Territorial Marketing as a Form of Entrepreneurship of Local Governments in Poland

Abstract

Nowadays, functioning of local governments is mostly affected by two phenomena: globalization and locality. Globalizations processes, and among them, tendency to increase the freedom and speed of movement of capital, people, goods and services; give businesses and citizens particular opportunities. These opportunities among others are related with the freedom to choose their place of business, residence, place of work or a place of rest. The above create a specific outlook for the places of reception of investments, businesses or individuals, and so for territorial units managed by local governments. In order to meet the global market requirements, local governments must demonstrate flexibility, innovation and market-based approach, adapting to the needs of interested groups of customers: businesses, tourists, residents, investors. Counterweight to what entails the processes of globalization is observable tendency to expose what is local by communities to emphasize their own identity and affiliation to the region. Local governments in Poland since the late 90’s have gained greater powers and greater freedom of action, which enabled them to implement their role as “managers” of territorial units, which manage, and thus have influence on the directions of development of their “small homelands”. To take advantage of emerging, therefore, opportunities, local authorities - as mentioned above - have to demonstrate entrepreneurial and innovative approach. The use of the concept of territorial marketing can be regarded without a doubt as an entrepreneurship attitude of local governments in the conditions of globalization. Market-based approach founded on the marketing concept allows one to increase the efficiency of activities related to resource management of individual territorial units, thus being a useful tool to enhance their competitiveness. This paper contains reflections on application of the concepts of territorial marketing by public authorities to manage their own development.