GierańCzyk w., raChwał T., Structural changes in the industry of Poland against the background of eastern European Union states.

ABSTRACT.The article tries to classify the EU states in terms of the advancement of structural changes in their industries on the basis of the increase in the share of advanced technologies in total industrial production, labour, added value, and surplus. In the times of the knowledge-based economy the ability to produce high-tech goods, the demand for which is growing much faster than for traditional goods, indicates the level of modernity of industry.The dynamic growth of the demand for knowledge-based high-tech goods results from the evolution of consumer habits, which are predominantly driven by educated and rich societies who demand that their sophisticated needs met. An important role in stimulating this demand is played by modern media as they instantly deliver information on the latest technical developments and are very efficient in transferring patterns of consumerism. The ability to adapt the structure of production to the needs of the market is crucial in defining a state's position in the international exchange of goods. This is due to the fact that the national technology is tightly interwoven with export abilities.

Ogół radykalnych zmian w systemie funkcjonowania polskiej gospodarki po 1989 określany jest mianem transformacji systemowej. Jako główną zasadę przeobrażeń w Polsce przyjęto, że zmiany powinny zmierzać do ukształtowania się gospodarki rynkowej, w której szczególną rolę pełnią przedsiębiorstwa. Pod względem ekonomicznym i prawnym przedsiębiorstwo to wyodrębniona jednostka gospodarcza, prowadząca działalność w celu osiągnięcia korzyści ekonomicznych, tj. zysku i wzrostu wartości rynkowej firmy...

The article presents change in the object of study of the industrial geography in Poland that took place in the late twentieth century with a context in the internal and external conditions of the functioning of the industrial activities. A kind of barometer of the impact of internal and external conditions for the functioning of industrial units and the scale of regional integration in this area can be achieved by studying the economic situation also known as business tendency. In this paper the author would like to draw attention to the economic condition survey in industry conducted by the Central Statistics Office (GUS) as an example of modern research in the industrial geography in Poland.

The paper presents theoretical reflections and a comparative analysis of the quality of human capital in the industry of the EU Member States in 2000 and 2008. As the quality of human capital is largely derived from the public education of a given country, the opportunities to build the country’s competitive advantages on the basis of this resource were examined through the prism of absorption by the industry of the overall human capital resources in the economy, and the participation of qualified human resources (Human Resources Devoted to Science and Technology) in the general human resources in the industry. The degree of involvement of human capital in the R&D activities was also analysed, as those employed in this sphere, having the knowledge and experience that contribute to the creativity of employees and innovation of the companies, are the backbone of human capital.