Competitiveness of the New European Union Member States in International Trade in Knowledge-intensive Business Services

The paper uses the WTO database. The analyzed period covers the years 2000–2013, because data on particular categories of ‘Other business services’ have been available only since 2000. The analysis refers to the 12 countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007

Competitiveness in International Trade in Knowledge-Intensive Services – The Case of Poland

The paper uses the Eurostat and WTO databases. The analyzed period for international transactions is usually 2000-2010, but for Poland the 1994-2010 period was used, i.e. since the European Agreement entered into forceW pracy wykorzystywane są bazy danych Eurostatu i WTO. Analiza obejmuje okres 2000-2010 dla transakcji międzynarodowych, oraz 1994-2010 dla Polski (od 1994 roku wszedł w życie Układ Europejski)

Creative products in international trade statistics

Changes in international statistics relating to the methods of classifying trade transactions in goods and services are analyzed in the further part of this paper. The author of the study makes also an attempt to evaluate if these changes are aimed at increasing the inclusion of embodied services and services delivered electronically into the value of international trade in services.Celem publikacji jest wykazanie, iż większość produktów wytwarzanych przez "przemysły kreatywne", to w rzeczywistości kreatywne usługi zawarte w towarach, a w międzynarodowej wymianie produktami kreatywnymi dominują produkty usługowe. W dalszej części publikacji analizie poddano zmiany w statystykach międzynarodowych, dotyczące sposobu klasyfikacji transakcji w handlu towarami i usługami. Autor publikacji podejmuje również próbę oceny tych zmian, pod kątem tego czy zmierzają one w kierunku zwiększenia stopnia włączenia usług zawartych w towarach oraz usług przesyłanych w formie sygnału elektronicznego do wartości międzynarodowego handlu usługami

Innovation in Services - Theoretical Approach

The aim of this article is to present the evolution of theoretical studies on service innovation. The author also attempts to put these different approaches to service innovation into order and to indicate the possible forms of service innovation that emerge from these researches. In further part of the article the issue of the availability of statistical data and its relevance to the possible forms of service innovation, as well as some changes that has been implemented recently in order to improve this relevance, are discussed.Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie ewolucji teoretycznych badań nad innowacjami w usługach. Autorka podejmuje również próbę uporządkowania różnych podejść do kwestii innowacji usługowych oraz wskazać możliwe formy tych innowacji, wyłaniające się z analizowanych badań. W dalszej części artykułu, podejmowana jest kwestia dostępności danych statystycznych oraz ich adekwatności, jeśli chodzi o możliwość zastosowania do analizy różnych form innowacji usługowych. Omawiane są również wprowadzone ostatnio zmiany, mające na celu poprawę adekwatności tych danych

International Creative Product Exchange

The aim of this paper is to analyze and evaluate international trade in creative products with respect to the position of Poland in this exchange. In the introduction some definitions of creative industries and the concept of creative economy are presented. Then the classification of creative products in international trade and some problems with collecting data relating to international trade in creative products are discussed. In further work an empirical analysis of international trade in creative products is carried out. This work is divided into two parts. The aim of the first part is to indicate main tendencies and key players in international creative products exchange. The aim of the second part is to analyze the position of Poland in this exchange. The empirical analysis is based on the first database and report relating to international creative products exchange, published in 2008 by UNCTAD.Celem publikacji jest analiza międzynarodowego handlu produktami kreatywnymi, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem pozycji Polski w tej wymianie. Na początku przedstawione są definicje kreatywnych produktów/ przemysłów oraz koncepcja gospodarki kreatywnej. Następnie omówiona jest klasyfikacja produktów kreatywnych w statystykach handlu międzynarodowego oraz problemy związane ze zbieraniem danych dotyczących międzynarodowego handlu produktami kreatywnymi. W dalszej pracy przeprowadzona jest analiza empiryczna międzynarodowej wymiany produktami kreatywnymi. Ta część pracy podzielona została na dwie części. Celem pierwszej części jest wskazanie głównych tendencji oraz najważniejszych uczestników międzynarodowej wymiany produktami kreatywnymi. Natomiast celem drugiej części jest analiza pozycji Polski w tej wymianie. Analiza empiryczna oparta jest na pierwszej bazie danych oraz raporcie dotyczących międzynarodowej wymiany produktami kreatywnymi, opublikowanych w 2008 roku przez UNCTAD

Przyczyny mniejszej aktywności firm usługowych w obszarze działalności innowacyjnej

The aim of this paper is to analyze the factors that may have impact on the lower level of service firms’ innovation activities, that can be found from empirical data on innovation activities (mainly Community Innovation Surveys). We can distinguish two categories of such factors. The first category, including factors such as: a much lower attention given to the issue of service firms’ innovation activities, an intangibility of services and service innovations, and the problem how to measure service innovations, may contribute to the underestimation of service firms’ innovation activities. On the other hand factors such as: an ease to imitate service innovations and a poor system of intellectual property rights protection in service firms, as well as a weak connection of service firms with national innovation systems may discourage service firms to spend more and become more active in the field of innovation activities. All these factors are the subject of analysis in the paper. To identify them, it seems very important, both for further research and for innovation policy, especially in the light of increasing convergence between manufacturing and service sectors, and the increasing importance of service innovations in both sectors. Finally, the author analyzes and evaluates the actions that have been taken recently in order to improve the quality of data on service firms’ innovation activities

Is the Knowledge‑intensive Business Services Sector Crisis‑robust or Crisis‑resilient? A Comparative Study of European Union Countries

The paper examines the crisis robustness and resilience of the knowledge‑intensive business services (KIBS) sector. The hypothesis is tested that the KIBS sector is crisis‑robust rather than crisis‑resilient. The study covers 2000–2021, divided into two crisis periods (the global financial crisis and the COVID–19 pandemic) and three non‑crisis periods. The growth rates of value added and employment for the sectors and periods covered by the study are compared. The study is based on data from Eurostat, and it refers to the EU–27, making it possible to carry out comparative research between EU countries, as well as between the EU members before 2004 (i.e., the EU–14 or ‘old’ members) and those who joined in 2004 or later (i.e., the EU–13 or ‘new’ members). The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that it is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of crisis resilience and crisis robustness in both scientific research and policy strategies, as well as to pay more attention to the issue of crisis robustness. It also makes a contribution by indicating that KIBS have significant potential to contribute to building crisis resilience and crisis robustness in the companies that use them and in the whole economic system. The empirical results demonstrate that the KIBS sub‑sectors, i.e., computer and information services and professional, scientific and technical services, are crisis‑robust, which is not the case for the manufacturing sector. The KIBS sector’s ability to maintain stable growth during crisis periods is more visible than for other service industries. The Polish sector of professional, scientific and technical services showed the most stable upward trend through all analysed periods. Poland also recorded impressive growth in value added in computer and information services during the pandemic period, but when considering the whole period, other countries achieved better results, e.g., Romania

Open Questions on the Electromagnetic Field Contribution to the Risk of Neurodegenerative Diseases.

This work presents the current state of knowledge about the possible contributory influence of the electromagnetic field on the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis. Up-to-date literature indicates both favourable and adverse effects of electromagnetic exposure on human health, making it difficult to come to valid and unambiguous conclusions. The epidemiological data analysis from the World Health Organization statistics shows a substantial rise in neurological mortality compared with rises in total populations in developed countries over a mere 15-year period. The largest of the analysed countries produced odds ratios of >100%. The contribution of electromagnetic exposure to the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases is still undoubtedly open to discussion, and it requires further in-depth research to assess the action mechanism of electromagnetic fields in neurodegenerative diseases. The limitations of research published hitherto and the problem of drawing unequivocal conclusions are also in focus