Služby v mezinárodním obchodě

Services are one of the most important parts of economic development. In the world economy structure, they have a growing importance, employ over the half of all world labour force, use the scientific knowledge in the high extent, act as a counterweight of the material and energetic complexity of the tangible goods export. The service sector attracts about 40 % of all direct foreign investments. The share of services in GDP and employment belong to the economy development indicators. Recently, the services generate 68 % of the world GDP and 76 % of the GDP of developed countries. The effective function of services has the essential meaning for the performance, productivity and competitiveness of the entire economy. Services are becoming the fastest emerging sector of the international trade. In comparison to the dynamics of the world trade of tangible goods the services have higher year over year increase and in 2016 they covered about a quarter of the world business turnover. They project to the tangible goods trade in a significant way. If the exporter has no good accompanying services (transport, financial, communication, marketing and other services) he has a low chance to compete on the world market. The structure of the world export changes. The share of transport services decreases, the share of tourism stays stable and the dominant change is the growth of importance of financial, telecommunication, computer and information services. The work consists of two parts. The first one focuses on the mapping of theoretical approaches to services in the development of economic thinking, from its beginnings (Physiocrats, Adam Smith) to the current situation. It also examines the methodical basis for service analysis, presents a definition and classification overview of services. The emphasis of the second part is on the analysis of the development of international trade in services, with special attention paid to foreign trade with services of the Czech Republic.