Study title

Managers’ attitude towards the changes of the general economic conditions. Topics: Area of responsibility of the interviewees; company size: branch; number of business partner countries within the European Union: percentage of the turnover generated in those EU countries; influence of measures taken by the EU to create a uniform European domestic market on one’s own company in terms of product standards, packaging standards, order placement procedure, elimination of customs documents as well as custom controls, value-added tax, liberalisation of capital flows, regulations for the settlement of a company in the European Union; assessment of the influence of the European domestic market of one’s own company in terms of company strategies regarding: pricing, purchases and sales as well as deliveries from all as well as to all EU countries, services in EU countries, investments from other EU countries in one’s own company, cooperation with companies from EU countries, marketing strategies; increase in competition through domestic and foreign companies; employment of employees from member states; most important reason for not employing somebody; assessment of the influence of the EU expansion in 2004 on: the price of raw goods, pay-rate, access to new markets, retail prices, productivity, increase in employment; business contact with old EU members; importance of the future domestic market activities for one’s own company: removal of formal obstacles in trading goods and services, patent applications, stronger protection of intellectual property, further opening of the supply market, application of an integrated European financial market, safeguarding of fair competition in supply services such as telecommunications, transport and postal as well as energy supply, standardisation of regulations for business activities within the domestic market, simplification of work mobility; main reasons for the company not exporting to other EU countries.