Given the importance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the European economy, it is essential to have adequate information about the various factors that determine their choice of location. However, the size of a company is often an aspect not covered in theoretical studies and empirical research on industrial locations and urban planning. This article examines the place of residence as a stimulator of SME development in suburbs. Multidisciplinary research carried out in the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area, known as the Tricity, confirms this trend. The location determinants of SMEs in suburban areas were identified using a questionnaire. The survey was conducted in 251 enterprises located in seven municipalities with the highest suburbanisation rates within the Tricity. The study confirms that the municipalities characterised by the highest intensity of suburbanisation processes have higher business activity than other municipalities. Location decisions were largely made by business owners in line with behavioural theory. This means that SME owners more often consider personal factors than cost or demand factors. From the perspective of an entrepreneur, living conditions, the quality of public space, education and healthcare are significant.
Occupational pension schemes in Poland are all defined contribution (DC) in nature. The contribution amount is fixed, whereas the benefit amount is unknown and depends on many factors such as contributions paid and investment returns received. The risk in a DC scheme is borne by the member, who may not be equipped with the financial knowledge needed to manage such a risk. A solution applied by some countries takes the form of collective DC schemes, where the risk is borne collectively by all members of such a scheme. The aim of this paper is to describe collective DC schemes functioning in selected countries and to compare the benefit amounts which the members can receive from collective and from individual DC schemes. The results show that the variability of benefit amounts in a collective DC scheme is lower than in a traditional DC scheme. An additional safeguard, which allows to improve the financial condition of a collective DC scheme in cases of low investment returns has been proposed.
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