Innovation Activity and Competitiveness of Manufacturing Divisions in Poland

Increasing processes of globalization and integration in the world economy, dynamic market changes and growing social demands cause that particular sections of the national economy and their divisions as well as enterprises operating in them, become more and more often participants of competitive activity. According to M. Porter getting competitive advantage is possible only by means of innovation activity, and the capacity of industry for innovation and increasing technological level decide about competitiveness of the whole economy. That is why in present-day economic researches it is so important to define relations between competitiveness and innovation activity of enterprises. The objective of the article is an attempt to describe quantitatively the impact of outlays on research and development and outlays on innovation on three selected characteristics defining competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises. These characteristics are: gross value added, sold production and labour productivity. In the research were used statistical data of Central Statistical Office showing amounts of particular types of outlays divided into particular manufacturing divisions (section D, the Polish Classification of Activities) in the period 1999-2008. the analysis was conducted by means of panel models, where the basic period is calendar year, and the objects are manufacturing divisions on two-digit level of aggregation.