The

The competitiveness of the food industry, which is among the most important areas in the Central European economy, is a significant and topical research area in economics. The sector is particularly important for long-term sustainable growth in Central European national economies. Its high competitiveness is an important stabiliser in an environment of global economic instability. This study aimed to assess the relationships between elements of competitive potential and the competitive position of the food industry in E.U. countries. The relationships between these categories were examined using econometric models with the use of panel data. The results of the spatial-temporal modelling of the panel data confirmed the significant impact of production potential on the share of exports, profitability and the synthetic competitive position index, the impact of labour productivity on all analysed competitive position ratios, the impact of labour costs on the trade coverage, profitability and overall competitive position and the positive impact of innovation on profitability. It was found that labour productivity was of the greatest importance in building a competitive position. The results of the research can be used by food industry companies and government authorities in creating competitive advantages for the food industry in international markets.

This article presents the gap in potential and competitive position of food producers in Poland as compared to selected the European Union countries. The timeframe of research covered the years 2005–2015. The conducted analyses indicate the positive phenomenon of a decreasing but, at the same time, a very clear distance between the competitive potential of food producers in Poland and European leaders. The productivity level of particular production factors indicates, at the same time, the fact that the least beneficial situation was recorded in the case of the productivity of human work. A definitely smaller competitive gap was present at the level of the capital’s productivity. The decreasing competitive gaps were also observed with regard to particular partial measures of the competitive position. The nearly double increase in the share of Polish food producers in intra-Community export was particularly beneficial. This was not reflected in a significant change of the competitive position of domestic food producers on the EU market with the low output level of this index.

The objective of the study is to fill in gaps in research in the area of multifaceted evaluation of competitive performance of the food industry in European Union member states. The study involved calculation of the export share in the world market, the ratio of shown comparative advantage, the ratio of coverage of import with export and the Grubel–Lloyd index and then construction of a synthetic measure of international competitiveness in the years 2009–2012. The group of the states with a high competitive position of their food industry included the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Denmark. In the case of the Netherlands and France, this fact was determined, above all, by their high share in the export world, and in the case of Spain and Denmark, their significant comparative advantage. A considerable market share was also characteristic of Germany, which was ultimately classified as a country with a medium competitive position due to a relatively small importance of the industry in the entire export of this country. [EconLit Citations: F14, L66].

Artykuł nawiązuje do podstaw funkcjonowania łańcuchów dostaw na rynku spożywczym. Zawarto w nim główne informacje na temat łańcucha dostaw oraz jego działania. Skupiono się także na nowych rozwiązaniach, jakie mogą być wdrożone do procesu zarządzania tym łańcuchem. Przedstawiono nowoczesne technologie zarządzania łańcuchami dostaw, takie jak: agile chain, lean management, just in time oraz ich wpływ na funkcjonowanie łańcucha dostaw. Dodatkowo przybliżono projekty Unii Europejskiej ściśle powiązane z innowacjami w łańcuchu dostaw żywności. Przedstawienie nowoczesnych rozwiązań w łańcuchu dostaw pozwoliło wskazać możliwe do zastosowania nowe podejścia na rynku spożywczym. Całość rozważań umożliwiła dokonanie podsumowania rozwoju globalnych łańcuchów dostaw oraz poprawy funkcjonowania łańcuchów w przemyśle spożywczym.Słowa kluczowe: innowacje, logistyka, łańcuch dostaw, żywność, rynek spożywczy, technologia WprowadzenieInnowacje można określić jako wdrażanie nowych lub udoskonalanie dóbr oraz procesów, nowych metod marketingowych bądź metod organizacji praktyk gospodarczych. Mogą być wdrażane w obrębie produktów i procesu (innowacje technologiczne) oraz w zakresie marketingu i organizacji (innowacje nietechnologiczne) 2 . Innowacje związane z działalnością logistyczną mają przede wszyst-1 malgorzata.juchniewicz@uwm.edu.pl.