Networks and Competitiveness in Polish Foreign-owned and Domestic Firms

Abstract

In this study deepens the available knowledge about the networks of Polish manufacturing firms. Among the questions touched upon in this analysis are: Do foreign-owned companies have less developed networks of Polish suppliers than domestically owned companies? What is the role of the science and technology sector in industrial innovation? What benefits do firms derive from cooperation with various types of partners? To achieve a mix of mature and emerging industries, four manufacturing industries were selected for analysis: • electronics • auto/auto parts • pharmaceuticals •food and beverages. The introduction, briefly overviews the recent development and performance of the four industries in Poland. The second section presents case studies of eight firms – two from each of the four industries studied. These case studies were carried out in 2003. The third section, analyzes data collected from a sample of 226 companies in 2004.Networks, upgrading, Poland, manufacturing, competitiveness.