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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for positioning the research contributions on the analysis of firm‐level international competitiveness and addressing the key issues on this topic.Design/methodology/approachLinking the concepts of internationalization, performance, and firm‐level competitiveness, the paper proposes a framework for identifying the different dimensions of international competitiveness. Literature on each dimension is reviewed and the linkages between them are discussed.FindingsThe paper unbundles the construct of international competitiveness into three dimensions: "ex ante" competitiveness, relating to firm‐ and location‐specific advantages as drivers of competitiveness; firm internationalization profile, resulting from the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of a firm's presence abroad; "ex post" competitiveness, relating to market, financial and nonfinancial performance of a firm in foreign markets.Originality/valueAlthough the analysis of international competitiveness benefits from contributions from different research streams such as international business, marketing, and strategic management, the lack of an organizing framework makes it difficult to "handle" within a potentially huge body of literature. This paper contributes to fill this gap. In addition, it provides the basis for a new research agenda about the analysis of the internationalization‐performance relationship.

AbstractThe relationship between international environmental law and international humanitarian law, like relationships between many other subsystems of contemporary international law, has not yet been articulated. The problem of environmental damage in international armed conflict lies at the intersection of these two branches and thus provides an ideal opportunity to investigate this relationship. Rather than simply evaluating the applicable international law rules in their context, we break them into elements that we separately assess from both (international) environmental law and international humanitarian/international criminal law perspectives. By doing so, we identify how international law rules for cross-sectoral problems may appropriately combine the existing expertise and institutional strengths of simultaneously applicable branches of international law, and also discover how an evaluation of the ultimate appropriateness of the cross-sectoral rules adopted may be substantially affected by the different frames of reference that are used by those working within the different fields.

The role of verification in international relations is liked with the urge to verify which is evident throughout human history. This study focused on the evolution of this role in light of political circumstances and technological progress. Several different approaches to verification can be identified – bilateral, regional cooperation, global arrangements, and individual national efforts. Moreover, several themes characterize the existing verification regimes. These issues – namely the sharing of intelligence, managing compliance questions, and the integration of different regimes – present themselves as the negotiating ground for future years. One of the important result of the paper is that it demonstrates how the concept of verification, once a contentious political instrument, is encompassing anew actors, new frameworks, new technologies, and new fields.

The processes of integration and harmonization of European contract law are the positive tendencies in the modern development of different national legal systems. The general principles of law should become the unifying elements of the modern European contract law; one of those principles is the principle of good faith. Therefore, the purpose of this Master's Thesis was to research understanding of the principle of good faith in the European and international legislation and legal practices; the focus was made in the contract law and international trade. The theory part of the research, which performed after orientation to the subject and identification of the theoretical backgrounds, is based on literary research and overview of national legislation and legal practices of European countries. It presents the study of historical development of the principle of good faith, the analysis of understanding of the principle in legal doctrine, and the overview of differences and similarities in the legislative consolidation and the application of the principle of good faith among European counties. Eight European countries were analyzed; the countries were chosen from different legal families, due to specialties in the understanding of the principle of good faith. In the practical part, the principle of good faith was researched in the light of the European and international legal acts, the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, and preliminary rulings of the European Court of Justice. About 60 cases of European courts and 13 legal acts were analyzed in the study to obtain sufficient amount of information. The judgments were grouped in accordance with the way of application of the principle of good faith. Such grouping helped to detect the conditions of application and the elements of the content of the principle of good faith. With the collected and analyzed information it was possible to determinate the common core in understanding of the principle of good faith in international trade and contract law, to give comprehensive definition for the principle, to define its elements, grounds and conditions for application. In addition the national specifics in understanding of the principle were identified. This research can be used as a doctrinal base for the regulatory developments in national legal systems and for national legal practices, for example, for the renewals of Civil Code in Russian legal system. Keywords: the principle of good faith, contract law, European law, international law, harmonization, justice, morality