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Rural industrialization, ‘quality’ and service: some findings from South Warwickshire and North Devon
Author(s) -
Jarvis David,
Dunham Philip,
Ilbery Brian
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
area
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1475-4762
pISSN - 0004-0894
DOI - 10.1111/1475-4762.00057
Subject(s) - industrialisation , craft , quality (philosophy) , business , agriculture , marketing , service (business) , rural area , economic growth , industrial organization , economics , market economy , political science , geography , philosophy , archaeology , epistemology , law
Studies of UK rural industrialization have traditionally sought to explain the success of rural SMEs (Small and Medium‐sized Enterprises) in terms of their capacity for innovative or enterprising behaviour. In turn, this has led researchers to focus their attention on the material aspects of competitive behaviour, particularly those connected to technology and technological exploitation, at the expense of more intangible aspects such as the advantages gained from novel working practices and marketing strategies. In particular, the notion of ‘quality’ as a determinant of competitive behaviour, an idea gaining increased emphasis within literature concerning rural SMEs in the food, farming and craft sectors, has been neglected in wider studies of rural industrialization. However, this paper contends that both ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ constructions of quality are significant factors in the success of manufacturers outside these specific sectors.