G30 - Corporate Finance and Governance: GeneralReturn

This study explores the financial dynamics, strategic growth, and innovation within the sugar production sector in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) over the period 2013–2022. It focuses on six countries—Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and analyzes 14 major sugar-producing companies using a combined methodological approach based on time-series trend analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA).
Key financial metrics such as capital structure, working capital, operating revenue, profitability, and employment are examined to assess differences in performance across firms and countries.
The research is framed by three central questions that investigate the interaction between company size, financial stability, national market context, and development potential.
A major turning point for the sector—the abolition of the EU sugar quota system in autumn 2017—marked the beginning of a fully liberalized market environment, intensifying global competition and reshaping regional production strategies.
The results indicate that larger firms tend to provide financial stability but exhibit limited growth trajectories, while smaller companies are more adaptable and often demonstrate stronger development potential.
National differences are also significant: the Czech Republic and Poland emerge as dynamic and competitive markets; Austria and Germany reflect mature industries with constrained growth prospects; Hungary and Slovakia show financial challenges yet offer opportunities for development.
By identifying structural trends and regional disparities, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of the post-quota sugar market. It offers relevant insights for policymakers and industry leaders aiming to balance financial health, innovation, and sustainability in order to ensure the sector’s long-term competitiveness in a volatile global economy.

Financial earning from dividends and profit shares are important income for the owners. From the business corporation perspective is the setting of dividend policy important for keeping the financial stability and solvency of the corporation. The most important indicator of the financial performance of the corporation is the profit reached. Czech accounting rules allow to account some revenue and expenses of on the basis of estimates so that all expenses and revenue are accounted in the period which is related in matter and time. These items are often a means for creative distortion of the economic result with the aim to reach the required level of covenants that lead to payment of benefits, directors rewards and annuals rewards for the management and also for the overvaluating of the economic result as one of the variables for the calculation base for the payment of dividends. Current legislation for setting the calculation base for the payment of dividends is not satisfactory and does not protect against disproportional outflow of financial means in the form of dividends for the owners. The paper concentrates on the possibility of identifying the distortion of the calculation base for the payment of dividends and on the proposal of a modification of the calculation base for the payment of dividends which would respect the legal right of the owners but also protect the financial stability of the business corporation and ensure its growth during its existence and to limit the outflow of money abroad. Key words: calculation base for the payment of dividends, net profit, payment ratio, modified reporting, NTEDP (net total earning for dividend payments), tests of profitability and own capital, accounting.