Lidia Danik

Success factors and development barriers perceived by the Polish born global companies. Empirical study results

The paper presents a review of literature concerning the success factors and development barriers of the born global companies, followed by results of two empirical studies conducted in Poland in 2012 and 2013. The first was performed with use of the individual interview technique, followed by content analysis of the conversation transcripts. The second was a CATI survey of 256 Polish born global companies, the first such survey in Poland performed on such a wide sample. The research revealed that the Polish born globals perceive product quality and pricing as their main success factors. They face similar managerial and environmental challenges as described in literature concerning companies based in foreign countries.

International Experience and Perceived Success Factors in International Collaborative Relationships. An Empirical Study of Polish Firms Cooperating with Chinese and German Partners

International experience and perceived success factors in international collaborative relationships. An empirical study of Polish firms cooperating with Chinese and German partners

Antecedents of Accelerated Internationalisation of Polish and Czech Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Objective: The study goal was the investigation of relationships between accelerated internationalisation descriptors and antecedent firm- and entrepreneur-related factors in Polish and Czech SMEs. Research Design & Methods: In order to compare Polish and Czech companies, the data collected in two independent studies were used. The study of 233 Polish companies was conducted with the use of CATI method in 2014; 108 Czech companies were surveyed in 2013/2014 with the use of CAWI method. In both samples half of the surveyed SME-exporters were conforming to the accelerated internationalisation criteria. Findings: In both samples the “global vision” elements and company internationalisation scale and speed were interrelated. In the Polish companies this relationship was moderated by company size. There was the lack of strong positive relationships between innovativeness and internationalisation speed and scale in both samples. Implications & Recommendations:The managerial mindset has a decisive role for accelerated internationalisation in both Czech and Polish SMEs. The innovativeness of offering is not indispensable for fast foreign expansion. Larger companies may expand abroad faster if they have internationally oriented managers. Contribution & Value Added:This work addresses a research gap concerning idiosyncrasies of internationalisation antecedents in Polish and Czech enterprises. As the results show, there is no common internationalisation pattern for Polish and Czech SMEs.

Entrepreneurial orientation elements in the Polish international new ventures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop the international entrepreneurship theory, by examining the entrepreneurial characteristics of international new venture (INV) originating in Poland. Furthermore, it is assessed in the study whether these characteristics relate to the performance of INVs, considering the role of the age of the company. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected via a CATI survey of 105 Polish small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), conforming to the early internationalization criteria, and 128 gradually internationalized SMEs. Student’s t-tests, correlation and, regression analysis were applied for group comparisons and relationship testing. Findings The Polish INVs are characterized by higher innovativeness and risk propensity than gradual exporters. Moreover, medium-strength correlations between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) elements and performance were found. The regression analysis proved that new product introduction, risk taking, and experience influence INV performance. Research limitations/implications The sample includes Polish SMEs from one sector. Moreover, most of the analyzed companies admitted being successful abroad, which may have influenced the study results. Practical implications Fast launching of new products and product development are important for quick expansion. A conciliatory approach to competitors is associated with better performance. Regarding the policy makers, the development of “breakthrough innovations” might not be as important as assisting the INVs in product launches. Originality/value An under-researched topic of EO of SMEs from a post-transformation market and its relationships with performance is explored. Moreover, the correlation of the company’s age and experience with success is studied.

Inter-firm Relationship Quality vs. Perceived Cultural Differences

Abstract The objective of this exploratory study is to determine whether and (if so) how perceived cultural differences influence relationship quality. To make this determination this study analyzed the cooperation of 278 Polish exporters and importers with their German and Chinese partners. Indicators of perceived cultural differences by cooperating companies were created, and then linear regression models were derived, showing the dependence of relationship quality dimensions on the perceived cultural differences. The findings confirmed the impact of the cultural differences perceived by Polish partners on all dimensions of inter-firm relationship quality. However, not all the perceived differences influenced the relationships. The perception of the differences did not depend strongly on the partner’s country of origin. This study identifies new antecedents of relationship quality, which not only contribute to the international business theory but also suggests practical managerial implications. On the whole, managers can improve relationship quality if they behave similarly to their partners.