The subject of the thesis named "The selected factors of competitiveness of tourist destinations", is defining issues of the regions, regional competitiveness and ways to measure it. This work is divided into two parts. In theoretical part I describe the characteristics of tourism, the competitiveness of tourism and ways of its measuring. In the practical part I concentrate on the Shumava-west microregion, analysis of selected factors of destination competitiveness and comparison of selected factors of competitiveness of two microregions. The conclusion consists of summary rating and improving proposals for the status of the Shumava-west microregion on the tourism market.

The diploma thesis focuses on comparative analysis of the EU countries, specifically of the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany. The paper is divided into four parts. The initial chapter is aimed at specification of the term competitiveness and the methods of measuring the competitiveness. The second and the third part focus on evaluation of chosen countries by using hard indicators and their placement in multicriterial rankings. The last chapter focuses on comparison between the competitiveness of United Kingdom and Germany

Целью работы являлась разработка научно-методического подхода к оценке конкурентоспособности производственных комплексов и его практическая реализация для крупных металлургических комплексов. Задачи исследования включают: - анализ отечественных и зарубежных подходов к исследованию конкуренции и конкурентоспособности, выбор методики; - формирование методического подхода к оценке конкурентоспособности производственных комплексов; - оценку и анализ конкурентоспособности объекта исследования по выбранной методике для выявления сильных сторон и «узких мест» в его развитии; - разработку алгоритма прогнозирования конкурентоспособности производственного комплекса при различных сценарных прогнозах, влияющих на нее макрофакторов. Объектом исследования является Уральская горно-металлургическая компания (далее УГМК). Предметом исследования являются организационные, производственные и экономические отношения между предприятиями производственного комплекса, результат их совместной деятельности в условиях интеграции и его анализ в сравнении с отечественными и зарубежными конкурентами. / Master's thesis contains: 13 drawings, 29 tables, 94 bibliographic sources. The relevance of the work is due to the increasing role of solving problems related to the assessment and management of the competitiveness of production complexes to identify strengths and bottlenecks in its development. The aim of the work was to develop a scientific and methodological approach to assessing the competitiveness of production complexes and its practical implementation for large metallurgical complexes. Objectives of the study: - the analysis of domestic and foreign approaches to the study of competition and competitiveness, the choice of methodology; - formation of a methodical approach to assessing the competitiveness of production complexes; - evaluation and analysis of the competitiveness of the research object using the chosen methodology to identify strengths and bottlenecks in its development; - Development of an algorithm for forecasting the competitiveness of the production complex under various scenario forecasts that affect macrofactors. Scientific novelty of the research: a method for forecasting the competitiveness of production complexes based on a scenario approach to determining the strategic positioning coefficient is proposed, which makes it possible to increase the accuracy of calculations of the level of competitiveness of industrial enterprises and to choose the vector of their strategic development Practical significance lies in the possibility of applying the developed scientific and methodological approach to assessing the competitiveness of production complexes at large metallurgical complexes.

Nowadays the sphere of higher education is developing very dynamically, it acquires all new features, and its functional, structural, organizational and qualitative principles are changing. In the context of continuous development of the educational services market, competitiveness is no longer just a term in economics, it is the philosophy of an educational institution, which includes all the diversity of strategic and tactical methods for its vital activity and successful development. The purpose of the master's thesis is to develop a methodological approach to assessing the competitiveness of master programs. It is based on the definition of the integral competitiveness coefficient on the basis of specific indicators of educational activities, strategic positioning and financial sustainability of the educational program. This approach will allow an objective assessment of the level of competitiveness and develop a number of management decisions to improve the university's positions on the educational market. / На сегодняшний день cфера высшего образования развивается очень динамично, она приобретает все новые черты, при этом меняются ее функциoнальные, структурные, организационные и качественные принципы. В условиях непрерывногo развития рынка oбразовательных услуг конкурентoспособность - это уже не просто термин в экoномике, это филосoфия рабoты образовательного учреждения, которая включает всё разнooбразие стратегических и тактических приемoв для его жизнедеятельности и успешногo развития. Целью магистерской диссертации является разработка методического подхода к оценке конкурентоспособности образовательных программ магистратуры. В его основе лежит определение интегрального коэффициента конкурентоспособности на основе специфических показателей образовательной деятельности, стратегического позиционирования и финансовой устойчивости образовательной программы Данный подход позволит объективно оценить уровень конкурентоспособности и выработать ряд управленческих решений для улучшения позиций вуза на образовательном рынке.

The introduction of the Euro in 1999 has led to significant economic divergences among European countries, particularly between Northern and Central European nations like Germany and Austria, and Mediterranean countries such as France and Italy. These divergences are prominently reflected in trade imbalances. This dissertation investigates the primary drivers of these economic disparities, focusing on the role of international competitiveness. Competitiveness, defined as a nation's ability to market its products globally, is analyzed through both price and non-price factors. The research highlights several methodological challenges in assessing trade flows and competitiveness. Key findings indicate that price competitiveness, measured through unit labour costs, significantly impacts export performance. Empirical evidence reveals a negative export elasticity to prices in the European context, emphasizing the importance of cost competitiveness even for high-tech sectors. Non-price competitiveness factors, although less robust in empirical models, contribute to a comprehensive narrative when assessed descriptively. The dissertation’s contributions enrich the debate on intra-European trade imbalances, particularly through comparative analyses of Germany and Italy. The findings suggest that Germany’s export success is strongly linked to price competitiveness, while Italy’s weaker performance is due to deteriorations in both price and non-price competitiveness. These insights underline the necessity for economic policies to prioritize cost competitiveness as a determinant of industrial success. In conclusion, this dissertation provides a clearer understanding of the complex factors influencing international trade dynamics within the Eurozone, offering a foundation for future research to explore causal relationships and further investigate non-price competitiveness.:List of contents Preface of the Author i Overview of Research Papers iii List of Tables iv List of Figures v I. Executive Summary 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Background and Literature Review 2 1.2.1 Cumulative causation and export-led growth 2 1.2.2 The Kaldor paradox and the discovery of non-price competitiveness 3 1.2.3 The case of Germany and Italy 5 1.3 Presentation of Research Articles 7 1.3.1 Idea 7 1.3.2 Shared methodological framework 8 1.3.3 Summary of Research Article I 8 1.3.4 Summary of Research article II 10 1.3.5 Summary of Research article III 11 1.4 Conclusion 12 1.4.1 Main results 12 1.4.2 Contribution to the European debate 13 1.4.3 Closing remarks 14 II. Research Articles 15 2.1 Article I: The Challenging Estimation of Trade Elasticities: Tackling the Inconclusive Eurozone Evidence 15 2.1.1 Introduction 15 2.1.2 The empirical export equation 16 2.1.3 The unreliable price coefficient 21 2.1.4 Inferential Evidence 26 2.1.5 Conclusion 33   2.2 Article II: Competing for Manufacturing Value Added: How Strong is Competitive Cost Pressure on Sectoral Level? 35 2.2.1 Introduction 35 2.2.2 Background 36 2.2.3 Empirical approach 39 2.3.4 Results 43 2.3.5 Conclusion 51 2.3. Article III: Assessing the Role of Non-Price Factors: Shedding New Light on the European Competitiveness Puzzle 52 2.3.1 Introduction 52 2.3.2 Non-price competitiveness: Meaning, proxies and procedural Issues 53 2.3.3 Empirical Evidence 57 2.3.4 Discussion 70 2.3.5 Conclusion 74 References 76 Appendix I i Appendix II viii Appendix III xvii

A pesquisa integra o debate sobre política pública e competitividade de destinos turísticos, tendo como objeto o índice de competitividade turística (ICT) adotado pelo Ministério do Turismo (MTur), fruto da parceria com a Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) e o SEBRAE Nacional, a partir da definição dos 65 destinos indutores do desenvolvimento turístico. Tem como objetivo geral analisar o ICT no contexto da política nacional de turismo. Para tanto, apresenta como objetivos específicos: traçar a trajetória da política ligada aos destinos indutores e ao ICT no MTur; analisar a metodologia do ICT sob a luz de modelos internacionais de competitividade turística e verificar a influência do ICT na definição de políticas públicas municipais nos destinos indutores, bem como a visão dos gestores sobre a política nacional. O percurso metodológico envolveu uma ampla pesquisa bibliográfica e documental e a realização de entrevistas abertas junto a cinco atores institucionais do MTur, do SEBRAE Nacional da Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) que ocupavam, na ocasião do surgimento do ICT, uma posição de liderança na implementação da política nacional e na criação da metodologia. Aplicou-se ainda um de questionário online com perguntas fechadas e abertas junto a 33 gestores (ou ex-gestores) de turismo dos destinos indutores que participaram do ICT, ainda que não ocupem tal função atualmente. A discussão aponta que a política dos destinos indutores e do ICT surge a partir da necessidade de aumentar a competitividade dos destinos brasileiros e do reconhecimento de que políticas públicas podem influenciar a competitividade. A seleção dos 65 destinos indutores e a criação do ICT demonstra a preocupação do MTur em oferecer uma ferramenta que norteasse ações e políticas para desenvolvimento dos destinos e em definir um recorte prioritário para investimentos. Acredita-se, porém, que os resultados foram pontuais, principalmente em função da mudança de estratégia do MTur frente ao ICT e aos destinos indutores, assim como da interrupção da política sem efetivo direcionamento de investimentos. Verificou-se que a metodologia do ICT apresenta algumas semelhanças com os modelos internacionais analisados, apesar de não haver consenso sobre os determinantes da competitividade. Por fim, acredita-se que os modelos de competitividade turística devem se preocupar primeiramente em separar os elementos que seriam suas causas e suas consequências e, a partir daí, determinar as formas de mensurar ambos. Avaliar ao longo do tempo a relação entre causa e efeito parece ser um caminho interessante a ser explorado. A presente proposta de pesquisa não pretende encerrar discussões acerca da competitividade turística e do índice adotado pelo MTur no contexto da política nacional e sim contribuir para a reflexão sobre a temática / This research composes the debate on public policy and competitiveness of tourist destinations and has as its object the tourism competitiveness index (ICT) used by the Ministry of Tourism (MTur) as a result of the partnership with the Fundação Getulio Vargas and SEBRAE, defining 65 inductor tourist destinations for tourism development. It has the main propose of analyzing the ICT in the scope of national tourism public policy. To do so, it has as specific objectives: to delineate the policy path linked to the key destinations and the ICT at the MTur; to analyze the ICT methodology under the light of destination competitiveness international models and to verify the influence of the ICT in the definition of local public policies in the inductor destinations, as well as the managers view on the national policy. The methodological path involved a wide bibliographical and documentary research and the conduction of open interviews with five institutional stakeholders of the MTur, SEBRAE and FGV who held a leadership position by the emergence of ICT. An online questionnaire with open and closed questions was also applied to 33 managers (or formers managers) of tourism of the inductor destinations that had participated in the ICT, even though they do not occupy this position currently. The discussion points out that the inductor destinations policy and the ICT arise from the need to increase the competitiveness of Brazilian destinations and from the recognition that public policies can influence competitiveness. The selection of 65 key destinations and the creation of the ICT demonstrate the concern of the MTur in offering a tool to guide actions and policies for the development of destinations and to define a priority area for investments. However, it is believed that the results were punctual, mainly due to the change of strategy of MTur against the ICT and key destinations, as well as the interruption of the policy without effective direction of investments. It was verified that the ICT methodology presents some similarities with the international models analyzed, although there is no consensus on the determinants of competitiveness. Finally, it is believed that the models of tourist competitiveness should first be concerned with separating the elements that would be their causes and their consequences and, from there, determining the ways of measuring both. Assessing the relationship between cause and effect over time seems to be an interesting path to be explored. This researchs proposal does not intend to end discussions about the tourism competitiveness and the index adopted by the MTur in the context of the national policy, but to contribute to the reflection on the theme

<p>The importance of the tasks performed by international organizations is increasing at the global level and the discourse used is the one of progress and development. The aim of this thesis is to introduce a new approach regarding the discussions of development in terms of competitiveness and transnational governance by discussing these subjects within the same framework. The empirical findings are focused on the main organizations contributing with different translations of competitiveness and the tools used to measure it, such as nation rankings. In addition, findings stress how within development theory, the concept of competitiveness has become quite popular in media and among policy makers, presidents, prime ministers, scholars and the like. Some of these actors use the term quite loosely and without a further and deeper understanding of the concept, while others endeavor on contributing with different definitions. The World Economic Forum and its Global Competitiveness Index has become if not the most, one out of the two more mentioned and used indexes measuring competitiveness of nations. The GCI is used in this paper to compare two economies in the Latin-American region: Brazil and Mexico, since for a long time Mexico was depicted as a more competitive economy, but in the latest years Brazil has managed, within the GCI perspective, to be depicted as more competitive. The final result of the comparison and what nations should do to be more competitive within the Latin American region is in line with what academics have already discussed. But the main contribution of this thesis is the analysis of the popularity of rankings developed by international organizations, and at the same time, what traits of transnational governance can one identify in such trend, being these rankings an attractive tool to spread free-market ideologies in order to develop a global order.</p>

The importance of the tasks performed by international organizations is increasing at the global level and the discourse used is the one of progress and development. The aim of this thesis is to introduce a new approach regarding the discussions of development in terms of competitiveness and transnational governance by discussing these subjects within the same framework. The empirical findings are focused on the main organizations contributing with different translations of competitiveness and the tools used to measure it, such as nation rankings. In addition, findings stress how within development theory, the concept of competitiveness has become quite popular in media and among policy makers, presidents, prime ministers, scholars and the like. Some of these actors use the term quite loosely and without a further and deeper understanding of the concept, while others endeavor on contributing with different definitions. The World Economic Forum and its Global Competitiveness Index has become if not the most, one out of the two more mentioned and used indexes measuring competitiveness of nations. The GCI is used in this paper to compare two economies in the Latin-American region: Brazil and Mexico, since for a long time Mexico was depicted as a more competitive economy, but in the latest years Brazil has managed, within the GCI perspective, to be depicted as more competitive. The final result of the comparison and what nations should do to be more competitive within the Latin American region is in line with what academics have already discussed. But the main contribution of this thesis is the analysis of the popularity of rankings developed by international organizations, and at the same time, what traits of transnational governance can one identify in such trend, being these rankings an attractive tool to spread free-market ideologies in order to develop a global order.

Intense competition in the international markets has made the determinants of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) competitiveness an important asset in the export business, making of policies, strategies and decision making by businesses. SMEs are often seen to be disadvantaged for a variety of reasons, including inappropriate internal structures, lack of capabilities, insufficient resource support and apparent lack of foreign-market knowledge. The nature of international markets and the disadvantages SMEs face, make it imperative to examine the determinants of SME international competitiveness. Although some literature has recorded some studies on internationalisation of SMEs in developed economies, there is insufficient study of SME internationalisation, particularly in the context of non-traditional horticultural SME exporters in developing economies. Hence, the study aims to evaluate the determinants of non-traditional horticultural exporters’ international competitiveness by addressing the question: To what extent are non-traditional horticultural exporters in Ghana competitive in the international market? In the context of this study nontraditional horticultural exports exclude cocoa beans, logs and lumber. The study enriches the literature on internationalisation of SME exporters in developing economies by providing guidance for future research in a field of SME international business. The theoretical foundations of the study draw mostly on three perspectives: the resource based view, international entrepreneurship and institutional theory. From the review of literature, a conceptual framework was developed: ME international competitiveness is conceptualised in this research as government support factors, entrepreneurial factors and a firm’s internal factors. At the empirical level, the study employed qualitative and quantitative approaches which involved surveying 105 non-traditional horticultural exporters (respondents) in Ghana. Six hypotheses were tested on the key issues in this project, which were statistically analysed, employing logit regression, Pearson correlation and chi square. Secondly, the study uses six export facilitating institutions which were interviewed to gain understanding of the services these institutions offer to non-traditional horticultural SME exporters in Ghana. The main findings suggest that Ghana government support policies, access to finance, Technological Innovation, number of years in business, the size of the firm, Entrepreneurial Factors and the number of exporting destinations of the nontraditional horticultural SME exporters have had positive impact on the competitiveness of horticultural SME exporters in international markets. The findings also contribute, to some extent, to the advancement of the empirical, theoretical and managerial understanding of SME international competitiveness in developing economies. The research contributes to the international business literature by providing a model for understanding the determinants of horticultural SMEs’ international competitiveness. This highlights the important role of government, the entrepreneurial orientation, and a firm’s internal factors in realising SME competitiveness. The research also provides guidance for policy makers and SME business facilitators in implementing export-led programmes for horticultural exporting firms in Ghana.

A pesquisa integra o debate sobre política pública e competitividade de destinos turísticos, tendo como objeto o índice de competitividade turística (ICT) adotado pelo Ministério do Turismo (MTur), fruto da parceria com a Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) e o SEBRAE Nacional, a partir da definição dos 65 destinos indutores do desenvolvimento turístico. Tem como objetivo geral analisar o ICT no contexto da política nacional de turismo. Para tanto, apresenta como objetivos específicos: traçar a trajetória da política ligada aos destinos indutores e ao ICT no MTur; analisar a metodologia do ICT sob a luz de modelos internacionais de competitividade turística e verificar a influência do ICT na definição de políticas públicas municipais nos destinos indutores, bem como a visão dos gestores sobre a política nacional. O percurso metodológico envolveu uma ampla pesquisa bibliográfica e documental e a realização de entrevistas abertas junto a cinco atores institucionais do MTur, do SEBRAE Nacional da Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) que ocupavam, na ocasião do surgimento do ICT, uma posição de liderança na implementação da política nacional e na criação da metodologia. Aplicou-se ainda um de questionário online com perguntas fechadas e abertas junto a 33 gestores (ou ex-gestores) de turismo dos destinos indutores que participaram do ICT, ainda que não ocupem tal função atualmente. A discussão aponta que a política dos destinos indutores e do ICT surge a partir da necessidade de aumentar a competitividade dos destinos brasileiros e do reconhecimento de que políticas públicas podem influenciar a competitividade. A seleção dos 65 destinos indutores e a criação do ICT demonstra a preocupação do MTur em oferecer uma ferramenta que norteasse ações e políticas para desenvolvimento dos destinos e em definir um recorte prioritário para investimentos. Acredita-se, porém, que os resultados foram pontuais, principalmente em função da mudança de estratégia do MTur frente ao ICT e aos destinos indutores, assim como da interrupção da política sem efetivo direcionamento de investimentos. Verificou-se que a metodologia do ICT apresenta algumas semelhanças com os modelos internacionais analisados, apesar de não haver consenso sobre os determinantes da competitividade. Por fim, acredita-se que os modelos de competitividade turística devem se preocupar primeiramente em separar os elementos que seriam suas causas e suas consequências e, a partir daí, determinar as formas de mensurar ambos. Avaliar ao longo do tempo a relação entre causa e efeito parece ser um caminho interessante a ser explorado. A presente proposta de pesquisa não pretende encerrar discussões acerca da competitividade turística e do índice adotado pelo MTur no contexto da política nacional e sim contribuir para a reflexão sobre a temática / This research composes the debate on public policy and competitiveness of tourist destinations and has as its object the tourism competitiveness index (ICT) used by the Ministry of Tourism (MTur) as a result of the partnership with the Fundação Getulio Vargas and SEBRAE, defining 65 inductor tourist destinations for tourism development. It has the main propose of analyzing the ICT in the scope of national tourism public policy. To do so, it has as specific objectives: to delineate the policy path linked to the key destinations and the ICT at the MTur; to analyze the ICT methodology under the light of destination competitiveness international models and to verify the influence of the ICT in the definition of local public policies in the inductor destinations, as well as the managers view on the national policy. The methodological path involved a wide bibliographical and documentary research and the conduction of open interviews with five institutional stakeholders of the MTur, SEBRAE and FGV who held a leadership position by the emergence of ICT. An online questionnaire with open and closed questions was also applied to 33 managers (or formers managers) of tourism of the inductor destinations that had participated in the ICT, even though they do not occupy this position currently. The discussion points out that the inductor destinations policy and the ICT arise from the need to increase the competitiveness of Brazilian destinations and from the recognition that public policies can influence competitiveness. The selection of 65 key destinations and the creation of the ICT demonstrate the concern of the MTur in offering a tool to guide actions and policies for the development of destinations and to define a priority area for investments. However, it is believed that the results were punctual, mainly due to the change of strategy of MTur against the ICT and key destinations, as well as the interruption of the policy without effective direction of investments. It was verified that the ICT methodology presents some similarities with the international models analyzed, although there is no consensus on the determinants of competitiveness. Finally, it is believed that the models of tourist competitiveness should first be concerned with separating the elements that would be their causes and their consequences and, from there, determining the ways of measuring both. Assessing the relationship between cause and effect over time seems to be an interesting path to be explored. This researchs proposal does not intend to end discussions about the tourism competitiveness and the index adopted by the MTur in the context of the national policy, but to contribute to the reflection on the theme