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In the European communities, the need for tax harmonization has begun to commence since the beginning of integration efforts in the 1960s. The first attitudes to tax harmonization were very ambitious. The plan was not only structural harmonization but also harmonization of tax rates. The paper examines the nature and course of the direct tax harmonization process, describes its advantages and disadvantages as well as the positive and negative effects of tax competition. The paper aims to examine the development and volume of selected income taxes collected in the Member States of the European Union. It tells whether the harmonization of income taxes is still a stagnant process. Cluster analysis deals with looking for similarities of multidimensional objects. Two clustering methods were used – hierarchical agglomeration clustering and non-hierarchical clustering. Cluster analysis aimed to achieve groups of states that would have some homogeneity. Cluster analysis sorted the data into sets with the highest possible similarity within the group and the most significant difference between the groups. Analysis of tax burden and income tax rates confirmed significant differences in these indicators across the EU. On the other hand, cluster analysis revealed similar developments in tax systems in terms of their geographical location in Europe. Cluster analysis can be used to suggest possible steps to co-operate in harmonizing Member State taxes in the future. The authors of this article propose the possibility of harmonizing taxes and cooperating gradually within clusters rather than trying to apply uniform rules in all EU Member States at the same time. The conclusion of the article raises problems in the field of harmonization of direct taxes in the EU. The possibility of preserving autonomy in deciding on tax burden in the country is left to the many Member States because they see that autonomy as a competitive advantage, particularly in the field of investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The innovation of wood-processing technology significantly improves the material conversion of wood into primary processing products. However, the total value of the processed wood in the outputs of the primary processing depends on both the total volume and the wood flow structure in the cascade of manufacturing. The paper is focused on modelling and comparison of different scenarios by identifying the current flow of timber and links in the cascade of processing in the Czech Republic to the development of selected social and economic indicators. In the analysis, three different scenarios were used. The first scenario took into account only the potential for export absorption to current processing capacities. The second scenario was based on the first, adding parameters for the increase of technological efficiency, and the third scenario beyond the first took account of the capacity increase by investing in the sawn wood and pulp production segment. The results showed that to achieve a balanced value creation and societal effects in the form of high or qualified employment and maximize contributions to the social system, it is necessary to create conditions for the allocation of timber for export. At the same time, it is necessary to optimize the structure of production so that the flow has been as large as possible in the cascade and at the same time it has been able to absorb the impacts from the temporary or changing conditions of the available raw wood volume and structure. Appropriate option, therefore, appears to be a compromise between scenarios number 2 and 3. Thus, to strengthen the (technologically or logistically) stability of the existing capacities and to supplement them with the appropriate structure of several new investments in the production of timber and wood-based panels' production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper was the quantitative analysis of the determinants of demand and the level of consumption of milk and dairy products in relation to consumer prices of dairy products and disposable income in terms of consumer segment of households with dependent children. Current economic conditions in Slovakia contribute to the differentiation of the behavior of individual households on consumer market. It is noticeable mainly in families with several dependent children, where in 2012 the real money income of households with three or more dependent children was amounted to only 54.65% of the real income compared with incomes of families without dependent children and 66.21% of the income of families with one dependent child. In Slovak households the consumption of milk decreases in general and since 1998 has decreased overall by 13.3 liters and in 2012 reached the level 50.61 liters per person in families without dependent children and 45.58 liters in families with three or more dependent children. The demand for milk did not develop according to theoretical assumptions. Increase in price did not cause decrease in demand excluding the families with one dependent child. Based on indirect (cross) price elasticity can be expressed that demand was elastic and was substituted in the families without children (Eqi, P2 = 1.062) and in the households with three or more dependent children (Eqi, P2 = 2.373) by other milk products. Consumer demand for cheese and yoghurt fulfilled complementary (additional) function of nutrition (Eqi, P3= -2.468 to -0.249). Noticeable complementarity showed demand for yogurt in families with three or more dependent children (Eqi, p4 = -3.644), and families without dependent children (Eqi, p4 = -2.27). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article. This article aims at developing theoretical foundations of ad-hoc business management, their identification and classification with recognition of the trajectory of management of input / output parameters of a corporate enterprise. For export oriented Ukrainian mining and smelting enterprises, modified methods to recognize the trajectory of management of input/output recourses have been developed. The situations for implementing the portfolio of orders from metallurgical plants of EU and Ukraine have been identified. The results of the analysis. The area of efficient resource management has been separated in the process of identifying input and output parameters which unify production situations. The best possible trajectory of efficiency of the income and risk ration will correspond to this area. N-situations of raw ore into iron ore products processing with C-strategies of the order portfolio implementation have been detected. An algorithm of situational management on the «if ... then» product rules has been developed. In the process of identifying production situations, it has been proved that the income and risk ratio depends on quantitative indicators of iron ore products manufacturing, quality and innovative enrichment technologies; labor force parameters, qualifications, production organization and internal organizational culture. The factors which decrease the risk of a failure to implement the order portfolio have been detected, which include the following situations: (Sc) - costs management; (Sp) - product price; (Scap) - capital management. The area of stable enterprise operation has been determined which is a function of the factors: efficient corporate management, prospective goods policy, establishment of the enterprise in the EU countries market. The necessity to manage cash flows in an actual scale of time under the conditions of uncertainty with the use of ERP - systems has been proved. Moreover, financial efficiency of the enterprise is recommended being determined through multiple regression equation. It includes the following indicators: investment potential, market value of common shares, financial leverage, and dividend yield of shape capital. The situations of corporate management quality (Squality) to which separate sets of input / output management parameters optimal for each of the order portfolio correspond. An intellectual ad - hoc management system for companies of Metinvest Group with a situational crisis management center has been developed. The use of the ARIS business process modeling software - simulation modeling of EU countries order portfolio at the level of a processing plant - is a scientific achievement of the authors. Conclusions and directions of further researches. In the case of adequate selecting recourses, technological, financial parameters, the situational crisis management center with intellectual management systems as part of ERP, MES, SCADA and ASUTP of crushing and processing plants and pelletizing melting plants may serve as: a powerful tool for the top-managers of the companies of Metinvest Group for analysis of their activities; a basis for synthesis of important decisions for adjustment of the implementation strategy under the conditions of uncertainty of the order portfolio of metallurgic plants of the EU countries and supply of iron ore production to internal outlets. Further studies are targeted at developing a business process management matrix structure with the use of financial statements to improve the quality of products and decrease energy costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]