A C T A U N I V E R S I T A T I S L O D Z I E N S I S FO LIA OECONOM ICA 17, 1982
II. STRUCTURE OF MARKETING CHANNELS
T adeusz S z tu c k i*
FO U N DATIO NS AND FU N CTIO N IN G M ECHANISM O F M ARKET CH AN NELS
1. R EG U LATO RY AND REAL M A RK ET PR O C ESSES
T he m a rk e t and phenom ena tak in g place in it a re g e n e ra te d by re q u ire m e n ts posed by d istrib u tio n of th e n atio n al incom e, rela tio n s b etw een th e s ta te and individual m a rk e t p a rticip a n ts, and a need of m ain ta in in g economic ties w ith abroad.
Focussing ou r a tte n tio n on d istrib u tio n of th e n atio n al incom e, th a t is distrib u tio n , ou r rese a rc h in te re st w ill encom pass processes covering
exchange of p ro d u cts b etw een econom ic u n its and households. H ouseholds acquire p ro d u cts fro m th e ir individual incom es obtained th ro u g h d istrib u tio n of th e n ational incom e and th e fin al product. This incom e m ay be d e te rm in e d d ire c tly on th e basis of decisions m ade by o rgans of m an ag em en t and concerning th e level of w ages and prices or in d ire ctly by creatio n of convenient conditions of p u rch a sin g p ro -d u cts in th e m ark e t, or still by freeze of p u rch a sin g fu n -d s -due to su p p ly shortages in re la tio n to q u a n tita tiv e and q u a lita tiv e dem and d eclared by households in th e m arket.
The m ark e t, as a tool of v erificatio n of social u tility of production and social effectiveness of tra d e m echanism , provides th e m ost s y n th e -tic ev alu atio n of th e m an ag em en t system effectiveness in its m ost im p o rta n t function of balan cin g flow s of p ro d u cts su p p ly w ith flow s of dem and, in dynam ic approach, corresponding to th e need of s y s te -m atic develop-m ent.
R elationships b etw een econom ic u n its o p eratin g in th e m a rk e t in th e sp h ere of p ro d uction and tra d e and m an ag em en t organs a re a r e -flection of rela tio n sh ip s ex istin g b e tw e en re g u la tin g and re a l processes.
* P rof. Dr hab., In s titu te of D om estic T ra d e an d S ervices, W arszaw a (Po-land).
T he m a rk e t rep re se n ts a sp h ere ch ara c te riz e d w ith p len itu d e of rea l processes; no real process can be c a rrie d out w ith o u t reg u la tio n and co rrespondingly each reg u la tio n envisages g en eration of a real process. B ut th e essence of th e problem lies in th e fact th a t th is assum ption can be deceptive since both an im proper level of regulation, its exces-sive m eticulousness, and w rong choice of th e reg u latio n in stru m e n ts cause deviations or q u ite u n in te n d e d reg u la tin g processes.
It is erroneous to id en tify reg u la tio n w ith m an ag em en t organs as reg u la tio n takes also place as a re s u lt of m u tu a l in te rac tio n of econo-mic u n its as w ell as — and to a grow ing e x te n t — th ro u g h influence e x e rte d b y household decisions on re a l process of production and trad e. T he im p ortance of re g u la to ry processes ensues from th e fac t th a t th e y d ire c tly concern buying and selling tra n sa ctio n s of p ro d u cts p u r -chased m ain ly by households as th e biggest consum er of th e n ational income.
R egulating and real processes a re based on inform ation circulating, w ith in d iffe re n t v e rtic a l and ho rizo n tal system s, b etw een th e m anaging and th e m anaged, b etw e en econom ic u n its as w ell as b etw een th em an d households. T hese processes a re n ot only based on in fo rm atio n b u t th e y a re also h ighly d ep e n d en t on it. It e x e rts a decisive influence on c u rb in g of reg u la tin g processes tak in g place in m anagem ent organs as a re s u lt of grow ing im p ortance of reg u la tin g processes in itia ted in ho-rizo n tal ties of economic u n its a n d in th e ir tra n sa c tio n a l ties w ith households. T h a t is necessitated by continuous g ro w th of com plexity of problem s to be solved, u n c e rta in ty , insu fficien t re liab ility of in fo rm a tion and ab u ndance of in fo rm atio n w hich cannot an y lo nger be c e n tra -lized in a d m in istra tiv e institutions.
T here is no a lte rn a tiv e of choice b etw een c e n tra l p lan n in g and r a -tional scope of independence of com panies along w ith th e ir in d irect ste e rin g by m an ag em en t organs. T hese a re not c o n tra d ic to ry solutions because a n y im p rovem ent in th e c e n tra l p lan n in g system should p ro -m ote its consolidation and i-m p le-m en tatio n th ro u g h activities of econo-m ic units.
A w id e r approach to processes of p lanned reg u la tio n of production and selling allow s to d istinguish tw o in te rre la te d phenom ena. One of th em is p lan n in g of size, diversification, and w ays of consum er goods production and th e ir tra n s fe r to b u y e rs or end users; th e o th e r p h e nom enon is plan n in g and d evelopm ent of p ro d uction and service r e -sources. A ccuracy of prediction, p lan n in g and realizatio n of p roduc-tion and goods tu rn o v e r d e te rm in e s th e level and dynam ics of satisfac-tio n of consum er needs, a n d th e ir acceptance of p lans and p ro ducts tu rn e d out on th e ir basis d e te rm in e s optim al u tilizatio n of pro d u ctio n
and service reso u rces as w ell as th e ir f u rth e r developm ent. T h a t is the essence of ties b etw een in d u stry , tra d e and houselholds and th a t also ex p lain s d istu rb an c e s in functio n in g of th e m a rk e t as w ell as flu c tu a -tio n s in socioeconomic effectiveness of th e m a rk e t and its channels.
D espite ev id en t d raw b ack s of m an ag em en t c e n tra liz a tio n th e re con-tin u e to be m an y a d h e re n ts of th e system and th e re a re voiced opi-nions according to w hich th e level of c e n traliza tio n can n o t be d e-creased u n til m a rk e t eq u ilib riu m is achieved. N onetheless, as it is p u t by P. Sulm icki: „A p e rfe c tly c e n tralize d system , as an ex clu si-vely d i r e c t i v e system , can be called an i n d u c i n g system . I t re q u ire s not only p e rfe c t in fo rm atio n b u t also p e rfe c t com pliance of p e rfo rm e rs — robots in ex ecu tio n of o rd e rs” 1. L e t us add h e re th a t it also calls for p e rfe c t skills in use of in fo rm atio n b y th e c e n tra l m a-n ag em ea-n t orgaa-n ea-n su ria-n g a cap ab ility of m akia-ng u a-n e rria-n g decisioa-ns. F o r these reasons a p e rfe c tly ce n tralize d system rem a in s only a th eo -retica l ab stra ctio n w hile in p rac tic e w e a re dealing w ith an im p e rfec tly centralized system ten d in g to increase th e deg ree of c e n traliza -tio n in a situ a -tio n w hen fa llib ility of cen traliza-tio n points a t a need of decen tralizatio n .
F o r in stru m e n ts of m a rk e t reg u la tio n to be effective th e re m u st be e n su re d a speed of p ro d uction and tra d e activ ities and sh o rte n in g of tim e in w hich econom ic u n its respond to m a rk e t req u irem e n ts. Speed of activities enables m axim ization of production in tim e unit, th e sh o rte st flow of th e p ro d u ct from production to consum ption, and th u s m ax im u m sh o rte n in g of th e p ro d u ct ro ta tio n tim e in each lin k and a t each level of th e m a rk e t channels system . E x ten d ed tim e of ro ta -tion, above lim it value, produces such n egative phenom ena as a sso rtm e n t gaps, ill a d a p ta tio n of su p p ly to re q u ire rtm e n ts of b u y e rs as r e -g a rd s q u a lity of products, price relatio n s, an d place, tim e, and term s of sale.
2. M A RK ET M ECHANISM S
M echanism of m a rk e t functio n in g is com posed of principles a n d r u les of m anagem ent, in stru m e n ts providing m otivation, stim uli, and r e -stric tio n s in economic a c tiv ity of com panies as w ell as psychological a ttitu d e s of m an ag em en t and em ployees of econom ic u n its d e te rm in in g th e ir response to needs p rese n ted by m an ag em en t organs a n d th e m a r -ket.
1 P. S u l m i c k i , P lanow anie i zarządzanie gospodarcze (Econom ic P la n n in g a n d M anagem ent), W arszaw a 1973, p. 344.
These a ttitu d e s depend on „ru les of th e gam e” providing a d riv in g force for th e m echanism . If th ese ru le s a re based on harm onious in te r-action of p lan and m a rk e t in stru m e n ts, th e n econom ic u n its can ta k e into account consum er needs, th e y can respond to changes in dem and and su p p ly w ith in th e lim its of prices and m easures e v alu atin g th e ir m a rk e t decisions and obtained effects in line w ith gen eral social p re -ferences.
S ep aratio n of these tw o kinds of in stru m e n ts does not affo rd possi-bilities of utilizing m a rk e t c rite ria of reg u la tin g th e b e h av io u r of eco-nom ic units. T hey becom e m ain ly o rien ted at „ th e gam e” w ith th e c e n tra l m an a g e m e n t organ instead of „ th e gam e” w ith th e m a rk e t w ith in lim its defined by c e n tral p lan s of socio-econom ic developm ent. „Each m ove of a u th o ritie s — as J. T ym ow ski w rite s — aim ed a t b e tte r satisfaction of th e society’s needs, is considered b y th e com pany from th e point of view of its best u tilizatio n in producing m ost ben efits w ith possibly sm allest in p u t of lab o u r a n d a p p a re n t com pliance w ith th e disposition of a u th o ritie s ” 2.
A p p a re n t activities a re a c h a ra c te ristic phenom enon of th e m ech a-nism g e n e ra tin g „th e gam e” w ith m an ag em en t organs. These a re a c ti-v ities w hich — due to th e ir rea l c h a ra c te r and d ire c t ta rg e t — a re d if-fe re n t from w h a t th e y m ig h t look to be. T hey a re g e n e ra te d b y in sti-tu tio n a l and organizational system of centralized decision-m aking and kinds of recognized values forcing execution of u n p rac tic a l disposi-tions 3.
A n o th e r m an ifestatio n of „th e g am e” w ith c e n tra l m an a g e m e n t organs is sup p ly in g th em w ith m isleading in fo rm atio n concerning re a l possibilities of op tim ally effective u tiliz a tio n of h u m an and m a te ria l
2 J. T y m o w s k i , E ty k a d yrek to ra p rzedsiębiorstw a, (Ethics of C om pany
D irector). T o w arzystw o N aukow e O rg a n iz acji i K iero w n ic tw a O ddział w Szcze-cinie, II K o n fe re n c ja z cyklu: D y re k to r przyszło ści w św ietle teorii i p r a k ty k i (2nd C o n feren ce on: D irecto r of th e F u tu re in th e L ig h t of T h eo ry a n d P ra ctice), K ołobrzeg 1978, p. 77.
8 T he so u rce of a p p a re n t a c tiv itie s g en e rate d by th is m e ch a n ism lies in a d u ty of p erfo rm in g som ething w hich e ith e r a t a ll o r in th e reco m m en d ed w ay can n o t be p erfo rm ed , or of som ething w h ich is a c tu a lly u n n ec essary to a c h ie v e a given ta rg e t. In a b ility o f p erfo rm in g th e se ac tiv itie s is am ong o th e rs caused by false a ssu m p tio n s concern in g re a lity m ad e in th e d isp osition; th e fa c t th a t actio n s envisaged by it call fo r m o re tim e w h ich is sim ply m issing; th e f a c t th a t th e ir p erfo rm a n c e calls for excessive in v o lv e m e n t of som e g ro u p of people, w ho m e an w h ile m u st p e rfo rm o th e r a c tiv itie s essen tial fo r th e m ”. J. L u t у ń - s к i, D ziałania pozorne (A p p a re n t A ctivities), „ K u ltu ra i Społeczeństw o” 1977,
reso u rces and th u s fillin g th e gaps ex istin g in th e m a rk e t as w ell as d im m in g th e p ic tu re of achieved effects of econom ic a c tiv ity 4.
T he system of m a rk e t organization is d e te rm in e d by fu n ctio n s of econom ic u n its of in d u stry , trad e, and services o p e ra tin g in it. D efini-tio n of fu n cefini-tio n s on th e basis of th e aim of th e socio-econom ic a c tiv ity and by m eans of m otives and stim uli of th e ir achievem ent, tra n sa c tio -n a l ties w hich eco-nom ic u -n its ca-n estab lish b etw ee-n them selves, a tti-tudes, re stric tio n s or m easu res fa c ilita tin g flow of goods and in fo r-m ation — provides d e te rr-m in a n ts of a ttitu d e s and responses of th e m a rk e t channels.
In su fficien t in te g ratio n of aim s of in d u stria l and tra d e com panies in socio-econom ic p lan n in g and in m an a g e m e n t in stru m e n ts, lack of convergence betw een m otives and stim u li d e te rm in in g p ro d uction of goods and th e ir flow to consum ers c re a te especially fav o u rab le con-d itio n s for gro w th of elem en ts con-d isin teg ra tin g th e b eh av io u r of m a rk e t p a rtic ip a n ts induced by „M an’s in clination to se lf-id en tificatio n w ith his task and role, to becom e ,,a re p re se n ta tiv e of in te re s ts ” 5.
It provides fav o u rab le conditions for pathology of aim s of in d u -s tria l and tra d e com panie-s, and even w hole b ran ch e-s of in d u -stry and tra d e . Its reflectio n is „ stru g g le ” to satisfy th e in te re s ts of a given un it, bran ch , m in istry w hich has little to do w ith satisfactio n of cons u m e r intereconstcons. T hucons constru g g le icons rev ealed in m aconscons a ttitu d e cons of p ro d u -cers, w ho produce to be able to sell th e ir o u tp u t to tra d e organiza-tions, and in a ttitu d e s of tra d e u n its considering th em selves to be exe-c u to rs of p ro d uexe-ction p lan s and rep re se n ta tiv e s of exe-consum er in terests. B oth these false a ttitu d e s cause th a t o rie n tatio n a t satisfactio n of consu m er needs is given up by p ro d u cers and tra d e com panies, w ith o rie n ta tio n a t p ro d u ct placem en t in tra d e lin k s p red o m in atin g am ong p ro -d u cers, an-d th a t of facilitate-d sales consisting in en-d eav o u rs m a-de by co n su m ers to buy th e n ecessary goods p red o m in atin g am ong tra d e units.
4 R esearches conducted in 1970 in th e O ffice of Econom ic A nalyses of th e P la n n in g C om m ission show ed th a t w h ile p re p a rin g a n n u a l a n a ly se s of econo-m ic p erfo recono-m an ce of coecono-m panies a n d u n io n s of p ro d u ce rs 70 p e r c e n t of econoecono-m ic u n its u n d e r su rv e y co n firm ed a ten d en c y to w a rd s hid in g re a l rea so n s of sh o rt-com ings a n d a ten d en c y to w a rd s im p ro p e r p re se n ta tio n of econom ic situ a tio n in u n its obliged to p erfo rm th e an a ly sis of th e ir ac tiv itie s. B. G l i ń s k i , S y s te m
fu n k cjo n o w a n ia gospodarki (The Econom y’s F unctio n in g System ), W arszaw a 1977,
p. 12.
3. S EL L E R ’S AND B U Y ER’S M A RK ET — DOM INANCE AND SU B O R D IN A TIO N A g en e ra l a n sw e r to th e question w h e th e r th e re ex ists ,.p ressu re ” or „suction” in th e m arked m ay be p rovided by a p ictu re of a q u e u e consisting of producers and se lle rs w aitin g fo r consum ers, b u y e rs of products, or tw o queues: one to shops, th e o th e r one to in d u stria l p la n ts consisting of consum ers or se lle rs try in g to b u y pro d u cts tu rn e d out in insu fficien t q u a n tity and q uality. In o rd er to estim ate a gap b etw een su p p ly and d em and it is n ot enough to d e te rm in e only th e n u m b er and ty pes of p ro ducts being in d eficit as th ese a re goods w h ic h can be som etim es o b tained b u t those w ho w ish to o b tain th e m o u tn u m -b e r those w ho m anage to o-btain them . D eficit goods — as it is c o rre c tly rem a rk e d by J. K o rn a i — do n o t include these products, w hich h a v e n e v e r been available in th e m a rk e t, or those w hich nobody can b u y 6. O nly w h en these goods a re ta k e n in to co n sid eratio n can w e have a n y c lear idea about th e e x te n t of th e gap b e tw e en su p p ly and satisfactio n of needs.
The concept of th e b u y e r’s m a rk e t is u su a lly connected w ith p re -dom inance of p ro d u ct su p p ly over th e ex istin g dem and, w hile th a t of th e se lle r’s m a rk e t — w ith p redom inance of d em and over supply; w ith th e situ a tio n of th e firs t ty p e being desirab le and th e second ty p e u n -desirable. P red o m in an ce of su p p ly over d em and does not, h o w ev er, have to im ply dom inance of consum er in te re s ts in th e m a rk e t, and th u s it does n o t alw ays deserv e to be called th e b u y e r’s m ark e t. T h a t is due to th e fact th a t negative p henom ena of dom inance of p ro d u c e rs and tra d e organizations can a p p e a r also in th e m a rk e t being c h a ra c te ri-zed w ith predom inance of su p p ly over dem and. T hey are, how ever, of a d iffe re n t c h a ra c te r th e n and th e y produce d iffe re n t consequences th a n in a situ atio n w h en d em and is b igger th a n supply. N egative phnom ena of dom inance re s u lt fro m th e possibility of e x e rtin g an u n d e-sirab le influence on consum er decisions by producers and tra d e u n its by m eans of im p ro p er stra te g ies and m ark e tin g tech n iq u es p ro ducing psychic p ressu re on consum er decisions.
A s tru c tu re of p redom inance of dem and over su p p ly m ay be b u ilt in co n sisten tly w ith th e re a lity or w ith ratio n al s tru c tu re of needs, being m ade „ c o n siste n t” by m ethods in frin g in g upon so v ereig n ty of b u y e rs and freedom of th e ir choice, w ith a form al presence of th e b u y e r’s m ark e t situation.
In a sim ila r w ay also th e s e lle r’s m a rk e t m ay becom e a te rm d e p ri-ved of fav o u rab le im plications for a facilitated life of pro d u cers and
m a rk e t m iddlem en, as b u y e rs — h av in g now a p ossibility of postpo-nin g in tim e th e m om ent of buying p ro d u cts or b u ying th e m outside th e hom e m a rk e t — will not be inclined to effect forced purchases, w hich produces gigantic in cre m e n t of in v en to ries of p ro d u cts finding no bu y ers along w ith all its political, econom ical, and social im plica-tions for pro d u cers and tra d e organizaplica-tions. A ch ain of com pulsory or forced purchases of goods n ot possessing th e re q u ire d u tility v alues encom passing th e p ro d u cer — tra d e — household chain, severed in th e final lin k of th e chain, m ark s a beginning of difficu lties in deliv eries of p ro d u cts by pro d u cers to tra d e units.
W ell perceived social and econom ic in te re s t consists in c re a tin g such possibilities of choice for households th a t in ap titu d e, ineffectiveness a n d social in d ifference of u n its c re a tin g su p p ly of goods can be r e -vealed and elim inated in th e m a rk e t itself by o th e r com petitive possibi-lities of needs satisfaction.
Even w hen such d esirab le com petition is a b sen t th e re alw ays ex ist com petitive situ atio n s of d iffe re n t kinds. P ro d u cers com pete b etw een th em selves to o btain ra w m aterials, orders, buyers, w hile sellers com -p ete to w in su-p-pliers, a -possibility of obtaining a ttra c tiv e goods, -p ro fi-tab le m a rk e ts and buyers. C onsum ers com pete b etw een th em selves to g et a possibility of p u rch a sin g necessary p roducts, obtain fav o u rab le term s of p u rch ase etc. T he m a rk e t situ a tio n d e te rm in e s a p re d o m in a n ce of a given form of com petition w h e th e r these a re b u y e rs who com -p e te for su -p -p liers or su -p -p liers com -peting fo r buyers.
M ore p recisely — th e firs t ty p e of com petition produces d o m in a n -ce of dem and over supply, an d th e o th e r one — of su p p ly over d e-m and. This c a u sa lity is fo re-m u la te d b y J. K o rn a i as follow s: „The ch a-ra c te r of com petition is d e te rm in e d by a re la tiv e p ow er of m a rk e t fo r-ces: deg ree of m onopolization o r dispersion in co rresponding b ran ch es e x e rts a secondary im pact on beh av io u r of b u y e rs and se lle rs” 7.
The sta te of m a rk e t eq u ilib riu m as w ell as th e s tru c tu re of actual pow ers of producers and tra d e organizations can be e stim a ted w hile analyzing a negotiation cycle and in fo rm a tio n an d a d v e rtisin g s tru c -tu re . W ith dom inance of su p p ly over d em and ap p ears a full negotiation cycle b etw een c o n tra ctin g p a rtie s s ta rtin g w ith an o ffer su b m itte d by pro d u cers to sellers, in fo rm a tio n in ten d ed to encourage b u y e rs to buy th e offered p ro d u cts and ad v e rtisin g effo rts of th e p ro d u ce r addressed d ire c tly to prospective buyers. C onclusion of a tra n sa c tio n is u su ally com bined w ith provision of goods prom otion m eans in th e re ta il n e t-w ork by th e p ro d u cer and p a rtic ip a tio n in costs of sales prom otion
aim ing a t linking a p ro d u ct w ith its place of selling in m inds of con-sum er s.
W hen dem and predom inates, supply tra n sa ctio n s of buying goods are based on lists of re q u ire m e n ts and o rd ers placed by tra d e o rg aniza-tio n s w hich a re only p a rtly resp ected by producers, w ho do not u n d e r-take, as a rule, an y in fo rm ativ e and a d v ertisin g activ ities being sure th a t th e ir w hole o u tp u t w ill be bought by tra d e organizations. This c e rta in ty is g u a ra n tee d by a com pulsory situ a tio n of tra d e m iddlem en or by th e fact th a t th e la tte r are induced to b uy by m eans of d ire c t m ethods of in te rv e n tio n of m an ag em en t organs in o p erational ac tiv i-ties of econom ic units.
P red o m in an ce of su p p ly over d em and g e n e ra te s d iffe re n t kinds of p ro d u ce r’s actions o rien ted a t tra d e organizations and d ire c tly a t con-su m ers th e aim of w hich is to ex p an d sales of p ro d u cts by m eans of in form ation, advertising, and d em and stim u la tio n strateg ies. On th e o th e r hand, w h e n d em and exceeds su p p ly such a c tiv ity is m issing or it is c a rrie d o ut only to an in sig n ifican t e x te n t w hile th e re is em ployed ad v e rtisin g addressed to consum ers by tra d e . This a c tiv ity does not and can n o t encom pass those a rticle s w hich a re re a lly a ttra c tiv e for bu y e rs b u t r a th e r those p roducts, w hich as a re s u lt of m ore or less com pulsory purch ases from p ro d u ce rs fail to arouse th e in te re s t of consum ers as th e y do not correspond to th e ir needs and q u a lita tiv e req u irem en ts.
I t w ould, how ever, be w rong to tr e a t e v e ry ty p e of in fo rm ativ e or a d v e rtisin g a c tiv ity of tra d e , th e o b ject of w hich a re co ncrete p ro -d ucts, as a sym ptom of m a rk e t -disequilibrium . T ra-d e also a-d v e rtise s sales of p ro d u cts w hen su p p ly exceeds d em and in o rd er to stim u la te dem and in th e long ru n . T he p urpose of ad v e rtisin g is d iffe re n t w hen pro d u cts com plete th e ir p lan n ed life cycle in th e m ark e t, fashions change or p ro d u cts lose th e ir a ttra c tiv e s s as a re s u lt of seasonal d e m and. In all these cases p ro m o tio n of p ro d u cts by tra d e is u su ally lin -ked w ith price red u c tio n or offering of m ore fav o u rab le te rm s of p a y m e n t for goods. S im ila rly a d v e rtisin g activ ities of tra d e should not be tre a te d as a reflec tio n of dom inance of d em and over supply in those in stan ces w hen a d v e rtisin g is u n d e rta k e n jo in tly w ith in d u -s tr y a-s a m a rk e tin g -s tra te g y ele m en t th e aim of w hich i-s lau n c h in g of new p ro d u cts in th e m ark e t.
A nalyzing th e s tru c tu re of in fo rm a tio n and a d v e rtisin g and p e r-form ing a carefu ll an alysis of th e neg o tiatio n process of m a rk e t ch an n els w e can obtain a v alu ab le index for estim atio n of eq u ilib riu m b etw een su p p ly and dem and in p a rtic u la r segm ents and w hole m ark et.
4. STR U CTU RE O F M A RK ET CH A N NELS
Special im p o rtan ce of m a rk e t ch an n els is a ttrib u te d to tw o m ain causes by W e ste rn au th o rs. F irs tly — m a rk e t c h an n els a re lin k ed w ith all essen tial m a rk e tin g decisions and th e y d e te rm in e effectiveness of solutions accepted for production, packaging, price, in fo rm a tio n and ad v ertisin g . S econdly — m a rk e t channels, due to th e ir sta b ility and d iffic u ltie s in effecting rap id changes, fo rm d e fin ite and unch an g eab le ov er a long period m u tu a l rela tio n sh ip s b etw e en m a rk e t p a rtic ip a n ts 8. D espite long h isto ry of th e m a rk e tin g th eo ry , n u m ero u s m ark e tin g rese a rc h e s and in creasin g ly grow ing lite r a tu r e concerning all aspects a n d problem s of m a rk e tin g — such basic problem s as th e system of th e m a rk e t and goods flow co n tinue to be solved r a th e r by m eans of in tu itio n th a n consciously p lan n e d a c tiv ity 9.
The im p o rtan ce of m a rk e t ch an n els as seen by W e ste rn re se a rc h e rs fro m th e view point of p a rtic u la r firm s is la rg e ly grow ing w h en w e a p p ly a m acroeconom ic and m icroeconom ic points of view , c h a ra c te ri-stic fo r th e c e n tra lly p lan n e d econom y. I t en rich es th e im p ortance of m a rk e t ch an n els by such fe a tu re s as form ation, d istrib u tio n a n d o rie n -ta tio n of th e social pro d u ct, effectiveness and speed of tra n s fe rrin g p ro d u cts to b u y e rs w ith optim al social ooäts of tra n s fe r an d in conditio n s en su rin g m ax im u m in fo rm aconditio n , convenience of choice and p u r chase in a desired place and tim e and w ith possible sm a lle st m an ip u la -tio n s connected w ith a physical flow of p ro d u cts th ro u g h chains of lin k s form ing m a rk e t channels.
D espite th is im p o rtan ce th e co n stru c tio n of m a rk e t channels also in ou r econom y, th a t is — fin d in g optim al solutions of d irectin g a flow of p ro d u cts from p ro d u c e rs to fin a l b u y e rs and re g u la tio n o- o th e r flow s connected w ith p ro d u c ts and necessary fo r th e ir o fferin g con-clusion and ex ecu tio n of b u y in g and selling tra n sa c tio n s — is not based, to a desired e x te n t, on scientific fo u n dations p o in tin g out c o rre c t effective lin k s b etw een m a rk e t p a rtic ip a n ts tu rn in g out products, d ealing w ith th e ir flow, and consum ing m an u fa ctu red goods in households.
Its parad o x ical reason is such a big im p o rtan ce of m a rk e t channels w h ich does n ot allow fo r th e ir d iffe re n t fo rm atio n th a n by m eans of exclusive decisions of c e n tra l m an a g e m e n t organs. T hese decisions do n o t exclude scientific foundations, b u t th e o re tic al concepts o fte n prove
8 See R. F. H a r t l e y , M a rke tin g M a n agem ent and Social C hange, S c ra n to n 1972, p. 391.
1 T h is opinion re fe rrin g to th e A m eric an m a rk e t w as fo rm u la te d by T. L. B e r g in th e w o rk on D esigning th e D istrib u tio n S y s te m : In B. E. M a l l e n , T he M a rketin g C hannel. A C onceptual V ie w p o in t, W iley 1967, p. 260.
to be — in th e opinion of c e n tra l decisional organs — in su ffic ien tly reflec tin g possibilities and re q u ire m e n ts im posed by m an a g e m e n t of th e m ark e t. M an ag em en t organs striv e for a m ax im ally sim ple, h ie ra rc h i-zed s tru c tu re of m a rk e t channels, su b m ittin g fu lly to dispositions of c e n tra l organs in pro d u ctio n and tra n s fe r of goods to th e m ark e t. On th e o th e r h and, th e o re tic al concepts po in t a t th e need of d istin c t sepa-ra tio n of a d m in istsepa-ra tiv e fu n ctio n and freedom of in itia tiv e ind isp en sa-ble for effective fu n ctio n in g of m a rk e t channels and p rese rv in g th e ir fu n ctio n al and organizational d iv ersification re su ltin g from : c h a ra c te ristic fe a tu re s of b u y e rs in ta rg e t m a rk e t segm ents, p ro d u ct c h a ra c te -ristics, fe a tu re s ch a ra c te riz in g econom ic u n its of tra d e and in d u stry as reg a rd s technology of m a n u fa c tu rin g p ro d u cts and shaping th e ir flow in th e m a rk e t as w ell as c h a ra c te ristic fe a tu re s of th e e n v iro n -m en t — preserv in g a su p e rio r c riterio n of each ele-m ent of choice
w hich is rep re se n te d by social and econom ic e ffe c tiv e n e s s 10.
D iv ersity of view points on fu n ctio n s p e rfo rm e d by m a rk e t ch an n els in our econom y and in th e econom y w ith rap id ly developing m a rk e t accounts for divergencies b etw een a re a s of analysis a n d solutions contain ed in th e W estern lite ra tu re an d our needs and in te rests. T he a tte n -tion of th e W estern lite ra tu re is focussed on problem s of selecting of m a rk e t p a rtn e rs , selecting a s tra te g y en su rin g dom inance or d ecreasing conflicts b etw e en m a rk e t channels, selecting m a rk e t channels from th e v iew point of re q u ire m e n ts posed b y in ten siv e or exclusive d istrib u tio n . A p a rt fro m th a t m ost an alysis is su b o rd in a te d to in te re sts of p ro d u -cers due to th e ro le assigned to th e m of locating th e ir p ro d u c ts in th e m a rk e t and especially new p ro d u cts, holding a c e n tra l position in th e m a rk e tin g concept.
On th e o th e r hand, w e co n tinue to be in te re ste d in an unsolved problem of recip ro cal re la tio n s in th e m a rk e t and roles of its p a rtic i-p a n ts. T h ere can be d istinguished tw o e x tre m e outlooks. A ccording to one of th em :
— tra d e is or should be a u n iv ersa l re p re s e n ta tiv e of consum er in te rests, d ic ta to r of q u a n tita tiv e an d q u a lita tiv e s tru c tu re of m a rk e t- -o rie n te d production, ex ecu to r of p lan im p lem en tatio n by economic organizations of in d u stry and hold exclusive resp o n sib ility fo r s ta te and effectiveness of consum er needs satisfaction,
— in d u stry is or should be resp o n sib le fo r execution of o rd ers and
10 D iagnosis a n d concept of m a rk e t ch a n n els is p re se n te d in a w o rk of T. S z t u c k i , K a n a ły r y n k u , c z y n n ik i kszta łto w a n ia — k ie r u n k i ro zw o ju (M ark et C hannels, F o rm a tio n F a c to rs — D irections of D evelopm ent), W arszaw a 1978. p. 109.
sa tisfa c tio n of re q u ire m e n ts .presented by tra d e , being assessed on th e basis of consistence b e tw e en plans based on ord ers su b m itte d b y tra d e and effected deliveries,
— households — a re b u y e rs of goods and services provided by m o-nopolistic tra d e organizations s e p a ra tin g p ro d u ce rs and consum ers; th e y sa tisfy th e ir needs th ro u g h a com prom ise b e tw e en th e rig h t of fre e choice of a given pro d u ct, place and tim e of p u rch a se an d th e need of p u rch a sin g a com pulsory a sso rtm e n t w ith u n ifo rm m ethods, level and q u a lity of tra d e services.
It is a concept of m a rk e t c h an n els being c o n stru c te d |(,from above” and based on th e assum ed ra tio n a lity of m an a g e m e n t organs and irra tio n a lity of m anaged u n its w hile expecting th a t econom ic u n its w ill be ex ecu tin g w illin g ly and e x a c tly c e n tra l decisions fixing a d e-tailed a sso rtm en t of pro d u ctio n a n d sales. S im ila rly households — w hile allocating th e ir p u rch asin g funds — a re exp ected to accept th e c e n tra lly p la n n e d fin al p ro d u cts of in d u stry a n d tra d e . r
This concept, in a m ore or less ex p licit m an n er, is lin k ed w ith absence of m a rk e t eq u ilib riu m c h a ra c te riz e d w ith excess of d em an d over supply. T he m ost ty p ic a l m an a g e m e n t techniques, d e te rm in in g th e w ay of fu n ctio n in g of m a rk e t ch an n els a re : c e n tra l allocation o f goods, lists of com m odities of basic im p o rtan ce being su b je c t to h ie -ra rc h ic a l a d m in ist-ra tiv e co n tro l from th e v iew point of im p lem e n ta tio n of p ro d u ctio n p lans and deliveries, incen tiv es and m easu res of ev a-lu atio n of activ itie s of com panies o rie n ted a t im p lem e n ta tio n of p la n task w ith sim ultaneous m oral appeals aim ed a t stim u la tio n of ac tiv i-ties increasing economic effectiveness.
D espite official and a u th o rita tiv e speeches and s ta te m e n ts 11 th e a tti-tu d e of a d m in istra tiv e organs and econom ic u n its is still m a in ly based on a conviction th a t it w ill ,be possible to in tro d u c e bigger changes in th e v e rtica l and h o rizo n tal sy stem fo rm in g th e m a rk e t s tru c tu re as w ell as in m ethods and in stru m e n ts of m an a g e m e n t only w h e n th e desired m a rk e t eq u ilib riu m has been regained. A d h e re n ts of these view s do not seem to notice th a t no changes w ould be re q u ire d if w h a t th e y ex p ect w ere possible as it is m ost advisable to re ta in those form s of m a rk e t organization and m ethods of m an ag em en t w hich e n su -re -regaining of m a rk e t equilibrium .
The second m odel of th e m a rk e t is based on re a l freedom of choice m ade by households, g u a ra n tee d by econom ic independence of in d u
-11 S. O l s z o w s k i , O K o n s e k w e n tn ą realizację p o lity k i społecznej i
gospodarczej, (C onsistent Im p le m e n ta tio n of SocioEconom ic Policy), „G o sp o d ark a P la
s tria l and tra d e organizations, su p p o rte d by th e m an a g e m e n t system utilizing a diversified a rra y of in stru m e n ts allow ing it to m o tiv ate and d ire c t th e econom ic a c tiv ity a t th e m ost socially d esirable kinds of m an u fa ctu red , sold, and consum ed p roducts, c re a tin g a s tru c tu re c o rre -sponding to re q u ire m e n ts of a rationlal consum ption p a tte rn .
In accordance w ith th e ru le s of th is m odel th e biggest im p o rtan ce is now a ttrib u te d to v e rtica l ties b etw een in d u stria l u n its „p re ssin g ” th e ir p ro d u c ts on th e m a rk e t and tra d e u n its „sucking” p ro d u cts from p ro d u ce rs to tra n s fe r th em to th e consum ption sphere. T he m a rk e t m odelling s ta rts w ith a function of needs satisfactio n and an alysis of processes and conditions com posing its rea liz a tio n b y organizations w hich w ill c o n stitu te — linked by th e sam e fin al aim s — chains of lin k s fo rm ing d iffe re n tia te d m a rk e t channels.
R ealizatio n of th is m a rk e t m odel should not be m ade su b je c t to e a rlie r regaining of its equilibrium , as accom plishm ent of th is aim end c re a tio n of conditions for p e rm a n e n t dynam ic eq u ilib riu m is an assu m p -tio n and fu n c-tio n of th e ch ara c te riz e d model.
5. FU N CTIO N A L AND O R G A N IZA TIO N A L IN TEG R A TIO N O F M ARKET CHANNELS
The m a rk e t m odel, w hich m akes a ‘c lear d istin ctio n b etw e en ad m i-n istratio i-n ai-nd freedom of ii-n itia tiv e of ecoi-nomic u i-n its m akes possible to utilize w idely th eo re tic al and p rac tic a l c o n trib u tio n s and experience of m ark etin g . C h a ra cte r of th e socialist m ark et, possibility of accom oda-tin g aim s a n d in te re sts of m a rk e t p a rticip a n ts on th e basis of plans a n d p ro g ra m m e s of socioeconomic d ev elopm ent an d set of in stru m e n ts pro m o tin g im p lem en tatio n of these p lans and program m es pave th e w ay for m uch w ider, th a n in o th er econom ic conditions, scope an d a h ig h er level of in te g ra tio n of activ itie s c a rrie d o ut by economic u n its of tra d e a n d in d u stry in th e m ark et.
In stead of com petitive stra te g ies th e re becom e possible s tra te g ie s o f jo in t p ro d u ct developm ent, d e te rm in a tio n of its m a rk e t cycle, jo in t program m es o f providing in fo rm atio n fo r buyers, ad v e rtisin g new p ro -ducts, a n d firs t of all Strategies of m iarket ch a n n els co-operation in prom oting effective and econom ical tran slo catio n of p ro d u cts to con-su m e rs.
In th is m odel th e re a re also c re a te d conditions for e n ric h m e n t of th e h o rizontal s tru c tu re of m a rk e t channels th ro u g h p a rtic ip a tio n of in d u stria l organizations in th e m a rk e t in c h a ra c te r of d ire c t sellers of th e ir products, and th an k s to d evelopm ent of d ire c t selling tec h n
i-ques providing for 'direct deliveries of d iffe re n t ty p e s of goods to households including not only convenience b u t also shopping goods.
E ffectively fu nctioning m ark e t m u st be ch ara c te riz e d w ith a n e la -stic approach of its p a rtic ip a n ts to new re q u ire m e n ts a n d new ly opening possibilities of exp an d in g supplies a n d to changes occuring in t y -pes an d in te n sity of dem and. T he e la stic ity re q u ire m e t calls fo r a p a rt of econom ic u n its to possess s ta tu to ry rig h ts of changing th e ir bran ch , pro d u ctio n and tra d e s tru c tu re , organization and tech n iq u es of p ro du ctio n and sale of p roducts, and regions of op eratio n . If such a p rin -ciple of fu n ctio n in g is applied fo r a p a rt of m a rk e t ch a n n els th e n th e se ch an n els w ill be able to respond qu ick ly to m a rk e t req u irem e n ts, and m oreover, o th e r c h an n els — and th is is eq u a lly im p o rta n t — w ill ob tain a stim ulus for im provem ent of th e ir activity. This stim u lu s w ill be provided b y absence of a d m in istra tiv e -le g a l p ro tectio n of th e te r r i-to ry and object of tra d e of passive and ineffective m a rk e t channels from expansion of m ore in d u strio u s economic u n its p ro m o tin g in te re s ts of th e ir consum ers.
Role and fu n ctio n s of econom ic u n its of in d u stry and tra d e should' be rev ealed in a c h a ra c te r and ra n g e of re a l processes p erfo rm ed by th e m in th e m ark et. D epending upon th e kind of p ro d u ct, m a rk e t seg-m ent, capacity and ab ility of satisfying deseg-m and and shaping deseg-m and, possessed and o b tain ab le reso u rces and th e ir e x p an d in g pow er — m a r-k et p a rticip a n ts, reg ard less of th e ir pro d u ctio n a n d tra d e specializa-tion, should p la y various roles from su b o rd in atio n to leading m a rk e t channel links to c re a tin g som etim es th e ir ow n in te g ra te d m a rk e t c h a n -nels th ro u g h in te g ratio n of all levels a n d links.
A fu n ctio n of m a rk e t c o -o rd in ato r is p e rfo rm e d by th is econom ic u n it, w hich plays an exclusive o r m ain role in in itia tin g , organizing and m anaging pro d u ctio n and c irc u la tio n of a given p ro d u ct or of s e r-vicing a ta rg e t m a rk e t segm ent. T he fu n ctio n of m a rk e t c o -o rd in ato r consists in o rg an izatio n and im p lem e n ta tio n of a full cycle connected w ith in tro d u ctio n and c ircu latio n of a p ro d u ct in th e m ark et, selection of p ro p er links of m a rk e t ch a n n els for a given p ro d u ct and fo r a given group of consum ers, o rg an izatio n of in form ative, educational, a n d a d v e r-tisin g activities. T he m a rk e t c o -o rd in ato r equipped w ith com petence and rig h ts v o lu n ta rily passed by o th er econom ic u n its should b e a r r e -sponsibility for effects of th e ir economic activity.
This does not e x h a u st o th e r form s of co -operation an d im p rovem ent of m a rk e t channels. T hey should be allow ed to estab lish te m p o ra ry and p e rm a n e n t ties, ag reem ents, or set up associations grouping fu n ctio -n a lly — i-n d iffe re -n t system s — eco-nomic u -n its of i-n d u stry a-nd trad e. A g reem ents a n d v o lu n ta ry associations of econom ic u n its should p ro
-m ote si-m plification and sh o rte n in g of goods flow routes, i-m prove-m ent of inform ation about dem and and degree of its satisfaction.
M eans of en rich in g th e m a rk e t s tru c tu re should also include in te r -n a tio -n a l i-n te g ratio -n of ch a-n -n els based o-n ex isti-ng eco-nom ic o rg a-niza- aniza-tions in m em ber co u n tries of th e socialist com m unity as w ell as on sp e-cially form ed econom ic organizations op eratin g on in te rn a l m a rk e ts of co n tra c tin g co u n tries linked w ith one a n o th e r by tra n sa ctio n s for p u r-chase or sale of com m odities.
S teerin g th e m a rk e t w ith such a com plex s tru c tu re of channels calls not on ly for plan n ed d e te rm in a tio n of p ro d uction and tra d e d i-rections b u t also for choice of p ro p e r tools of stim u la tio n and prom o-tion of th e econom ic activ ity . T h ere a re also re q u ire d a d m in istra tiv e a n d legal in stru m e n ts p re v e n tin g and c o u n te rac tin g such a c tiv ity of m a rk e t c h an n els w hich su b o rd in a te s to itself — w ith social a n d eco-nom ical losses — in te re sts of c o n tractin g p a rties and ecoeco-nomic p a rtn e rs as w ell as in te re sts of households.
In such cases m an ag em en t organs m u st possess pow ers to suspend a s ta tu to r y freedom of econom ic u n its w hich a re developing th e ir expansion not in th e in te re st b u t to th e d e trim e n t of in te re sts of con-sum ers, and th e y should be a u th o rized to dissolve for th e sam e reasons ag re e m e n ts and v o lu n ta ry associations of econom ic units. In d ra stic cases of a c tiv itie s incom patible w ith gen eral social in te re sts and in frin -ging in te re sts and rig h ts of consum ers, m an ag em en t organs should also in te rv e n e in o p erational production and tra d e processes, reg u la tin g by m eans of directiv es th e activ ities h arm onizing su p p ly and d em an d in a w ay consistent w ith prin cip les a n d needs of th e n a tio n a l econom y.
To avoid tra n sfo rm a tio n of ex ceptional in te rv en tio n s of m an ag em en t org an s in th e sp h ere rese rv ed fo r fre e m a rk e t decisions of economic u n its into rap id ly grow ing control of these u n its it is n ecessary to e n su re legal p ro tectio n for resources and economic effects of econom ic u n its from consequences of erro n eo u s decisions of m an ag em en t organs. A valu ab le pro p o sitio n is a p o stu la te of s ta tu to ry provision of legal rem edies accessible for econom ic organizations w h e n e v e r th e ir rig h ts a re in frin g ed as w ell as a p rinciple of com pensation for losses su ffered by these organizations in case of leg ally forced in te rv e n tio n of a su -prem e o rgan 12.
P a ra lle l w ith th e a d m in is tra tiv e system of m a rk e t ste e rin g and p ro -tectio n of its p a rtic ip a n ts th e r e should exist a system of p ro te c tio n of
12 L. В a r, P a ń stw o w e organizacje gospodarcze (zagadnienia legislacyjne)
(S ta te Econom ic O rg a n izations — L eg islative P roblem s), „P ań stw o i P ra w o ” 1975, No. 5, p. 64.
consum er in te re sts lin k ed fu n cio n ally w ith each stage of p ro d u ct m a-n u fa c tu re aa-nd m a rk e t circu latio a-n aa-nd isolated ia-n stitu tio a-n a lly ia-n th e form of social organization of consum er protection.
T he fu n ctio n and in stitu tio n of consum er p ro te c tio n should n ot be id en tified w ith a n ti-m a rk e tin g a c tiv ity p re se n t in econom ically develo-ped W estern co u n tries and aim ed a t elim in atio n of n egative effects of co n su m er m an ip u la tio n in th e m a rk e t by m eans of specially chosen m ethods and tech n iq u es m isleading b u y e rs and re s tric tin g th e ir fre e -dom of conscious selection of pu rch ased goods.
The activities of the social organization of consum er p ro te c tio n are n o t so m uch aim ed at elim in atio n of negative effects and com pensa-tio n of co n su m er losses su ffered due to im p ro p er conduct of economic u n its in th e m a rk e t b u t r a th e r a t p rev e n tio n of in frin g e m en t of con-su m e r interests. The p o stu la te w hich m u st be fu lfille d is co-operation b etw een th e consum er organization and econom ic u n its in equipping pro d u cts w ith fe a tu re s en su rin g th e ir fu ll accep tan ce by consum ers, in intro d u cin g tru e novelties into th e m a rk e t im proving th e level of s a ti-sfaction of needs, in te stin g p ro ducts and recom m ending th e m to con-sum ers, and in in tro d u cin g p ro d u cts into th e m a rk e t by m eans of th e m ost convenient m a rk e t channels fo r b u y e rs an d b y m eans of sales m ethods m eetin g conditions of q ualified provision of services in stead of forcing beh av io u r of b u y e rs in frin g in g th e ir rig h ts, m o ra lity and o ften - tim e also ethic in o rd er to o btain a n ecessary p ro d u ct or service.
In those in stan ces w h en effects of co-operation of consum er orga-nizations and economic u n its do not secure a p p ro p ria te p ro te c tio n of b u y e rs ’ in te rests, consum er organizations m u st m ake use of legal r e -m edies a n d pow er of th e ir a u th o rity based on confidence of consu-m ers to w a rn th em ag ain st b u y in g pro d u cts of bad q u a lity , re c tify a rg u -m en ts used by -m isleading a d v e rtise -m e n ts, q u estion co rrectness of fixed prices, striv e for w ith d ra w a l of h a rm fu l p ro d u cts fro m th e m a r-ket, b rin g ab o u t elim in atio n of im p ro p er form s, m ethods and tech n iq u es of selling, and e x act from dishonest econom ic u n its com pensation for losses su ffered by consum ers due to th e ir a c tiv ity irreconcilable w ith prin cip les of functioning of a m a rk e t o rien ted a t m axim ization of sa -tisfactio n of th e society’s needs.
It should be c le a rly und ersto o d th a t functions of consum er o rg an i-zations and th e ir a c tiv ity a re n ot lim ited to a m icroscale co n tain ed in system s encom passing c e rtain n u m b ers of consum ervictim s and g u ilty econom ic units. The consum er organization rep re se n tin g all consum ers becom es a p a rtn e r fo r m an ag em en t organs in basic problem s invol-ved w ith w orking out and im p lem en tin g desirab le p a tte rn s of con-sum ption, d e te rm in in g ru le s and m ethods of th e m a rk e t functioning,
se ttin g up and reorganizing m a rk e t channels, and assessing th e ir acti-v ity in line w ith m acrosocial m easures and criteria.
In th e p rese n ted m a rk e t m odel th e re can be distinguished a n e x te r-nal ring, an in te rn al ring, and a center. The e x te rn a l rin g accom odates m a rk e t m an ag em en t organs and th e consum er organization. T he in te r -nal rin g contains economic u n its m an u fa ctu rin g p ro ducts and perfo rm in g all fu n ctio n s connected w ith tra n s fe r of goods to consum er. In th e cen-te r of th e m odel th e re a re households. This m odel show s d istin c tly tie s betw een m an ag em en t organs and th e consum er organization in re g u -la tin g and sup erv isin g th e a c tiv ity of econom ic u n its as w ell as th e p re ssu re e x e rted on it on one h a n d by th e e x te rn a l ring, and on th e o th e r — by households co n stitu tin g th e p ro p er c e n te r focussing and v e rify in g accuracy of m an ag em en t and effectiveness of rea l processes p e rfo rm e d by econom ic u n its in th e m ark e t.
T a d eu sz S z tu c k i
POD STA W Y TW O RZEN IA I M ECH A N IZM FU N K C JO N O W A N IA KA NA ŁÓ W RY NKU
W ychodząc z określo n y ch p rze sła n e k i re g u la to ró w m echanizm u ry n k o w e g o w w a ru n k a c h ry n k u sp rzed aw cy i ry n k u n ab y w cy a u to r sk o n c en tro w ał w a r ty k u le sw o ją u w a g ę n a d p ro b le m a ty k ą b u d o w y s tr u k tu r y k an a łó w ry n k u oraz nad, fu n k c jo n a ln ą i o rg a n iz a c y jn ą in te g ra c ją k an a łó w ry n k u w ra z z te o re ty cz n y m i m o d elam i ow ej in te g racji.
M echanizm y fu n k cjo n o w a n ia k a n a łó w ry n k u a u to r ro z p a tru je w ścisłym zw iązku z sy stem em i p ro cesam i z a rząd z an ia g o sp o d a rk ą n a ro d o w ą i je j po d -m io ta-m i w w a ru n k a c h polskich. A n aliz u je rów n ież za g ad n ien ie -m ię d zy n aro d o w ej in te g ra c ji k an a łó w o p a rte j n a fu n k c jo n u ją c y c h w k ra ja c h w spólnoty so cjalisty c z-n e j — o rg az-n iz acjac h gospodarczych.
