Magdalena Krzyżanowska

Implementing public-private partnerships in municipalities

Contractual flexibility in public-private partnerships increases plausible political contestability and industry capture. The anticipation of political hazards, hold-up, and knowledge-transfer barriers redounds to regulatory and contractual rigidities that reduce managerial efficiency and often impede implementing public-private partnerships. Based on 20 projects embarked upon by the city of Warsaw, I examine the management of public-private partnerships in emerging economies to minimize political hazards and contractual inefficiencies. Key policy implications are (1) integrated headquarters, (2) accountable project selection criteria, (3) involvement of consultants to legitimize the process to subsequent administrations, (4) ex ante risk allocation and ex post performance measurement procedures, (5) predetermined termination clauses, (6) commitment to learning-by-doing, and (7) established knowledge transfer and retention mechanisms. Thereby, modern public management of public-private arrangements requires balancing service provision efficiency and political hazards from interested third parties.

Competitive Landscape of the Educational Market: A Managerial Perspective

Brand positioning, which is an attempt to create a unique competitive position that gives buyers a reason to choose a particular offer, is regarded as a cornerstone of successful marketing strategy of any company or non-profit organisation. Despite the importance of the positioning concept, however, limited attention has been paid to the question whether players in the educational market are prepared to implement such strategies and, if not, what are the main obstacles to developing such concepts. The authors investigate these research questions by identifying the perception of competition held by managers of non-public educational institutions in Poland. This perspective is chosen because positioning, by its nature, depends on how the competitive situation is perceived and interpreted by the players. This article reports the results of a qualitative study of how managers in educational institutions perceive their competition. Results of the study indicate that managers of non-public schools are neither clear nor explicit about who their competitors are; however, paradoxically, they try to differentiate from them. These insights can be of value to institutions seeking to improve their positioning strategy.

Managerial Perception of Competition: Evidence from Poland

Understanding competitors’ decisions is essential for businesses in competitive markets. However, managerial perception of competition has been largely neglected in the management literature and totally ignored as it relates to transition economies. Based on qualitative data from in-depth interviews, we explore how senior-level marketing managers in Poland perceive and respond to competition. We find that decision makers accurately identify competitors but give little attention to competitors’ activities that may affect their own performance. Results suggest that there are areas in which companies can undertake marketing initiatives without risking competitors’ immediate market reaction.

The Influence of Competition on Marketing

The research devoted to the competitive impact upon marketing has multiplied since the seminal works of Alderson (1937) who argued for differential advantage a company should try to achieve. These were structured mainly around two problems: market orientation and its impact on organizational performance and the design of marketing-mix within the context of rivals’ activities. Two questions remain under-explored: that of the alternative to marketing ways of market behaviour within the competitive context, and that of the influence of managerial perception of competition on the design of marketing-mix. In relation to the first topic, this article proposes embracing the development of market orientation within a broader context of competitive advantage. The premise of marketing always playing a key role in the achievement of competitive advantage within the context of high intensity of competition is undermined. With regard to the second topic, the paper develops an integrative framework of the managerial perception of the competition and its influence on marketing-mix. It is demonstrated that not only the structure of competitive environment and their participants’ behaviour influence the design of a firm’s marketing-mix but also how the processes are interpreted by managers. The paper is of a conceptual character. On the basis of current literature it integrates the construct of market orientation with competitive advantage, marketing-mix and managerial representations of competition into one research model. It is concluded with a discussion of managerial and future research implications.

Educational Offer and Its Positioning: A Comparison of the Perception of Customers and Managers

While customer preferences and their impact on positioning strategy have received substantial interest within marketing, the compatibility of customers and the company perception of non-business offers have received significantly less attention. This study examines non-public education in the context of the above mentioned problem. This is because the decreasing number of potential students of non-public educational institutions forces their managers to pay special attention to the problem of differentiation from competitors. What do parents as customers of non-public educational institutions strive for? Are the managers aware of these needs and expectations and, if so, how do they use this knowledge? Are the perspectives of customers and managers of non-public schools analogous? To answer these research questions, the authors have conducted both qualitative and quantitative research among parents and qualitative research among managers of selected schools. The authors also have analysed web sites of selected institutions, particularly in terms of positioning communication. The research result is a mutual confrontation of the two perceptions. Conclusions are used to sketch directions of the positioning strategy for non-public institutions in the educational market in Poland.