The Region and its Multiple Images

The growth or decline of a region depends on its power to “pull” and retain both business activities and the right blend of people to run them; this pulling power depends on what we call the Image of the region. Hence, it can be argued that, at each point in time, the region “sends out” its Image and, depending on its impact on the receivers (both employers and employees), the region may be considered attractive or non-attractive. The available evidence suggests that all the receivers groups or in other words the potential movers react similarly to a basic set of factors; more precisely, a set of minimum standards, largely common to all the potential movers, must be satisfied if the region is to be considered as a potential choice by any of them. On the other hand, the potential movers may belong to a number of different groups that have a different type of interaction with a region and as result each of these groups is likely to have a different image of the particular region. Hence, a region does not have a single image, but multiple ones.
To reconcile these two views we refine the concept of a region's Image by introducing the following two concepts: the Basic Image and the Specific Image. The Basic Image of a given region measures the degree to which the region satisfies a set of basic criteria, common for all movers. A region satisfying those criteria is considered by all potential movers as worth a closer examination and as a potential final choice. On the other hand the Specific Image of a given region, as perceived by a particular group of potential movers, measures the degree to which movers belonging to that particular group consider the region as their best final choice.
A detailed exposition of the concept of a region's Basic Image has been presented in some of the authors’ earlier papers. In the present paper emphasis will be placed on a region's Specific Image as perceived by the various groups of potential movers. More precisely:
• The groups of potential movers will be determined.
• The factors affecting each group will be identified and ways for their measurement will be suggested.
• The form of each Specific Image function will be defined.

The theoretical findings will be applied to a number of regions and their Basic and Specific Images will be calculated. The main results will be presented and discussed.