FINAL CLUSTER ANALYSIS - Kohtla-Järve

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Final Cluster Analysis political eff orts to improve resource effi ciency across the economy, particularly with respect to utility inputs, are likely to lead to cultural and hardware changes within the industry. Another issue aff ecting the sector as part of the tourist industry is the environmental impact of tourists who use hotel and catering establishments. PolItIcal DrIvers While legislation and international relations represent the clearest types of political drivers, EU enlargement and social dialogue are, respectively, partly economic and partly social drivers. Developments in international relations continue to infl uence consumer confi dence and behaviour, and this is likely to continue to aff ect demand for the hotels and catering sector as part of the tourist industry. As the EU becomes more attuned to consumer and human rights and standards of living, key pieces of legislation likely to aff ect the sector relate to working conditions and to the marking, quality and safety of food. This desire to promote higher living and working conditions should also stimulate social dialogue between companies and employees. Within this social dialogue framework, the accession of new Member States is likely to generate new pressures and perspectives. Beyond this framework, the expansion of the EU off ers further opportunities in existing and new Member States by opening up new untapped consumer markets and labour forces. 36 © Narva Business Advisory Services Foundation, St. Petersburg Information and Analytical Center, Synergy International Ltd. 2008
11.2. chemIcal sector As one of the largest and internationally most successful of European industries, the chemicals sector is capital-intensive and that has made it appropriate for its production to be located in mature industrialised countries. In the era of globalisation and capital mobility, however, this is no longer true for the manufacture of commodities and consequently there is very substantial foreign investment in chemicals production in the booming markets of Asia. Because commodities have a substantial share in the product portfolio of the chemicals industry, the European industry has to accelerate its pace of innovation to stay in the lead. Economic policymakers currently face the challenge of providing conditions that promote a more knowledge-driven industry with a sound basis for production in Europe. The key drivers in the chemical sector are presented below with a brief description. socIologIcal DrIvers Part-time employment, sabbaticals, etc. have become important tools for companies to attract highly qualifi ed applicants, in particular to tap into the full potential of the female labour force. The adoption of new patterns of working time has, however, been far from uniform across EU Member States. Within the EU15, the southern Member States lag behind the others. They are roughly on the same level as the new Member States, where the share of part-time employees ranges between 2% and 4% of all employees. The chemicals industry has also been suff ering from a long-term brain drain as experienced workers have left and the young choose other careers. The attractiveness of the chemicals industry as a career choice has been declining since the 1990s. Many chemicals companies are working to improve matters. BASF, for example, is among the most Final Cluster Analysis active of the leading global chemicals companies when it comes to fostering an understanding for chemicals. The company runs ‘Kids Labs’ at schools, which allow children to learn more about the chemicals that surround them at home. Similarly, Air Products, a global supplier of chemicals, industrial gases and equipment, sends ‘science ambassadors’ to schools and organises workshops at universities where undergraduates can get hands-on experience. technologIcal DrIvers Research and development (R&D) is particularly important for the chemicals industry. Technological advances not only benefi t the industry itself, but also feed into many downstream industries because its products are often intermediate goods in the production chain. This role makes the chemicals industry important for a country’s competitiveness in terms of innovation. Traditionally, the EU has been a technology leader, but some of this has been lost during the 1990s to the United States (US). The share of research and development (R&D) expenditure as a proportion of total sales has remained constant in the US and Japan since the mid-1990s, but in the EU the share has shrunk. One explanation for this trend could be the enormous eff ort that the European chemicals industry has put into restructuring in order to remain competitive. After completing their restructuring programmes, companies might shift more resources back to R&D. However, this is likely to be an optimistic view. EU companies face higher costs and generate lower profi ts than their foreign counterparts. The gross-operating surplus of EU chemicals companies is only half that of those in the US. There are at present two main challenges to innovation in the European chemicals industry. The fi rst is the structural change in other manufacturing industries. Relocation of 37
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FINAL CLUSTER ANALYSIS - Kohtla-Järve

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