Design jako element rynkowej konkurencyjności firmy. Opinie przedsiębiorców z obszaru województwa śląskiego

This article attempts to support the opinion that design is one of the essential elements influencing competitiveness of companies in current free market economy. Therefore, the issues directly connected with the idea of market competitiveness were specified. Moreover, the issues connected with the very idea of design were described, taking into account various and ambiguous definitions of this concept. This formed the basis to analyse the application of design and its influence on the functioning of companies, particularly its influence on market competitiveness of the companies which apply this concept. The theoretical analysis was supplemented with the results of empirical research, connected with the demand for design, which was carried out among 352 businessmen from Silesian voivodeship