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This article brings managerial guidelines for new market expansion and current market penetration on the example of a Czech medical devices manufacturer. We describe the strategy in evaluation of the opportunities in the territories, of setting up the benchmarks, the steps how to deal with partners in current territories and how to approach the acquisition of new territories. We show how significant the sales growth is for financials, and we mention the limit defined in the Theory of Sustainable Growth. We show how important the level is, how the products are advanced and how important it is to have unique products. The objective of the article is to bring a basis for new thoughts to readers who might intend to look for new markets acquisition. The information and facts provided show a real example of an existing company's approach.

This paper discusses the increasing importance of emerging markets, particularly those in Africa, in terms of international business opportunities in the post-financial crisis period; while BRIC economies have received a lot of attention in the preceding decade, other emerging markets - especially in Africa - show indications of taking on more prominence in the upcoming period. In fact, at present, the continent of Africa represents one of the fastest growing markets in the world. This paper focuses on growth indicators and trends in the African markets as well as potential future international business opportunities; specifically, it examines the competitiveness of African nations, the business environments of countries in Africa, the continent's international trade situation and urbanization in Africa. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on existing business opportunities together with some challenges which remain on the continent.

The situation of Poland's public finances has been improving. Helped by solid economic growth in 2011, Poland has reduced its budget deficit in line with the Commission's recommendations. However, contrary to earlier forecasts, in 2012 it was still well above the ceiling of 3% of GDP. As a result, the excessive deficit procedure was extended by two years, by 2014. The deficit should be further reduced to reach, in 2015, the level of 1% of GDP in terms of structural deficit. The slowdown of the economy in 2012 and probably in 2013 will not make this task easy. Public debt has risen steadily over the past few years but in recent times, the level has still been well below the 60% of GDP ceiling. The national reform program and the convergence program were adopted by Poland's Council of Ministers on 25 April 2012. The convergence program outlined in an integrated manner the fiscal consolidation efforts, the key structural reforms and the reforms that underpin macroeconomic stabilization. In the medium- to long-term, Poland is faced with a number of challenges. A very low labor force participation rate, in particular of women, and the poor quality of vocational training and education are major concerns given an ageing population. The low level of public and private R&D spending, weak links between science and industry and poor innovation performance call for improvements. Apart from the program of national reforms, crucial for future sustained economic growth and good performance of public finances, an additional factor stimulating activities towards fiscal improvement should be Poland's participation in strengthened economic governance architecture recently introduced in the EU. Euro adoption remains an important goal of the Polish government. The uncertain situation in the euro zone has, however, postponed adoption of a clear timetable of joining the euro zone. The government decided that an additional condition to join the euro zone, apart from meeting the nominal convergence criteria (and legal conditions not discussed here), is stabilization of the euro area situation.

This text presents some of the fundamental values and traits of American national culture with a focus on their potential effect on the behavior of US business people. The goal of the article is to map potential differences from the habits and norms typical in the Central European region (CEE region), i.e. to identify those which might have an important impact on business activities. Methodologically, the text includes a brief literary review including various different cultural frameworks; the paper then utilizes primarily descriptive and comparative methods, as well as analysis and synthesis, to comprehend the issue in hand. The author complements this input with real-life personal and professional experience gained by working and living in both geographic regions. Finally, the article provides some key managerial implications for executives operating within the CEE environment who potentially conduct business transactions with Americans or US-based organizations.

This article presents an in-depth study based on open-source data analysis (Edelman Trust Barometer and European Communication Monitor) concerning the general loss of trust, which both commercial companies, governments and, on a minor scale, also NGOs have been experiencing since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. Trust is an essential line of corporate communications, public relations and reputation management of companies and it is personalized by the CEOs and top management. According to the data, the trust of CEOs saw the biggest decline in the U.S. while in Slovakia the trust is still quite high; on the contrary, in the E.U. in general, the level of trust of CEOs reached a historical minimum of 30%. The overall shift from trusting the traditional authorities, such as government, CEOs and official representatives to academics, stakeholders, employees and general "vox populi" can be seen globally. The aim of this article is to define trust and the social and communications context of building trust as a key factor in a company's reputation. Finally, clear managerial implications on reputation management focusing on Czech and Slovak CEOs and businesses will be given.

The article aims to explain how general and specific managerial competencies relate to the business success of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). This study was conducted among 264 managers of SMEs. SME success was measured as a subjective assessment of economic growth indicators in comparison with competitors on the market. General and specific managerial competencies were significant predictors of success in running a business. Specific managerial competencies proved to be a mediator between general competencies and SME success. This paper helps provide a better understanding of how individual differences - general and specific managerial competencies - influence entrepreneurial behavior and its outcomes.

This article focuses on the increasing consumption trend of counterfeit goods in the countries of CEE and on the consequences for the global market. Counterfeiting is no longer typical only for the luxury market, where branding together with genuine source play a crucial role and the business of top luxury has been rising during the crisis. New categories of counterfeit goods are emerging constantly, including electronics and computer parts, pharmaceuticals, and even FMCG such as food, beverages or cosmetics. This article presents data from GfK research on attitudes towards counterfeit goods in Slovakia and puts it into the context of other CEE countries. It gives clear managerial implications on how to communicate the importance of originality, benefits for the consumer when consuming original goods and social marketing of ethical consumption. The managerial implications are specifically targeted for luxury businesses, on-line shops and FMCG producers.

This is a conceptual paper that focuses on the existence and support of entrepreneurial behavior and innovation in larger organizations. It first suggests why it is important to pay attention to entrepreneurship and innovation and then defines corporate entrepreneurship. Typical barriers of entrepreneurial activities are described as well as innovation dilemmas that organizations solve. The innovation process is not linear, but six components of innovative behavior may be identified, together with specific roles employees play when moving the idea forward from idea creation to implementation. Important factors influencing the success of entrepreneurial behavior are discussed, involving the role of middle managers and reward systems. Recommendations for fostering entrepreneurial behavior and innovation are provided together with a simple inventory for measuring employee perception of managerial and organizational support for innovation.