Piotr Raźniak

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze changes in the command and control functions of cities in 2006 and 2016 based on the method of gravity centers. The analysis was performed both for individual sectors of the economy as well as for the European economy as a whole. The shift in the center of gravity of the studied commandand control functions of cities in the direction of Central Eastern Europe is examined in the paper. The fairly recent development of CEE and European integration increasing to the east and south has triggered the relocation of many companies from west to east and has also increased the importance of local companies.It may therefore be argued that the importance of the command and control functions of cities in developing countries has also increased (Poland, Russia). There is also a related decline in the importance of the so-called blue banana region and cities in Great Britain and Germany. This is especially visible in terms of the number of corporate headquarters in the western part of the continent. However, the shift in capital is not that clear – and both German and British corporations still remain the leaders in Europe.

Keywords: command and control function, transnational corporation, gravity, corporate headquarters, cities, Europe

Sławomir Dorocki [slawomir.dorocki@up.krakow.pl], Institute of Geography Pedagogical University of Kraków Podchorążych 2, 30-084, Kraków: Poland
Piotr Raźniak [piotr.razniak@up.krakow.pl], Institute of Geography Pedagogical University of Kraków Podchorążych 2, 30-084, Kraków: Poland
Anna Winiarczyk-Raźniak [anna.winiarczyk-razniak@up.krakow.pl], Institute of Geography Pedagogical University of Kraków Podchorążych 2, 30-084, Kraków: Poland