The enterprise as the active subject formative of the space

Abstract

The analysis of occurrences on the level of lines, branches and divisions of the economy or the industry with respect to territorial units - which is referred to as the spatial structure - does not fully picture the complexity of present dependences occurring in the space. The object of my interest is the research of enterprises - organizations leading economic activity. The research stream of geography of enterprises (corporate geography), whose universally acknowledged precursor is Robert McNee, began to treat the enterprise as the active subject working in the space. The size and structure of an enterprise causes this space to be shaped, and not only limited to the used territory. Connections and interrelations of firms with the external environment: economic, technological, legal, political, cultural and natural, bear on the measurements and the spatial range of the enterprise. Determining the measures of an enterprise (the space shaped by it) and methods of their investigation are problems I have faced. In global economy, enterprises are surrounded by a wide circle of efficiently working firms, specialized, and realizing particular fragments of the created chain of value. Besides, value is not produced in a one-way chain, but within a number of multi-directional transactions between enterprises. Among them are basic activities (productive and commercial) connected with the physical creation of products (products and services), with their delivery, sale, and service, supporting the functioning of the enterprise infrastructure, supply, human resources and research and development works. Enterprises, in order to realize their own activities more efficiently, to a greater and greater degree are organized on the pattern of network organizations.  Industrial networks are created both by large enterprises and small and middle-sized firms. The idea of networking was developed in spatial-economic research by Tadeusz Stryjakowski, in his works in industrial geography. For the present paper, the author defines the notion of a network enterprise, characterizes its features, presents the types and makes an attempt at determining the measurements of such enterprises and suggests methods of measurement.