Télécommunication et organisation spatiale des entreprises

Abstract

Abstract. — More than ever before, information is becoming a major factor of production in the industrial and tertiary sectors, in the same way as water, power, transport, materials, workforce, etc. Thus for various administrative bodies and international institutions, the possibility of transfering information through the telecom networks is of very high interest for their companies or organizations. These networks are present at establishment level (local networks) but also at company level, by combining the possibilities available through the public network with the private industry network. Let us consider to what extent this large range of télécom means may modify the spatial articulation in the very near future of ail companies whatever their size. The use of new telecom products and services would appear capable of bringing about a modification yery different from that of transportation in so far as company lay out is concerned. We will first consider the relationship between telecom and establishment locality. Telecom means may encourage the decentralisation of certain activities. It may then be possible to envisage a new type of geographical distribution, a new tool for regional development. Secondly, we will try and define the influence of telecom over the geography of companies by carrying out a functional analysis. It is effectively at workspace organization level for compagny functions that the intégration of new work area procedures may be noted. This analysis per function (management, marketing, production, etc.) allows a much more precise appréciation than could be offered by a general company study.