Geo Regional Competitiveness In Central And Eastern Europe The Baltic Countries And Russia

"This book addresses East Central Europe's (ECE), the Baltics', and Russia's increasingly important roles as emerging markets and competitive economic players in the European region"--

The changing dynamics in the European region and beyond, the unfolding political-economic challenges across the European Union, and the rising global power of emerging economic powers require knowledge, skills, and methodological platforms inducing strategies and operations in the new and ever-changing business landscape. Geo-Regional Competitiveness in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic Countries, and Russia seeks to address East Central Europe’s (ECE), the Baltics’, and Russia’s increasingly important roles as emerging markets and competitive economic players in the European region. This premier reference work is designated for scholars, professionals, government agencies, think tanks, and other individuals, organizations, and institutions interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the geo-regional strategic business dynamics and landscape involving ECE, the Baltics, and Russia.

This book presents peer-reviewed, state-of-the-art conceptual and empirical papers devoted to changes in the international competitive position of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, its countries and businesses. While the unprecedented scale of transformation in the CEE region has provided a distinct research setting for international business and economics scholars for more than two decades, there have also been recent discussions about the extent to which the region continues to have a unique business environment. The region's economies have reached different levels of market development and modern business practice adoption, with some of them now frequently classified as advanced economies. Consequently, the same level of heterogeneity among CEE countries can also be observed at the sector and business level. The contributions in this book highlight possible sources of competitive advantage for CEE countries and firms, in light of recent intensive debates about the danger of the middle-income trap and the potential solutions to it.

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization that formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. It has few supranational powers, but aims to be more than a purely symbolic organization, nominally possessing coordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance, lawmaking, and security. As such, it is vital to examine this region and its economic and geopolitical impacts on the world. Economic and Geopolitical Perspectives of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eurasia is a vital research publication that explores the importance and influence of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eurasia in the twenty-first century. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as sovereign democracy, economic integration, and foreign policy, this book is geared toward business managers, economists, business professionals, entrepreneurs, business analysts, and researchers seeking current research on the effects of political organizations like the CIS on various regions.

This book belongs to the Port Economics and Global Supply Chain Management strand of the Palgrave Studies in Maritime Economics book series, commissioned by Hercules Haralambides. This book discusses the main drivers that affect the introduction and growth of short sea shipping services. It describes and analyses the main operational concepts of short sea shipping and introduces relevant administrative and strategic approaches that enable its sustainable execution. Short Sea Shipping (SSS) comprises freight and passenger mobility by waterborne transport at a limited range, without crossing an ocean. Being a direct competitor to land-based transport modes, it uses ports and inland waterways to complement traditional transportation systems, increase capacity, improve flexibility, and contribute towards the goal of sustainable mobility. The reader will be introduced to various aspects of short sea shipping including benefits and shortfalls, relevant regulations and policies, and the applicability of short sea services within a given case or scenario.

Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) represent both an increasingly important - and potentially dominant - category of alternative investor, and a novel form for governments to project their interests both home and abroad. As such, they represent both economic actors and embody power vested in the financial and diplomatic resources they can leverage. Although at times they have acted in concert with other alternative investors, their intergenerational savings function should, in theory at least, promote more long-termist thinking. However, they may be impelled in towards greater short termism, in response to popular pressures, demands from predatory elites and/or unforeseen external shocks. Of all the categories of alternative investment, SWFs perhaps embody the most contradictory pressures, making for diverse and complex outcomes. The aim of this volume is to consolidate the present state of the art, and advance the field through new applied, conceptual and theoretical insights. The volume is ordered into chapters that explore thematic issues and country studies, incorporating novel insights in on the most recent developments in the SWF ecosystem. This handbook is organized into four sections and 23 chapters. The four sections are: Governance of SWFs, Political and Legal Aspects of SWFs, Investment Choices and Structures of SWFs, Country and Regional Analyses of SWFs.

This book examines key aspects of the increasingly important phenomenon of reshoring – the decision of companies to reverse offshoring by bringing manufacturing back from overseas. The aim is to equip readers with a full understanding of the current extent of reshoring, its drivers, and the associated opportunities and challenges. The impact of governments’ economic policies on the location choices of entrepreneurs in an era of globalization is carefully analyzed, drawing on experiences in the United States and Italy, where contrasting encouragement is provided for reshoring decisions. The effect on reshoring of recent developments regarding technology, the environment, and other factors is assessed in depth, and readers will also find close scrutiny of the relationship between reshoring and manufacturing performance. The book will be of interest to all academics, researchers, and practitioners with an interest in the manufacturing industry and will be an excellent teaching aid for a variety of courses in different disciplines at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Presenting a vision of the luxury sector and its management, this edited book describes “the new luxury” through a comprehensive view of the value chain, from concept to market. The authors argue that the main characteristics of “luxury” are linked to specific resources and competencies found throughout the value chain and that value is a result of the interaction between the brand and stakeholders, and more precisely with their clients. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, New Luxury Management encompasses both strategic and functional aspects of luxury management, providing innovative solutions to the successful creation and management of value across the organization, from leadership, human resources, financial management, marketing and economic perspectives.