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This paper compares formal and informal modes of cooperation between SMEs in the post‐socialist transitional economy of Poland. It describes how small firms in a university environment utilise their networks of social relations to cope with some of the problems typical for SMEs in a post‐socialist transitional economy. Moreover, the paper gives a brief account of how successful similar firms are supported by the newly developing business support infrastructure. The data for this paper derive from a larger PhD project on networking in a transitional economy and are based on semi‐structured interviews with entrepreneurs and representatives of organisations who were selected using the snowballing method. The paper looks at two groups of firms that were established by academics from technical universities in two western Polish regions. It compares these structures with formal policy initiatives in the two regions, which aim to support similar firms. The evidence shows how personal contacts remained both between the technical universities and the firms as well as between the individual firms. The use of these interpersonal relations can lead to an effective means of knowledge transfer between universities and the business sphere and can also serve as problem‐solving mechanisms for the small business. The organisation of the business support infrastructure, on the other hand, seem to be rather unsuccessful in addressing the problems of such university spin‐offs. The problems of acceptance and credibility that these bodies encounter are mainly rooted in the reluctance of private entrepreneurs to get involved with public or quasi‐public institutions, which in turn is a result of socialist legacies.

This paper aims to show the possibilities of implementing the idea of sustainability in the context of energy transformation using the concept of an industrial cluster. The implementation of the idea of sustainability is of particular importance from the perspective of the functioning of the meta-organisations involved in the implementation and promotion of decarbonisation processes. Industrial clusters, as collective actors initiating collective actions and providing complex governance structures, seem to have a great fit with regard to the needs of disseminating and implementing the idea of sustainable development, also in conjunction with energy development.

Empirical evidence is derived from a case study of Mazovia Clustes ICT (MC ICT). Based on the experience of this cluster, this study wants to show the evolution of the industrial cluster through the prism of its growing activity in supporting energy transition. The authors conducted the research in the period 2022–2023 using in-depth personal interviews and an analysis of the secondary data. The primary technique for data analysis and interpretation was conventional qualitative content analysis.

As a result of this study, the authors have distinguished three main areas of cluster activity covering the strategic, operational/project and institutional levels. Within the first area, the cluster’s efforts focused on the development of a strategy and involvement in lobbying and co-legislating. The second area refers to the cluster’s activity in the carrying out of national and transnational projects on the creation and implementation of various energy solutions. The activities undertaken in the third area include support for the development of start-ups in the field of energy and involvement in the launch of an energy cluster and the development of distributed energy in Poland. Although the strategic and operational/project levels are characterised by a commonality of activities and goals, there is additionally a commonality of interests at the institutional level.

This paper has its limitations, which primarily relate to the small research sample (the choice of a case study as the main research strategy) and the methods used (qualitative research). Therefore, it is impossible to generalise the results to the entire population of clusters.

This paper has considerable practical value, as the results of this study may be relevant for public authorities interested in implementing energy transition through industrial clusters. The activities described can also be a source of inspiration for other clusters interested in shaping pro-environmental attitudes.

The cluster’s activities are closely linked to the three pillars of sustainable development, including the social pillar. The solutions developed within the cluster in the context of energy development are aimed not only at increasing energy efficiency and protecting the environment but also at broader social welfare.

This paper makes an additional contribution to the state-of-the-art of the industrial cluster concept by linking it to the idea of sustainable development, in the context of energy transformation. In addition, it sheds new light on issues related to cluster co-operation, combining the case of the industrial cluster with the very fresh and as yet poorly described idea of the energy cluster.

The entrepreneurial marketing orientation (EMO) has been studied primarily in developed countries. The past research has focused on entrepreneurial marketing dimensions and their relationship with selected small- and medium-sized firm (SME) activities, strategic orientations or performance. Scholars have not paid enough attention to the EMO determinants. This study aims to investigate whether the SMEs originating from different countries, including the post-transition market, differ in their entrepreneurial marketing approach and checks its external determinants connected with environmental turbulence.

A total of 219 Polish and 81 Finnish manufacturing SMEs, serving mainly business-to-business clients, were surveyed using the mixed-mode computer assisted telephone interview/computer assisted web interview method between 2020 and 2021. Structural equation modelling, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis analysis, analysis of variance and T-tests were applied.

The metric and partial scalar invariance of the EMO scale used in Finland and Poland was found. The authors showed that Finnish firms represent a more robust entrepreneurial posture in marketing than Polish ones. The export market turbulence and the perceived crisis influence are the environmental determinants of EMO level, while the industry technological development level is not.

The conducted analyses allowed to identify EMO determinants, verify the entrepreneurial marketing measurement concept in a new country (Finland) and show the differences in EMO between SMEs from a less and more developed country.

The existing literature lacks empirical data on the external EMO determinants and inter-country comparisons. This study shows the differences in EMO level of companies from different country backgrounds and points to the market turbulence as its determinant.

The aim of this paper is to identify ways and motives of application of e-commerce in the foreign expansion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) fashion brands.

A multiple case study was used as the research method. Data were obtained from primarily in-depth interviews with managers of four Polish SMEs –fashion brands owners, whose products are sold in the foreign markets using e-commerce, and secondary sources.

Through this study the authors identified both strategic-proactive and market-reactive motives of e-commerce applications in SMEs’ fashion brands in the internet-enabled foreign expansion and three different models of usage of e-commerce in the foreign expansion of SMEs.

The research was based on the multiple case study of only Polish SMEs in the fashion industry. The conclusions of this study can be applied by fashion companies in their internet-based foreign expansion.

This study contributes to the existing body of literature on the internationalization process of SMEs, and particularly on the application of cross-border e-commerce in the foreign internet-enabled expansion of fashion SMEs by identifying three various models of applying e-commerce, in the internet-enabled foreign expansion and their both proactive and reactive motives.

The transition from centralised to market economy created a number of difficulties for Polish enterprises and many of them went bankrupt, especially after the Soviet market had been lost. While large companies, such as steelworks, coal mines, railways, etc, have been protected by the government for social reasons, the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) could survive only when they, by themselves or with some external assistance, were able to introduce internal changes and adjust to the market environment. Polish SMEs may be divided into two groups: emerging private firms and split firms which were created by a partition of large state‐owned enterprises. The various reasons for failure are discussed for both groups and compared with those described in the literature. A general model of consultancy intervention is presented and the attitudes of Polish enterprises towards change are described. In general, the state‐owned and split firms are reluctant to change unless their situation is critical, and if restructurisation is done it is rather superficial. Thus, a successful consultant has to be not only convincing and flexible but also must assess how deep a change is wanted by a given enterprise. This paper presents the approach used in helping the split firms by the University of Mining and Metallurgy (UMM), Faculty of Management Consulting Group. In order to find solutions for a given firm, a working team consisting of representatives of an enterprise and university was set up. The team devises a strategy of enterprise survival and prepares a detailed plan of the steps to be taken. This approach, which in many cases has proved to be successful, consists of trying to infuse the employees with the philosophy of enterprise survival and organising a series of relevant training activities. When the employees fully understand the essence of all the actions necessary for enterprise survival (privatisation, improvement of marketing, creation of systems of motivation, quality control, management information and other), the consulting group’s role as “company doctor” is limited to the supervision of the change planning process and the assessment of the solutions chosen. This system of triggering employee initiative has been found to be not only effective but also cheap, an aspect which in the case of small enterprises should not be underestimated.

The European Union offers support mechanisms to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to innovate and grow. Given the substantial contribution of SMEs to national economies, the present paper explores what factors tend to be associated with the success of EU-supported innovation by SMEs in Poland during its early post-accession period.

A conceptual model relating the type of innovation, investment purpose, funding type and financial readiness, location and collaboration possibilities, company size and sector of operation to changes in the capital base, employment, unit price and revenue is proposed. This model is operationalised and estimated as a structural equations model and estimated using a sample of 110 SMEs surveyed in 2008 in the Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) region in Poland.

Two approaches to the successful use of innovation support have been observed among the studied companies. The first approach implements market innovations to establish a presence in foreign markets and to move the product or service up the value chain. The second approach uses the funding to de-risk workforce expansion and increase production capacity.

The paper provides the first systematic disaggregate level analysis of an early post-accession context where impacts of EU support for SME innovation are decomposed into effects of specific investment conditions and innovation type on changes in capital base, employment, unit price and ultimately revenue. The insights provided here are valuable for managers developing business and innovation strategies on the one hand, but also for policymakers responsible for creating an entrepreneurship friendly environment in emerging economies.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The rapid advancement in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has brought enormous business opportunities as well as challenges. One of these challenges is the demand for ICTs skills and expertise in adopting and implementing these emerging technologies. Coping with skills shortage poses a serious challenge across all European countries. Lack of ICTs skills and knowledge is more evident in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). As training is regarded as the most effective way of improving skills and enhancing knowledge, this paper attempts to address skills shortage at pan‐European level by identifying SMEs’ needs on ICTs training in the UK, Portugal and Poland. The investigation focuses on the most needed training areas, the required training levels and the preferred training delivery channels. The paper summarises findings from three‐country investigations and highlights the implications of findings for the design and development of a Web‐based training system for the use of ICTs in SMEs.

The authors investigate the factors affecting the decision of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to do business with either small local banks or large commercial banks.

We combine various data sources on Polish SMEs, including their financial statements, county-level data on SMEs' local environment, information about bank branch locations, as well as a new survey on the specificity of bank–firm relationships. We employ the logit and Tobit models.

SMEs' bank choices and the length of a bank–firm relationship are more strongly associated with trust-related factors, rather than transactional ones. SME managers motivated by trust-related factors are more likely to choose local lenders and maintain long-term relationships with them. However, as firms grow and mature, SME managers lean toward banks adopting transaction-oriented policies.

We could have drawn a more detailed picture of the bank selection process had we been able to compare the traits of a firm's current and previous banks.

The study shows that the features of a bank's offer, including product prices, have limited potential in shaping long-term relationships between banks and SMEs.

The topic of bank selection by SMEs has not been thoroughly investigated in the case of Central European countries. We address this gap by comparing two types of potential drivers of bank selection: trust-related factors and a set of purely economic (transactional) motives.

The authors aimed to examine how the level of digitalization in Poland and Ukraine affects the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the countries’ gross domestic product (GDP).

The study involved a comparative analysis and statistical modeling of the impact of key economic factors on the contribution of SMEs to Poland’s and Ukraine’s GDP in the 2010–2020 period. The authors used principles of the theory of economic growth and calculated the coefficient of digital competitiveness as a composite indicator consisting of a number of global indices.

The study revealed significant differences between both countries, which can be attributed to a higher level of digitalization in Polish SMEs. The authors used the Polish experience to recommend how to reform Ukraine’s digital economy in postwar recovery.

The contribution of SMEs to Poland’s GDP is higher than that of Ukraine’s because of the higher entrepreneurship rate in the Polish micro and small enterprises (MSEs) sector. The authors found that a unit change in the integrated coefficient of digital competitiveness is related to the greatest change in the contribution of SMEs to the country’s GDP when the other factors in the model equation remain fixed.