Introduction 9
As distinct from the previous part, the second part of the monograph discusses the
various aspects of the challenges of economic cooperation from the mesoeconomic
perspective, which involve analysing the changes at sectoral or industrial level that
differed from either micro or macroeconomic view.
The first chapter begins by examining the rising significance of relationships and
interactions between market participants, which lay the foundation of the network
market concept based on network structures and network effects. Moreover, the
author indicates the determinants of a company’s success in network markets,
including the dynamics of the growth of a network created or used by the enterprise.
In addition to these deliberations, the chapter outlines the other vital aspects of
network market phenomena such as the factors shaping a market player’s network
position, the changes in market participants’ behaviour under the influence of the
network effect, and the characteristics of the concept of the network good.
The discussion about the network markets and the forces and mechanisms that
determine them is followed by another challenge of economic cooperation at
mesoeconomic level. First, the chapter discusses the growing importance and
strength of an economic linkage between industrializing Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao
PDR, Myanmar, and the Greater Mekong Sub-region, potentially leading to the
formulation of the regional production network. The study investigated the structure
of the automobile industry’s production network in the Greater Mekong Sub-region
by implementing methods such as the Grubel and Lloyd index and the unit value
ratio of exports and imports to decide the types of division of labour in the process
of production. Additionally, this research was expanded with a comparative analysis
of the European and North American cases, which allowed the author to conclude
that the production fragmentation network in the Greater Mekong Sub-region is still
in the early development stage.
The last challenge, which is addressed in this part, involves discussing industrial
cooperation in the form of the transfer of arms and military equipment. The author
of this chapter underlines the significant role of industrial cooperation in international
business and its various forms such as strategic alliance, joint venture, licensing,
subcontracting, and teaming agreements. In this chapter, the author also examined
the forms of industrial cooperation in the defence industry from the perspective of
the international transfer of arms and military equipment, which allowed to
underline two groups of determinants that influence industrial cooperation in the
arms sector and its spectrum. Moreover, the author outlined the way of acting on the
part of government institutions and the arms sector’s functioning as the determinants
that set favourable conditions for industrial cooperation.
The selected issues regarding the cultural aspects of the global economic phenomena
aspects are discussed in the last part of the monograph. The first chapter begins with
a case study of Karuizawa, a summer resort in Japan, and the locally adopted
10 Introduction
residential strategies aiming to act in response to vital environmental protection issues.
This study gives an overview of the strategic approach that involves different
instruments implemented by Karuizawa decision-makers, including diverse tax rates,
management fees and prices addressed respectively to local residents and vacation
homeowners. It is worth emphasizing that this approach is based on the cooperation
of residents and non-residents. Furthermore, the author compares the Japanese resort
with Martha’s Vineyard, a US island, which represents the opposite approach, where
the local residents play a crucial role in the island’s environmental issues.
The final chapter of the monograph examines communication issues related to the
cultural diversity of clusters, starting with a presentation of crucial assumptions that
clusters are nowadays a specific combination of enterprises, science, and local
authorities, which is considered a determinant of innovation and competitiveness
growth involving associated companies and the hosting regions. Moreover, the
clusters stimulate the information flow and the exchange of experience and
knowledge between the participants. However, efficient communication may be
potentially disrupted since the involved companies originate from culturally diverse
regions and countries. This chapter aims to present these communication issues
related to the existence of cultural differences in clusters by giving the example of
the Toyota cluster – a Japanese cluster located in Poland.
The composition of the chapters reflects the complexity of tendencies that take place
in a globalized world economy. The presented deliberations, studies, conclusions,
and recommendations are the results of scientific research conducted by Polish and
Japanese economists. Moreover, this monograph could not be developed without the
international cooperation between researchers from the Asia-Pacific Research Centre
at the Wroclaw University of Economics and Business and the Takasaki City
University of Economics.
Being a mosaic of diverse research subjects, this book is dedicated to readers who
look for multidimensional insights into the modern trends and phenomena occurring
in the global economy. Considering the broad spectrum of the discussed issues, this
monograph is recommended to students of economics who want to acquire
knowledge about the selected tendencies, to researchers who would like to broaden
their knowledge in the area of current trends in the globalized world economy, as
well as entrepreneurs and business practitioners seeking information about the
cultural aspects of the global economic phenomena.
The authors of the introduction firmly believes that this monograph will provide
readers with valuable information about the events and trends observed in this
century and contribute to deepening the debate about the influence of selected
aspects of globalization on the modern world economy.
Bogusława Drelich-Skulska
Mami Hiraike Okawara
