For example, in their Production
Cost Hypothesis, Tyler et al. (1988) focused on
spatial disparities in operating costs; while
Fothergill et al.’s (1985b) Constrained Location
Hypothesis leant towards the paucity of urban
industrial floorspace compared with that available
in small towns and rural areas. By contrast,
Gould & Keeble (1984) developed a Residential
Preference Thesis, which directed attention to
the appeal of the countryside – to potential
entrepreneurs – as a place in which to live and
work; while Massey’s (1984) Labour Cost Hypothesis
highlighted the tendency for (generally large) firms to exploit a relatively cheap, predominantly
female, rural labour force through
their adjustment strategies.