Narrow Results

This paper is concerned with entrepreneurship and its development in Poland - one of the fastest growing EU economies and the key market player in Central and Eastern Europe. The issues of growth and development perspectives of enterprises as well as their role in growth creation are investigated. Special emphasis is put on measures of entrepreneurship, determinants of its development, the country’s competitive position and the conditions for the development of entrepreneurship. Moreover, the perception of business by society is discussed. The support of the Special Economic Zones, the cluster initiatives and the state policy are important for entrepreneurs and they contribute to further business development.

Poland is seeing positive rates of development despite the recent economic downturn. Its high level of competitiveness, strong economic fundamentals and high flexibility will allow to benefit from the global recovery over the next few years. In order to evaluate the development potential of enterprises and the business environment, a SWOT analysis of the Polish SMEs was conducted.

A Bayesian Network approach to developing effective policies for more sustainable rural land use and development is presented which:

• incorporates several different stakeholder viewpoints

• integrates and balances the results from different viewpoints, and thus facilitates compromise land use solutions

• elucidates the main factors affecting stakeholders' decisions, on which policy levers will operate more effectively

• allows differences between "expected change" and "observed change" to be understood as arising from uncertainty and variation about "the average situation"

• demonstrates the crucial roles of beliefs and uncertainties in determining the preferred options of different groups

• emphasises the need to know the beliefs and uncertainties of local land managers

• incorporates public participation and social learning while such necessary data are gathered.

The approach's merits for fostering pro-active policy design and subsidiarity, and for focusing the research needed to underpin rural policy are discussed.

This article takes a critical view at the process of economic change and transformation in Poland since 1989. Its describes the creation and implementation of these changes, initially referred to as the Balcerowicz Plan, in the decidedly negative context of the system of central planning. The article takes a detailed look at growth, international trade, privatization, and foreign direct investment, as well as outlining some "persistent negatives" such as transition costs, technology and infrastructure lapses, and inflation. It concludes with possible suggestions for Poland's future as a full member of the EU, participating in the euro-- perhaps as early as 2008 or 2009.

This article will discuss the political and economic background behind Poland's decision to join the Euro-Zone, perhaps as early as 2012. The article describes important political events and summarizes key economic data presented at the end of 2008, as well as providing important “pro and con" arguments surrounding this controversial move. In addition, the article provides a context to Poland's “march to Europe," as it has moved to full membership in the European Union, including its single currency.

The following sections are included:

• The electricity supply industry in Poland

• Scope and objectives of the new Act

• Basic principles of organisation and functioning of the electricity supply industry
  • The principle of separation of generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity
  • The principle of operation of transmission and distribution enterprises as public utilities
  • The principle of limited third party access to the network
  • The principle of supplying electricity on the basis of a contract
  • The principle of securing rational and economical use of fuels and electricity in the processes of designing, producing, importing, constructing and using equipment, installations and networks

• Basic principles of influencing the electricity supply industry by the State
  • The principle of separation of ownership, political and regulatory functions
  • The principle of uniformity of energy policy
  • The principle of electricity industry regulation independence
  • The principle of regulation through concessions and tariffs
  • The principle of regulation for competition
  • The principle of ensuring observance of the Act by criminal-administrative means

• Secondary legislation

• The Regulator

• Privatisation in the electricity supply industry

• Conclusions