COMPARISON OF COMPUTERISATION AND INNOVATION ACTIVITY OF THE COMPANIES IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS

Abstract

Over the last years, the economic and social structure of enterprises has undergone some important changes, especially because of the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). ICT is one of the fundamental elements driving the innovation and competitiveness of business activities which greatly influences the development of rural areas, both in economic and social terms. This publication focuses on the analysis and evaluation of the use of ICTs by enterprises in the Lubelskie Voivodeship with particular emphasis on rural areas. In the publication the authors use statistical analyses based on information from surveys conducted among entrepreneurs by the Marshal Office of the Lubelskie Voivodeship. The paper evaluates the following issues: the degree of computerisation of the company, the use of information technology in the company, the activity of the company on the Internet. The main objective of this study is to identify the relationship between the degree of computerisation and the company's innovation-oriented activities and to identify differences between companies located in urban and rural areas. The studies carried out have demonstrated that the differences in the computerisation of enterprises located in rural and urban areas are negligible and that there is a close relationship between the degree of computerisation and innovation in enterprises located in rural areas.

Keywords: enterprises, information and communication technology, innovation, internet, rural and urban areas.

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2015.097