Kształtowanie konkurencyjności małej firmy. Rola doradztwa biznesowego
Competitiveness of a Small Firm. The Role of Business Advice

Author(s): Edward Stawasz, Paweł Głodek, Katarzyna Łobacz, Piotr Niedzielski
Subject(s): Economy, Business Economy / Management, Marketing / Advertising, Human Resources in Economy
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: small firms; small innovative firms; business advice; business advisors; competitiveness; knowledge transfer; mała firma; konkurencyjność firm; innowacyjność firm; doradztwo biznesowe
Summary/Abstract: Business advice is for small enterprises one of the sources of external knowledge that facilitates conducting business activity. It is particularly important for innovative companies that face the challenges of introducing new solutions in their products, processes or business models. These companies use new knowledge and new information to search for market opportunities and to build structures as well as processes necessary for their exploitation. This publication is a thorough analysis of a number of factors that link business advice with competitiveness of small innovative companies. To this end, the research results obtained through the qualitative approach (40 analysed cases of business advice, including 20 outside of Poland) as well as the quantitative approach (a database of 400 Polish small innovative enterprises using advisory services) were used. The conclusions formulated on their basis point to a significant link between the use of business advice and the competitiveness of the surveyed companies, and the formulated model describing the indirect role of the advisory impact on the company's activity merits special attention. Moreover, the characteristics of these business advice cases which successfully influenced the competitiveness of the surveyed enterprises are described in detail along with the role of advisor in the advisory relationship as well as the mechanisms of transfer and creation of knowledge. This publication is addressed to the representatives of the world of science who deal with the broadly understood small business management. Nevertheless, the descriptions of cases and consultancy mechanisms included can constitute valuable material for students of business and economic subjects as well as for practitioners from the business consulting sector. The authors of the publication hope that this book will prove interesting for its recipients and will be an inspiration for reflection in the field of advisory activities as well as for undertaking new research initiatives related to this topic.

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