Open Access Article SciPap-1014
International Variations in Firm-Level Strategic Entrepreneurial Orientation of SMEs
by Mehmet Civelek 1,*, Ivo Formánek 2, Václav Nétek 3 and Milan Robin Paták 4

1 Institute of Entrepreneurship and Marketing, University of Entrepreneurship and Law, Michálkovická 1810/181, Ostrava 710 00, Czechia

2 Institute of Entrepreneurship and Marketing, University of Entrepreneurship and Law, Michálkovická 1810/181, Ostrava 710 00, Czechia

3 Institute of Entrepreneurship and Marketing, University of Entrepreneurship and Law, Michálkovická 1810/181, Ostrava 710 00, Czechia

4 Department of Business and Management, University College of Business in Prague, Spálená 76/14, Praha 1 110 00, Czechia

* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Abstract: Since the executives of SMEs have a crucial part in decision and strategy making processes, their entrepreneurial attitudes related with Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), might enable them to perform better in achieving their firms’ targets, growth and success. In this sense, this research purposes to determine and compare EO of executives of SMEs from various countries by concentrating their gender, age and education. To achieve this goal, the researchers separately collected data from 1620 executives of Czech and Turkish SMEs and Mann-Whitney U test was performed to make analyses for this study. The findings corroborate that Czech executives are more proactive and aggressive in competition than Turkish executives while Turkish executives are more autonomous. Except differences between younger Czech and Turkish executives, risk taking behaviours do not change among the executives. Lastly, Turkish male and older executives take more innovative actions than their Czech counterparts. The reasons for these findings might be clarified with cultural differences, market structure, level of corruption, propensity to apply patents, public spending on childcare and assertive behaviours of executives. Some policy implementations for policy makers and other organizations are also offered by the researchers to eliminate differences in EO of the executives and SMEs.

Keywords: Czech Republic, Smes, Gender, Education, Entrepreneurial Orientation, Age, Turkey

JEL classification:   L26 - Entrepreneurship,   M12 - Personnel Management • Executives; Executive Compensation,   M21 - Business Economics

SciPap 2020, 28(1), 1014

Received: 29 January 2020 / Accepted: 29 April 2020 / Published: 30 April 2020