Large enterprise branches: the case of the Czech Republic

Abstract

Importance of largest enterprises is steadily augmenting. In contrast to small- and middle-sized firms, their large counterparts influence individual territorial economies with much higher intensity. The Czech Republic, which represents an object of the article, is a country, where big companies traditionally played a relevant role. While headquarters of large enterprises have been subject to several solid analyses, an attention devoted to their first-tier affiliates is far from sufficient. In order to find meaningful similarities among location factors of firsttier affiliates of one hundred largest enterprises in the country, cluster analysis proved to be useful. Generally, attitudes of managements responsible for the location of first-tier affiliates turned out to be driven largely by pragmatism as a strategy to succeed in contemporary turbulent socioeconomic environment. The paper contributes to filling mainly in informational gaps.