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In the year 2010, Germany initiated the “Industry 4.0" project, in order to promote its economic development and global competitiveness. In this paper, the initiatives, the status quo, and the perspectives of “Industry 4.0" in Europe and East Asia are briefly reviewed. First, it is stressed that Croatia needs a new strategy, called “Digitisation Impulse 2020 - industry for the future". Second, China issued the “Made in China 2025" strategic plan, in order to transform the country from a manufacturing giant to a world manufacturing power. Third, the Japanese government introduced a new concept called “Society 5.0 (Super-smart society)". Some related issues are also introduced with respect to the development of “Industry 4.0". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of iPhone, Apple reinvented the mobile phone industry and set new standards in how the smartphones of the future should look like and what should they be capable of. It was at the time considered the pinnacle of smartphone layout and capabilities. As time has shown, it was in a sense quite the opposite, a beginning of the new cycle of product innovation. With first iPhone, Apple has set the design standard for all the future smartphones. As the product innovation gradually subsided, process innovation has increased. Future generations of iPhones have featured, on average, less and less product innovation, especially in product architecture but an increase in the performance of previous features. Additionally, new competitors have started to enter the industry with branded smartphones that in appearance have mimicked the standard set by Apple iPhone. In order to raise barriers to entry and shield off the competition, Apple shifted the competitive battlefield from the devices itself (already exhausted possibilities for product innovation and process innovation) to the (eco)system level. This paper analyses the development of Apple ecosystem and its main challenger Android ecosystem and explores competitive implications of their rivalry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this contribution is to present some results of the survey in a particular organization that has implemented and certified an integrated management system, and more recently was recertified in accordance with the requirements of new standards ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System, ISO 14001: 2015 Environmental Management System and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Specification. In current approaches to quality and environment management there is accentuated the need of knowledge of an organization and of its management. A novelty in the standards is the so called area of the context and the knowledge of an organization, a part of that is also the change of the organization to the knowledge one in order it to be competitive and unique. Based on these results, we have proposed some measures that would help to the effective fulfilment of the requirements and accession to the knowledge management that could lead to way to be competitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic efficiency and competitiveness of rail transport depends mainly on the reducing the level of the dynamic interaction between wheel and rail. This paper presents a new technical solution for the wheelset in the form of a block design of the wheels. Analysis of the motion path of contact points was carried out in the system «wheelset - rail track». The paper evaluates the stress state of the block construction elements of the wheelset and shows the results of comparative theoretical and prototype tests of the block and standard wheelsets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projects in plant manufacturing business are characterized by low margins and high risks. The knowledge and support of success factors, i.e. influencing factors that explain the success of a project, provide a suitable lever for plant manufacturing companies to improve their competitiveness. However, plant manufacturing business has not been a major field of success factor research yet. This contribution aims to close this research gap. In an extensive literature review existing success factors of other research fields are collected. 490 factors were examined on their applicability for engineering projects in expert interviews and an online survey. After consolidation, 41 success factors could be identified. If plant manufacturers consider these factors in project design and planning, project and business success can be influenced in a positive way. Since success factor research has been subject of criticism recently, this contribution includes a critical discussion of success factor research, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology transfer and international competitiveness are closely related. In Japan, many companies that once dominated manufacturing technology have lost their market share to foreign companies. In this study, global manufacturing and technology transfer are first described, introducing Toyota's global manufacturing strategy, the flying geese paradigm and China's Technology Transfer from Opening Domestic Market (TTODM) strategy. Then, some major aspects of a competitive environment in today's economy are described, with comparisons between Japanese companies and foreign companies from the standpoints of economics and technology management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author of the article focuses on the engineering enterprises' management solutions aimed at ensuring ecological safety. Innovative management decisions should comply with the environmental legislation as well as follow environmental requirements. Besides, it is of essential importance to take social responsibility for the management decisions. It is also shown that it is necessary to train and control employees while managing the engineering plant in order to achieve competitive, efficient, green and innovative production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the current state of the Croatian computer industry with a brief historical overview and to show the ways how to improve it using the microeconomic analytical tools. After estimating the production function for computer industry in Croatia, it is shown that due to the decreasing returns to scale this sector should rise through the rise of the total factor productivity. Estimating the TFP model for Croatian computer industry, it is sown that the export orientation of the company increases its TFP. It is also proven that computer industry's TFP rises as the number of the companies in this sector rises which confirms that competitiveness improves productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the impact of industrial agglomerations on regional competitiveness, the "four clover" model adapted to the Romanian experience and the conclusions drawn from the comparative analysis of region rankings according to the number of clusters, GDP/capita and level of competitiveness, in this article we intend to underline that Romania's regional competitive development can be achieved through an industrial policy based on sustainable competitive clusters. The research methods employed in our study are the logical analysis and the comparative analysis. The paper also suggests issues for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's standard Croatian shipyards are faced with major problems of the globalized shipbuilding market, whose main feature is an exceptional competition with great cost pressures. Therefore, this paper aims to explore a new model based on the application of the process approach in modern shipyards, as one of the possible answers to these market demands. Business processes represent a key role in forming the optimal organization of modern enterprises. In this paper we propose application of the process approach in the shipbuilding industry of Croatia, as the first step to achieve profitability, to define the forms of ownership and to achieve rationalization of operations, in order for shipbuilding to become the major foundation for the development of Croatian economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current global market conditions in the efforts of competitiveness in relation to requirements of sustainability appear the question of increasing human work efficiency through ergonomic programs. This problem is topical also in Slovakia after the process of industrial transformation in framework of the EU accession process; we have prepared a project in which we focused on acquiring the knowledge applicable in Slovakia and in countries after process of transformation of industry as well by ergonomic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to describe the necessary changes that have to been made to improve production or to optimize the whole production process. The article is divided into three main parts. The first part is about the approaches in production optimization. The second part describes the production process in the specific business. The third part discusses the major detected problems in the business and the solutions for production optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused on e-business. If implemented properly tools of e-business can make organizations (and even states) more efficient and competitive. Author introduces the topic by definition of e-business framework and mentions difficulties linked to this issue. Then, level of use of e-business in some European countries is described and complmented by links to relevant sources. Some examples of e-business applications follow to illustrate current possibilities of use of ICT to become more competitive. Design of future research forms the final part of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author of the article focuses on the management solutions of industrial enterprises and goal-setting process aimed at ensuring environmental safety and sustainable development. The paper explains the necessity of taking environmental aspects into consideration when managing an industrial enterprise in order to achieve competitive, efficient and innovative production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the importance of implementing the appropriate strategies depending on the exogenous and / or endogenous factors that characterize the changes in the business environment. Thus, by using innovation strategies (e.g. an unmet need on the market) and by shifting from fragmentary execution to overall strategy companies can increase their competitiveness in times of crisis. The paper also presents the results of a survey on the strategies used by textile & clothing companies in Romania, a sector which is representative in terms of the entrepreneurial strategies used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations' competitiveness is a complex concept that should be analyzed in a continuous dynamics, as it is both an effect of current strategic and tactical movements and a cause of future performance. This paper aims to highlight the impact of organizations' current strategic and tactical movements on future organizational performance. The study is based on the results of a bigger project in which the authors were involved for analyzing organizations' competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of the investments results from the role they play in the process of an adaptation of the company and in increasing its competitiveness. The major principle of an evaluation of the investment is a complex assessment of the effectiveness of the investment, i.e. assessment from the point of view of economical, ecological, as well as social effectiveness. The main target of this article is to explain the concept of innovation, investment, efficiency, social efficiency and the necessity to pay the attention to the social efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the great challenges companies face today is globalization and the gradually intensifying market competition under which competitive performance is becoming more and more demanding to assure. Companies respond individually to all challenges. The reason behind the diversity of reactions is that all companies follow different strategies, structures and have different cultures. The author of this paper has developed indicators to measure company strategy, culture and performance. The present article focuses on the relationship between the characteristics of organizational strategy and company performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present economic context, in which firms operate, has significantly changed, the current environment being characterized by globalization, increasing competition, rapid changes, market segmentation, changes in technology, demand instability, importance of information. The economic environment influences organization in various forms, affecting strategy, structure, system control and performance. Consequently, these changes have determined deep mutations in the core of the Third Millennium society and they have also revolutionized both the means of production and a reshaping of management accounting and cost calculation. The latter represents the most important source of information in the decision taking process. In this context, it is highly relevant to analyse the present trend of adopting modern costing systems to the detriment of the traditional ones and to the adaptability of this reform in general practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the complexity of the theme, the study of the role of the educational system on the increase of economic competitiveness represents a topic to be analysed with great attention. In these circumstances, one should understand that the essence of the idea of human capital refers to the investments in human resources, with the purpose of increasing labour productiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve their goals in our globalized world full of competition pressure, manufacturing companies will have to adopt production control systems that fit their situation the best. Many approaches exist, each having different properties in different environments. In this paper, an overview of some very common and significant production strategies and systems is provided. The focus here, however, is on non-electronic systems, in particular "constant work-in-process" (CONWIP). The paper outlines various aspects of CONWIP compared to other established production concepts, especially in regard to small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The actual world-market situation forms permanent competitive pressure for manufacturing bussiness companies. One of the ways of advancing competetive abilities is cooperating and associating to network organizations. Within these organizations may also cooperate in manufacturing process, where the cooperation brings advantages of enlarging their production base.The content of this supply is description of cooperation, mainly the planning and management of this complex system. Transition to this form is not in fact easy.This paper then may serve as a basic help at the joint planning and management of production. Starting points are withdrawn to the evaluation of manufacturing processes, providing logistics between businesses and identify processes for joint planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market imperfections are usually called "best friends of conservatism in research", and that is why we decided to analyze the existence of industrial monopolies. We proved how their existence is affecting depletion rates and thus the cost/price ratio of fossil fuels and mining products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Franchising is underdeveloped with only a handful of active firms, lack of regulatory structure, lack of support from institutions, disinterested banks and little experience in the marketplace. This paper identifies the main global competitors in the foodservice industry which launched franchises in Romania. It also transposes the franchise in the fast-food industry and, after a short history, shows the global evolution of the franchise and the criteria for its choice. We based our paper on a statistical research that shows that the number of the Romanian franchises is extremely low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important determinant of competitive intelligence firm current is little known and exploited by Romanian firm. Intelligence is a systematic process for collecting, analyzing and processing data and information, the purpose of obtaining additional knowledge for competitiveness. This paper shows that competitive intelligence is not just finding information but also transforming them into knowledge that binds the organization's strategic planning. Perspective that highlights the work is the need for Business Intelligence systems. To survive in the current competitive market requires anticipating future conditions, which means that each company must develop a successful strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Economic Forum (WEFORUM) has been analyzing the competitiveness of nations and hasobserved the factors qualifying national economies to achieve persustent economic growth and long-termprosperity. The reports published by the WEFORUM during last years have served as milestone for corporate leaders and officials to improve competitiveness. The paper analyzes the results for Romanian competitiveness as it is come out of the GCI (Global CompetitivenessIndex) in the last period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ports main objective is to ensure the interface between land and sea links aiming to be efficient through developing responsive logistics chains able to serve the regions of the hinterland. Ports are essential for the competitiveness of regions and countries but this economic function can not be met unless the ports are competitive. In this order becomes prior to get highest possible efficiency and effectiveness, trying to provide added values and satisfaction to its major customers. This paperwork is meant to underline the main contemporary features for ports activity within a global context, in a framework of a high competition between countries and regions. The authors are trying to present some strategical directions for adapting the present ports' evolution to the new economic framework. Thus, in the future we'll hope to determine those variables destinated for getting a harmonized regional and international competitive and efficient multimodal transports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ports are facing change and uncertainty forces that reduce their abilities to control their own destinies. The motive of our research resides in the fact that nowadays shipping companies shape ports' development much more then before. The main goal of this paper is to discuss how intermediary points of the transport chain tie up maritime transport with road and rail transport, and this has as a consequence ports' vulnerability regarding land and water development. The principal results of this research belong to the last decade when these developments were significant and produced uncertainties which led us to the conclusions that ports' design became very difficult and had as a result the intensification of inter-ports competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the present time, when the whole worm is in economic crisis, and most companies are facing reducing demands for their products, the competitiveness of an enterprise must be boosted. In particular, this means improving a firm's competitive advantages, such as low price, flexible delivery time, and of course, all the while maintaining the required level of quality. One way of achieving competitive advantage is to design a suitable spatial arrangement for the company (layout). This article focuses on analyzing the parameters of layout options and their impact on the competitiveness of the manufacturing enterprise. The goal is to find parameters of the layout, which will positively affect the competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textile and apparel industry in Europe is faced with higher cost structure than many of its competitors on world markets. Focusing on higher quality is a way to distinguish from competition and reduce total cost. In the past few years this industrial branch has been expecting problems because the total production is significantly smaller. Therefore, industry management has been warned about giving constant attention to: reducing costs and promoting their own brands. Hypothesis of this paper are that: Croatian managers in textile and apparel industry are not familiar with quality concepts;and that application of quality tools and concepts contributes to achievement of better business results and competitiveness. It was critically assessed by survey sent to 150 managers in Croatian textile companies. Results showed that managers were not familiar with different quality concepts, but their perceptions about benefits from application were positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the concepts of the shipbuilding cluster introduction in Croatia. The concept presents on the one side the associate relationship of schools and universities and on the other side the regional shipbuilding industry. Linkage of economy, scientific institutions and regional management can be achieved by using a triple helix model, which fulfils required prerequisites for the transition towards society based knowledge. Introduction of shipbuilding cluster presents strategic goal of regional development and provides conditions for innovations based regional industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To face the keen competition, companies must be more efficient, must launch their products on the market on time and meet a low budget. This paper aims to discuss the fiscal optimization of an enterprise by outsourcing processes and services. The problem of the evidence of taxes is to determine who actually bears the tax burden, who is burdened if the tax volume rises. Over time, it has been proven that, if a tax aims to affect well determined tax payers, they often have the possibility to rebound their fiscal obligation to someone else, even if the latter are not targeted by the fiscal law. One way of doing this is by outsourcing processes and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper propose a model for regional competitiveness evaluation, which takes into account the following indicators determined by region and sector development CANE:Active Local Units/Total Population [number of units/persons]; Local Units/Total Population [RON million current prices/persons]; Investments of Active Local Units/Total Population [RON million currentprices/persons]; Staff of Active Local Units/Total Population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the question: how can we determine the progress of Europe from a systemic perspective? First, is establishing the traditional, limited and non-integrative manner in the approach of EU strategies. In part two of the paper, systemics is applied to elaboration of new principle model for integrated sustainable progress. The model emphasize the Europe's priorities in 21st century: (1) integrated stabilization policies; (2) integrated identity, entrepreneurial spirit and density, sustainable competing capacity of domestic organizations; (3) integrative innovation (in resources, technologies, management and policies, culture of sustainable competitiveness and coopetition) in sustainable competitive inoclusters; (4) integrated - macro / mezo / micro - policies, management and technologies of sustainable competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important and significant source of competitiveness for enterprises is the productivity, which is the ability to produce more output with the same or less input. This paper proposes an analysis and a model for productivity improving for production line (assembly line), using the relations between indicators that characterize production processes, such as: tact time, cycle time, number of posts (or jobs), loading volume of production. The paper give the model and the guidance lines for the right way of improving productivity, to adopt strategies and decisions to perform better from the production function point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality of marketing communication with customers can have direct influence on the positive resoults in bussines and entrepreneurship. it enables to raise competitiveness of organisations it can reduce costs of marketing, but most of all it can improve and build trust of customers. Perspectives of marketing communication quality development depend on implementing the integral system approach and realizing the importance of choosing the right medium for quality of marketing communication, regarding the effect. Expositions and trade fairs belong to the important media of marketing communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automation (control) mainly aims at rising the competitiveness of a product, either directly, through cost or quality, or indirectly, through the enhancement of the labour conditions of the productive staff. The control of industrial processes and the horizontal continuous casting involve the control of dynamic systems that have a continuous state. These systems are described by differential equations and generally have analogical inputs and outputs. Conducting such systems is generally done with classical analogical automations, or by means of process computers equipped with modules with high-performance analogical inputs / outputs. If the states, outputs and inputs of a system can be modelled with binary variables, then these systems can be controlled with the help of programmable logical automata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]