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Nascent Social Ventures and Their Quest for Legitimacy: An Exploratory Study of Organizational Emergence

Author(s): Moriah Meyskens / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: This study examines why some social ventures become organizations and others donot by examining the relationship between the conforming and strategic processes to starta social venture and venture launch. Design/methodology/approach: This is a longitudinal study of 48 nascent social ventures thatparticipated in entrepreneurship competitions in the United States from 2005 to 2009. Based ona legitimacy perspective, the study assess the factors that predict organizational emergence byconducting a content analysis of social venture business plans, a follow-up survey, and thenhierarchical logistic regression to examine the hypothesized effects. Findings: The exploratory findings suggest that elements of both conforming and strategiclegitimacy individually predict organizational emergence. Particularly lead entrepreneur,organization team, and impression management behaviors are important. While prior researchon nascent commercial ventures finds strategic legitimacy important and a diminished role ofconforming legitimacy, this study suggests that conforming legitimacy at the earliest stagesincreases the likelihood of social venture launch, which might be due to the more complex andunknown institutional environment of social ventures. Nascent social ventures might rely moreon the lead entrepreneur and organizational team to successfully emerge. Research/practical implications: The findings suggest initial evidence into the important roleof conforming legitimacy and impression management for the organizational emergence ofnascent social ventures. It suggests that the lead entrepreneur and organization experience aswell as understanding how to manage impressions are important skills for nascent social ventureorganizational emergence. Future studies might analyze the role of conforming and strategiclegitimacy of ventures and their institutional context and their role in organization emergence. Originality/value: This study contributes to scholarship on social entrepreneurship byproviding one of the few longitudinal empirical studies of nascent social ventures, whileproviding insight into the role of process dimensions on organizational emergence in socialventures.

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Urbanization Dynamics of European Coasts: Implications for Innovation Policy

Author(s): Andrey Sergeevich Mikhaylov / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: Article focuses on studying the worldwide patterns of coastalization and urbanizationin the scope of Europe. The research objective is to verify the hypothesis of increasing densityof population and economic activity taking place across European coasts, providing the factsand figures for regional development and innovation policies. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on analyzing the development dynamicsof 172 coastal regions of 29 European countries over a five-year period. The scale of regionsconsidered corresponds to the second level of a common classification of territorial units forstatistics of the European Commission. The indicators considered include data on averageannual population and gross regional product (GRP) in purchasing power parity (PPP), as wellas labor productivity dynamics and regional land use efficiency. Findings: The results confirm an inflow of population to coastal areas, which is slightly abovethe total average. The labor productivity values are also higher than the total average, indicatinga greater share of high value-added activities. However, the identified growth in population isaccompanied by decreasing share and growth rates of GRP (PPP) values. Research/practical implications: The development dynamics identified suggests theresidential and industrial favorability of the coastal zone. Regional development and innovationpolicies should be place-sensitive and adaptive, focusing on retaining leadership in marineexpertise for supporting ocean and maritime economy with high-tech services. Originality/value: Growth of concentration in human activity across coastal areas is consideredin national and pan-European policy papers. Yet, there is little evidence on the deployment ofcoastal sprawl specifically in the context of Europe. Current paper fills this gap by providingdata on urbanization dynamics of European coasts.

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Senior, Youth And Women Entrepreneurship In the European Regions

Author(s): Anna Pilková,Juraj Mikuš,Ján Káčer / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The study aims to empirically investigate characteristics of regional distribution ofinclusive entrepreneurship in Europe through the selected less represented segments (seniors, women,youth) and to identify how the selected factors influence the extent to which the underrepresentedgroups are engaged in entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on Global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM) data(both APS – adult population survey and NES - national expert survey data) and the GDP per capitain PPS. A pooled sample of individual-level APS GEM data of 30 European countries for the periodof 2011 to 2016 was used. The sample is weighted to be representative. K-Means clustering using Hartigan and Wong algorithm was applied to divide countries into clusters based on constructedinclusivity indices of seniors, women and youth. Findings: We have identified four clusters among the studied European countries. Based on theiranalysis in the context of economic and entrepreneurial environment, and individual entrepreneurialcharacteristics, we found that opportunity perception increases with a higher level of the studiedenvironment. A better environment in combination with individual entrepreneurial characteristics,encourage especially seniors to start their businesses, while youth under these circumstances, preferto use employment opportunities. However, youth are more involved in entrepreneurship under weakeconomic and entrepreneurial conditions. Women do not seem to be significantly influenced neitherby economic and entrepreneurial environment nor individual entrepreneurial characteristics. Research/practical implications: Our findings provide information for policy makers. Presentedresults may help to improve the environment, and formulate strategies on inclusive entrepreneurshipand employment policy, which depend on the regional development stage and the level ofentrepreneurial involvement of the selected underrepresented groups. Future research should addressinclusive entrepreneurship further in the context of socioeconomic and cultural variables. Originality/value: The paper offers a value by providing a unique insight on inclusivity ofentrepreneurial activities in Europe, by breaking down the GEM-based analysis of female, youth andsenior entrepreneurship to regional levels.

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Reinvestment Possibilities and Evaluation: A Literature Review

Author(s): Pavla Pokorná,Jarmila Šebestová / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The topic of the research was selected in view of the prosperity and growth of firms andthe lack of information in the policy of reinvestment companies in general. The question arises if thissituation also affects the company's profit-sharing policy in some way. Design/methodology/approach: The first step is to map possible ways how reinvestment is definedand calculated in the current literature. A bibliometric analysis on existed studies was made to findout a logical pathway to describe determinants, closely connected with reinvestments. A sum of 3,635records in total was obtained from Web of Science database, to be compared. Secondly, articles withfinancial ratios had been reviewed and compared to choose appropriate set of indicators. Findings: Six key ratios were identified within first phase to be able to frame a further researchactivity by Modified IRR, Average IRR, Economic value added, Discounted economic value-added,Modified NPV and Annualised Net Present Value. A bibliometric analysis had shown three keyproblems such as (a) no ties between different financial indicators (internal ratios and ratios based onstock market); (b) lack of financial planning and the connection with equity financing; (c) no tiebetween financing ang equity financing for innovation, no other areas of reinvestment possibilitiesare discussed in review articles. Research/practical implications: A reinvestment as a term relates to financial controlling inEuropean countries and it relates to profitability and liquidity ratios. Further primary research mustfocus on dynamic investment ratios evaluation, connected with determinants which were identified.These results can be a source for financial strategy directions for company development. Originality/value: A wide bibliometric analysis (3,635 sources), which confirm non-unifiedapproach for reinvestment definition and ratios for reinvestment evaluation. This topic can serve asstart point to uncover the current trend of money flows and possible strategy in enterprises with properindicators.

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Path Dependence and Regional Paths of Process Changes in the Russian Industry

Author(s): Svetlana Rastvortseva / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The regional economy depends on the structure of industrial production which has beenestablished earlier. This study makes it possible to determine the hi-tech spheres in which theentrepreneurship is going to develop more successfully. The purpose of the investigation is todetermine the technological proximity of the industrial production branches with the high-techeconomy sector for further defining the egress from the previous development path. Design/methodology/approach: In order to determine possible egress of the region from theprevious development trajectory there has been proposed a method of proximity evaluation betweenthe high-tech sector and the existing structure of industrial production in the region. Thecharacteristics of high technologies relatedness to other industry branches in the Russian regions havebeen defined. Findings: For the Russian regions it was determined that less than 30% of sub-branches can beconsidered as connected with the high technology sector - 25%. The regions having the comparativeadvantages in the high-tech types of industry and sectors related thereto have been revealed. We havedemonstrated that individual regions can progress through investment into interregional connectionsand entrepreneurship domestic innovations. Research/practical implications: Considered as the investigatory contribution of the paper can bethe alternative proposed to the comparative advantage index in the form of a localization coefficientto be used at evaluation of the technological proximity of industrial branches. The results of this studycan be of benefit to representatives of the regional managerial bodies in the course of the economicpolicy development in the sphere of entrepreneurship. Originality/value: Proposed in the article is a method for evaluation of technological proximity ofindustry branches which differs from the traditional use of the localization coefficient. The calculatedproximity indexes make it possible to determine such high-tech industries to the development ofwhich there are the necessary prerequisites in the region, i.e. the technologically similar industrialproduction is under development.

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Are There Any Economic Impacts of Business R&D Support? The Case of the Czech Republic

Author(s): Tomáš Ratinger,Vladislav Čadil,Sylvester Amoako Agyemang / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: In recent years, evaluation of economic effects of R&D policies has become a key issue inpolicy debates. This paper contributes to these debates and aims to evaluate impacts of Czechprogramme TIP supporting R&D in private companies on the economic performance of supportedenterprises. The programme running in the period of 2009-2016 targeted on knowledge basedcompetitiveness strengthening through R&D activities. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on the counter-factual econometric approach.Because an appropriate control group could not be found among the unsupported companies, a so-called generalized propensity score matching (GPSM) was used. Two data sources were used:monitoring data of the TIP programme and economic data from the database Bisnode-MagnusWeb.The impact of R&D support on the firms’ performance was measured by output indicators: grossvalue added, profit and productivity. The analysis covered economic performance of 335 (i.e. 53%of supported firms) in the period of 2009-2015 using 2008 as a base year and 2013-2015 as an endperiod. Findings: Treatment effects are diverse depending on firm sizes. Generally, the R&D support effectsare positive and more substantial in small and medium firms while there are no such effects confirmedfor large firms. The support could only impact positively on the output (profit, productivity and grossvalue added) of small firms only after reaching a certain minimum threshold of the support whereasoutput diminishes for medium firms after a point of saturation. Research/practical implications: This paper results could be useful for policymakers and R&Dfunding providers because it provides evidences about microeconomic impacts of programmes,namely it shows the differentiated effects of public interventions in relation to the size categories ofbeneficiaries. Originality/value: The paper aspires to contribute to the ongoing debate on appropriate quantitativemethods for impact evaluation. The analysis confirms that GPSM approach provides logicaloutcomes and if the investigation is situated to the right time period after the programme isaccomplished it has potential to bring insight in the effects than the standard dichotomous model.

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Measuring Scaling-Up Awareness among Incubator Mentees

Author(s): Vivek Sharma,Sudhir K. Jain,Kusha Sharma / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The technology students in India are upbeat about the innovative environment in theirinstitutions while government wholeheartedly supports their entrepreneurship zeal in hope of supporttowards the gaping demand-supply mismatch, in job availability. The present work intends to explorethe naivety of technical innovators towards entrepreneurial challenges after a successful start. Design/methodology/approach: The awareness of scaling-up challenges among fresh applicantsseeking tenancy at these incubation centres, is an important parameter of knowledge for mentors ofincubation centres in academic institutions. This could be a roadblock in a nation’s plans to growprivate organisations and generate jobs. Data from 40 such applicants to incubation programs atIndian Institute of Technology, Delhi, were collected in 2018, to carry out a pilot study towardsexploration of naivety of technical patent holders regarding entrepreneurial careers. The work useda battery of self-generated statements about scaling-up of successful start-ups, addressed to applicantsof a technological incubator. Findings: The pilot study has thrown back three factors which have been named as ‘FutureReadiness’, ‘Early Stage recklessness’ and ‘Zeal for Growth’. The clubbing does point to researchedthemes like; (1) financial recklessness at initial stage of ideation by offering partnership in exchangeof meagre investments. (2) too much of individualism in decision making. Research/practical implications: The work has been carried out with a clear aim to generate a toolfor mentors at business incubators of academic institutions, which can assist the mentors in assessingthe need for scaling-up readiness right at start-up stage. The factors, once finalised, can be used fora pre-post analysis of the mentorship programs, with respect to the effectiveness of the scaling-upinformation disseminated during the mentorship program. Originality/value: The challenges of scaling-up the initial success of new business are distinctlydifferent from those faced by start-ups. Literature has reported many tools to assess the mentoringneeds of start-ups. The present attempt is aimed at facilitating the mentee readiness about the scaling-up needs, likely to come their way.

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Employer’S Responsibility in the Context of Company Occupational Pension Schemes in the Czech Republic and Germany

Author(s): Thomas Schiller / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: To prevent old age poverty in the Czech Republic and Germany, this paper contributes tothe debate on increasing the employer participation rate in the occupational pension schemes on offer.As such, we analyze whether, in recent years, employers have acted in accordance with their corporatesocial responsibility by offering occupational pension schemes and adequately informing theiremployees. Design/methodology/approach: The basis of this research was a cross-sectional data set consistingof three independent questionnaires which addressed employers and their employees. Therandomization applied ensures a comparative study between employers and employees. Findings: The survey highlights a large information asymmetry between the employers and theemployees. The employers act responsibly by, in general, providing occupational pension plans,although the participation rate is low. The employers also make use of extensive informationcampaigns on the subject. Nevertheless, the employees in the Czech Republic remain largelyuninformed, with the situation in Germany only slightly better. Research/practical implications: The information asymmetries suggest that the employers’ existinginformation strategies fail to provide their employees with sufficient financial knowledge. Thisasymmetry should be addressed by a two-fold strategy; improving the training of employees abouttheir financial situation and by using automatic enrollment with the possibility of opting out. Originality/value: Based on a cross-sectional study, the predominant information asymmetries wereidentified as the major practical problems in both the Czech Republic and in Germany. This studycontributes to the growing literature by focusing on the German and Czech labor markets with regardto an employer’s corporate social responsibility.

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The Role of Organizational Culture for Information Technology Management in Digitalization

Author(s): Marcel R. Sieber / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The following paper discusses the challenges and benefits of the Fourth IndustrialRevolution for information technology management and the corresponding impact on organizations.Exploring the relationship between organizational culture and information technology managementin the era of digitalization, it aims to find a model and hypotheses for further study. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents a literature review in the research field ofinformation technology management with a focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digitalization,and organizational culture. It structures the findings and develops a conceptional model about theeffect of corporate culture on information technology management. Findings: Although the cited literature hardly examines organizational culture, the review showsseveral notes of culture-related topics. The paper structures these perceptions along the dimensions“behaviors,” “artifacts,” “norms,” and “values.” It proposes the dimensions’ direct relationships withsuccess in digitalization as well as mediated effects between them. Research/practical implications: The study closes a gap in the research of the industry and the fieldof information technology management. It contributes to the discussion and awareness of the impactof organizational culture in information technology. Further research needs more exploration of thetopic, the models, and theory as well as empirical tests of hypotheses. Originality/value: The paper reflects the role of organizational culture in the information technologyresearch where a shortcoming is observable. It reshapes a layered architecture of corporate cultureand proposes an adapted model for the effects of organizational culture on information technologymanagement in the era of digitalization.

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The Universal Dimensions of Industry 4.0 Maturity Models from the Business Informatics Perspective

Author(s): František Simetinger / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: This paper is focused on the identified gaps in the Industry 4.0 maturity models forassessment of companies and enterprises readiness. The main output of this paper is a discussionof these gaps, identification of possible causes and solutions, and their integration into the conceptof IT management paradigm for Industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach: The literature review has a goal to identify the actual situationand solutions for the identified gaps in the areas as economic management, corporate governance,leadership, management, and education. As the following step, the inputs from the literature reviewwere used for adaption of modern management methods which can be used within businessinformatics in the context of Industry 4.0. Findings: The concept of Industry 4.0 requires significant changes in the concepts of managementand governance of business informatics and its surrounding environment. It is needed thetransformation of the relationship from dependency to the regular partnership between businessinformatics and its organization and enabling of the innovative culture. Research/practical implications: The proposed concept is relevant for responsible decision-makers and leaders in the organizations which consider the implementation of Industry 4.0concepts. It helps with the identification of new perspectives to the existing relationships and howto adapt the business informatics to the Industry 4.0 concept. Originality/value: Another concept with a similar aim of focus is not available yet. Based on gapsin the Industry 4.0 maturity models, it provides a new approach to issues which are constantlygetting higher importance. These issues require multidisciplinary solutions and possible way isprovided in this paper in a form of the new concept of IT management paradigm.

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Teleworking as a Modern Method of Work

Author(s): Pavel Sládek,Tomáš Sigmund / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The aim of this paper was to find out the attitude of students of economic fields towardsteleworking and their awareness of the related issues and to analyse the historical development oftheir opinions. Wider consequences were also drawn from the results. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a survey to achieve our purpose. A group ofrespondents was randomly selected and then the respondents were randomly selected out of thegroup. The respondents comprised 108 university students. We analysed the results by means ofthe descriptive statistics and the analysis of correlation. Findings: Given the fact that the research has been carried out with university students, thenumbers of people aware of the concept of teleworking are relatively low. The implementation ofteleworking is also not very frequent. The data vary considerably according to age and level ofeducation of respondents. The results from the years 2002 and 2019 are similar. The entrepreneursshould offer their potential employees a combination of classical work and teleworking and theyshould be especially sensitive towards woman in maternity leave who would opt for teleworkingto stay in touch with their work. Research/practical implications: Our results can help both those interested in this style of workand managers because students will be their potential employees. Students should be moreinformed about the options, benefits and drawbacks of teleworking at their universities. Employersshould be encouraged to offer this type of work to their employees. Originality/value: There are only a few researches pursuing this type of issues. Usually theawareness of the concept, benefits and drawbacks of teleworking is considered for granted. Theresearch of the respondents’ attitude towards teleworking is also relatively rare. The benefit of thiswork is among other things its so-called longitudinal approach.

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The Importance of Social Competencies for the Development of Creative Organisations

Author(s): Aneta Sokół,Karolina Drela,Agnieszka Gozdek / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present theories that refer to the impact of social competencieson creativity in creative organisations. The considerations have become the basis for formulatingthe research hypothesis: recognizing and knowledge about the pattern of social competenciesfavours to the development of creativity in creative organisations. Design/methodology/approach: The research procedure was based on literature studies in thefield of social competencies, creativity and creative organisations and in the empirical part surveyswere carried out - a questionnaire regarding Creative Life Orientations and questions regardingsocial competencies were used. Findings: The research carried out in this article allowed to indicate the components of socialcompetencies that are essential for the development of creativity, including creative organisations.Their indication will allow the organisation to create such conditions that will support thedevelopment of creativity by strengthening selected social competencies. Research/practical implications: Undertaking this subject allowed to notice some deficiencies intheoretical and empirical analysis in management sciences, which can be described as a practicalgap. In connection with the above, the conclusions of the research concerned the development ofrecommendations aimed at showing and then directing the development and its strengthening, soas to shape a specific pattern of social competencies that will support the development of creativity,and thus creative organisations. Originality/value: The results from the study allowed to indicate the pattern of socialcompetencies conducive to the development of creativity in creative organizations.

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Evaluation of Cluster Policy in Russia. Analysis of Publicly Supported Innovative Territorial Clusters

Author(s): Ekaterina Stepanova,Elizaveta Kolchinskaya / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: Today many programs supporting clusters are introduced in Russia and other countries.The purpose of the research is to provide a relevant quantitative study assessing the effectivenessof cluster policy. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, the effectiveness of Russia's cluster policy isanalyzed using regression analysis. The survey covers data on 516 Russian enterprises divided intotwo groups: companies from supported clusters and firms that are members of similar but notsupported clusters. To the classical variables of Cobb-Douglas production function (companies’revenue, number of workers, capital of the company) we added cluster program dummy variable.The main question of the research is whether companies in supported clusters operate moreeffectively than other companies. Findings: The analysis provided quite interesting results. It was found that governmental supportwhich was received by 27 innovative clusters didn’t have any effect on the revenue of thecompanies. This means that Russian innovation clusters work equally efficiently, regardless ofwhether they have government support. Research/practical implications: We have not found short-term effects on the enterprisesassociated with the supported clusters. The obtained results indicate that cluster policy conductedfrom 2012 to the present time requires adjustment. In this regard, the authors proposerecommendations on further implementation of cluster policy. Originality/value: We have described the production function of Russian companies which workin the clusters. We have found that there is no significant effect on companies' output fromgovernment supporting of the clusters in Russia. Effectiveness of cluster policy has never beenevaluated empirically before this research.

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Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies on Online CSR Communication

Author(s): Richard Szántó / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been changing since its creation.As the concept has been evolving, new definitions were born, and academics and practitioners havechanged their focus over the years. In this paper longitudinal studies dealing with online CSRcommunication are reviewed to explore general tendencies and patterns. Design/methodology/approach: In order to find longitudinal studies on online CSRcommunication within EBSCO Database related papers were sought. In addition, a furtherinvestigation was made with Google Scholar search engine to find more relevant papers aboutonline CSR communication. At the end of the search process, 7 articles were identified. Theselected longitudinal studies together cover a period between 2003 and 2017. Findings: The longitudinal analyses that were selected used similar research methodologies. Allstudies applied a content analysis where researchers were looking for predefined keywords andcategories on corporate websites. Findings suggest, that communicating about CSR activities andprinciples on corporate websites is evident for larger companies in the western world, and it isbecoming the norm in other parts of the world as well. The salience of different CSR topics on thewebsites, however, has been changing, and there are no constant key themes that would have beendominated the online CSR disclosure in the last 15 years. Research/practical implications: By analyzing longitudinal studies researchers and practitionersmay have deeper insights about (online) CSR communication, and they can predict futuretendencies of the field. Originality/value: Although research on internet-based CSR communication is abundant,longitudinal studies are rare. To the best knowledge of the author, this paper presents the firstattempt to perform a comprehensive review of these studies.

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Innovations or Modernisation? The Implementation of Agricultural Progress in Individual Farms in the Region of Lower Silesia

Author(s): Barbara Szczepańska,Jacek Szczepański / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: This article concerns the implementation of agricultural progress in individual farms. Itsaim is an attempt to answer the question whether the development of Polish individual farms takesplace through absorbing innovations of biological type or through modernisation expressed in thepurchase of new agricultural machinery. Design/methodology/approach: A holistic approach to studying agricultural progress wasapplied. The data comes from quantitative surveys conducted among individual farmerswho manage farms from 5 to 300 ha. 200 structured interviews with farmers were conducted(124 questions). The data analysed comes from surveys conducted in 2013 in Lower Silesia. Findings: The farmers declared that after Poland's accession to the EU, first of all, they madechanges in the field of applied plant protection products, in equipping the machinery park and onlyat the end of changes in the use of new varieties of agricultural plants. There are two ways ofexplaining this state of affairs: 1) The productivity and competitiveness of agriculture is determinedby farms over 20 ha, there are less than 10% of them. In other farms, their owners combine farmwork with commercial work or social sources (The Characteristics of Agricultural Holdings 2010:56). 2) The tractors have been before - but are also today a factor significantly affecting the statusof a good farmer in the rural community. Research/practical implications: The studies have shown little knowledge about biologicalprogress. Farmers do not share about benefits resulting from the application of biologicalinnovations, they do not know that kind of programs. Originality/value: The work presents its author’s own research which is an attempt to analysethe process of implementing agricultural progress in farms.

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Performance Measurement Systems: Approaches and Problems of SMES

Author(s): Maroš Šlenker,Zuzana Papulova,Silvester Krčméry / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The aim of the research was to evaluate the level of application of the performancemeasurement systems (PMS) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in Slovakia. Design/methodology/approach: We gathered the data by a questionnaire survey conducted in the2018. We analysed and evaluated the data using three nonparametric methods – Kruskal-Wallistest, Dunn's test and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Our sample consisted of 253 SMEsoperating in Slovakia. Within the framework of the theory, we tried to set the main problematicareas in SMEs by already published findings and then by comparing them to our results. Findings: The level of implementation of PMS in SMEs is still very low, although we could findsome positive and interesting improvements of SMEs towards the studied topic. In general, thereis insufficient number of complex PMS specifically designed for SMEs. Only a small number ofSMEs has experiences with PMS or specific tools designed for performance measurement andevaluation. The major reasons are linked to the understanding of importance and benefits of suchsystems, they have lack of knowledge and information about implementation and also lack of time,human, material and financial resources. Research/practical implications: Major outcomes of the paper are connected to identification ofreasons why SMEs do not apply PMS and also to identification of factors causing problems in thisarea in general for SMEs. We pointed out certain benefits that can help SMEs to improve theirperformance and competitiveness connected to performance measurement and evaluation. Ourrecommendations are also linked to the increase of interest and education of managers in this areaand to the development of more suitable approaches or specific tools that can better match theconditions of SMEs. Originality/value: We set the original research and present current findings on the approaches ofSMEs towards performance measurement in Slovakia with the intention to provide their managerswith suggestions for improvements.

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Social Marketing Campaigns Carried Out by Brand. A Case Study

Author(s): Beata Tarczydło / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The article was motivated by the question about the role of branded social marketingcampaigns in management practice? The purpose of the qualitative research was to obtaininformation on whether and what social marketing campaigns are conducted under the Ikea brandand what results they bring. Design/methodology/approach: Literature studies, meta-analysis of available online sources, andown qualitative studies using case study, participant observation, and online content analysis werecarried out. Information search focused on the following problem areas: What social marketingcampaigns are conducted under the Ikea brand? What issues do they concern? Who carries themout, for whom, with whom? What activities are involved? What are their results? Findings: The discussion and qualitative research confirmed that the brand’s social marketingcampaigns are an important management tool in the age of sustainability practices. The articlepresents Ikea’s social marketing campaigns: “Familiarised”, “The Room”, “Next-DoorNeighbours”, “Playing is serious business”, and “Ikea at COP24”. Branded social marketingcampaigns bring multiple benefits to all stakeholders. Research/practical implications: The analysed social marketing campaigns conducted by Ikeaconcern important issues: social issues, the problem of domestic violence, creating opportunitiesfor spending time in a constructive way, caring about children’s right to develop, also throughplaying which educates, lets them grow, and brings happiness, plus environmental issues and thoserelated to sustainable management and activities. Originality/value: The conducted literature and empirical studies contribute to expandingknowledge and practical skills in the area of sustainability. Branded social marketing campaignsincrease the effectiveness of personified brand management. The need to use them is determinedby current market conditions and new management paradigms. The discussed examples mayconstitute a model for other marketers.

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Innovation and Flexibility in Services Provided by Manufacturing Companies

Author(s): Eva Tomášková,Lucie Kaňovská / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: Manufacturing companies are positioning themselves increasingly as providers ofservices and solutions to their products in order to satisfy the customers’ various needs and wishes.The paper presents the results of a research investigating the items related to innovation andflexibility of services among electrical engineering companies in the Czech Republic. The aim ofthe paper is to find out if innovation and flexibility in services provided by manufacturingcompanies have a positive impact on the customers. Design/methodology/approach: To address the research objective, the questionnaire in the formof the Likert scale was prepared to gather information about services. A total of 60 SMEs from theSouth Moravian region of the Czech Republic participated in the survey during 2014. This is a firstempirical research focused on this area held among the electric engineering companies in the CzechRepublic. Findings: The main findings show that there is no direct impact of flexibility and innovation inservices on customers, but it can be said that flexibility and innovation perceived by customers arestill affecting, although less than we expected. Research/practical implications: In some areas, innovation and flexibility had strong positiveimpact on customers and there was certainly no negative impact. Even if there is no direct impactof flexibility and innovation on customers here, it can be said that flexibility and innovation bycustomers are still affecting, although less than we expected. Managers will certainly not defraudthemselves if they put emphasis on innovation and increasing flexibility for services offered bymanufacturing companies. Originality/value: There is still little information about understanding the service issue inmanufacturing companies. Therefore, the paper is focused on innovation and flexibility in servicesprovided by manufacturers in the Czech Republic.

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Strategy Orientations and the Performance Effect in International New Ventures

Author(s): Rosalina Torres-Ortega / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: This paper examines how the strategy orientation for international new ventures (INV)affects business performance, measured by customer performance and financial performance, inthe context of Spanish firms, and whether this effect varies between the strategies. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses data collected by web survey in a sample surveyof a data set of 92 INV. The technique of confirmatory factor analysis is used to test themeasurement properties of the study constructs. Subsequently, a structural equation modelingprocedure is used to test the research hypothesis developed on the basis of the literature review. Findings: The results show that the strategy orientations have a positive and significant effect onperformance in INV in customer and financial performance. The study findings indicate that thestrategy that had higher effect in the performance is the MO. Research/practical implications: From a business practice perspective, this research suggestedthat INV managers may adopt multiple strategies to attract and retain customers in differentmarkets, and positive effect in performance. Originality/value: Although strategies are well explored in management literature with positiveeffect for companies, this study advances the domain of international entrepreneurship intoexploring the effect of multiple strategies to achievement of superior performance in theinternational new ventures.

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Factors Affecting the Timeliness of Financial Statements: Empirical Research in Vietnam

Author(s): Hung Tang Tri,Phuong Thi Kim Tran,Ngan Le Vu Thanh / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The timeliness of financial statements is a critical characteristic and a necessarycomponent of relevant financial information that is receiving augmented attention byaccounting standard setters and regulatory authorities worldwide. Thus, this research aims tovalidate what factors affecting the timeliness of financial statements of Vietnamese listedbuilding material companies. Henceforward, it will significantly contribute to the quality offinancial statements particularly and the development of Vietnamese capital market generally. Design/methodology/approach: The data is collected from annual financial statements of 66building material companies listed on Viet Nam Stock Exchange (including HOSE and HNX)from 2013 to 2017. Then, research data is handled and analyzed by a multiple regression withOLS, FEM and REM model to descript the reliability and validity of research result. Findings: The result reveals that some factors such as board independence; board experience;and profitability have positive relationship with timeliness of financial statements, whereas thetype of financial statements; the duality of CEO; the foreign ownership and the leverage havenegative relationship with timeliness of financial statements. Furthermore, the findingsillustrate that there were no relationships between board size; board diligence; company sizeand the audit report lag. Research/practical implications: The paper identifies factors having the relationship with thetimeliness of financial statements of building material companies listed in Vietnam. From then,these companies’ managers and investors can consider these issues before making relevantdecisions. Further, the consecutive board of Viet Nam Stock Exchange also focuses on thispaper to enhance transparency of capital market as well as researchers can refer to it for theirstudies. Originality/value: This research broadens the knowledge on financial information quality, thetimeliness of financial statements particularly in Vietnamese capital market. Thence, the qualityof financial statements is augmented and investors as well as users will get benefits from it.

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