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The purpose of this paper is to find how much the efficiency of winemaking has changed since the crisis of 2008 and what are the main determinants of winemaking performance in the recent decade.

This study applied a three-stage approach to explore productivity, efficiency and profitability changes. At the first stage of the empirical study, the Malmquist Total Factor Productivity indexes based on the data envelopment analysis are used to reveal tendencies of wineries’ productivity and the reasons for its changes. At the second stage, productivity indexes were used to find out the main exogenous and endogenous factors. At the final stage, the profitability change after the crisis in the context of the wine types and a size of wineries is explored.

The main trends and factors of winemaking performance after 2008 were defined. It was found that a crisis in winemaking in Ukraine has been going on for almost decade with the greatest failure in 2014 that led to the falling overall efficiency. This failure was caused mainly by the military and political factors regarding the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the changes in consumer behaviour with a tendency to reduce overall alcohol consumption, and the government regulation increased excise duties on wines. Despite the efficiency crisis in Ukrainian winemaking, the positive contribution of technological progress provides its productivity growth. The small- and medium-sized enterprises in winemaking have a high resistance to the crisis and fiscal pressure. Despite it losing a half of value-added and being unprofitable, the small wine business has managed to increase the labour and capital productivities and overtake big wine business on these indicators.

This study is limited to one country and the relatively small sample of the wineries. However, it can be a starting point for a series of research on the development of anti-crisis winemaking strategy.

The findings of the study can be helpful for the Ukrainian Government to prevent crisis continuation in the winemaking sector. This case may be instructive for other countries, faced with a protracted crisis of efficiency in winemaking.

This is the first study that examines the winemaking performance and its factors after the world financial crisis, based on the case of Ukraine.

The aim of this study is to explore the perception of existing academic institutional models through the lens of individual university teacher assessment scores and add knowledge base to the root causes of the effectiveness level of higher educational models between Eastern and Western European universities. The research utilizes higher education instructor performance by exploring positive and negative outcomes from both models.

This mixed methods study is based on 195 questionnaires in conjunction with 42 in-depth interviews of early-stage university teachers, associate professors, and senior university instructors (i.e. full professors) from the University of Banja Luka (UBL), Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Paris Diderot University (UP7), Paris, France. Key performance indicators are calculated in piecing together the existing institutional models to elucidate the opportunities and challenges university instructors face at these institutions. A scoping literature review that examined an East-West European divide was also conducted to add weight to the research.

Results indicate the UBL model is considered mostly ineffective while the UP7 model showed signs of ineffectiveness. An East-West divide that exists in European universities was deduced through additional literature, and cohesion-based practices may be needed to truncate model differences as a result of the East's lack of academic freedom.

The research demonstrated important recommendations for academic institutional models by immediately signaling a need to open up the level of creativity of their instructors (i.e. the idea that university teaching is a creative profession that requisites a certain level of academic freedom). The research examined university concern – morally and financially – and weighed in on university instructors' options of abandoning university instructors' workplace in search of working in a prosperous Western country.

The purpose of this paper is to study winemaking efficiency with the help of international performance benchmarking and to finding ways for its improvement.

In this research, three models of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and other tools of international performance benchmarking are used to analyse the efficiency of wine companies. Return to scale (RTS) and scale efficiency, labour and capital productivity and some other indicators are examined. The research is based on a sample of 36 wine companies from 15 countries.

International benchmarking expands performance improvement for domestic companies. The most efficient wine companies are originated from Germany, USA and New Zeeland. Scale inefficiency and increasing RTS for most of the wine companies was identified. Only three wine companies have decreasing RTS (those from UK, Australia and France). To increase relative efficiency, these companies need to reduce the output and sales as their costs are growing faster than the revenues. A huge potential for cost reduction and efficiency growth within Ukrainian wine companies was revealed.

The research is limited to a single industry. This is explained by the requirement of technology (product, service) homogeneity while using DEA tools.

Study results include the data and recommendations to develop winemaking. These results can be used by wine companies’ management, present and potential investors and proprietors, regulative public authority, e.g. to improve efficiency in winemaking.

This is the first paper that adapts various DEA models to measure efficiency in the wine industry of Ukraine and the tools of international performance benchmarking for wine companies around the world.

This paper demonstrates how ways and means of effective development can be determined by analysis and benchmarking tools. It contains the results of efficiency study of Ukrainian tobacco companies, defining their key factors and growth potential to identify ways of improving the industry performance. A few key factors are examined for their impact on efficiency. Using analysis and international benchmarking the essential potential to reduce various inputs that provide considerable gain to the companies and enhance industry efficiency is determined. The recommendations that may be practicable for companies’ management, present and potential investors, proprietors and regulative public authority are made.

This paper aims to the evaluation and comparison of the efficiency of winemaking in two developing countries (Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)) from the perspective of their development.

In this research study, four models of data envelopment analysis (DEA), correlation and other tools of the data analysis are used to analyze the efficiency of wineries in two developing countries. Returns to scale, scale efficiency, super-efficiency and some other indicators are examined. The research is based on the sample, including 33 wineries of Ukraine and B&H.

Characterized by the same average efficiency and number of leaders, in Ukraine, medium and large wineries are developing more efficiently than small ones, whereas the opposite is true for B&H. The authors found the high potential growth of efficiency on Ukrainian (up to 28.9 per cent) and Bosnian wineries (up to 28.3 per cent). The ways for its realization were suggested. Cross-country efficiency analysis enabled us to find inter-country leaders of wine industry. The authors grouped inefficient wineries, calculated the potential for inputs reduction and found the main directions for the improvement of efficiency for each group.

The research is limited to a single industry in only two developing countries. Future studies can be devoted to the comparison of the efficiency of wineries in developed and developing countries. The results can determine which countries can be leaders in the global wine market in the future.

This study provides useful information for: researchers of wine market in developing countries enabling them to understand the current state, basic problems and efficiency levels of wineries in Ukraine and B&H; domestic policy-makers- to improve regulation of wine industry as to make it more competitive and efficient; wine producers in these countries- to find the benchmarks using the best practices to adapt them in own business and to increase an efficiency.

On the example of Ukraine and B&H, this study has shown that each respective country has its own conditions of doing wine business. This is the first paper that compares the efficiency of wine industry in Ukraine and B&H.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and compare the efficiency of wine making in Germany and Ukraine in order to find the controllable factors of wine business performance using benchmarking tools.

The models of data envelopment analysis and other benchmarking tools are used to analyse the efficiency of wineries in two countries. Returns to scale, scale efficiency, super-efficiency and some other indicators are examined. The research is based on the sample of 36 German and Ukrainian wineries.

The hypothesis of higher wine making relative efficiency in Germany was compared with Ukrainian wine making, then analytically and statistically verified. A relatively high average scale efficiency score indicates good potential (above 30 per cent) for efficiency growth, due to the optimisation of a scale of production and sales. Generally, wine making in Germany and Ukraine has increasing returns to scale. The high-efficient wine business cannot bring great losses. It was found that the most efficient combinations of size and legal form of business organisation for wine business are presented in Germany.

The research is limited by a single industry of only the two countries.

This study provides useful information for researchers, investors and policy makers, enabling them to understand the current state, basic problems, controllable factors and efficiency levels of wine making in Germany and Ukraine. It may be useful to wine producers in these countries for improving their business performance.

This is the first paper that compares wine business performance and discloses its factors for Germany and Ukraine.

The paper aims to test the hypothesis about increasing the efficiency of gas distribution companies in the period of high gas prices on the example of Ukraine that is highly dependent on this energy source.

The basic and super-efficiency models of data envelopment analysis (DEA), Malmquist total factor productivity index, three-factor production function and other tools are used to analyse the efficiency of gas distribution companies. Some factors are examined for their impact on efficiency. The results are based on the samples of 33 Ukrainian gas distribution companies.

The author detects the decreasing returns to scale in the gas distribution sector, which means that Ukrainian gas companies get advantage reducing the volume of gas supply. Rise in prices for imported gas is reflected positively not only on the income of the exporting Russian supplier Gazprom, but also on the profitability of Ukrainian gas distribution companies. The losses associated with the policy decisions regarding a pricing of imported natural gas moved on the consumers of natural gas – the manufacturing sector of the economy and the population. Reallocation of net profit from the key export sectors of Ukraine in the gas sector is mainly caused by the fault of the state regulatory body.

The research is limited by single industry and by relatively short data set. The former is explained by requirement of technology (product, service) homogeneity when using DEA tools. The latter is connected with specificity of the industry and generally little numbers of firms in it.

The results of researching contain the data and recommendations to companies' management and a state regulatory body to correct and optimize their decisions to make gas distribution system and economy more effective. These results can be practicable for companies' management, present and potential investors and proprietors, regulative public authority. It is possible to use the results of this research to make study for the other industries.

This is the first paper that studies the impact of high natural gas prices on the economy and gas distribution system of Ukraine.

The paper is devoted to develop the methodological technique for the implementation of competitive benchmarking in an industrial company in strategy of “the follower”. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

In the research, a non-parametric methodology of efficiency analysis is used. To solve the problem of finding the best competitor, the author proposes to apply the method of free disposal hull (FDH).

The proposed methodological technique for the implementation of competitive benchmarking in an industrial company in strategy of the follower enables to gradually develop and make informed strategic decisions that ensure the achievement of efficiency frontier and a leadership in its market segment.

The research is limited by a single industry (dairy products). This is explained by requirement of technology (product, service) homogeneity when using FDH model.

By a case of 60 Ukrainian dairies, the paper demonstrates how the author can use the proposed technique in a practice and what steps the author should make to find company benchmark and improve the efficiency. It is possible to use the results of this research to make competitive benchmarking for the other industries.

This paper adopts FDH model for competitive benchmarking and implementing the strategy of the followers. The proposed technique enables to improve the various activities of the analyzed dairies.

The paper aims to focus on improving the methodology and developing the model of choice of optimal investment object using benchmarking tools that eliminate the drawbacks of existing approaches.

The methodological basis of the proposed model is frontier analysis, namely the nonparametric data envelopment analysis. Using this and other benchmarking tools, the author introduces the concept and mathematical model for evaluation of super‐attractiveness for investors that allows a full ranking of potential objects for investment.

The concept of variable investment decision that combines various periods, varying degrees of risk and other decision characteristics with a common purpose of maximizing the benefits from investments is defined. The model for the making of variable investment decisions is developed.

The proposed model enables strategic and portfolio investors to implement the optimal choice of investment object. It is demonstrated on a case of the food production of Ukraine.

This paper adopts benchmarking tools to the decision‐making process to optimal choice of investment object.

The purpose of this paper is to establish groups of stakeholders who win and lose from changes in natural gas prices and to develop practical recommendations for a state regulator for the optimal setting natural gas prices in the domestic market through an example of Ukraine.

In this study, to identify groups of stakeholders with gains and losses from the pricing of natural gas, the author used traditional methods of correlation and statistical regression analysis, including the ordinary least squares (OLS) method.

The main profit from natural gas remains in the extraction sector. The remaining profit is distributed among the various stakeholders. The consumers during rapidly rising gas prices have to rely on energy efficiency and switching to alternative, less costly resources. The existing system of unified natural gas price for all industrial consumers is inefficient and leads to the losses of the largest industrial sectors in Ukraine – metallurgy and chemical industry. With the help of the developed models, the author determined the critical levels of natural gas prices for these two industries.

The study is limited by data about activity of eight key manufacturing companies, four gas distribution companies, and main state gas companies from two country only.

Defined levels can be used by a state regulatory authority as a boundary, above which these industries will be unprofitable and their fate along with hundred thousands of workers will be questionable.

This is the first paper that set the critical levels of natural gas prices for two manufacturing industries in Ukraine.