Industrial structure and international competitiveness of post-communist Slovenia

Slovenia's economic and political achievements have led many researchers to the conclusion that it may well become a success story. However, the efficiency of Slovenian incorporation into the international economy is crucially dependent on the competitiveness of Slovenian export companies. This article shows that (1) the number of smaller exporters is greater than the number of medium-sized and larger exporters; (2) the proportion of exporters is substantially less in small companies than in medium-sized and larger companies; (3) there are characteristic differences in export intensity between small, medium-sized and large companies and export intensity increases with size; (4) the role of small and medium-sized companies in total sales and industrial exports is not changing, although their international involvement is increasing; (5) there are no substantial differences in financial performance between small, medium-sized and large companies, neither do such differences exist between exporters and non-exporters; (6) the competitiveness of companies, irrespective of their size, is mostly dependent upon reduction of the gap in technological development and optimal specialisation for international markets; (7) the average technological level of production processes is higher in larger companies than in medium-sized and smaller companies, while the average technological level of products is the highest in small companies; and (8) it is necessary to implement a policy to increase the competitiveness of companies.