Explaining the Relative Frequency of Face-to-face Meetings in Cooperative Relationships among Companies: An Econometric Analysis

This paper analyses the factors that influence the relative frequency of face-to-face meetings when companies cooperate with each other. Specifically, we explore the role of geographical distance between the partners and how it affects the influence of other factors, especially the nature of knowledge and the ability to use information technology. An econometric analysis based on a survey of 338 companies in the Brittany region (France) shows that the factors that influence the relative frequency of face-to-face encounters differ according to whether the partners are located within or outside a single region. In particular, the nature of knowledge plays a role only when the partners are remote.