Journal for East European Management Studies

Strategic Management in the German Brewing Industry: Are There Still Differences Between East and West

Despite the reunification of Germany more than 15 years ago, substantial differences remain between the regions that once comprised the market-driven West and the socialist, centrally planned East. Although today's Eastern German economy is less competitive than the Western German economy, there are important exceptions to the rule. One exception is the food and beverage industry in which Eastern German companies have gained strong competitive positions. Did they reach this position by mimick...

Psychic Distance and Cross - Border Cooperation of Smes: An Empirical Study On Saxon and Czech Entrepreneurs' Interest in Cooperazion

This paper examines the relationship between the psychic distance of decision makers in SMEs from specific foreign markets and their interest in cooperation with companies from those countries. Based on a review of the literature and a qualitative empirical study among entrepreneurs in the Saxon-Czech border area, the paper identifies the central explanatory variables of psychic distance, thus contributing to a theoretically-based conceptualization of this construct. Previous conceptualizatio...

Strategic Management in Turbulent Markets: The Case of the German and Croatian Brewing Industries

European beer markets are characterized by major changes that are forcing breweries to redesign their competitive strategies. In this paper, we analyze the changes in the German and Croatian brewing industries by referring to Porter's five forces model and generic strategies framework. The analysis reveals growing competitive pressures in both markets and a wide spectrum of competitive strategies. Whereas in Germany cost leaders have gained market shares, the Croatian market is strongly influ...

Verlag

Strategy and Strategic Management Within Industries and Across Borders