Does membership of local Chambers of Commerce networks enhance rural SME performance?: An empirical analysis

PurposeLocal Chambers of Commerce networks provide small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with an opportunity to access essential information and networking with other businesses, resulting in improved business performance. However, rural SMEs are less likely to participate in these networks and often possess lower performance. This paper aims to examine the relationship between being members of local Chambers of Commerce networks and rural SMEs’ performance by comparing business performance between rural SMEs who are members and non-members of local Chambers of Commerce networks. This paper also further explores difference in business growth plans between rural SMEs members and non-members.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis draws on cross-sectional data of 3,769 rural SMEs in England and Wales from the UK's Government Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2015. Propensity score matching (PSM) is applied to control for selection bias and variations in business characteristics before comparing business performance, measured in terms of annual turnover, sale growth and profitability, between rural SMEs that are members and non-members of local Chambers of Commerce networks.FindingsOur results show that rural SME members of local Chambers of Commerce networks are more likely to grow their sales than non-members. However, they perform as good as non-members in terms of turnover and profitability. The results also emphasise that local Chambers of Commerce networks are crucial for rural SMEs to develop the skills of the workforce and leadership capability of managers, new product/service development and new working practices. Therefore, to enhance rural SMEs' performance, tailoring the services of local Chambers of Commerce to support rural businesses' needs and encouraging rural SMEs to make use of business networks are recommended.Practical implicationsThe paper unpacks the relationships between being local Chamber of Commerce membership and business performance, offering lessons for rural SMEs to boost their business performance and growth through participating in local business association networks.Originality/valueThis paper is the first study that explores the comparative analysis of business performance and growth plans between rural SMEs that are members and non-members of the local Chamber of Commerce networks. We provide an empirical evidence-based analysis to existing literature regarding the advantages of being local Chamber of Commerce memberships to enhance business performance in rural areas.

Various Clauses in a Cross-Border Commercial Representation Agreement

The paper is devoted to certain types of clauses in a cross-border commercial representation agreement. Particular attention is given to a non-competition clause, compensation clause, a clause on limiting the scope of the contract to a certain category of consumers, anti-corruption clause, applicable law clause, jurisdiction clause, arbitration clause. The paper examines the issue of the possibility of including certain clauses in a cross-border commercial representation agreement and the ratio of the conditions included in the agreement with the possibility of their execution within the framework of the legislation of the respective state. The analysis of the clauses was carried out on the basis of such documents as the Liner Agreement of the Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers and Agents; Model Commercial Agency Contract Prepared by the International Chamber of Commerce; Baltic and International Maritime Council Dispute Settlement Terms 2016; General Agency Agreement prepared by the Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers and Agents, etc.

Role of the dual VET in the secondary vocational education in Hungary

Цель статьи — представить особенности дуальной системы в профессиональном образовании Венгрии, основываясь на опыте работы Торгово-промышленной палаты Венгрии в этом направлении за последние три года (2019–2021). Предпринята попытка систематизировать управленческие решения по внедрению дуальной системы обучения в профессиональное образование страны на принципах государственно-частного партнерств. Теоретическая значимость заключается в описании современной модели профессионального образования Венгрии (принципы формирования дуальных образовательных программ в двух типах образовательных организаций, механизмов партнерства предприятий и образовательных организаций при координирующей роли торгово-промышленной палаты). Практическая значимость — в описании нормативных правовых решений, обеспечивающих жизнеспособность дуальной модели обучения в стране. The purpose of the article is to characterize the features of the dual system in vocational education in Hungary based on the experience of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry over the past three years (2019–2021). Rhe author attempts to systematize management decisions on the introduction of a dual training system in the country’s vocational education based on the principles of public-private partnerships. The theoretical significance lies in the description of the modern model of professional education in Hungary (the principles of the dual educational programmes formation in two types of educational organizations, partnership mechanisms of enterprises and educational organizations with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry having the coordinating role). The practical significance lies in the description of regulatory legal solutions that ensure the viability of the dual model of education in the country.

Study on the Impact of Institutions on the Labor Productivity of Private Enterprises in Vietnam through the Spillover Effect from State-Owned Enterprises

The paper analyzes the impact of institutions on the labor productivity of small and medium-sized private enterprises through the spillover effect from state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The authors used data samples from three datasets: (i) The Annual Enterprise Survey conducted by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO) from 2010 to 2018; (ii) Institutional data (PCI) published by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) from 2010 to 2018; (iii) GSO 2012 I-O balance sheet and a set of tabular data containing 666,221 observations at the enterprise and provincial levels in Vietnam from 2010 to 2018, including both listed and unlisted enterprises. The model’s experimental result shows that institutional improvement boosts labor productivity of domestic private enterprises through a horizontal and forward spillover channel from SOEs. Through the backward spillover channel from SOEs, how institutional improvement affects the labor productivity depends on the degree of backward spillover channel from SOEs.

Dr. Benito Legarda, Jr. as economic diplomat

I first met Benito Legarda—Beneting as he was known by friends—as a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, the Jaycees. After graduating with a PhD from Harvard University, upon the encouragement of Leonides Virata who met him in Rome, he joined the Department of Economic Research (DER) of the Central Bank of the Philippines (CBP). He started as an economist but he was to climb the career ladder to end up Deputy Governor until his retirement. It was Leonides Virata, who was the first Central Bank head of the DER and who happened to be my uncle, who told me about him.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Košice

The year 2020 saw the 90th anniversary of the construction of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Košice, as well as the 125th anniversary of the birth of its designer, the Košice architect Ľudovít Oelschläger. These commemorations lead us to consider the fate of this remarkable multifunctional structure, a listed cultural monument and important example of Košice modernism, which has long ceased to serve its original purpose and now lies empty and neglected. Indeed, the latest owner was able to reclassify the building as residential and is currently selling the property. Its forlorn state and uncertain future use, together with the impending deterioration of its still-present architectural qualities, warn of the potential threat both to the physical integrity of this cultural monument and its expressive originality.

BASIC TERMS OF DELIVERY AS A DECISIVE FACTOR AFFECTING THE VALIDITY OF A FOREIGN TRADE CONTRACT AND THE CORRECTNESS OF THE CALCULATION OF THE CUSTOMS VALUE OF GOODS

The article deals with some aspects of the legal regulation of relations between the counterparties of a foreign trade transaction. Based on the results of the analysis of the practice of the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, conclusions are drawn on the application of the provisions of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods of 1980 in resolving disputes between the parties to a foreign trade contract. The features of using the delivery bases under INCOTERMS 2020 in order to form the transport conditions of a foreign trade contract are revealed, and also, using the example of several delivery bases, it is indicated what transport costs should be charged to the contract value of goods in order to form the correct customs value. Based on the consideration of some court decisions, the role and significance of the delivery basis were determined both for resolving disputes between counterparties in case of accidental damage or loss of cargo during transportation, and for correctly determining the amount of the customs value of goods. A specific example is used to calculate the amounts of transport costs, insurance and customs value for each product when they are delivered together, when the total transport costs and insurance are initially determined for them.