Unveiling the competitiveness of non-resource enterprises in a resource-rich country: A qualitative case study of Brunei

Introduction to the topic under investigation. With the transition to the information economy, intellectual capital is becoming increasingly important and can be considered as a source of formation of the competitiveness of an enterprise. It should also be noted that despite the many approaches to assessing competitiveness, not all of them withstand criticism or are widely used in practice. Purpose. The purpose of the study is to analyze the intellectual capital and competitiveness of industrial enterprises of the Baltic states. Methodology. The study uses quantitative and qualitative methods; the value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) was used to assess intellectual capital, while the dynamic method and rating assessment of financial indicators were used to assess the competitiveness of enterprises. Main results. The paper analyses the competitiveness of enterprises and calculates the value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) of industrial enterprises whose shares are listed on the Nasdaq Baltic market. The study confirms that more efficient use of intellectual capital provides higher indicators of competitiveness of an enterprise; however, the competitiveness of an enterprise is influenced by other factors, for example, the sources of financing used. The theoretical contribution. The dynamic method of assessing the competitiveness of enterprises was employed; it was shown that more effective use of intellectual capital provides an enterprise with competitive advantages. Practical implications. To assess the competitiveness of an enterprise, we use a refined dynamic method, which is supplemented by the VAIC indicator, which will allow us to take into account in the assessment the effectiveness of the use of the intellectual capital of an enterprise. Keywords: intellectual capital, competitiveness, value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC), dynamic method of competitiveness, rating assessment of financial indicators.

The article examines the concept of “competitiveness” and provides the author’s own definition of this economic definition. The factors of internal and external influence on competitiveness are expanded. The dynamics of changes in the number of Ukrainian enterprises in 2012–2022 is analyzed. The activities of PJSC “Zaporizhzhia Abrasive Plant”, production volumes of the main types of products and competitiveness indicators are studied. The strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, as well as the problems it faces, and the actions it takes to modernize are considered. The reserves for improving the competitiveness of the enterprise PJSC “Zaporizhzhia Abrasive Plant” are identified. The place of Ukraine and the United Kingdom in the global competitiveness index is analyzed. The advantages of doing business in the UK are identified and the main factors affecting the competitiveness of enterprises in both countries are highlighted. Actions to improve the competitiveness of Ukrainian enterprises are proposed.

The global dissemination of psychological treatments: a road map for research and practice.

The purpose of this study is to examine the learnings from past Mongolian wealth management, particularly in sovereign wealth fund (SWF) activities, to explore the key development features of governance of selected SWF best practices, and to identify appropriate and prudent policy implications for strengthening fund management.From international experiences, it is recommended that the government institutions, which can help stabilize the economy and exchange rate and flatten the inflation rate over generations, are the key to sustainable development in resource-rich countries. Sovereign wealth funding is a modern approach to sustainable development. In resource-rich countries, in particular, it is considered to prevent the Dutch disease and rent-seeking caused by limited democracy, poor fiscal discipline, and corruption of bureaucracy. The study involves quantitative and qualitative methods to answer a research question using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and regression analysis. The selection of case studies is based on SWF indicators (scale of the fund, transparency, and accountability rate) and the country’s resource similarities that contributed significantly to the government budget. This study covers Norwegian and Chilean cases and investigates the main factors behind the success of SWF management. After obtaining the key concepts and principles for the success of SWF, we examine the Mongolian case and investigate the main reasons for its failure. Subsequently, the pros and cons of the Mongolian SWF in terms of internal and external factors are studied using SWOT analysis. The quantitative analysis is conducted in two batches of statistical estimation techniques to (1) examine the relationship between governance indicators and the scale of SWF and (2) verify the assumption that the SWF can contribute to the government’s fiscal activities. We believe that natural resources contribute to well-being, poverty elimination, job creation, and prosperity through fiscal income. Resource-rich countries should be concerned about how resource revenues drive other forms of capital that can achieve sustainable development. However, there are several challenges related to governing issues and development difficulties arising from capacity building in developing nations. Several studies indicate that resource-rich countries tend to fail in capacity building, thus causing vulnerable economies and weak social development over generations, particularly in emerging and developing countries. However, not all endowed nations have resource-management problems. Some have achieved sound resource management, which enables them to provide good public service and social benefits on a transparent base, develop innovative and modern technology, improve productive capacity, and increase revenue from surplus for safe and responsible management for future generations. In this study, we address the importance of SWF strengthening through sound governance, attempt to clarify the current situation of SWFs in Mongolia, and suggest further improvements. Mongolia, a natural resource-rich country, can convert wealth into well-being if wealth management is significantly improved. Due to the democratic regime, the nation has the potential to implement good international practices and introduce them into national wealth management under effective and efficient governance. The Government of Mongolia has established several sovereign funds through policy reforms to achieve the international organizations’ requirements for the sustainable stabilization of the economy. Some funds are terminated early due to weak governance and legislation, while others achieve their initial objectives by updating policy and legal documents through reforms. The main challenges of SWF management are political interference in decision-making; weak institutional capacity, including human capital, technology, industry standards, and internal ethical guidelines; and poor transparency performance. The failures of previous SWFs were due to unclear rules for its mission and unclear delegation from owners to managers, inadequate design and governance, excess withdrawal by political decisions, lack of operational freedom (political interference), and mismanagement (to finance directly to government expenditure). This study analyzes the measures of national governance correlated with the scale of SWF to provide evidence suggesting that countries with a higher (lower) degree of government effectiveness tend to accumulate more (less) wealth for generations. We also present an empirical analysis of how the growth in SWF asset accumulation contributes to national fiscal balance fluctuations. We show that if nations accumulate more financial wealth from government revenue surplus, the fiscal deficit tends to fluctuate in a stable manner.KeywordsSovereign wealth fundGovernanceInstitutional capacity buildingTransparency and accountabilityInclusive growthSustainable developmentStabilizing the economyFiscal deficit

The aim of the research was to discover the factors or influences associated with competitiveness of enterprises, particularly the factors influencing competitiveness from internal and external environments. The sample is gathered from the branches of manufacturing and construction industries in 2007 and for other sectors of the national economy in 2009. Acquired data reflect the personal views of managers from the monitored enterprises and are expressed in nine variables detailing the internal environment and eight variables detailing the external environment. In our study, the significant influence on competitiveness was found only for the two variables from the internal environment – the ability to flexibly adapt to their customers and the innovation activity of enterprises, though in different time periods. The first one was found to be influential in 2007, at the time of economic growth. The results reflect the fact that managers of enterprises from the first two groups (with higher and average Return on Assets) are homogenous in their opinions with regard to the influence over competitiveness in the capabilities to adapt flexibly to customers, while managers of financially inefficient enterprises held different opinion regarding this issue. On the contrary, in 2009 at the outbreak of the financial crisis, for financially efficient enterprises, innovation activities were found as decisive. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.25.5.3136

Demand side management opportunities, framework, and implications for sustainable development in resource-rich countries: Case study Qatar

The chapter objectives focus on mapping the sector of social economy in some states from South-Eastern Europe, presenting their role and impact due to the activities achieved in society. The theoretical part of the chapter comprises the evolution of social economy in Europe, in general, and in South-Eastern Europe, in particular, the identification of the types of organizations in this area. The case study identifies and presents the stages of development of the social enterprises in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, and explores, by comparative analysis the institutional frameworks, the regulations of social enterprises, the eligible judicial forms, presenting similarities and differences, as well as the contribution to social inclusion and impact on community in general. The chapter identifies and explains the influence of the European actors and presents the factors specific to each country which have influenced and supported the emergence of social enterprises as well as the challenges faced.

The chapter objectives focus on mapping the sector of social economy in some states from South-Eastern Europe, presenting their role and impact due to the activities achieved in society. The theoretical part of the chapter comprises the evolution of social economy in Europe, in general, and in South-Eastern Europe, in particular, the identification of the types of organizations in this area. The case study identifies and presents the stages of development of the social enterprises in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, and explores, by comparative analysis the institutional frameworks, the regulations of social enterprises, the eligible judicial forms, presenting similarities and differences, as well as the contribution to social inclusion and impact on community in general. The chapter identifies and explains the influence of the European actors and presents the factors specific to each country which have influenced and supported the emergence of social enterprises as well as the challenges faced.

The article examines the issues of using benchmarking to increase the competitiveness of auto industry enterprises. In the present conditions, the interaction concept in the marketing activities of auto industry enterprises consists of relations (communication) between buyers and the participants of the buying and selling process; scientific proposals and recommendations are given to increase the importance of effective communication of marketing interaction. At the same time, it is important to effectively influence the marketing system of auto industry enterprises by implementing the results of marketing research of international research institutes in forming directions for increasing the effectiveness of the marketing activities of auto industry enterprises, and as a result, to increase the investment potential and competitiveness of auto industry enterprises. Studying the theoretical foundations of the formation of marketing strategies in the automotive industry and approaches to classifying the types of marketing strategies allow to determine the peculiarities of their use in the automotive industry of Uzbekistan and to develop appropriate measures. The analysis of the characteristics of the main methodological approaches to the development of marketing strategies of automobile industry enterprises in foreign countries practically substantiates the fact that the flexibility to the processes related to market development is important, not the relationships that arise during the development of the marketing strategy and its implementation.

Multinational corporations and host country institutions: A case study of CSR activities in Angola

The purpose of this study was to analyse the role of tax policy in the agricultural sector to determine its impact on innovative development, investment decisions, and competitiveness of enterprises in this area. The study performed a comparative analysis of various aspects of tax regulation, review of taxation instruments, consideration of special tax regimes in such countries as the USA, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, and Kyrgyzstan. The study investigated various aspects of tax regulation that have direct and indirect impact on the functioning of the agricultural sector. The role of tax policy in stimulating investment and development in agriculture by providing tax incentives and subsidies for investment in innovative technologies, process mechanisation, and research was examined. Special tax regimes aimed at supporting agricultural enterprises were analysed, and examples of tax policies in different countries, including the USA, the European Union, China, India, and Kyrgyzstan, were provided. The state of agricultural development in Kyrgyzstan was reviewed, and the main challenges, government support measures, and the main land tax rates across the country were identified. The key point was to develop recommendations for improving the tax system to stimulate agricultural development derived from the synthesis method. This involves the introduction of tax exemptions and investment incentives, differentiation of tax rates depending on segments and regions of agriculture, stakeholder consultations, simplification of tax administration, and attraction of foreign investment through special tax regimes. Concrete examples were also given of large agricultural enterprises in different countries where improved tax policies can contribute to the development and efficiency of their operations

The rapid liberalization of the world's trading system has obliged all firms (micro, small, medium and large) to participate in the international trading system. The competitiveness of these enterprises is very important if developing economies are to secure their economic survival in this era of rapid market liberalization and erosion of trade preferences. This paper seeks to provide some insights into the competitiveness of a group of firms that have received very little attention in the debate on competitiveness and economic development. It draws on the case study method to analyse export-marketing strategies of eight small firms from Jamaica to help us analyse their ability to compete internationally and, by extension, to draw out lessons for other similar enterprises in the economy. The results reveal that the export-marketing strategies used by Jamaican small enterprises to expand exports are unsophisticated and unsustainable. The strategies pursued leave these enterprises hostage to foreign buyers, thus making their export capacity quite fickle. This therefore threatens their long-term survival and by extension the Jamaican economy. Taking greater control of the export-marketing mix is the only way these enterprises can develop sophisticated strategies that will ensure their survival in an increasingly inhospitable international trading environment.

The current position of Poland in rankings of economy innovativeness and competitiveness is not satisfactory. Insignificant innovativeness of Polish companies enforces an increase in connections between scientific institutions and enterprises in the scope of technology transfer. The purpose of the paper is to present the importance and benefits of technological cooperation between scientific and research institutions and enterprises in Poland for the innovativeness and competition of both enterprises and the economy. The basis to draw up this article were the results of the authoress own research over the technological cooperation between scientists and entrepreneurs in Poland between 2004 and 2011. For the needs of the article there were applied the methods of analysis of innovativeness and competitiveness survey ratios, publications of the Central Statistical Office, rankings of innovativeness of the European Union States and rankings of economic competitiveness. This allowed to set out the level of innovativeness of Polish enterprises and the status of their links with the sector of scholarship and research. This has an impact on the competitiveness of Polish economy. The results of the authoress’ research indicate a necessity to intensify the technological cooperation between the scholarly sector and the industry. Presented examples of technological cooperation between scientists and entrepreneurs confirm that the technological partnership must become a development strategy of Polish entrepreneurs in view of changes in the world economy. The case study revealed its impact on the innovativeness and competitiveness of enterprises in Poland.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.em.18.2.4467

The relevance of the study is driven by the need to identify effective strategies for small business development in the context of dynamic changes in the economic environment. Hybrid business models combine various approaches to business operations, enabling increased flexibility, competitiveness, and adaptability of small enterprises to market challenges. It is important to analyze the implementation of such models in various sectors of Ukraine's economy, considering the specific characteristics of each type of activity. The aim of the study is to adapt hybrid business models to the types of activities of small businesses in Ukraine, identify their advantages and vulnerabilities, and assess the impact of these models on the stability and competitiveness of enterprises. To achieve the stated goal, a comprehensive approach was used, including a literature review, statistical analysis of the structure of small businesses in Ukraine, comparative analysis of traditional and hybrid business models, and the case study method. The main research hypothesis is that adapting hybrid business models according to the type of small enterprise activity contributes to its effective development, enhances competitiveness, and reduces risks. The results of the study confirm that the use of hybrid business models enables small businesses to expand markets, minimize costs, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. The most effective hybrid models have been identified for various economic sectors, including trade, manufacturing, services, and the IT sector. The scientific novelty of the study lies in determining the key factors for the successful implementation of hybrid business models in small businesses, depending on the type of activity. The obtained results can be utilized by entrepreneurs, consultants, and policymakers to develop strategies for supporting small businesses. Future research prospects include the development of detailed recommendations for implementing specific hybrid models in small businesses, analyzing their impact on financial performance, and assessing the long-term effectiveness of these models.

A number of studies in the academic and policy literature suggest that resource-rich countries with democratic political systems are more likely than their resource-rich counterparts with less democratic systems to enjoy prudential governance of natural resources, which, in turn, makes inclusive sustainable development more likely. This report focuses on the potential roles of stakeholders and institutions in the governance of natural resources. It aims to pinpoint specific mechanisms that are pivotal for ensuring prudential management. It draws on a multitude of examples and includes six case studies that illustrate the interaction between democracy, natural resources and development outcomes.