Location Choices for Research Labs: A Case Study Approach

Economic developers must understand the location needs of business in order to identify which types of industry have the best locational fit for their communities and to design and implement programs to attract them. Market research on location needs has been relatively unsophisticated, relying on personal experiences with prospects, surveys, and other techniques, all of which have limitations. Case studies provide another approach and can give economic developers a deep understanding of the concerns of their targets. Using a base of over 25 cases, the author describes the location needs of industrial research laboratories, thereby illustrating the value of this technique.