Objective: This paper investigates the concept of the born global, indicates the main attributes and sources of success for enterprises that internationalised early, and demonstrates the scale of the born global phenomenon in Poland. Research Design & Methods: A review of empirical studies is the research method used in the paper. Secondary data from research studies is collected. The article outlines the theoretical background of born globals. A brief overview of the existing research (since 2004) is also provided. The results are compiled to demonstrate the scale of the born global phenomenon in Poland. Findings: A review of quantitative research indicates that the percentage of born globals in Poland can be estimated at 30–50% of all SMEs which are engaged in international activities. Polish managers have the necessary knowledge and traits for early internationalisation; the primary factors limiting the development of born global are limited financial and organisational resources. Implications/Recommendations: The existing quantitative analyses of born globals do not sufficiently enable the factors that constitute the main barriers to the development of this sector in Poland to be identified. There is still a room to plan the appropriate support policies for SMEs on international markets. Contribution: This paper addresses mainstream research on born globals, which are part of broader trends in the modern economy. This new generation of small and medium-sized enterprises, just as economic globalisation, the opening of markets and acceleration in the field of ICT development, is particularly relevant to both developing countries and middle-income economies such as Poland.
The subject of this study is the analysis of the influence the global crisis has on entrepreneurship in Poland, and identification of activities undertaken to fade away it’s results, both on the national and EU level. Background of this analysis consists of a judgment of the influence the globalization process has on the conditions of activity and development of enterprises, mainly those from the SME sector. The results from the research indicate the low position of our country in the field of innovativeness, and a decrease of financial results has an effect on the change of the investment strategy, in the direction of reducing innovations. However, despite the worsening of the economic conditions, the number of newly established enterprises showed increasing tendencies. The most subjects were created in the group of small enterprises, employing from 10 to 49 people. This confirms the thesis, that during the crisis the SME sector, with creation of conditions which supported activity, effectively contributed to the social – economic development
This paper discusses the issue of professional development by small and medium enterprise employees. The specific qualities of SME activities in this area are identified on the basis of literature and numerous studies—informality, reactivity, the short–term perspective, focus on solving current problems, learning by doing (“on–the–job” training is the predominant method), focus on the development of specific skills and organizational knowledge, and a lack of professionally organized training. The article also indicates the most important conditions for the development of SME personnel.
Very often, touched on the issues on the basis of economic theory and practice in the legitimacy of the business MSP and the role they play in the economy. Much attention is paid to the sources of supply of the capital of the group of companies, and in fact the problems experienced in this matter.
This paper picked a topic of small and medium-sized enterprises to highlight several related problems. It is dedicated to the characteristics of small to medium enterprises, its definition and role within nancial and economic crisis and present recession. There are analysis and comparison of their development during the last ve or ten years in the Czech Republic and EU. The data based on which the analyses and comparison were carried out was obtained from the public databases and other cited sources. The paper is trying to respond to the question: "How is the development of SMEs dependent on business?"
Purpose: The aim of the paper is to present and assess professional development opportunities for older employees in SME. Methodology: In the process of desk research, the author has discerned a number of characteristics of training activities conducted by SMEs. The management of older employees’ professional development is discussed on the basis of selected research findings, i.a. CATI and CAPI surveys conducted in the framework of the “Comprehensive program of activation of people aged 50+” project carried out by the Department of Human Resource Management at Kozminski University in 2010–2012. Findings: The first part of the paper discusses the specificity of training measures undertaken in SMEs. According to a large body research results available, these include: informality, reactivity, short-term perspective, focus on solving current problems, “learning by doing”, focus on the development of specific skills and organizational knowledge, lack of professional organization of trainings. The core part of the paper focuses on the management of professional development of older employees in SMEs. The majority of surveyed firms have declared providing their older and younger employees with the same access to training. However, it does not always mean training is organised, or that employees aged 50+ participate in it. Moreover, the survey has proven the existence of significant differences in assessments and opinions among entrepreneurs and employees. Originality/value: This paper discusses professional development of older SME employees, which is a relatively new problem; it is based on an extensive body of research. Managing professional development of older workers is one of the most important challenges faced by SMEs in the twenty first century and it shall require extensive and thorough research in the future.
The authors used statistical tools to analyze the relationship of fiscal support instruments and the level of the investment of industrial micro, small, and medium–sized enterprises in comparison to large companies in Poland in the years 2006–2014. The results revealed that there is a significant relationship between the level of investment in micro–, small–, and medium–sized enterprises and the majority of tax instruments. There is a negative relationship between the instruments and some of other factors that should influence on the investments of enterprises.
The main focus of the article is to elaborate on the importance and role of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Slovak economy. The authors show the development tendencies of the SME sector in Slovakia in the years of 1993-2006. Where it was possible the authors enumerated the data for the year 2007. The paper analyses the state of the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises, seeking to understand the causes of its relative strength and weakness. The share of the SME sector in all the registered enterprises in Slovakia is convergent with the whole EU average and it amounts to 99.8%. In Slovakia the share of microenterprises amounts to 79.3% which is the lowest feature in the EU. It means that the situation in Slovakia seems to be better for the economy, as the microenterprises do not have significant impact on the national employment and the GDP. In Slovakia the share of SMEs in total employment is crucial and amounts to 61.2%. A present-day share of the SME sector in both export and import volumes is more than 1/3 of the total volume of foreign trade of Slovakia.
Technology entrepreneurship is an interesting concept for transforming the potential of the scientific and research and development fields (including a wider impact of the so-called business environment sphere) into innovative products and services. In consequence, it might become a key factor in building the innovation potential of modern enterprises, especially SME sector enterprises, which due to their resource shortages have limited ability to carry out independent research and development operations. Taking the above into account, the aim of the article is to identify and evaluate the role of entrepreneurship in the development of innovativeness of SMEs. To achieve this aim, a survey was conducted on a sample of 300 SMEs based in ithe łódzkie province.
The article is addressed to the issue of the role and sources of market information in current business conditions. In particular, efforts have been made to identify the object of their interest, scope and frequency of obtaining market information, its sources and usefulness in management of marketing enterprise. The division of the information on secondary and primary one, as well as its generic classification has been used in the analysis. The investigated enterprises have conducted the evaluation of their market information system. The article presents the results of own direct survey that has been undertaken on a sample of 63 Polish small and medium enterprises.
PL
Artykuł podejmuje kwestię roli i źródeł informacji rynkowych w obecnych warunkach funkcjonowania przedsiębiorstw. W szczególności starano się rozpoznać przedmiot zainteresowania, zakres i częstotliwość pozyskiwania informacji rynkowych, ich źródła i przydatność w zarządzaniu marketingowym przedsiębiorstwem. W analizie posłużono się podziałem informacji na wtórne i pierwotne oraz ich rodzajową klasyfikacją. Badane przedsiębiorstwa dokonały oceny swojego systemu informacji rynkowej. W opracowaniu zaprezentowano własne wyniki badań bezpośrednich przeprowadzonych na próbie 63 polskich małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw.
Dążenie do zrównoważonego podejścia w rozwiązaniach logistycznych wymaga wielu wyzwań i współpracy pomiędzy wszystkimi elementami tego procesu, gdyż wymaga pogodzenia wielu ekonomicznych, społecznych i ekologicznych celów. W artykule przedstawiono ogólne założenia idei zrównoważonego rozwoju odniesionego do działalności logistycznej przedsiębiorstw. Wskazano także elementy technologii logistycznych sprzyjających szerzeniu tej koncepcji oraz czynniki zrównoważonych łańcuchów dostaw w przedsiębiorstwach z uwzględnieniem ekonomicznych, społecznych i środowiskowych aspektów.
EN
Choosing a sustainable approach to logistics solutions requires meeting many challenges and cooperation between all the elements of this process, since it necessitates reconciling many economic, social, and environmental objectives. The paper shows the general principles of the idea of sustainable development in relation to enterprises’ logistics activities. It also points out the elements of logistics technologies which facilitate the popularisation of this concept and factors of sustainable chain supplies in enterprises which take account of economic, social, and environmental aspects.
RU
Стремление к сбалансированному подходу при решении логистических задач требует многосто- роннего анализа и сотрудничества между всеми участниками этого процесса, т.к. должно учи- тывать множество экономических, социальных и экологических целей. В статье представлены общие положения идеи сбалансированного развития в отношении логистической деятельности предприятий. Перечислены также элементы логистической технологии, помогающие распро- странять эту концепцию и факторы сбалансированных цепей поставок на предприятиях с учетом экономических, общественных и экологических аспектов.
The study examines the innovativeness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Wielkopolska region and factors influencing innovation in 2001-2004. The analysis is made against the background of changes in innovativeness and factors determining innovation in 1992-2000. The author used the results of surveys conducted among 163 SMEs in Wielkopolska in 2005. Overall, SME innovativeness did not increase in the analyzed period compared with previous yeas. The innovativeness of enterprises tended to grow with an increase in company size, the level of education of company managers (owners) and the age of the company. Companies using the Internet, especially those using it for sale and purchase transactions, displayed greater innovativeness. Innovation is restrained by scant financial resources, outmoded equipment and machinery, high business risk and the absence of an active pro-innovation policy pursued by the government.
The article contributes to the overall body of knowledge about investments made by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their sources of financing. The author conducts an empirical research through a direct interview method on two samples: a sample of 1,001 microbusinesses (meaning those with up to nine employees) and a sample of 1,202 SMEs with 10 to 249 employees. The research shows that only 41 percent of Poland’s SMEs carried out investments in 2004. Investment indicators were the highest among medium-sized enterprises (74 percent), while microbusinesses showed the lowest indicators (41 percent). In the case of individual types of investments (day-to-day maintenance and modernization, purchase of computer hardware and software, purchase of individual machines and equipment, purchase of means of transportation, construction of new plants and purchase of turnkey production lines), the highest investment indicators were invariably recorded among medium-sized enterprises. The percentage of investing companies increased with an increase in employment. The same is true of the percentage of companies declaring investment plans for the next 12 months. Most of the companies polled used their own funds to finance their investments. An important (though usually only supportive) role in financing some investments (in particular, the purchases of means of transportation, turnkey production lines, machines and equipment) was played by loans and leasing. In analyses by market segment, the following rule was observed: companies with a higher level of employment displayed a greater tendency to use loans and leasing programs. Other sources of funds for investment projects in the SME sector were of marginal importance. Comparative analyses reveal that the use of external sources of funds to finance SME investment projects in Poland is usually two to three times lower than in other EU countries and the United States. However, no evidence of discrimination against SMEs in lending by banks was obtained. Only 2.5 percent of the companies polled have been refused bank loans over the past three years. An increased propensity to invest among Polish SMEs could be stimulated by appropriate activities of the government, banks and entrepreneurs themselves.
The article proposes a new approach to the process of internationalization of the firm. According to the author, international economists are increasingly critical of the traditional, stage approach to this process. Both theoretical discussions and empirical evidence question this approach, according to Przybylska. A growing number of companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, are going international in their operations far sooner than suggested by the traditional approach to internationalization. Firms that that compete internationally from their earliest stages, often bypassing the domestic market, are referred to as born global firms. The traditional approach to the internationalization process fails to explain why born global firms decide to compete on foreign markets immediately or soon after launching their operations. This means that born globals challenge the traditional theory of internationalization, Przybylska says. The author proposes a new approach to born globals to explain why a growing number of Polish small and medium-sized enterprises decide to compete internationally from their earliest stages. The author also sets out to highlight the characteristic features of this process. An additional aim is to show the differences between the traditional and new approaches to the internationalization of the firm. To achieve these goals, Przybylska formulates two research hypotheses. The first hypothesis holds that the traditional models of internationalization do not fully explain this process, especially with regard to small and medium-sized businesses. The other hypothesis is that there is a growing number of born globals among small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland. To confirm these hypotheses, the author conducted a survey. The obtained data proved both research hypotheses right, the author concludes.
The author endeavors to establish if Poland’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are undergoing internationalization in line with the rules described in the theory of gradual internationalization. This theory is generally used to explain the behaviors of companies on foreign markets. The author carries out a quantitative analysis on a sample of more than 100 exporting manufacturing enterprises based in Poland’s Małopolska province. The study shows that the behavior of most surveyed companies accords with the rules followed in other countries and the guidelines of the gradual internationalization theory. In particular, as their experience grows, companies are entering new markets and increasing the share of exports in their total revenue. Morawczyński’s study shows that companies are entering foreign markets at an increasingly faster rate. This conclusion is compatible with the latest findings in other countries. Beginning exporters usually choose countries that are considered to be close “psychologically,” the author says. Unexpectedly, Morawczyński finds a weaker-than-expected link between the level of internationalization and the system of knowledge associated with operations abroad. The surveyed companies break away from the pattern mapped out by the gradual internationalization theory. This is largely due to a global business concept increasingly popular in recent years whereby companies are encouraged to pursue global operations from inception onward.
The issue of innovation has been and continues to be a key element in the development considerations of Poland and the European Union. Unfortunately, all the rankings carried out recently show Poland’s industry and overall economy to lack innovation. Although small and medium-sized enterprises are believed to have a greater innovation capacity due to their less bureaucratic management style and greater flexibility in decision-making, that ability is often accompanied by a number of difficulties in generating and implementing innovation. This paper presents the results of an extended survey of innovation in industry and a survey of innovation in the services sector done in 2006–2011. The results presented here relate to all activities involved in the development and implementation of product, process, organisational and marketing innovations in Polish enterprises.
The purpose of the research presented in this article was to assess the use of insurance products available on the market in everyday craft activity, as well as to obtain an answer to the question of which insurance companies the surveyed entrepreneurs use most often. An attempt was also made to assess cooperation of the insured with insurers. Research with the use of a survey questionnaire was conducted in the period from May to July 2016 in craft plants from the Opole, Lower Silesian and Silesian provinces associated through guilds in the Craft Chamber in Opole. Research results demonstrate that more than half of the surveyed craft enterprises use products offered by insurance companies, and the most popular insurer among these companies is PZU.
The main objective of this article is to assess the causes and scope of activities preformed in the Polish informal economy with the focus on the small and medium-sized enterprises. It begins with the definitions and causes of the grey economy. Next, the author applies descriptive statistics to analyse the range of the scope of it Poland and selected countries. The research for the years 2010–2019 was conducted in an attempt to evaluate the phenomenon of tax fraud and qualitative methods of forecasting used to identify the opinions of Polish entrepreneurs regarding the extent of state budget’s losses due to the tax evasion.
Omnipresent globalization engulfs more and more areas of life, which is why one of the most important processes in today's economy is shaping the so-called global village. Both globalization and the consequent internationalization constitute some of the biggest challenges for Polish companies. In addition, the intensity of competitive businesses in the global market forces companies to seek competitive advantages and improve their abilities in the process. The article contains the results of empirical research conducted in the years 2010-2011 in Greater Poland as part of the project titled "Determinants of competitive advantage of Greater Poland's food processing companies in the international market." This paper also contains data from both theoretical and empirical evidence on building competitive advantage in international markets provided by the analyzed group of internationalized SMEs. The aim of this study is to identify the factors determining the formation of competitive advantage of food processing companies from Greater Poland, which in turn contributed to the internationalization of those businesses. Secondary sources were used in pursuing the goal - theoretical implications were based on studies of literature, and they were verified by surveys. In addition, the following methods were used: description, visualization and statistical techniques. The time range of the undertaken work covers the years 2008-2011.
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