Search

Purpose – This article seeks to explore some of the principal issues and debates on the relationship between institutions, firm level governance and employment relations outcomes in Eastern and Central Europe. Design/methodology/approach – This paper particularly focuses on the countries that are encompassed by the papers covering the special issue. Findings – Introducing new and meaningful forms of labour regulation becomes very much more difficult in times of economic crisis. This means that the regulation of employment relations is likely to be diminished, or, as is probably more likely in the case of the bulk of countries in the region, a situation of "muddling on" is likely to persist. Firm level employment relations practices are likely to be persistently diverse, both within and between countries. Key areas of division are in terms of country clusters, which range from proto-social democratic through to "wild capitalist", distinguished by variations in terms of firm size, and between the formal and informal economies. Practical implications – This study highlights the extent to which institutional variations and change may mould the choices made at firm level. Originality/value – There is a tendency to conflate the region into a loose transitional category. This paper highlights the divergent paths followed by the countries in the region, and the extent to which this has been associated by diversity in employment relations both within and between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically explore the impact of absorptive capacity (AC) on explorative and exploitative innovation in business cluster settings, and the environment's moderating role on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of Central European companies, the paper applies multivariate data analysis techniques to test the effect of AC on innovation performance and potential moderators, respectively. Findings – The empirical evidence indicates that AC impacts both explorative and exploitative innovation, and that the strength of the impact depends on the business clusters' level of dynamism and competitiveness. Environmental dynamism and competitiveness positively moderate the effect of AC on explorative innovation, and negatively moderate the effect of AC on exploitative innovation. Research limitations/implications – Several research limitations apply. First, only one interview per firm was conducted on a self-reporting basis. Second, the survey's focus was on SMEs. Third, questionnaire translations and differing interviewer behaviour may bias the results. Practical implications – The findings suggest that firms in business clusters must develop AC to gain the fruits of agglomeration effects. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the cluster's environmental conditions, since dynamism and competition play a significant role for innovation. Originality/value – Although the importance of AC has often been highlighted, much more remains to be understood about its role in business cluster settings. This issue is addressed in this work by providing systematic, empirical evidence on how AC affects innovation performance at the firm level, and on how this relationship depends on the business cluster's environmental characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze four major aspects of the work role and how they influence the expatriate work adjustment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Russia. Design/methodology/approach - The study uses a quantitative design. Self-reported data were collected from 113 German expatriates assigned to the CEE region and Russia. Findings - The results of the study confirm the hypothesized negative association of work adjustment with role conflict and support a positive association with role clarity. Positive relationships of work adjustment with role flexibility and negative relationships with role novelty are not supported. Originality/value - The empirical results partially confirm but also challenge the established connection of work role and work adjustment in a less well understood geographical context and provide relevant material for the business practitioner with implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to review the crucial elements of integrated river basin management (IRBM) and their legal frameworks which have to be considered in a comprehensive management approach. A wide range of decision support systems (DSS) have been developed for IRBM-related fields during the last few decades. However, most of the developed systems are either not used in practice or are used by people other than those they were designed for. The paper also discusses whether DSS are useful for IRBM and presents the requirements which have to be considered in the development of IRBM-DSS. Design/methodology/approach — Beside literature research, a variety of requirement elicitation techniques such as interviews, buzz groups, questionnaire and prototype evaluation were employed. Feedback from roughly 200 experts representing different work fields and river basins in Central and Western Europe was collected. Findings — Different legal frameworks of IRBM fields were analysed with a view to determining whether they can be applied in a comprehensive approach. Broad elicitations affirm that DSS can assist in various phases of planning and management processes. Some general requirements of DSS for IRBM can be identified which should be considered in DSS development. DSS can be described as socio-technical instruments and "communication vehicles" because of their multiple roles in participation processes. Practical implications — The paper illustrates different elicitation techniques used to specify what users require of DSS. Furthermore, it describes some essential requirements for DSS development such as the main added value, key functionalities and factors for successful implementation. Originality/value — The described results are based on my own studies and elicitations which have been conducted in the course of the past two years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose ? This paper seeks to assess issues of data and the extent to which property markets are becoming more transparent in Central and Eastern Europe, discussing stages in the transformation and evolution of markets with reference to sources of real estate information. Design/methodology/approach ? Current perspectives on data sharing and drivers for change in Central and Eastern Europe draw on evidence from structured interviews with key market players in the region. This is supported by a consideration of secondary data sources. Findings ? The analysis indicates that information on stock characteristics, notably offices, has developed since the start of the 1990s but there remains an absence of performance benchmarking in the investment market. Conclusions highlight the significant process of change but identify the need for property investment markets to be more accurately measured and tracked. Research limitations/implications ? Limitations arise from data, in particular restricted time series data, lack of disclosure of data due to their intrinsic value, the perceived benefit of holding a competitive advantage and issues arising from the compatibility between various data sources. Originality/value ? The paper considers the relationship between the availability of market data and the development of properly functioning markets in Central and Eastern Europe; the attributes that have encouraged the development, availability and effective use of property market data; and the impacts of data availability on patterns of property market development in Central and Eastern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on earnings inequality within dual-earner couples in four Central-East European (CEE) countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. It aims to analyse the factors that influence earnings distribution within couples. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis uses OLS regression applied on the Statistics on Income and Living Conditions 2011 survey to reveal the various influence of relevant factors, especially relative education and the presence of children, on relative earnings. Findings – Women, on average, contribute less to a couple’s income than men. While considerably higher in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, such disparity is relatively low in Hungary and Poland. These countries have the highest share of dual-earner couples where the woman outearns her partner. The factor that substantially reduces the within-couple earnings inequality in all the analysed countries is a higher relative education of women. On the contrary, the presence of children, especially those of younger age, increases this disparity in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Originality/value – The research on within-couple earning inequality in CEE countries lags behind the relatively rich evidence from western Europe. This is the first study which systematically describes the situation in CEE countries from a comparative perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to assess the extent to which convergence in institutional regimes is likely to occur, by examining all ten new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of their development of comparative advantages in high-tech export markets either by drawing on foreign investors in the form of multinational companies or by making use of domestic institutional resources. Design/methodology/approach – The article uses fuzzy sets and qualitative comparative analysis to examine both necessary and sufficient causes of success in high-tech export markets. By doing so, it can address the important issue of institutional complementarity. Findings – While it finds that countries that have stronger records in such markets share common features, there are also important differences between them – not least in the areas of employee relations. This, together with other evidence presented in the paper, suggests that convergence around a specific institutional model is unlikely to happen. Originality/value – Analysing, unlike many previous studies, all ten new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe enables conclusions to be drawn that apply to the whole region. The novel method used in this article means that the extent of any complementarity between different institutions can be addressed, and ensures that issues relating to convergence/divergence are explored. The article, therefore, contributes to a number of important debates on the convergence among types of capitalism, the dependency of the new EU member states on foreign investors, and the institutional foundations for success in high-tech export markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The primary aim of the paper is to draw attention to the similarities in the historical background and in the transitional period of the post-socialist CEE (Central and East European) countries, which make this region a distinctive cluster in Europe. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors attempt to supplement existing research by outlining the modernisation of a range of HR functions in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and would like to explain how this special issue arose, to provide a historical perspective for the work undertaken by the Cranet research team from Bulgaria, Estonia and Hungary and to outline the context and significance of each of the attempts at modernisation in the HRM field. Findings – This analysis of developments, based on the Cranet surveys, aims to describe and explain the similarities and differences found among the three specific countries (Bulgaria, Estonia and Hungary), the somewhat broader sample comprising the CEE region and the full sample of those participating in the survey. All of these signs increase the need for a contextual Comparative HRM model – which supports not only the snapshot analysis, but also a longitudinal one, incorporating both the path-dependent and the path-creation considerations of the changes taking place. Originality/value – The need to understand HRM from a European – as opposed to a merely Western – perspective has become a dominant theme as the HR peculiarities of the new capitalism emerge. However, during the transition period, everyone needed – somehow – to meet the great challenge of turning the omelette back into eggs! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Poland along with other members of the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have adopted a hybrid corporate governance model, which draws inspirations from both the insider-oriented system as exemplified in Germany and the outsider-oriented system as exemplified in the UK. The paper aims to examine the effectiveness of the transplantation process in Poland. Design/methodology/approach - The paper looks at common actual practices prevailing in the country itself and compares this with those in Germany and the UK. The research approach relies on a limited case analysis, drawing data primarily from the public domain. Findings - Poland''s hybrid corporate governance system appears to align with the country''s socio-economic-legal framework and also takes into account the common positive features found in both the insider-oriented system and the outsider-oriented system; and in particular the emphasis on transparency and accountability, proper corporate asset management, and investors'' protection safeguards. However, it would appear that the process of corporate governance monitoring and enforcement in Poland may need to be improved. It is also observed that Poland is increasingly looking towards the Anglo-Saxon model of corporate governance as it developed its own system, largely because of the relatively greater success of the latter, the influence of influential global institutional investors in Continental Europe, and the diminishing influence of the German model, which itself is now contemplating fundamental reforms. Practical implications - The transition economies of CEE like Poland requires the practice of sound corporate governance to ensure more efficient mobilisation of their economic resources. Originality/value - The paper shows that good corporate governance should help to attract more foreign investments into transition economies to help accelerate growth and enhance their balance of payments positions; and reduce gradually the extent of state involvement in the business sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to examine the retail store decision criteria of customers in founder member states of the European Union and customers in Central and Eastern European (CEE) accession member states. Design/methodology/approach — Based on the literature review we theorize that significant differences will exist between founder member state customers and CEE accession member customers and that retailers would be wise to forego a standardized retail mix in favour of strategies more precisely adapted to individual national markets. Utilizing a well-established retail customer decision criteria scale, the authors collected data from 1,221 Eastern and Western EU customers. Findings — It was found that CEE shoppers hold very high expectations of what they desire in a retail store. Indeed, their expectations were higher than those of founder member state customers on 21 of the 22 dimensions measured. Research limitations/implications — Because of the convenience nature of the data collection method utilized in the current study, future research that examines these two groups might want to employ a more stratified sampling approach across all the countries. Other limitations that provide fertile ground for future studies include specific explorations of the retail decision criteria with more complex measurement scales, which tap each sub construct more thoroughly. Practical implications — It is apparent that retailers should thoroughly evaluate new target markets, especially when they are distant and unfamiliar and they should pursue country-adapted strategies when entering the new CEE accession states. Originality/value — The paper presents some of the first empirical research that examines the diversity of retail preferences across the enlarged EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to explore how selected fast-moving consumer goods markets in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have developed since the opening of CEE and what market structures have emerged since then. Particular attention is paid to the role of Western multinational corporations (MNCs) as drivers of globalization in this market-reshaping process. Design/methodology/approach — Based on household panel data the dissemination of international brands is analyzed in four product categories and four countries of the region. In addition, the question of whether the level of economic development of countries or the product character has an impact on the penetration levels of international brand is examined. Findings — The outcomes of this retrospective study furnish evidence for the globalization of fast-moving consumer goods markets in CEE. Although the level of diffusion of international brands varies by product category and country, the strong influence of Western MNCs in the shaping of market structures can be documented. The findings also mirror the predominantly-employed marketing and brand strategies of foreign MNCs in CEE, namely internationally-integrated as well as multi-tier brand strategies. Research limitations/implications — The data provides only a snapshot of the situation in selected consumer goods markets in the region. In order to obtain a fuller picture of the extent of market globalization, the market share of international brands should be complemented by additional data on purchase and usage behavior. Originality/value — The paper contributes to the current discussion of the market globalization thesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Since the turn of the millennium, a small corpus of post-structuralist thought has emerged that challenges the dominant belief that capitalism is now hegemonic and that all economic formations are contrasting varieties of capitalism. This paper seeks to contribute to the development of this emergent perspective. The aim is to challenge the notion that the Ukrainian economy can be represented as some variety of capitalism by highlighting the shallow permeation of capitalist practices into daily life and the continuing prevalence of multifarious non-capitalist economic practices. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve this, evidence is here reported from a 2005-6 survey that analysed the extent to which 600 households in Ukraine used capitalist and non-capitalist economic practices in their coping tactics. Findings – This reveals not only the limited use of capitalist practices in the everyday coping tactics of households in Ukraine but also how an array of non-capitalist economic practices remain heavily relied on by a majority of households to secure their livelihood. The outcome is a call to tentatively reject the "varieties of capitalism" system of meaning because of what it excludes, prohibits and denies, and to open up the future of post-Soviet Ukraine to other possible trajectories than simply some variety of capitalism. Research limitations/implications – This snapshot survey of the everyday coping practices of households displays only that capitalist practices are not hegemonic and that multifarious economic relations persist and are widespread. It does not show whether or not there is movement towards greater reliance on capitalist practices. Originality/value – It begins through the presentation of evidence on Ukraine to tentatively challenge the application of a "varieties of capitalism" perspective towards Central and Eastern European economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Strategies of embedding into the local environment are considered critical for multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Central and Eastern Europe. The purpose of this paper is to analyze such strategies in Romania. Design/methodology/approach -- The theoretical framework draws on social network theory to investigate the extent, structure, and features of embedding in the context of four case studies. Findings -- The results suggest a shift in how MNCs respond to a changing competitive landscape in Romania. The findings indicate that, contrasting proficient strategies of establishing numerous connections at entry, the most valuable approaches are currently aimed at building a diverse but non-redundant network of relationships that gives the company access to information and flexibility to react quickly to changes. Direct relationships with the government are found to be potentially detrimental, even if they may have been important at market entry. Research limitations/implications -- The limitations of the research relate to the subjective nature of the testimony-based material. Practical implications -- The findings suggest that the local subsidiary management should stay connected with organizations that allow access to information about their industries, applicable legislation and future competitive pressures, while corporate headquarters need to give local management enough decision-making freedom for the subsidiary to evolve with the environment. Originality/value -- The paper enhances knowledge of a strategic approach used extensively in transition and emerging markets, and adds to the understanding of MNCs' strategies in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to explore antecedents of perceived intra- and extra-organisational alternatives among employees in the Czech Republic, Poland and the Slovak Republic. Design/methodology/approach -- Data were collected from 9,068 low-educated supermarket employees at 360 supermarkets. LISREL analysis was employed. Findings -- Age, job autonomy and organisation size predict both forms of perceived alternatives. Tenure appears to influence both forms of perceived alternatives positively. Job challenge and sex only predict perceived extra-organisational alternatives. Unexpectedly, despite relatively high unemployment rates, the respondents perceive extra-organisational alternatives. Research limitations/implications -- Some of the antecedents of perceived alternatives identified in research among workers in Western societies seem to have a different or no impact on the perceived alternatives of employees in these countries. The study comprises only cross-sectional data. In order to test causality a longitudinal design is needed. Practical implications -- Managers should offer development and promotion opportunities in order to prevent turnover and to enhance internal flexibility as well as reflect on inducements for female and older workers. Originality/value -- This is one of the few studies exploring employee perceptions in Central European transition countries. Moreover, in general, research on the perceived alternatives of low-educated employees is very scarce. Therefore, this research also contributes to knowledge about their labour market perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper intends to further understanding of the world marketplace by examining the procurement practices of high-tech suppliers across several countries in Central and Eastern Europe and in the USA. In particular, this examination will focus on the extent to which the smaller and less developed countries of Eastern Europe utilize IT procurement as an integral part of their purchasing strategy. Design/methodology/approach - Exploratory qualitative interviews conducted with purchasing decision makers across various high-tech industries in Eastern Europe are compared with those in Central Europe and the USA. Findings - The findings suggest that information technology is perceived as being less valuable by European firms and is utilized to a lesser degree. In addition, multinational companies operating in Eastern Europe appear to be focused on developing the product quality and operational efficiency of local Eastern European suppliers and less concerned about facilitating their adoption of IT procurement systems. Research limitations/implications - The findings are consistent with past research and theory development in the area of relationship marketing. Although one can argue with whether buyer perceptions of electronic procurement are accurate, their reasons for adopting or not adopting this technology center on reducing transaction costs, reducing uncertainty, and trust concerns. Interestingly, findings suggest that within the high-tech sectors in Eastern Europe very little commerce is taking place electronically. Practical implications - The findings suggest that organizations buying globally need to pay close attention to the business culture from which they intend to source. This is important for a large number of well-researched reasons; however, the study expands on these by suggesting that various markets have differing exposure, knowledge, and comfort levels with electronic procurement. Originality/value - As with most qualitative studies, evidence was found that supports many of the established and evolving theories of buyer-seller relationships as well as a few more surprising insights. For example, the prevalence of the desire for local suppliers by global multinationals and the extent to which they were "developing" these suppliers form an interesting area deserving further research attention. The lack of interest in IT procurement systems among the firms interviewed was also surprising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conceptualizes large-scale social change under and, eventually, away from, semiperipheral state socialism by focusing on the transformation of Hungary's external linkages. It argues that the position of state socialist East-Central Europe is captured by the concept of dual dependency. The relative balance between imperial and market-based components of dual dependency distinguish the three periods of state socialism in East-Central Europe. Changes in the structure of external linkages are fundamental elements of creating and maintaining various regimes of dependency. In the transition away from state socialism, Hungary's formal linkages are being refocused on core actors while emerging informal linkages map out a more even socio-geographical distribution including limited "horizontal" integration with other societies of the region. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the conceptualization of some aspects of large-scale social change under and, eventually, away from, semiperipheral state socialism by theorizing about East-Central Europe's dependency and by examining certain elements of transformations of Hungary's external linkage structure during the post-war period.

The paper deals with the impact of long-term persistent interregional disparities on the performance in transition to market economy. In the case of Poland, owing to the turbulent history, partitions and geopolitical displacements, the main institutions were shaped both by the country's traditions and various foreign impositions. First, it is shown that to a large extent, the substantial interregional discrepancies which widened in the 1990s can be traced back to a distant past. Second, we point out that those regions which inherited a higher overall economic development, superior physical infrastructure, and high endowment in social capital, have better performed on the way to market economy. Third, we advance the explanatory model of historical path dependence that includes both self-reinforcing and reactive historical sequences, and either homogenizing or diversifying external shocks. Finally, we argue that the social capital has been preserved in the form of community norms and customs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the main economic problems plaguing Central and East Europe (CEE). Reason why Western orthodox policies embodied in the `shock' approach will not solve the region's problems effectively; Negotiated economy as an alternative to free market economy; Reason why the negotiated economy would be more efficacious for CEE than the orthodox policies.

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine how service performance and procedural justice are related and how this relationship is moderated by family life cycle (FLC) and culture. While it has long been assumed that customer perceptions of fair treatment by service providers are related to service quality perceptions, there has been little research that explicitly examines this relationship. Previous research has established that justice is an influential antecedent of behavior and attitudes in many different settings. Design/methodology/approach - Using a 42-item survey instrument combining the SERVPERF scale, a procedural justice scale and several demographic measures, responses were obtained from 717 individuals from Central and Eastern Europe and the USA. A 2 x 2 factorial design was used to evaluate the relationship between service performance and justice perceptions, and the moderating impacts of FLC position and culture on these perceptions. Findings - Strong evidence was found to support the notion that fair treatment of customers affects service performance perceptions across both FLC position and culture. Research limitations/implications - Only one service industry (higher education) was used. This study should be replicated in other industry settings to provide validation across industries. Originality/value - From both empirical and theoretical standpoints, this study bridges the gap between two separate but related literature streams of service performance and procedural justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The goal of this research is to identify which service activities contribute most to customer satisfaction in the technical wholesale industry in the Baltic States. Design/methodology/approach — In order to obtain an understanding of customer service in the countries of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, a mail survey was done to investigate customer service obtained by 184 customers of a large technical wholesale firm doing business in the Baltic States. Findings — The overall results of this research indicate that in the technical wholesale industry of the Baltic countries customer service contributes to customer satisfaction. Of the six dimensions tested, all of the relationships were in the expected direction. Only one did not contribute significantly to customer satisfaction. In order of importance to customer satisfaction the dimensions are: process quality, product quality, delivery quality, communication, availability and product support. Research limitations/implications — To obtain more generalizable results, future research areas should include investigating the model using other firms within the same industry, and testing the model in additional industries within the Baltics. Additional research may include testing the model in other countries in Northern and Central Europe such as the well-developed Scandinavian countries, and the lesser developed countries of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland as well as other areas of the world. This model was tested using data from the technical wholesale industry and additional research may focus on testing the model across different industries in different countries as well. Practical implications — The results are of relevance to practitioners, in particular for firms expanding to the Baltic area. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that the level and number of customer service activities provided by technical services firms in the Baltic area of Northern Europe are based solely on management judgment or practices borrowed from competitors without considering the impact of service provision on customer satisfaction. Instead practitioners should consider the process used to deliver services and products. Originality/value — This is the first empirical work measuring the impact of customer service dimensions on customer satisfaction using data from the Baltic States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this research was to examine how consumers in four Central European countries respond to positively and negatively framed message appeals in advertising. Design/methodology/approach — Emotional, cognitive and attitudinal reactions to four advertisements for food products were collected from matched homogeneous student samples in Croatia, The Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. In addition to analysis of variance, a comprehensive structural equation model was tested separately for each country. Findings — The findings not only indicate different emotional, cognitive and attitudinal responses across countries, but additionally reveal differences in how positively versus negatively framed advertisements are being processed by consumers. Research limitations/implications — Across countries, the intertwined roles of emotions and cognitions in affecting consumer attitudinal response were generally confirmed, suggesting cross-cultural robustness of the underlying advertising-processing framework. Future studies should employ larger consumer samples to verify the descriptive findings. Practical implications — Advertisers and their clientele need to recognize that an advertisement that has been designed for an international audience featuring a specific frame may elicit a variety of emotional and attitudinal responses due to national differences between consumers. Neglecting even subtle national differences can lead to consumer misperceptions and may result in serious damage to the brand image Originality/value — New insights and evidence have been generated showing that using one advertising campaign is questionable, if not potentially damaging to advertisers' efforts. The identification of differences in how consumers in selected countries respond to a perceived appeal also helps clarifying the general direction of future research, which should focus on the underlying mechanism responsible for differences in how appeals affect consumer emotional response in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses about the mass privatization scheme in Central and Eastern Europe parallel to programs launched in Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria. Implication of mass privatization on corporate governance; Legal protection of property rights of various corporate sectors in the face of rapid mass privatization policy; Empirical study of corporate governance and mass privatization; Mechanism of mass privatization; Characteristics of mass privatization; Study of peculiar features of mass privatization in five countries.

Highlights the development of Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in Central Europe. Design and structure of the management program in Austria; Primary management training centers and services in Austria; Feature of the International Management Center (IMC) in Budapest, Hungary; Management programs and consulting services offered by IMC.