Competition instruments applied by large enterprises during the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This paper is intended to examine the effects of the crisis that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the selection of instruments of competition used by enterprises. A research hypothesis (H1) is advanced: at the time of the crisis that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprises have employed new key instruments of competition in order to attain a better competitive standing in the market. The concept and nature of competitiveness are discussed, and instruments of competition are detailed as a dimension of competitiveness. Design/Methodology/Approach: The theoretical section of the paper is based on a comprehensive review of leading specialist literature. The hypothesis is verified by means of exploratory factor analysis, which serves to detect an optimal group of main factors and explicate correlations between observable variables. The number of factors is determined using the Cattell’s scree criterion and Kaiser criterion. Findings: The paper contains the results for a group of 253 large Polish enterprises. A factor-based model of competition instruments that have been used by enterprises at the time of the crisis that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is constructed by using exploratory factor analysis. Three factors are defined: the product, quality, and distribution that are currently being applied by enterprises. Distribution is identified as a new key instrument of competition, while the utilisation of Internet channels allows for maintaining one’s competitive status in the market. Practical Implications: The results may be taken advantage of by entrepreneurs. They constitute indications for selecting competition instruments during the crises. Originality/Value: The paper contains the authors’ original research into a representative group of large enterprises that can be generalised to the entire population assuming a level of confidence of α = 95% and maximum error of β = 6%.peer-reviewe

Sources of competitive advantage of enterprises in selected sectors of the Polish economy

PURPOSE: Study impact of business activities on selection of sources of enterprises’ competitive advantage. The research hypothesis is advanced as H1: scope of business objects (sector) is a factor differentiating selection of sources of competitive advantage by enterprises. The concept and essence of competitiveness are discussed, methods of building competitive advantage by enterprises are detailed.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The theoretical section follows a comprehensive review of leading specialist literature. The hypothesis is verified in the empirical section by means of position measures (arithmetic mean, median) and variability measures (standard deviation, coefficient of variability). Kruskal-Wallis test is also used to verify the research hypothesis.FINDINGS: The paper contains results of a survey of 253 large Polish enterprises. KruskalWallis test serves to determine impact of a sector on selection of sources of enterprise competitive advantage. Sector has no effect on choice of such sources as: quality management system, cost reduction, advertising, public relations, enterprise image, highly qualified managerial staff, knowledge and skills of employees, new technologies, or customer trust.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results can be utilised by enterprises as guidelines for selection of sources of competitive advantage.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper contains an original study of a representative group of large enterprises that can be generalised to the whole population assuming a confidence level α=95% and maximum error β=6%.peer-reviewe

Corporate social responsibility as a source of competitive advantage in large enterprises

The competitive advantage of enterprises in the conditions of market economy is not generated merely by ensuring high quality products and services. Therefore, in their strategies, they need to involve elements such as corporate social responsibility. The aim of the paper is to identify the key sources of competitive advantage of large enterprises. In the empirical research, the hypothesis has been tested to determine if the application of corporate social responsibility by enterprises has a statistically significant effect on gaining competitive advantage in the market. The hypothesis is verified on the basis of the authors' study of 253 large enterprises operating in Poland by means of exploratory factor analysis, the statistical method of reducing the number of classifying empirical variables, i.e. of discovering a structure in their interrelations. The procedure enabled the selection of the factors with the greatest statistical shares in explaining variability. To this end, the input space was rotated in accordance with the Varimax criterion, with the number of determined factors specified by means of the Kaiser criterion and Cattell's scree test. The application of an exploratory factor analysis enabled the authors to construct an original factor model of sources of enterprise competitive advantage, with three factors identified: marketing, innovation activity and corporate social responsibility. This indicates that marketing activities, innovation activities and the application of corporate social responsibility are the key sources of competitive advantage in large enterprises operating in the market.project VEGAVedecka grantova agentura MSVVaS SR a SAV (VEGA) [1/0237/20]Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV, VEG

Bridging the gap between the country and the factors of competitiveness of enterprises

Enterprises desiring to be competitive have to continuously improve and react to the current trends. It is important, therefore, to know consumers' opinions and needs to remain competitive, especially as consumers' behaviour arises from a range of factors and conditions, both macro- and microeconomic. Revenue and the prices of consumer goods, undoubtedly the key determinants that have a direct impact on consumer conduct, decide the market demand, and supply determines the real framework of consumption. Geographical, natural, civilisational, and cultural conditions are among the factors affecting consumers' decisions, influencing consumers' cultural preferences on the one hand and having an impact on consumer behaviour, on the other hand. This paper identifies the factors of enterprise competitiveness in the opinions of Czech, Slovak and Polish consumers. Specialist literature is reviewed, and descriptive statistical methods and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) are applied. The results are analysed on the basis of a survey of a consumer group using STATISTICA 13.0 software. The survey questionnaire relates to an assessment of significance of competitiveness factors used by enterprises. The research carried out can influence the development of theories of business competitiveness, and the results obtained can provide guidance to managers on the selection of key factors of enterprise competitiveness.Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV, VEGA, (1/0360/23)VEGA [1/0360/23

The competitive advantage of enterprises from the customer perspective

The ability to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage in the long term is one of the most valuable abilities of a company in the modern economy. Companies strive to achieve a competitive advantage in order to be recognised by customers, which is expected to lead to increased revenues and profits. It is important to choose factors serving to achieve a competitive advantage. More desirable are factors that are difficult to copy by competitors and adapted to the opinions and needs of consumers. The aim of the article is to identify the sources of competitive advantage of enterprises in the opinion of consumers from Slovakia and Poland. The article analyses the literature on the subject and uses the methods of descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The analysis of the results is based on surveys conducted on a group of consumers from Slovakia and Poland using statistical software. A questionnaire assesses the importance of competitive factors utilised by companies. The obtained results confirm that quality is an important source of competitive advantage and country is a variable differentiating the selection of sources of competitive advantage. The research contributes to the ongoing scientific discussion, more specifically taking into account the consumer focus. To summarise, gaining a competitive advantage is a complex task influenced by a number of factors. To a large extent, they are related to the capacity for innovation, to the resources possessed, including human capital, and to the ability to respond to market needs and the use of marketing tools. The research contributes to the development of theories in the field of enterprise competitiveness, and its results can serve as recommendations for enterprise managers to identify the key sources of enterprises’ competitive advantage

The Effect of Indirect Taxes on the State Budget Revenue

Taxes are among the key economic instruments by means of which the state fulfils its functions in the economy. Depending on the relation of an object of taxation to a source of tax, two tax types are distinguished: direct taxes, where the nominal (formal) and real taxpayers are clearly identical, and indirect taxes, where such identity is not present, i.e., a formal source of a tax is not the same as its real source. This paper intends to discuss the fiscal significance of indirect taxes to the state budget. The analysis implies the indirect taxes generate high budget receipts not only at times of economic growth but also during economic crises. In 2016-2020, indirect taxation accounted for the largest proportion (an average of 70%) of all the state budget?s tax revenue. A dominant status of the value added tax among the overall income of the state budget could be noted as well. It constituted 44% of the total income on average at the time. In addition, the results of a correlation matrix show a strong link between the state budget revenue and indirect taxes. A statistical analysis affirms the research hypothesis that indirect taxation has a considerable impact on the state budget?s revenue

Innowacyjność polskiego sektora MSP

Tyt. z nagłówka.Bibliografia s.55.Dostępny również w formie drukowanej.ABSTRACT: Innovation became especially important for Polish SME sector after Poland's accession to the EU. Polish entrepreneurs make innovation decisions thinking mainly about how to keep their competitive position in the common EU market. Innovation can be viewed from many aspects, however the research presented in the following paper depict the innovation from a processing and a product view. KEYWORDS: innovations, sme sector innovation, product innovations, process innovations. STRESZCZENIE: Innowacyjność polskiego sektora MSP nabrała szczególnego znaczenia po przystąpienia Polski do UE. Polscy przedsiębiorcy podejmują działania innowacyjne głównie z myślą o utrzymaniu swojej pozycji konkurencyjnej na wspólnym rynku unijnym. Innowacyjność można rozpatrywać w różnych aspektach, jednak zaprezentowane w poniższym artykule badania przedstawiają innowacje w ujęciu procesowym i produktowym. SŁOWA KLUCZOWE: innowacje, innowacyjność sektora msp, innowacje produktowe, innowacje procesowe

Impact of globalisation on functioning of small and medium enterprises

Tyt. nagł.Bibliografia s. 457-458.Dostępny również w formie drukowanej.STRESZCZENIE: Artykuł przedstawia zmiany w małych i średnich przedsiębiorstwach jako rezultat globalizacji. Zostały wskazane podstawowe przyczyny dla zaistnienia tego procesu w ekonomii, jak również skutki globalizacji w małych i średnich przedsiębiorstwach. Wiele przedsiębiorstw, ażeby przeżyć w nowych warunkach, było zmuszonych wprowadzić zmiany, takie jak: wzrost jakości ich produktów, cięcie kosztów czy też zmiana sposobów zarządzania. Co więcej, globalizacja zmusiła przedsiębiorstwa do skupienia się na innowacji i konkurencyjności, na których to bazuje ekonomia. SŁOWA KLUCZOWE: globalizacja, internacjonalizacja, mała i średnia przedsiębiorczość, konkurencyjność ABSTRACT: The article presents changes in the SME sector as a result of emergence of the globalisation proeess. Fundamental reasons for occurrence of this process in economy were indicated, and effect of globalisation on small and medium enterprises was presented. To survive in new conditions, most enterprises are forced to introduce changes, such as increase quality of their products, cut costs or alter ways of managing the business. Additionally, globalisation forces enterprises to focus on innovation and competitiveness, that is, knowledge-based economy. KEYWORDS: globalisalion, internationalisation, small and medium enterprises, competitivenes

The natural environment as an area of Corporate Social Responsibility

Areas of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have been defined in ISO 26000. Guidelines of the International Standardisation Organisation distinguish seven areas: corporate governance, human rights, labour practices, natural environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, social commitment and development of local communities. This article presents good practices implemented by enterprises in the individual areas, in particular, actions in the area of the natural environment. Two research hypotheses are posited concerning the rate of implementing good CSR practices and the number of actions in the natural environment area. National Responsible Business Forum research and a survey of a group of enterprises in the Mazovian region, conducted by the authors in 2014–2016, served to verify the hypotheses. The results imply that the number of good practices realised in CSR areas tends to grow. In addition, actions in the area of the natural environment rank third with regard to good practices implemented

Factors of tourism´s competitiveness in the European Union countries

Tourism is one of the most rapidly blossoming sectors of economy and its economic and social signi fi cance is expressed both in numbers (share in GNP, employment) and in a range of as important uncountable characteristics like expansion of a region, more intense development, building the spirit of local communities, actions preventing social exclusion or education of future generations for state progress. A number of countries, provinces and regions have achieved well- rounded social and economic growth by developing tourist economies and a range of necessary supporting measures, including complementary infrastructure, active and well-educated society by organising adequate living standards and ful fi lling basic social requirements, etc. It is therefore important to determine factors that improve competitiveness of tourism to maximum extent. The objective of this paper is to evaluate dependences between competitiveness of the European Union member states and selected factors determining competitiveness of tourism in these states. A set of factors determining competitiveness of tourism is introduced, that is, capacity of tourist accommodation establishments, arrivals at tourist accommodation establishments, average expenditure of tourism trips (1 night or over) – domestic trips, average expenditure of tourism trips (1 night or over) – outbound trips, tourism domestic trips (1 night or over), tourism outbound trips (1 night or over) and their impact on levels of competitiveness is determined. Considerable geographical variation of availability of accommodation establishments in the European Union member states and high, statistically signi fi cance correlations between availability of accommodation establishments and numbers of tourists arriving in a given states and between competitiveness of the EU states and tourism expenditure are identi fi ed