Business Commons^™

Smes “Growing Smart”: The Complementarity Of Intangible And Digital Investment In Small Firms And Their Contribution To Firm Performance, Eva Erjavec, Tjaša Redek, Črt Kostevc

Economic and Business Review

Like large companies, small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are turning to new digital technologies and knowledge-based capital to bolster their productivity and growth. However, data show that smaller companies lag significantly in implementing new Industry 4.0 technologies and in the intensity of their use. Lack of skills and human capital is often cited as one of the biggest barriers. This paper examines the benefits of digital technologies, intangible capital, and in particular the role of complementary investments in new technologies and intangible capital to maximize the impact on productivity growth. The analysis draws on extensive firm-level datasets combining business and …

The Effect Of Primary School Entrepreneurship Education Programs On The Evolution Of Pupils’ Human Capital Assets, Janez Gorenc, Alenka Slavec Gomezel, Željka Kitić, Blaž Zupan

Economic and Business Review

The formation of entrepreneurship-related human capital in primary-school entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) is of great interest to European policymakers. European education systems have widely implemented EEPs since the Oslo Agenda for entrepreneurship education in Europe was passed in 2006. However, primary-school EEPs remain an underresearched domain of entrepreneurship education. The present article investigates the development of entrepreneurship-related human capital in EEPs for 9–14-year-olds in 22 primary schools. It uses a quasi-experimental design with repeated measures. Based on data obtained from a sample of 180 participants, the analysis finds that the whole group partly improved only one of the components of …

The Process Of The Intergenerational Succession Of Leadership In A Family Business, Bojan Dolar, Roberto Biloslavo

Economic and Business Review

Background and objective: In this paper, we explore first-generation leadership succession in family businesses which, despite extensive literature on the subject, remains insufficiently understood. Our goal is to acquire new knowledge and understanding regarding this phenomenon with a view to making it more effective.

Method: The basis of our research is a qualitative multiple case study that includes six medium-sized manufacturing family businesses. We conducted semi-structured interviews with incumbents, successors and family representatives, and analysed the data obtained using the content analysis method.

Results: The data analysis and interpretation led to a definition of the category “The way ahead: the …

Exploring The Strategic Elements Of Backers’ Persuasion In Reward-Based Crowdfunding, Sabina Grižančič, Mateja Drnovšek

Economic and Business Review

In this paper we investigate the strategic elements that project founders' use in reward-based crowdfunding campaigns to achieve a higher level of persuasion. Exploration of these elements not only provides insights into an entrepreneur's experience with crowdfunding but also provides material for comparing results reported by other (quantitative) studies. We conducted an empirical study with 13 Kickstarter project founders through in-depth, semi-structured interviews which were analysed through a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Drawing from our findings, we propose four strategic elements that founders use to persuade backers and achieve success drawing from individual-level experiences and observations.

Effect Of Work-Family Conflict On Job Satisfaction Of Small Enterprise Managers, Joseph Kwadwo Tuffour, Florence Mansa Bortey

Economic and Business Review

Balancing priorities and demands of work and family at the same time can be quite hectic and likely to generate conflicts. Workers must find strategies to manage the exigencies of modern living in order to maintain job satisfaction as well as family relationships. This study investigates the effect of work-family conflict’s two directions on job satisfaction, and the moderating role of resilience. The study used a cross-sectional survey method to collect data from 293 small-scale enterprise managers, utilizing a structured questionnaire. Correlation and analysis of variance techniques were used. The results reveal that the work-family conflict has a significant positive …

An Entrepreneur’S Perspective On Entrepreneurial Recycling, Alenka Slavec Gomezel, Rok Stritar

Economic and Business Review

We propose new insights into entrepreneurial recycling, focusing on the entrepreneur’s perspective on the role of recycling. We define entrepreneurial recycling as the process by which entrepreneurs share, receive, and transform human, social, organizational, and financial capital throughout the entire entrepreneurial lifecycle: entry, growth and exit. However, research on this topic remains fragmented and underdeveloped. We applied a qualitative, interpretive, and inductive lens to explore the lived experience of six entrepreneurs in order to conceptualize entrepreneurial recycling and understand the implications for entrepreneurial theory and practice. We argue that when entrepreneurs recycle, they trigger a reciprocal trust loop with benefits …