Regionale Erneuerung durch Multimedia? Multimedia-Unternehmen in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Erfahrungen, Erfolgsbedingungen und Erwartungen

Abstract

What are the conditions for multimedia businesses in Baden-Wuerttemberg? How do these businesses assess their environment? Howe can their chances of success be improved? This report presents some answers to these questions, distilled from survey results compiled among Baden-Wuerttemberg multimedia producers in the regions of Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and the Rhein Neckar triangle and further refined from participant feedback and discussions recorded at a workshop held in July 1998 under the auspices and sponsorship of the Center of Technology Assessment in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Multimedia production in Baden-Wuerttemberg is a dynamic, fast-growing market, dominated by young and small (with regard to staff size, turnover and capital resources) companies. Most of the companies focus on the market of their respective region. The businesses mainly offer solutions specifically tailored for individual customers whereas standardized products and the consumer market are of little importance. Survey results show that while these multimedia firms make only sparse use of the services offered by technology transfer agencies, consulting entities, etc., these firms also cite problem areas that they believe policymakers should address including, tax policies, high telecommunication costs and labor overhead. Over the long run, expansion of the multimedia sector in Baden-Wuerttemberg could best be fostered by enhancing the opportunities for partnerships among regional private and public entities and by supporting greater regional specialization by firms within the multimedia sector. Comparisons with other regions show such sectoral specialization to be at a lower, less focused level in Baden-Wuerttemberg than in other comparable regions of Germany. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: RR 5071(128) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman