The influence of Baťa activities on selected Brazilian regions

Abstract

The master thesis focuses on Jan Baťa's colonization in Brazil which took place from forties of 20th century. The aim of this thesis is to describe a specific example of the influence of private enterprise and foreign direct investment on regional development in the context of developing countries. The main objective of this thesis is to demonstrate that Baťa's activities have played an important role in the development of the regions. In this context, the thesis will try to prove that towns created by Jan Baťa dispose such economic characteristics that reflect the level of higher territorial units and are a constant element of the economic system of the Brazilian states. Another goal of the thesis is to explain the context of historical aspects associated with the arrival of Jan Baťa to Brazil on location factors, which played a key role in determining the location of Baťa's activities.