The monograph represents the results of the Slovenian part of the world's largest entrepreneurial research Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), which completed its 19th cycle in 2017. The results of the research enable us: 1) to measure the differences in relation to entrepreneurship, activities and aspirations of individuals in large number of countries; 2) to identify factors that encourage or hinder entrepreneurial activity, in particular in relation to social values, personal characteristics and the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem; 3) to analyse the relationship between entrepreneurial activity and economic growth in a particular economy or types of economies, and 4) to identify and develop appropriate economic policy measures to strengthen entrepreneurship. In the survey, based on the data of a random sample of adult population, = 2000 persons and in in-depth interviews with 30 national experts in Slovenia, the activity of entrepreneurship is monitored throughout the life cycle (entrepreneurial intentions, nascent, new, established entrepreneurs, exits from entrepreneurship). The motivation for entrepreneurship is different, the main motives are: entrepreneurship with the purpose to exploit the promising business opportunity, this type is prevailing in Slovenia, and entrepreneurship out of necessity. This study highlights the strengthening of the perception of promising business opportunities among people in Slovenia, which was, however, in lagging in comparison with other countries in Europe. The percentage of those who perceive business opportunities has risen, but it is still smaller than in most innovation-driven countries, with a developed entrepreneurial ecosystem. The survey highlights the important link between entrepreneurship education and training, which is one possible way of creating supporting cultural and social norms for entrepreneurship. These are often identified in Slovenia as a critical factor of entrepreneurship, and the attitude of society towards entrepreneurship significantly influences the decision of an individual to become involved in entrepreneurship.
COBISS.SI-ID: 94342657
Scientific Monograph Building an Entrepreneurial Society: 25 Years of Entrepreneurship at FEB UM was created on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of education and research of entrepreneurship. The monograph also presents a gratitude and a gift to the initiator and founder of the first study program at the University of Maribor, intended for entrepreneurial education, and the head of the Department and Institute, prof. dr. Miroslav Rebernik. The set of collected scientific contributions is therefore composed in such a way that he is co-author of each of them with individual members of the Department. Thus, in the co-authorship of prof. dr. Barbara Bradač Hojnik, doc. dr. Katja Crnogaj, prof. dr. Jožica Knez-Riedl, mag. Tadeja Krošlina, prof. dr. Dijane Močnik, prof. em. ddr. Matjaz Muleja, late doc. dr. Ksenje Pušnik, mag. Mateja Rusa, prof. dr. Karin Širec and prof. dr. Polone Tominc, a collection that presents in chronological order some of the most significant contributions of the 25-year period, was created. In the introductory chapter of the monograph, the editor, prof. dr. Karin Širec gives an overview of education and entrepreneurship research in the twenty-five years. It represents the beginnings of entrepreneurship education and the first study program of entrepreneurship at the FEB, then called Small Business Management, which afterword transformed into entrepreneurship study. Following is a presentation of the development of the educational directions of entrepreneurship at higher, university, master and doctoral level, showing the number of graduates per program, and the pedagogical productivity of the staff of the Department through a quantitative presentation of the highest quality pedagogical publications and mentorships. Since academic excellence is reflected in particular through publication and citation of published works, a twenty-five-year review of the research work of all members of the Department is also presented. From the data it is possible to find a remarkable progress in the observed period, both in terms of number and quality, as well as from the aspect of the visibility of the scientific activity of the members. The presented achievements show that during the years of development of entrepreneurship education at the FEB, the staff of the Department and Institute engaged in the continuous improvement of the pedagogical process and investing in top-level research competences in the co-creation and development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the improvement of entrepreneurial practices. They were actively involved in the emergence of the first university incubator in Slovenia – Tovarna podjemov, which takes care of the implementation of entrepreneurial ideas in practice. They are aware that the ideal environment for entrepreneurship must provide a critical mass of entrepreneurial talents, excellent support services and access to knowledge, technology and capital. On the solid basis of the quarter century, it is quite realistic to expect that the staff of the Department and Institute will continue to work towards ambitious plans for the co-creation and development of the Slovenian entrepreneurial society.
COBISS.SI-ID: 94160641
Reuse is a type of concept meant to solve environmental problems and can be implemented in different models. This study explores the social franchising model in the area of ICT reuse, relying on a case study of international social franchise and a comparative analysis of its three franchisees. The concept of the proposed social franchising model is based on a theoretical framework and a case study organization analysis, and has four developmental phases with nine identified key factors, which are essential to creating the necessary systematic approach for a successful outcome by creating both economic and social impact on a scale. This article contributes to the social entrepreneurship literature by analyzing success factors that have allowed our case study to operate as a highly successful franchise. The empirical part of the paper employs a case study of the organization to provide evidence of the existing model for social franchising in the reuse of ICT in Ireland, the U.S. and Slovenia. The paper concludes by revealing the social franchising model framework in the reuse of ICT. The article is important for theory as well as business practice, because it deals with the topic of circle economy and sustainability, which became significant topics in the scientific literature as well as in political issues and business practice.
COBISS.SI-ID: 13078044
Energy efficiency measures and climate policies are closely related to strategic concerns of companies, and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has become an important indicator of energy efficiency measures. This paper discusses the application aspects of organisational carbon footprint (CF) for telecommunications companies. In order to better understand the structure of overall (direct and indirect) GHG emission, the model for calculating the organizational CF was established for the case of a telecom operator in its initial stages of carbon policy. In order to understand the importance of scope 3 categories in the overall CF, calculated results were compared to CF results reported by three other European telecommunications operators. The results for a particular case based on Slovenian operator revealed that the largest contributor to GHG emissions is the consumption of purchased electricity. The employees' commute to and from work, the use of company-owned vehicles, and heating represent the next major sources of GHG emissions. It was shown that the most contributive upstream scope 3 aspects are similar for various European telecommunication operators and that exclusion of some categories along the supply chain may give a distorted image of organizational CF. However, our research confirmed that the indirect emissions should definitely be taken into consideration when establishing environmental policy in the company. This is important conclusion for sustainability practices in companies.
COBISS.SI-ID: 13088796
Paper analyses the differences between early stage immigrant and native entrepreneurs regarding growth determinants and growth aspirations, across southeast (SeECs) and north and west (NwECs) European countries as well as the associations between their growth determinants and growth aspirations. The study used data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Adult Population Survey. Results 1) significant differences between growth aspirations of immigrant and native early stage entrepreneurs were found only in the group from north and west European countries; 2) growth determinants stimulate early stage entrepreneurs’ growth aspirations in both regions; 3) significant differences between growth determinants of immi-grant and native early stage entrepreneurs were found only in the group from north and west European countries. For this region, it was confirmed that immigrants’ early stage entrepreneurs are using new technologies and introduce new products/services as well as are internationally oriented to a significantly greater extent than native early-stage entrepreneurs. Our research results are important, since the recent wave of immigrants in Europe calls for sound and in-depth investigation of economic integration as well as the potential for this specific group of people. The need to create appropriate structural conditions for immigrant entrepreneurship has never been more necessary. Thus, understanding the patterns of immigrant versus native early stage entrepreneurial activity sheds light on these important phenomena and highlights the need for future policy actions.
COBISS.SI-ID: 12828956
Processes of transferring, interacting, sharing and converting knowledge are of crucial importance in any firm due to their influence on innovations. These processes are especially challenging during the family business succession. A theory-building qualitative study was undertaken to extend our understanding of the dynamics of the knowledge transfer process and its effects on the successor' s innovativeness. The findings of the in-depth analysis of 10 family SMEs show that tacit knowledge transferred from a founder to a successor is important but not sufficient for enhancing the successor's innovativeness. It should be combined with the knowledge gained outside the family business. Several propositions were developed that provide basis for future confirmatory research and have implications for practice by providing useful findings to key stakeholders in family businesses as well as to professionals dealing with innovativenness, knowledge transfer and creation in family businesses. The results of the research show the importance of formal education and other forms of education outside the company for the succession of successors, as well as the gradual integration of successors into the management of the family business, because in this way the successor gradually becomes acquainted with the industry, partners and the operation of the company itself. In this way also the tacit knowledge of the founder is transffered. Successful methods include the involvement of successors in decision-making processes, strategic planning and participation in meetings with business partners.
COBISS.SI-ID: 513438338
The main objective of this research is to test the hypothesis that the two-step structural equation modelling (SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) approach enables better in-depth research results as compared to the single-step SEM approach. This approach was used to determine which factors have statistically significant influence on extended use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. The research model and the hypothesized relationships are based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). Majority of research on ERP acceptance has been conducted with SEM based research approaches. The purpose of this paper is to extend basic TAM research which is traditionally based on SEM technique with ANN approach. In the first step of the present research the SEM technique was used to determine which factors have statistically significant influence on extended use of the ERP systems; in the second step, ANN models were used to rank the relative influence of significant predictors obtained from SEM. The main finding of this research is that the use of multi-analytical two step SEM-ANN approach provides two important benefits. First, it enables additional verification of the results obtained by the SEM analysis. Second, this approach enables capturing not only linear but also complex nonlinear relationships between antecedents and dependent variables and more precise measure of relative influence of each predictor.
COBISS.SI-ID: 13172252
This chapter in a scientific monograph presents a new model of indicators, aimed to complete gross domestic product (GDP) as the main indicator of economic growth to achieve a better quality of life. We investigated the impact of technology research, innovation, and knowledge on economic growth as well as the impact of economic growth on the quality of life in Slovenia. Empirical analysis was based on the secondary statistical data, obtained from World Development Indicators, the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, and Eurostat. The basic conclusion suggests the need to supplement the GDP using four indicators and their variables of quality of life: environmental component (the balance of natural resources, energy consumption, and environmental impact due to the economy), people (population growth, the activity of the population, life expectancy, and birth), health, and human development index. Defining new indicators to complement GDP is crucial for the creation of a new model aimed to achieve economic growth and better quality of life. Potential impacts are seen in economic development, particularly in lowering the use of resources and energy and boosting the competitive ability; social development, particularly the increase in the quality of life and improving leadership and management; protection of the environment and sustainable development; health protection and development of healthcare; the possibilities of development of postgraduate education.
COBISS.SI-ID: 12685340
The price fairness concept is gaining in relevance in the marketing field, as it can be seen as a restraint on unfair exploitation, particularly regarding dynamic pricing techniques. The present paper explores the restraining nature of price fairness perceptions while testing the characteristic behavioral reactions of consumers who perceive price difference as unfair. Furthermore, this study describes the consequences of price fairness perceptions as consumer coping strategies. This study applies an experimental design with 288 participants. This experimental study confirms that price fairness influences not only the intention to buy but also some forms of negative behaviors that directly harm the seller, e.g., negative word of mouth, complaints, and leaving the seller. Findings also confirm that the intensity of price fairness perception correlates with the severity of consequences and that differences exist among consumers with different income levels. The main contribution is in the empirical research of previously merely theoretical propositions concerning factors and consequences of price fairness perceptions. Study confirms that social comparisons play an integral part in determining fairness in the shopping context, reveal that consumers accept and positively assess price increases over time in terms of fairness, and confirm the importance of personal income in both price fairness assessments and in consumers' reactions to unfair prices.
COBISS.SI-ID: 12276508
Monetary policy measures can affect the supply and demand for bank loans through several transmission mechanisms: the credit channel (that encompasses the bank lending channel and the balance sheet channel), the bank capital channel, and the risk-taking channel. This paper aims to provide evidence on whether the bank landing channel in the selected euro area countries as a whole is operational. Unlike the existent studies we test for differences of the bank lending channel relevance for the large and the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We apply a macro identification strategy to identify loan supply shocks attributable to the banks% balance sheet constraints and use them in a typical monetary policy VAR model to verify the existence of the bank lending channel. Additionally, we provide evidence on how the shocks in loan activity affect output and inflation. The analysis of impulse responses reveals that a negative shock (an increase in the policy rate) leads to a significant increase in credit standards for large enterprises as well as the SMEs. This implies that the restrictive monetary policy shock increases banks% balance sheet constraints and that the banks in the short run respond by tightening credit standards for enterprises. Tightening credit standards shock in turn negatively impacts the growth of business loans. The empirical results thus provide evidence that the bank lending channel is operational. A negative shock to the credit standards reduces output in the short run, yet no significant impact on inflation can be observed. When banks unexpectedly tighten credit standards for SMEs the monetary policy (European central bank) seems to respond in a more pronounced manner (by reducing monetary policy rate more) than when banks tighten credit standards for large enterprises.
COBISS.SI-ID: 12280092