International economic law, with its traditional focus on large multinational enterprises, is only slowly waking up to the new reality of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), entering the global marketplace. In the wake of the digital revolution, smaller companies now play an important role in the global economic landscape. In 2015 the UN expressly called for SMEs to have greater access to international trade and investment, and it is increasingly recognized that the integration of SMEs provides one of the keys to creating a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. As SMEs increasingly permeate transnational supply chains, so interactions between these companies and international economic law and policy proliferate. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in International Economic Law offers the first comprehensive analysis of the interaction between SMEs and international economic law. This book presents a broad international perspective, gathering together contributions by leading experts from academia, legal practice, and international organizations. It opens up a field of enquiry into this so far unexplored dynamic and provide a touchstone for future debate. The analysis covers a broad spectrum of international trade and investment law focusing on issues of particular interest to SMEs, such as trade in services, government procurement, and trade facilitation. Diverse perspectives illuminate regional developments (in particular within the EU) and the implications of mega-regional free trade agreements. The essays also examine questions of legitimacy of global economic governance; in particular, concerns surrounding the threat posed to the interests of domestic SMEs by the growing liberalization of international trade and investment. These essays constitute essential reading for practitioners and academics seeking to navigate a previously neglected trend in international economic law.
This detailed Commentary provides an authoritative interpretation of each provision in the main EU Directive on public procurement - Directive 2014/24/EU, and is rich in its critical analysis of the provisions of the 2014 Directive and the case-law. The Commentary also highlights the application problems and interpretative issues being raised in EU Member States, which in due time will make their way up to the CJEU or even require further legislative interventions.
Using an innovative 'law and political science' methodology, this timely book carries out a critical assessment of the reform of the EU public procurement rules. It provides a rich account of the policy directions and the spaces for national regulatory decisions in the transposition of the 2014 Public Procurement Package, as well as areas of uncertainty and indications on how to interpret the rules in order to make them operational in practice. Most EU law research focuses on the content of rules and the impact of case law on their interpretation and application. It rarely discusses how the CJEU's case law influences the creation of new rules, or the way EU law-makers enact them - issues which, conversely, are a staple for political scientists. By blending both approaches this book finds that political science provides a useful framework to describe the law-making process and shows that the influence of the CJEU was significant. Though the specific case studies identify many reforms, the ultimate assessment is that EU public procurement law was deformed. Offering a clear contribution to the emerging scholarship on 'flexible' EU law-making, this book's novel methodology will appeal to scholars and students of both law and political science. Law- and policy-makers as well as legal practitioners will also find its practical approach compelling.--Résumé de l'éditeur.
Against the background of completing the European Single Market is the observance and monitoring of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With about 20 million such businesses, employing some 117 million people, SMEs represent an economic lynchpin to the success of the Single Market concept. This 6th report, from the Observatory, and prepared by a consortium led by KPMG Consulting, focuses on the economic and financial needs of SMEs. Specific chapters look at their products and services, the recruitment and training of staff, particulary vocational training, and their access to investment. The report is concluded with the set of policy recommendations, which are aimed at strengthening the entrepreneurial culture. These recommendations include: to provide more information on public procurement to SMEs; to promote further resarch on the impact of electronic commerce on the position of SMEs.
International Business is a well-established research field, in which regionalisation has gained prominence in the last decade. Because Europe is a market that shows specific patterns of highly advanced market integration, European Business is a subject in its own right and with its own research momentum. In particular, firms view Europe as a challenging, mostly – yet not entirely- mature market location that is subject to complexities that help reveal strategic corporate strengths and weaknesses. Europe represents a location that undergoes frequent and rapid change due to its geo-economic and geopolitical position This comprehensive reference volume brings together a global team of contibutors to analyze and overview the key issues, themes and phenomena that affect business in Europe. With interdisciplinary perspectives from key disciplines, the book covers a range of vital themes such as culture, entrepreneurship, identity, human rights and climate change. The selection of authors reflects the international scope of this book, and is drawn from institutions located in 17 countries across Europe. A unique resource, this book covers a region undergoing significant geoeconomic and geopolitical change, and provides a comprehensive guide to research students and scholars of business and the social sciences.
This book discusses current theories and practices in the field of public procurement. Over the past few decades, public procurement has had to evolve conceptually and organizationally in the face of unrelenting budget constraints, government downsizing, public demand for increased transparency in public procurement, as well as greater concerns about efficiency, fairness and equity. Procurement professionals have also had to deal with a changeable climate produced by emerging technology, environmental concerns, and tension between complex regional trade agreements and national socioeconomic goals. This volume presents sixteen case studies focusing on the themes of public procurement as a policy tool and performance-based public procurement. The first section discusses public procurement as a policy tool and the challenges involved in balancing the competing interests of market forces, legal requirements, political pressures, and environmental concerns. The second section discusses performance-based public procurement, highlighting the frameworks used to assess procurement systems, the gaps between policy and practice, and strategies for bridging those gaps. The final section of the book discusses current issues in procurement, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, risk mitigation, and procurement as a profession. By combining theory and analysis with evidence from the real world, this book is of equal use to academics, policy makers, and procurement professionals.
The papers in this volume present state-of-the-art quantitative and qualitative research, empirical findings, best practices, and conceptual models to support better decision making throughout any service organization. Selected as the best work presented at the 2015 annual conference of the European regional subdivision of the Decision Sciences Institute (EDSI), they offer an invaluable cross-disciplinary perspective that will be relevant to all facets of service production, including organization, management, operations, information systems, marketing, HR, supply chains, and beyond. Papers in this volume offer powerful new pathways for innovation and optimization in global service network structures and inter-organizational relationships. The contributors also illuminate the successful management of the complex combinations of both explicit and tacit knowledge involved in service creation, reflecting new insights into behaviors linked to customer attitudes and service perceptions. The papers collected here will be valuable to wide audiences of faculty, researchers, and students in diverse programs covering operations and supply chain management of service industry companies, and/or the effective delivery of services; and for others interested in the frontiers of decision science.
Public procurement accounts for around one-fifth of global gross domestic product (GDP). Given its size the public procurement market can improve public sector performance, promote national competitiveness, drive domestic economic growth, and boost economic development. Launched at the request of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, Benchmarking Public Procurement presents actionable indicators to help countries identify and monitor policies and regulations that impact how private sector companies do business with the government in 77 economies. The Benchmarking Public Procurement 2016 report is organized under two parts: the public procurement life cycle and the complaint and reporting mechanisms indicators. Data was gathered using standardized questionnaires distributed to expert contributors in each economy. The project builds on the Doing Business methodology and aims to promote evidence-based decision making by governments and shed light over areas where few empirical data have been presented so far.