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exploit openness, mobility, and freedom, without putting too much sand in the gears. The current U.S. strategy is to push for more trade, more connectivity, more markets, and more openness. America does so for a good reason—it benefits from globalization more than any other country in the world. The United States acknowledges globalization’s dark side but attributes it merely to exploitative behavior by criminals, religious extremists, and other anachronistic elements that can be eliminated.
References
1.A Global Retreat As Economies Dry Up. The Washington Post. March 5, 2009.
2.Economic Crisis Poses Threat To Global Stability. NPR. February 18, 2009.
3.45 percent of world's wealth destroyed: Blackstone CEO. Reuters. March 10, 2009.
4.Jurgen Osterhammel and Niels P.Petersson. Globalization: a short history. (2005) P.8
5.WTO.org,(2009)
6.Bhagwati, Jagdish (2004). In Defense of Globalization. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
7.Friedman,Thomas L. "The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention." Emergin: A Reader. Ed. Barclay Barrios. Boston: Bedford, St. Martins, 2008. 49.
Ekaterina Chernenko,
3rd year student, International Economic Relations Department, Khabarovsk State Academy of Economics and Law Scientific adviser: Tatiana S. Boiko, PhD in Technological Sciences, Associate Professor
RAISING COMPETITIVENESS OF THE ENTERPRISES OF THE KHABAROVSKY KRAI WITHIN THE FAMEWORK OF ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION
The paper reflects on a vital problem of the competitiveness of Russian enterprises. A term “competitiveness of an enterprise” as well as external and internal factors influencing the company’s competitiveness are considered; measures increasing competitiveness of enterprises are suggested. Under the current conditions of tough and constant competition, successful functioning of industrial enterprises primarily depends on their ability to be adapted to the dynamically changing external environment. A significant role in resolving this problem belongs to the competitiveness of enterprises which enables them to achieve their objectives; it also ensures sustainable development of an enterprise through manufacturing necessary for the market goods.
In this connection there arises an actual need for reconsidering the concept of “competitiveness” in the frames of economic globalization and the ways of assuring competitive advantage of an enterprise in the foreign market. The interrelated problems of quality as well as competitiveness have always existed.
Initially, quality was interpreted on domestic level. Then, with a development of commodity production, a control of goods’ quality emerged, which step-by-step became a large scaled control of quality on all stages of life cycle of a product. However, new requirements of cost reduction and raising effectiveness of manufacturing have formed a new philosophy of a systematic approach on ensuring the quality of goods in XX century. Total Quality Management system became a philosophy of quality in XXI century. The idea of overall quality has become officially recognized in such states as USA, Japan, UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brazil. Annually the list of the countries is renewed. It is universally agreed that XXI will be a century of quality, and
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under conditions of the global market the level of quality goods, services and management will be the main factor of competitiveness, therefore, of prosperity any enterprises, organizations, regions and countries.
However, currently there is not a single approach to the definition of the term of
“competitive capacity” [4, 5, 6, 9]. In economic research materials we can find quite often the following definition: “competitiveness” is a complex economic concept, which can be considered at various levels, for example the competitiveness of goods (individual level), the competitiveness of the enterprise (micro level), the competitiveness of industry (middle level), and the competitiveness of a national economy as a whole (macro level) [9]. Despite the fact that such levels are closely interrelated, we would like to pay more attention to the micro level.
The competitiveness of an enterprise is considered as a relative characteristic which shows the differences in the development of one enterprise from other competitors in its capacity to satisfy customers’ demand for goods as well as the efficiency of its production activities. Profit rate, mass of profit, volume of sales, market share are the results of company’s economic activity.
The analysis of economic literature has made it possible to identify the main features of the competitiveness of an enterprise. Firstly, in market economy every enterprise has its own management mechanism of competitiveness. Secondly, the level of competitiveness reflects the results of the work of all departments of the company. Thirdly, the main factor ensuring competitiveness of an enterprise is not only its ability to produce the product of a high quality but also to provide commercial success of the product. And finally, the competitiveness of an enterprise depends very much on the state of the national economy.
It should be mentioned that there is close interrelation between the competitiveness of a product and the competitiveness of a firm. The competitiveness of a product is a relative characteristic of quality and cost parameters of the product in compliance with the international standards as well as properties of the goods and general requirements of the market. And indeed, on the one hand, the enterprise can not be competitive if customers are not eager to buy its products. On the other hand, good image of a producer contributes to raising the competitiveness of its goods.
Many authors in the research papers show the influence of external and internal factors on the competitiveness of an enterprise [9, 10]. Among the first group of external factors, we can mention the government’s economic measures (shock-absorbing tax, financial and credit policies as well as financing programs aimed at raising the competitiveness of enterprises) and administrative actions (planning, amending and adopting necessary laws, the national system on standardization and certification of products and systems to produce them, consumerism).
The second group of external factors includes main features of enterprise, its type, and the scale of market, the structure of labor recourses and conjecture of financial markets. The third group of external factors covers activity of social and non-governmental institutions able to maintain and facilitate the growth of the competitive capacity of the enterprise.
The internal factors of the competitiveness of an enterprise are the potential of marketing services, scientific and technical, industrial, financial and economic, staff and ecological potential; the efficiency of advertisement, the level of technical supply; storage facilities, packing, transportation; level of preparation and elaboration of industrial processes; effectiveness of industrial control, test and investigations; level of provision with startadjusting assembly works; the level of technical service during after-produced period; the level of guarantee service.
The internal factors have, in our opinion, the bigger influence on the competitiveness of the Russian enterprises. It is important to mention such internal factors as professionalism
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of a company’s personnel, particularly of its management “core”, because the success of an organization depends on management decisions. The last, but not the least relevant role plays stable financial situation, introduction of quality control systems, implementation of innovative technologies, renovation of technical base, improvement of the assortment of goods. The external factors, such as market cycles, specific character of each market, level of government’s activity, are not so influential.
It is obvious that the more competitive advantages the enterprise has, the more chances it acquires to occupy successful and sustainable position in particular segments of market.
In the works of some authors [6, 7, 8] the following major measures raising the competitiveness of an enterprise are suggested:
1.Modernization of not only of the stock and manufacturing process itself but also enhancement of the management system alongside with changing the marketing concept of an enterprise as well as application of the quality management systems. Today many Russian companies face with the essential need to raise the level of their technologies.
2.Raising the level of innovations’ integration in the investment process and the level of investments’ stimulation. For the national and foreign investors it is important to provide the attractiveness of investment climate.
3.Creating on-site education and training in companies and developing company’s policy focusing on increasing the level of personnel’s qualification.
4.Raising the quality of goods and reliability in exploitation, elaborating fresh ideas and original view as main components of the competitive capability.
5.Application of modern marketing concepts which are actively used and widely spread in the world’s practice. This task is obviously crucial for many Russian firms which rarely use marketing principles.
6.Increasing the role of government in raising the competitiveness of enterprises. The main and most effective instruments are the mechanisms of antimonopoly policy, custom and tariff, non-tariff regulation.
The on-going process of globalization and the expected joining of the Russian Federation the World Trade Organization (WTO) requires from the producers of Russian regions and other countries seeking new ways of raising competitiveness and effective usage of an industrial potential of companies. Despite the potential positive outcomes of Russia joining WTO, there is a negative impact on some Russian industries. Restrictions put on the internal economic policy by the norms of WTO will play an important role in the branches, such as engineering industry, scientific technologies, and light industry, which nowadays need a strong mechanism of the state support. Recently the Ministry on industry transport and communications of the Khabarovsky Krai and industrial enterprises has taken measures to raise the competitiveness and quality of goods and to develop new kinds of products. The most competitive goods in the Khabarovsky Krai are the products of the defense industry for its high level of development.
The major industrial companies of the Khabarovsky Krai annually take part in the all-
Russian competitions on quality, for example “100 top goods in Russia”, “The best Russian exporter” and other ones, in order to promote Russian products, attract investments, stimulate activities of enterprises in improving quality and raising competitiveness of goods as well as to inform customers and community about the present high-quality, ecological and safe products. Moreover, there is intensification of companies’ intention to use alternative and energy-saving technologies which have primary influence on cost price. Thanks to the adoption of such new technologies, industrial companies managed to save about 120 million rubles, and this automatically helped to scotch the process of raising prices, thus maintain competitiveness of products.
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However, the aim to resolve a problem of raising competitiveness has become the priority task of the economic, social and industrial policy of the Khabarovsky Krai. Inherently, efficient work of the Ministry on industry transport and communications of the Khabarovsky Krai and industrial enterprises in raising competitiveness of produced products is connected with the penetration of new markets, and elimination of factors which have a potential bad influence on perspective development of the Khabrovsky Krai. The main bounding factors are:
1.Due to limited financial resources of majority industrial companies in the Khabarovsky Krai, most of them prefer nonrecurring profit instead of elaboration of fundamental programs on assuring quality of a product.
2.An insufficient study and usage of methods of assuring quality, as a way to be oriented at producing high-quality and competitive goods, by directors of companies.
3.A weak informational supply and a lack of scientific-technical support of enterprises.
4.An insufficient work of companies on cost reduction.
5.A lack of economic incentives for raising quality and competitiveness of the goods produced in the Khabarovsky Krai.
6.A low effectiveness of the system of retraining of highly skilled specialists for ensuring high-quality goods production.
7.A need to develop tax and custom legislation.
8.There are no intensified activities on application of the quality management systems. Only 12 big and middle industrial companies received certificates ISO 9000.
In this regard, in 2005 the Ministry on industry, transport and communications of the Khabarovsky Krai with the participation of the Ministry on economic development and overseas division of the Khabarovsky Krai, the Khabarovsk Center on standardization and metrology, the Far Eastern Chamber of Commerce and Industry and industrial enterprises and organizations have implemented a policy, the main directions of which, oriented on raising competitiveness of Khabarovsk enterprises and developing new kinds of goods in industrial Khabarovsk complex, include the following measures:
1.To evaluate probable social and economic consequences of Russian joining WTO, particularly for the Khabarovsky Krai and developing a list of regional activities on compensation expected negative impact.
2.To put “raising competitiveness of produced products” as one of the key directions in industrial policy of the Krai facilitating industrial and economic development of the Krai in a whole.
3.Raising a technical level and competitiveness of goods produced by companies in Khabarovsky Krai by making a new kinds and description of goods.
4.Raising guarantees of quality and image of enterprises and organizations in Khabarovsky Krai by application of the quality management systems, its confirmation by Russian and foreign authorities on certification.
5.To facilitate activities of cost reduction.
6.Education, retraining and refresher training of directors and specialists of companies and organizations.
7.Organizing, methodological and informational arrangements.
8.State measures to support implementation of investment projects, attract financial and other resources and assist development of investment activities.
In conclusion, it is essential to notice that competitiveness is a dynamic category; its dynamism is determined by external factors, most of which can be regulated. The competitiveness is a complex term, the analysis and evaluation of which should be linked to the specific competitive area, depending on conditions which form the competitive environment. Analyzing conditions forming competitive area in the Khabarovsky Krai, it is
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important to stress that raising competitiveness has become the primary objective in economic, social and industrial policy of the Region. Moreover, a policy developed by the Ministry on economic development and overseas division of the Khabarovsky Krai, the Khabarovsk Center on standardization and metrology, the Far Eastern Chamber of Commerce and Industry and industrial enterprises, has become a fundamental base for raising competitiveness of enterprises in the Khabarovsky Krai.
References
1.Аристов О.В. Управление качеством : учеб. пособие для вузов. – М.: ИНФРА-М, 2004. – 240с.
2.Белоусов В.Л. Анализ конкурентоспособности фирмы// Маркетинг в России и за рубежом. – 2001. - № . – С.25-35.
3.Кувалин Д.Б., Моисеев А.К. Российские предприятия в начале 2008 года: конкурентная ситуация и уровень конкурентоспособности// Проблемы прогнозирования. – 2008. - №5. – С.138-155.
4.Лифиц И.М. Формирование и оценка конкурентоспособности товара и услуг. – М.: Юрайт-Издат, 2004, 335с.
5.Мансуров Р.Е. Об экономической сущности понятия «конкурентоспособность предприятия» и «управления конкурентоспособностью предприятия»// Маркетинг в России и за рубежом. – 2006. – № 2. – С.91-94.
6.Моисеева Ю. Основные положения оценки и пути обеспечения конкурентоспособности предприятия// Менеджмент сегодня. – 2005. - №6. – С. 15-20.
7.Овчинникова Т.И. Управление конкурентоспособностью предприятия на основе социальной функции// Управление персоналом. – 2008. - №1. – С. 53-55.
8.Туркова Е. Повышение конкурентоспособности предприятия: роль организационных преобразований// Проблемы теории и практики управления. – 2007. - №4. – С. 115-120.
9.Шлык Н.Л., Артеменко Т.В., Бойко Т.С., Кочемасова А.В., Лысенко В.А. Выход предприятия на внешний рынок: основы бизнеса// учебное пособие/ под ред. проф. Н.Л. Шлык. – Хабаровск, РИЦ ХГАЭП, 2007. – С. 183-205.
10.«Управление ростом и конкурентоспособностью российских компаний» // http://www.segment.ru/rearticles. php/show/555/15/0/2/.
Olga Levintal,
2nd year student, International Economic Relations Department, Khabarovsk State Academy of Economics and Law
THE COUNTRIES OF THE “GROUP OF EIGHT” AND THE PROBLEMS OF
CLIMATE AND ECOLOGY CHANGE IN THE WORLD
The Earth is a cradle of the mankind, the only and that’s why a unique planet of the Solar system and the nearest galaxies that where the life originated. And as the major wonder of this planet, undoubtedly, one can name a human being. The one has given himself many names -
“the top of the evolution”, “the king of nature”… Only one name is missing – “the guardian of the planet Earth”.
Rearing his empire on the planet and year by year striving for improvement of his life, the human being has forgotten that the “king of nature” has a duty to take care of his “kingdom”, which once gave him his life. Nowadays, when the mankind entered the new age
– the age of technologies - the care given to the Earth and nature is necessary as never before. Have learnt how to explore the space, nearby and distant worlds, creating electronic