EN
The paper focuses on its characterization from two standpoints. In the first part, position of foreign controlled enterprises (FCE) is investigated in comparison with nationally controlled firms – domestic enterprises (DE). There are discovered all differences in the position of these firms in the economy as well as in their performance parameters, while particular attention is being devoted to manufacturing industry, where the foreign controlled firms occupy the key position. Apparently, majority of the domestic business sector consists of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The second part of the paper deals with the SMEs in comparison with big enterprises. Attention is drawn also to methodical problems connected with acquisition of internationally comparable statistical data needed for both analyses.