From Entry to Continuity: Evolving Motives of Shared Service and Business Centers in Slovakia and Poland
Sonia FERENCIKOVA – Dagmar VÁLEKOVÁ
https://doi.org/10.18267/pr.2026.vol.2587.11
Abstract: This article examines the evolving motives behind the establishment and long-term retention of shared service and business centers in Central and Eastern Europe, with the objective of identifying how these motives change over time. The study applies a qualitative case study methodology based on two centers located in Slovakia and Poland. The findings show that initial location decisions were primarily driven by labor availability, cost efficiency, and local market conditions, while over time these motives shift toward strategic factors such as workforce retention, upskilling, and the adoption of automation and digital tools. Routine tasks are increasingly automated, with employees redeployed to higher value-added and knowledge-intensive activities. Despite its limitation to two cases, the study provides empirical evidence of this transition. The results indicate a shift from cost-driven locations to strategic, innovation-oriented service hubs, offering practical implications for firms’ location strategies in the region.
Keywords: shared service centers, business centers, Central and Eastern Europe
JEL Classification codes: M13, M19
Fulltext: PDF
Published by: Prague University of Economics and Business, Oeconomica Publishing House
Year of publication: 2026
Online publication date: 20 May 2026
Copyright: Authors of the papers
ISBN 978-80-245-2587-7
ISSN 2453-6113
Pages 133-141