This book offers a new understanding of how firms determine their location and what kinds of regional economic policies are needed to attract factories to a country and a region in a highly globalized economic setting. The theoretical and empirical analyses examine the influence of the transfer pricing system, corporate tax rates, and a country's industrial structure on a firm's decision to locate and the impact of firms' location on regional economic activities. The theoretical analysis elucidates the importance of the above-mentioned factors in the firm's selection of possible location. The empirical analysis uses as an example the case of a supply chain in East Asia. The empirical analysis is illustrated with the regional/spatial development experiences at the country level and city level of selected countries and cities. The analysis offers a perspective for understanding the spatial patterns of a cross-border production system.

This book clarifies the mechanisms of economic globalization in changing industries' locations and shows how industries' locations have changed through those mechanisms. First, the book deals with the retailing industry. Introducing the concept of a contact price into the market area analysis, it is shown in Part I that retailers' market areas and prices are changed in different ways by a reduction of transportation costs. The mechanism of these changes is explained by checking the contact prices at apexes of the retailers' market areas. Then the book moves to the manufacturing industry and deals with a firm's production process. Part II of the book shows the manner in which the production volume of factories within an agglomeration is decreased as the number of factories within the agglomeration increases. Subsequently, considering the fact that many production factories depart from agglomerations to other sites to reduce production costs, a method of searching for a factory's new site is proposed in which a firm can seek out an optimal location of a factory in a short period of time. By referring to a chaotic phenomenon, a firm sets a location prospective area in a large geographical area and selects an optimal location within that area. In the third part of the book the city system is the focus. Part III elucidates the theoretical formation of a city system and analyzes structural changes of a city system due to a reduction of transportation costs. The mechanism of the change is explained by a flexible market area theory which studies a city system by using the market areas established in the free-entry equilibrium. Then, the economic relationships between the cities within a city system are examined from the point of view of the land rent in the cities' areas. This analysis shows the influences of a change in the largest city on other cities. Finally, the relationships between a city system and regional performance are examined using real data. The examination shows that the city system reveals the regional performance.

This book explains the roles of the industrial location in vitalizing regional economies in various economic environments created due to the progress of globalization. Here, this book elucidates the impact of industrial location and locational factors on regional economies. It clarifies the effects on industrial location of regulations and corporate tax. And the book explains the regional economic influence of the employment and agglomeration that are factors influencing the location. It also focuses on some countries and examines the relationships between the industrial location and the vitalization of regional economy in each country. This analysis covers the automotive and high-tech industries in the northeastern region of China, the impact of urban systems on regional development in the Philippines, and firms in revitalization in the northern region of Sweden. And it reveals achievements and challenges in each region. Finally, the book clarifies that the level of achievement in regional development is related to the educational environment. It also suggests that the industrial composition of a region is influenced by the level of regional cooperation with other regions. The analyses in the book show that a region must select the industries that match its newly emerged regional characteristics for vitalization.

This book presents a variety of research papers on factories' locations, city systems, and regional development. Consisting of three parts, it provides insights into the locational aspects of firms' activities from a strategic perspective. Part 1 discusses decision-making in the context of location, specifying the motivation for firms to move their factories provided by the corporate tax system. It also presents a case study from East Asia to clarify a mechanism by which firms move factories. Part 2 addresses city systems, offering theoretical clues to understanding why city systems are important to regional economies. It also clarifies from the empirical analysis the relations between city systems and the performances of regional economies. Part 3 investigates the topic of industrial parks, demonstrating how they form a basis for establishing industrial clusters in regional economies. In addition, it examines the economic phases, such as economic disparity, generated in the process of development.

This book presents a variety of research papers on factories' locations, city systems, and regional development. Consisting of three parts, it provides insights into the locational aspects of firms' activities from a strategic perspective. Part 1 discusses decision-making in the context of location, specifying the motivation for firms to move their factories provided by the corporate tax system. It also presents a case study from East Asia to clarify a mechanism by which firms move factories. Part 2 addresses city systems, offering theoretical clues to understanding why city systems are important to regional economies. It also clarifies from the empirical analysis the relations between city systems and the performances of regional economies. Part 3 investigates the topic of industrial parks, demonstrating how they form a basis for establishing industrial clusters in regional economies. In addition, it examines the economic phases, such as economic disparity, generated in the process of development.

This book clarifies the mechanisms of economic globalization in changing industries' locations and shows how industries' locations have changed through those mechanisms. First, the book deals with the retailing industry. Introducing the concept of a contact price into the market area analysis, it is shown in Part I that retailers' market areas and prices are changed in different ways by a reduction of transportation costs. The mechanism of these changes is explained by checking the contact prices at apexes of the retailers' market areas. Then the book moves to the manufacturing industry and deals with a firm's production process. Part II of the book shows the manner in which the production volume of factories within an agglomeration is decreased as the number of factories within the agglomeration increases. Subsequently, considering the fact that many production factories depart from agglomerations to other sites to reduce production costs, a method of searching for a factory's new site is proposed in which a firm can seek out an optimal location of a factory in a short period of time. By referring to a chaotic phenomenon, a firm sets a location prospective area in a large geographical area and selects an optimal location within that area. In the third part of the book the city system is the focus. Part III elucidates the theoretical formation of a city system and analyzes structural changes of a city system due to a reduction of transportation costs. The mechanism of the change is explained by a flexible market area theory which studies a city system by using the market areas established in the free-entry equilibrium. Then, the economic relationships between the cities within a city system are examined from the point of view of the land rent in the cities' areas. This analysis shows the influences of a change in the largest city on other cities. Finally, the relationships between a city system and regional performance are examined using real data. The examination shows that the city system reveals the regional performance.

This book offers a new understanding of how firms determine their location and what kinds of regional economic policies are needed to attract factories to a country and a region in a highly globalized economic setting. The theoretical and empirical analyses examine the influence of the transfer pricing system, corporate tax rates, and a country’s industrial structure on a firm’s decision to locate and the impact of firms’ location on regional economic activities. The theoretical analysis elucidates the importance of the above-mentioned factors in the firm’s selection of possible location. The empirical analysis uses as an example the case of a supply chain in East Asia. The empirical analysis is illustrated with the regional/spatial development experiences at the country level and city level of selected countries and cities. The analysis offers a perspective for understanding the spatial patterns of a cross-border production system.