The competitive factors of German enterprises in Poland

Rafał Śliwiński,Magdalena Śliwińska

doi:10.14746/rpeis.2021.83.3.19

Rafał Śliwiński, Magdalena Śliwińska

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.14746/rpeis.2021.83.3.19

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to answer the following research questions: which factors relating to the international competitiveness of German enterprises are most important for the Polish market? Which competitiveness factors play a key role in helping enterprises from the highest developed countries conquer the market of a relatively less developed country? On the basis of a literature review, a research gap is identified, indicating there is a shortage of studies that clearly identify a group of factors that influence a company’s success on the foreign market. The gap is filled with the empirical qualitative research and the conclusions regarding the key competitiveness factors and their effective combination. Competitive strategies and factors key for their implementation are identified, presenting the factors responsible for the growth of German enterprises on the international market (Poland) and achieving market success. The set of enterprises’ competitiveness factors is established and the hierarchy those factors is presented. Although the qualitative research based on thirteen companies is not representative, the leading German enterprises provide a valuable lesson on how to successfully conquer a foreign market. The key competitiveness factors responsible for such success in the context of strategic goals, competition strategies and modern methods of competition are presented and discussed. The findings are very useful for real enterprises in internationalizing situations, where the management has to determine the competitive strategy which should lead to foreign growth and in consequence success on the international market. The study indicates what to focus on when entering the foreign market and which factors have a direct impact on the growth on the foreign market. The paper is a result of empirical research on competitiveness and provides valuable information about the set of ranked competitive factors that have a direct influence on success in a foreign market.

Highlights

Many companies ask themselves what kind of competitive approach determines success on a foreign market, whether it is one or a whole set of factors
The purpose of this paper is to answer the following research question: which factors relating to the international competitiveness of German enterprises are most important for the Polish market? in a broader context: which competitiveness factors play a key role in helping enterprises from the highest developed countries conquer the market of a relatively less developed country? On the basis of a literature review, a research gap is identified, indicating there is a shortage of studies that clearly identify a group of factors that influence a company’s success on the foreign market
The gap is filled with the empirical qualitative research and the conclusions regarding the key competitiveness factors and their effective combination

Summary

Introduction

Many companies ask themselves what kind of competitive approach determines success on a foreign market, whether it is one or a whole set of factors. If it is a set, they may ask which factors play the key role in determining competitive and financial success on the international market. The relation with the Polish economy is quite unique, which definitely influences the market strategy of German companies in this region. There is the difficult common history, which is still remembered in Poland and can have an influence on the employment of the skilled labour force. There is still a vital difference in GDP per capita between Germany – USD46,724 in 2020, and Poland – USD15,656 in 2020.1

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