Karin Širec

Fostering innovation by unlearning tacit knowledge

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the problems of managing tacit knowledge and the importance of unlearning it. As the main problem of managing tacit knowledge lies in the fact that it escapes observation and measurement, an adequate framework that would make some dimensions of tacit knowledge visible has to be developed.Design/methodology/approach – On the basis of literature surveys the authors discuss several types of knowledge and issues related to sharing, learning and, most importantly, unlearning obsolete tacit knowledge dimensions.Findings – To overcome the perpetual elusiveness of tacit knowledge is presented a framework that could help highlight dimensions of tacit knowledge that can be mobilized and observed through the manifestation of different behaviour. It is partly possible to make explicit some dimensions of tacit knowledge that not only contribute to successful sharing and mutual learning, but also enable the identification of those parts of knowledge that hinder innovati...

The determinants of Internet use controlling for income level: Cross-country empirical evidence

This paper seeks to explain the intensity of Internet use in terms of information and communication technology (ICT) and other socioeconomic indicators (i.e., economic, investment, international trade, educational, and population distribution) according to income. Using factor analysis, the three most important factors were extracted; their factors scores are used for further regression analysis to estimate impact on Internet usage. The strongest positive and most significant impact on Internet use was the ICT infrastructure and people capabilities, followed by income distribution, and investment and international trade. These results demonstrate that the size of the impact differs across income groups, as hypothesized.

Gender specifics in entrepreneurs' personal characteristics

This paper explored Slovenian entrepreneurs’ personal characteristics to understand the existing gender gap in transitional countries, testing the proposed model among small and medium-sized company owners (N = 201; 32.3% female, 67.7% male). The research operationalized entrepreneurs’ characteristics according to psychological and non-psychological motivation factors; the former resulted in four types of Slovenian entrepreneurs while the latter was divided into human and social capital. Significant differences emerged among genders related to certain psychological motivation factors and social capital categories, but not human capital. Women remain an unexploited source of entrepreneurship; thus, Slovenia should establish effective mechanisms to promote female entrepreneurship.

Determinants Of A Fast-Growing Firm’s Profits: Empirical Evidence For Slovenia

Abstract This paper seeks to explain the relationship between a firm’s profitability and firm size, leverage ratio and labour costs – using a sample of 782 Slovenian fast-growing firms from the years 2008 and 2009. We determined that profitability is negatively related to the firm size and leverage ratio, but positively to the labour costs. These results illustrate that, with increasing firm size, a fast-growing firm becomes less profitable. The negative coefficient for the leverage ratio indicates that the higher the extent to which debts were used as the source of financing, the lower the profits. One explanation for this is that profitable, fast-growing firms rely on their equity capital. Alternatively, higher-leveraged firms bear greater risks of bankruptcy; consequently, creditors are reluctant to approve credit for such clients. The positive association between labour costs and profitability implies that the higher the labour cost, the higher the profitability of fast-growing firms.

Building an Entrepreneurial Society : 25 years of entrepreneurship at FEB UM

The present scientific monograph was formed on the occasion of the anniversary celebrated in the academic year 2017/2018 by current and former members of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Business Economics, and the members of the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management at the University of Maribor. Twenty-five years – a quarter of a century – is a period after which it is worth looking back on the past and summing up the memories of the achievements and milestones that have marked it. The monograph is also an acknowledgment and tribute to the initiator and founder of the first study track for entrepreneurship education, and the head of the Department and Institute, Professor Doctor Miroslav Rebernik. The collection of selected scientific contributions is thus put together in such a way that he is the co-author of all of them, with individual members of the Department. A collection was created that chronologically presents some of the most visible contributions of the 25-year period. We would like to thank all publishing houses that approved the reprint of the contributions.

Slovenska podjetja in krožno gospodarstvo : slovenski podjetniški observatorij 2017

V monografiji smo analizirali vse gospodarske družbe in samostojne podjetnike v Sloveniji za leto 2016 ter primerjali kljucne podatke za leto 2015 oziroma 2014 med Slovenijo in EU-28 oziroma posameznimi clanicami v nefinancnem sektorju gospodarstva (to so dejavnosti industrije, trgovine in storitev). V Sloveniji je bilo leta 2016 v celotnem gospodarstvu 124.058 podjetij, ki so zaposlovala 543.371 ljudi. Najvec podjetij (skoraj petina) je v Sloveniji leta 2016 delovalo v dejavnosti trgovine; vzdrževanja in popravil motornih vozil. Tudi v EU-28 je leta 2015 vec kot cetrtina podjetij (26,4 % ali 6,2 milijona) poslovala v dejavnosti trgovine; vzdrževanja in popravil motornih vozil. Ta dejavnost je zaposlovala najvec ljudi, skoraj cetrtino (33,1 milijona). V EU-28 in Sloveniji so najvec dodane vrednosti ustvarila podjetja predelovalnih dejavnosti. Povprecna dodana vrednost na zaposleno osebo za agregirane dejavnosti v EU-28 v letu 2015 je znasala 51.086 evrov, v Sloveniji pa 32.694 evrov (skoraj 40 % manj). V drugem delu proucujemo kontekst krožnega gospodarstva z vidika izzivov in priložnosti za slovenska MSP. Opredeljujemo koncept krožnega gospodarstva, strateska izhodisca za prehod v krožno gospodarstvo na nacionalni ravni, problematiko merjenja krožnega gospodarstva in prikaz stanja in možnosti uporabe ekodizajna v slovenskih MSP na podrocju gradbenistva in z njim povezanih dejavnosti.

Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Potential: GEM Slovenia 2016, Executive summary

The book presents the results of the largest longitudinal study of entrepreneurship in the world, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. It is based on data collected in 2016 and before, and deals with the interconnectedness of entrepreneurship and economic development. This monograph brings the results of the study of entrepreneurship in Slovenia and compares them with the results of other countries. It is based on a joint methodology and performed within a closely linked and interconnected global network of researchers, allowing detailed international comparisons. The book enables a better understanding of societal values about entrepreneurship and the specific individual characteristics of persons, such as their perception of their own entrepreneurial capabilities, their ability to perceive business opportunities, their entrepreneurial intentions and their fear of failure. Because the survey monitored entrepreneurial activity in all phases of the life cycle (nascent, new and established businesses, business discontinuation), and according to the impact and type of activity, it delivers a comprehensive picture of entrepreneurship processes and their ecosystem. A substantial amount of attention is also devoted to entrepreneurial aspirations and the quality of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, since the latter may significantly foster (or constrain) entrepreneurial processes in a society.

Perceived Gender Equality in Managerial Positions in Organizations

Abstract Background and Purpose: This research aims to achieve two main objectives: to investigate differences between male and female managers regarding the perceived gender equality in organizations and to analyze the gender differences in relationships among the perceived gender equality, the perceived satisfaction with employment position and career, the perceived satisfaction with work, and the perceived work-family conflict. Design/Methodology/Approach: The sample of research includes 82 managers in Slovenian organizations. In first stage, we analyzed with t-test differences between male and female regarding perceived gender equality in decision-making positions. In the next step we developed the conceptual models and used structural equational modeling (SEM), and analyzed differences between constructs in two conceptual models. Results: The research results show that female managers perceive gender equality in organizations in general to be significantly lower than males; furthermore, perceived gender equality is positively related to the perceived satisfaction with employment position and career as well as to the perceived satisfaction with work, but both relationships are significantly stronger for female managers. On the other hand female managers seems to cope more efficiently with the perceived work-family conflict since it has significantly different impact on female managers’ perceived satisfaction with work, as compared to the male managers. Conclusion: To achieve more gender equality within organizations and a reduction of the gender gap, the legislative initiatives cannot be successful without appropriate corporate strategy sets, which presents the framework for doing business and determines the internal working culture. The findings offer several policy, as well as business practice-oriented implications.

Growth aspirations of early-stage entrepreneurs: Empirical investigation of South-Eastern and Western European countries

We aimed to 1) estimate the associations between innovation and international orientation of early-stage entrepreneurs and their growth aspirations and 2) determine whether these associations differ across south-eastern European countries (SeECs) and western European countries (WECs). We used the data from the 2003–2008 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Adult Population Survey for 3,098 SeEC and 3,626 WEC entrepreneurs. The results show that 1) a firm’s high level of competition inhibits its growth aspirations in both regions, albeit more so in SeECs; 2) innovative products/services stimulate firm growth aspirations in WECs only; and 3) international orientation stimulates firm growth aspirations in both regions, albeit more so in WECs.

Gender Perspectives of SMEs Networking Activities: Evidence from Slovenia

The basic purpose of the current chapter is to examine one of the most well-known organizational concepts from the end of the 1990s – the concept of networking. In so-called networking economy, each network actor (individual, team, or organization) is embedded in a larger economic web that affects each participant and, in return, is influenced by that participant. By analyzing networking activities between enterprises and organizations (business networking) as well as entrepreneurs’ personal networking (entrepreneurial networking), this study seeks to empirically address the following research question: “How does activity in network relationships differ between male and female entrepreneurs and the companies they are directing?” The gender perspective is important because of the limited understanding of the gendered influences of economic development that entrepreneurship activity undoubtedly has on a society. The analysis is based on a data set and questionnaires with 193 entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized companies in Slovenia. The results revealed interesting findings. It appears that male entrepreneurs have less intensive cooperation with supportive institutions as female entrepreneurs who are largely separating their private life from business. The initial findings represent a signal for the entrepreneurial supportive environment; it should be better adapted to meet the needs of the specific SME segment.