The economic and political changes in the East have enhanced Austria's position as a "gateway" to the East and as a location for regional headquarters of multinational companies intent on gaining access to the new markets in the East. This article presents the results of a survey of...

Globalisation and the process of European integration have dramatically changed the competitive environment for European manufacturing. The literature survey gives an insight into theoretically possible impacts of these ongoing processes on industrial structures, the specialisation patterns of...

Towards the end of 1997, a financial and currency crisis erupted in the Far East. But once current problems have been overcome, the affected countries can be expected to enjoy a brisk upswing. A WIFO survey, made at the height of the crisis, found that 62 percent of the responding companies felt...

After the political upheaval in 1989, all Central and Eastern European countries have suffered a deep "transformation recession". The real gross domestic product shrank between 1990 and 1992 by approximately one fifth in the CEE states. The reasons for that production drop were the changes...

Export guarantees are among the few tools left for an active economic policy to promote foreign trade. Under international agreements, which are in place since 1996, guarantees have been restricted to non-marketable risks. As a result, the total volume of guarantees has been stagnating in recent...

In spite of brisk expansion rates achieved for Central and Eastern European markets, Austrian exports continue to be focused on Western Europe. To better exploit export potentials of Austrian businesses developing dynamic markets outside their traditional destinations is important. Using...

At present it is not possible to gauge the extent of the financial and economic crisis in South-East Asia. The effect of this crisis on Austria will, however, remain marginal: there are few direct trade links between Austria and the countries in question (exports to these countries amount only...

Private foreign direct investment (FDI) is one of the major instruments to support successful transformation to a market economy in Eastern Europe and to reduce the gap in living standards vis-à-vis the West. New investment in the East is estimated at US$ 7.5 billion for 1994 and 12.5 billion...

The stock of Austrian FDI in Eastern Europe grew almost tenfold within just seven years: from ATS 5.0 billion in 1990 to ATS 48.4 billion in 1997. Of this, 41 percent were in Hungary, 26 percent in the Czech Republic, 10 percent in Poland, and about 7 percent each in Slovakia and Slovenia. In...