and knowledge: The diffusion of information and communication technologies in the Argentine manufacturing sector

Abstract

This article seeks to make a contribution to the study of information and knowledge in Latin America, with special attention to the use and diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Argentine manufacturing. It addresses two main aspects of this subject: the real extent of the use and diffusion of ICT, and its links with the overall performance of enterprises (innovation capacity, organization of work and competitiveness). It studies and summarizes the use and diffusion of those technologies in Argentine industry in order to i) present an empirical map of their use and diffusion in the Argentine manufacturing sector and ii) identify the linkages of such diffusion with the endogenous capabilities of the enterprises. It maintains that the incorporation and use of those technologies cannot be analyzed without taking into consideration the degree of development of endogenous capabilities achieved by the firms in question. On the basis of a survey of 246 Argentine industrial enterprises, it draws some conclusions on the way Argentine enterprises use ICT. not only in order to improve what they are already doing, but also to generate new knowledge.