Enterprise in Highly Competitive Environment

The years 2008-2009 have been considered as the most difficult ones for most companies for many decades. The global financial crisis has influenced all economic players: multinational corporations such as the former biggest car producer General Motors, companies operating on the national markets, as well as small family enterprises or single entrepreneurs. As a result every manager or entrepreneur not only has had to take into consideration typical high competitive pressure of global economy but also has been forced to implement some remedies and adjustments to turbulent reality of the financial crisis. It means that whole business world has been focused on finding additional resources to survive the recession. In practice, at a time of recession companies tend to implement strategies and business solutions that are supposed to bring quick costs' reductions. Even though these immediate savings obtained during crises are usually necessary to survive, but still they are often only effective in very short term and can even sometimes become threat to a long term competitive potential of a company. It means that one of the most important skills of a good manager is the ability to keep long term perspective even when one needs to react to present problems. This is especially important in highly turbulent and competitive environment of contemporary global economy. As a result the idea and the aim of this book is to present some strategies and business solutions that can be an effective long term alternative to easily applicable, but only useful in the short term, obvious cost cuts and easy adjustments.

Introduction (Adam P. Balcerzak) /7
Part I. Improving Competiveness of Enterprise
Renata Koneczna, Sustainable Business Concepts and Th eir Impact on the Increase of the Company's Competitive and Innovative Advantages /19
Małgorzata Szałucka, Foreign Direct Investment as a Tool for Enhancing Competitiveness - the Experience of Polish Companies /33
Marta Wierzbicka, Building Competitive Potential in the Dutch Biotechnological Industry Based
on Clusters. An Example of BioMed Cluster in Amsterdam /49
Zbigniew Wiśniewski, The Dynamics of Operational Management /61
Małgorzata Wiśniewska, Zbigniew Wiśniewski, Changing the Role of Information in Organizations /73
Katarzyna Dorota Kopeć, Obstacles and Perspectives of the Development of Cultural Sponsorship, Within the Framework of the Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy /87
Robert Bęben, Raising Financial Resources for Developing a Business Viewed from the Perspective of the Conception of Marketing /97
Zbigniew Drewniak, The National Capital Fund and its Role in Supporting of PE/VC Funds and Preventing Equity Gap /109
Anna Jakubczak, Economical Eff ectiveness of Enterprises by the Sectors of Poland's National Economy /123
Marcin Ratajczak, Economic Condition of Small and Medium Enterprises Located in Rural Areas
of Warmia and Mazury /135
Part II. Knowledge and Human Capital in Building Innovative
Potential of Enterprises, Beata Michorowska, Knowledge Flows from Transnational Corporations to Local Subsidiaries /153
Marcin Kuzel, Fostering Linkages and Initiating Knowledge and Skill Diff usion by Polish
Affi liates of the World's Largest TNCs /167
Małgorzata Baran, Knowledge Creation and Linkages in Clusters/193
Iwona Szczepaniak, Intellectual Capital as a Source of Polish Food Industry Competitiveness /205
Katarzyna Grzesik, Th e Evolution of Leaders Development in Organization /219
Katarzyna Piwowar-Sulej, Evolution of an Employee Position in an Organization /233
Beata Chmielewiec, Financing HR Activities During Recession /245
Contributors /261

Balcerzak Adam P.

adiunkt w Katedrze Ekonomii na Wydziale Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu; prezes Zarządu Polskiego Towarzystwa Ekonomicznego Oddziału w Toruniu; absolwent Central Ostrobothnia Polytechnic w Kokkoli w Finlandii (gdzie zdobył tytuł Bachelor of Business Administration), studiów magisterskich na kierunku Ekonomia (UMK w Toruniu) i studiów doktoranckich na Wydziale Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania UMK. Był stypendystą Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego oraz uzyskał stypendium Ministra Edukacji Narodowej i Sportu za wybitne osiągnięcia w nauce. Autor monografii "Państwo w realiach „nowej gospodarki”. Podstawy efektywnej polityki gospodarczej w XXI wieku", redaktor naukowy kilku monografii w języku polskim i angielskim oraz autor kilkudziesięciu opracowań naukowych opublikowanych w książkach i recenzowanych periodykach naukowych.Pełni on funkcję redaktora naczelnego pisma „Equilibrium” wydawanego na Wydziale Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu przy współpracy z Polskim Towarzystwem Ekonomicznym Oddziałem w Toruniu. Zainteresowania naukowe dr. Adama P. Balcerzaka koncentrują się na polityce fiskalnej i monetarnej państwa w kontekście jej wpływu na cykliczność rozwoju gospodarczego, instytucjonalnych uwarunkowaniach zmian produktywności oraz determinantach wzrostu gospodarczego, roli państwa w tworzeniu warunków dla rozwoju innowacyjnej gospodarki opartej na wiedzy.