<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The study’s main aim is to determine how the entrepreneurs in SMEs of the Visegrad Group (V4) perceive the strategic management process and how they manage strategic risks within it. The study also focuses on how a perception of examined determinants differs depending on business duration, management education and sex. The research was performed from 9/2019 to 4/2020 in the V4 countries by means of online questionnaire. The findings were interesting. SMEs’ business duration is a significant factor in evaluating the total structure of entrepreneurs’ attitudes to the following fact: firm’s strategic management is inevitable for corporate governance. Both SMEs’ business duration and educational attainment are significant factors in evaluating the total structure of entrepreneurs’ attitudes to the following fact: implementation of strategic management is required for day-to-day operations of a business. However, SMEs’ business duration, management education and sex do not influence managers’ attitudes to strategic management and strategic business risks. The results provide a valuable platform for the creators of national and regional strategic and development plans. Similarly, the results enable a creation of national and international benchmarking indicators in this area that would allow an improvement of the business environment and a creation of risk management systems, which are inevitable for SMEs.</abstract>

Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies

Strategic Management in SMEs and Its Significance for Enhancing the Competitiveness in the V4 Countries - A Comparative Analysis

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">A successful brand is one of the most valuable resources a company has. Should the brand become powerful, it is supposed to reflect rational and emotional expectations of consumers, which, however, might change over time. The ability to recognize the consumers changing attitudes towards the brand is thus the prerequisite for effective brand management. The aim of the paper is to identify the correlation between selected socio-demographic characteristics and preferences for branded products by Slovak consumers, using a mathematical and statistical modelling. For this purpose, a comprehensive marketing survey has been carried out involving Slovak consumers of the minimum age of 16. The findings of the survey show a direct correlation, but varying in character and intensity, between the selected socio-demographic characteristics of respondents (gender, age, education, income) and their preferences for branded products; and based on the survey findings, the paper then provides further recommendations for non-adopting current trends in attitudes and preferences towards brands on Slovak consumer markets, that are recognized as significant sales and marketing tools, into the branding processes. However, considering different cultural, social and economic situations of different markets, it is not possible to generalize about the results of the paper as also being relevant for other markets. A successful brand in the domestic market is not a prerequisite of success in global markets.</abstract>

Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications, Department of Economics

Impact of Selected Socio-Demographic Characteristics on Branded Product Preference in Consumer Markets

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Design - We relied on data obtained from in-depth interviews with managers. Data categorization allowed the application of the main constructs of the UTAUT model and the unveiling of the level of acceptance of Cause-Related Marketing (CrM) campaigns by managers and its use as a marketing strategy. Purpose – Most of the research on CrM emphasizes the benefits of these campaigns for charities and donors. The purpose of this study is to decode what managers think about CrM campaigns and try to discern and understand the principal motivations, benefits, and inherent risks to implement these campaigns. Findings - Managers recognize CrM benefits mainly relating them with an increase in reputation and image of the company, making it possible to differentiate and increase its notoriety. However, the social nature of this tool is what weights in the most on the decision of managers, since they recognize that being socially responsible is a competitive factor. The greatest constraints identified have to do with the effort on the implementation of the campaign and with the consumer’s scepticism, especially in transactional campaigns. Originality - With this research we were able to realize that there is a misunderstanding between the CrM concept and purely philanthropic marketing, which can somehow inhibit managers from recognizing the potential of this tool. Regarding CrM use, the position of managers shows a clear concern about the importance of harmonizing values between the company and the cause, betting on long-term campaigns with transparent communication and investing in the process of planning, implementing, and monitoring campaigns to improve their performance. This needs to be taken into account in future assessments of CrM campaigns.</abstract>

Católica Porto Business School – Universidade Católica Portuguesa

NECE - Research Centre on Business Sciences, Universidade da Beira Interior

Cause-Related Marketing: Do Managers Understand and Use This Tool?

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of specific innovation indicators on the overall innovation process. In this sense, a quantitative methodological approach has been employed and data has been analysed using IBM SPSS version 24. Innovation is one the themes of considerable interest at worldwide and at European level, this being reflected by the 2020 European innovation indicator. Innovation is considered to generate economic growth and create competitive advantage for both large organizations and small and medium enterprises, thus being examined as a factor that influences overall business efficiency. In this sense, the data used for this research contains the information published in the European Innovation Indicator Scoreboard 2020 database. In this regard, two innovation indicators have been considered for analysis, namely firm investments and employment impact. An exploratory factor and correlation analysis have been performed in SPSS in order to provide an answer to the research question: “How do firm investments and employment impacts influence the overall Summary Innovation Index?”. The findings show that there is a positive correlation between the selected innovation indicators, namely firm investments and employment impact and the overall summary innovation index. These findings reveal a strong correlation between firm investments and the innovation process, which results into guidance for companies and their innovative efforts. In this sense, this paper further provides recommendations for firms on where to channel and focus their efforts in order to create more innovative products and activities.</abstract>

Innovation Indicators and the Innovation Process - Evidence from the European Innovation Scoreboard

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This article investigates the determinants of non-performing loans for a panel of EEC countries and the implications for the real economy, covering the period 2005-2017. Among the determinants, the paper proposes macroeconomic factors, banking sector variables, and cost and governance indicators. Additionally, the paper explores the extensive use of macroprudential measures in these countries. Using a panel with fixed effects and a dynamic GMM estimator, the results support the existing findings that adverse macroeconomic developments are generally associated with higher non-performing loans, while increases in NPLs have a rather transitory effect on the real economy and credit. NPL ratios increase if macroeconomic conditions deteriorate, while an improvement in the government effectiveness reduces them. A more profitable and better capitalized banking sector generally leads to lower NPLs. Moreover, countries with higher past credit growth rates witnessed higher NPLs in the periods that followed. These results support the use of macroprudential measures for increasing the resilience of borrowers, such as limits on the indebtedness level (such as debt service-to-income, DSTI or loan-to-value, LTV caps), as tools to temper the credit cycle.</abstract>

Determinants of Non-Performing Loans for the EEC Region. A Financial Stability Perspective

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Although innovating in the physical stores has become a challenge for retailers, previous studies provided insights based primarily on consumers’ and employees’ acceptance of technology, with limited attention towards specific practices for successful adopting innovations. Starting from a qualitative analysis of pioneering strategies adopted by a sample of 50 retailers in the Dutch market, this research is devoted to a broad investigation of the innovation management strategies with emphasis on the choice to be the first to innovate. Our findings provide a correlation between the pioneer practices and the sales outcomes, by describing the more favourable conditions for adopting this strategy in terms of time, place and innovation characteristics (i.e., typology). These results would support retailers in the choice of innovating and managing the innovation process.</abstract>

Sapienza University – Management Department

Pioneering Strategies in Retail Settings: An Empirical Study of Successful Practices

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Competitive pressures at the workplace have already become standard issue. Participation in rivalrous situations and related attitudes are influenced by several factors, out of which a few can be traced back into childhood. Aspiration and over-ambitiousness surround our everyday lives from childhood: there is an intensive rivalry for good grades in secondary school or better performance in youth sports. These experiences all integrate into adulthood behavioural patterns. The authors investigated to what extent childhood competitive motivations influenced subsequent participation in competitive situations at the workplace, if these motivations remain in adulthood, and furthermore, how these incentives fluctuated with time. Based on the results of their questionnaire survey constellating actual and retrospective information, they concluded that competitive incitation of juveniles were still identifiable during later stages of life, albeit they vaguely mutated over time. The results are applicable in miscellaneous practical fields. At the workplace, the attitude of workers is, in turn, definable even before their admission. As regards education and career, answers received for questionnaires being constructed based on these results may assist in the methodology of formulation of the necessary everyday skill.</abstract>

The Impact of Competitive Individual School Sports on the Individual’s Future Participation in Competitive Organisational Situations (Based on Empirical Evidence)

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 19 (2024): Issue 1 (March 2024)

Volume 18 (2023): Issue 4 (December 2023)

Volume 18 (2023): Issue 3 (September 2023)

Volume 18 (2023): Issue 2 (June 2023)

Volume 18 (2023): Issue s1 (December 2023)

Volume 18 (2023): Issue 1 (March 2023)

Volume 17 (2022): Issue 4 (December 2022)

Volume 17 (2022): Issue s1 (October 2022)

Volume 17 (2022): Issue 3 (September 2022)

Volume 17 (2022): Issue 2 (June 2022)

Volume 17 (2022): Issue 1 (March 2022)

Volume 16 (2021): Issue 4 (December 2021)

Volume 16 (2021): Issue 3 (September 2021)

Volume 16 (2021): Issue 2 (June 2021)

Volume 16 (2021): Issue 1 (March 2021)

Volume 15 (2020): Issue 3 (September 2020)

Volume 15 (2020): Issue s1 (October 2020)

Volume 15 (2020): Issue 4 (December 2020)

Volume 15 (2020): Issue 2 (June 2020)

Volume 15 (2020): Issue 1 (March 2020)

Volume 14 (2019): Issue 4 (December 2019)

Volume 14 (2019): Issue 3 (September 2019)

Volume 14 (2019): Issue 2 (June 2019)

Volume 14 (2019): Issue 1 (March 2019)

Volume 13 (2018): Issue 4 (December 2018)

Volume 13 (2018): Issue 3 (September 2018)

Volume 13 (2018): Issue 2 (June 2018)

Volume 13 (2018): Issue 1 (March 2018)

Volume 12 (2017): Issue 4 (December 2017)

Volume 12 (2017): Issue 3 (September 2017)

Volume 12 (2017): Issue 2 (June 2017)

Volume 12 (2017): Issue 1 (March 2017)

Volume 11 (2016): Issue 4 (December 2016)

Volume 11 (2016): Issue 3 (September 2016)

Volume 11 (2016): Issue 2 (July 2016)

Volume 11 (2016): Issue 1 (April 2016)

Volume 10 (2015): Issue 4 (December 2015)

Volume 10 (2015): Issue 2 (September 2015)

Volume 10 (2015): Issue 1 (June 2015)

Management & Marketing

 Management &amp; Marketing aims to publish theoretical, empirical, survey, resource and case-based scientific research on business that demonstrates academic or practical relevance. It focuses on the intersection between marketing and other aspects of management, including but not limited to strategic marketing, digital advertising, consumer psychology, innovations, social networks, information systems, operations management, product design, economics, finance and privacy. It serves scholars, educators, analysts, managers, consumers, policy makers and other societal stakeholders.   Management &amp; Marketing is a high-quality open access double-blind peer reviewed international journal and publish research paper in the field of: Business, Marketing, Economics, Financial Development, Accounting, Banking, Management, Human Resources, Entrepreneurship.   The journal, founded in 2006, represents a project of the professional organization Society for Business Excellence. Currently, the Editor in Chief is Alina Mihaela Dima, professor at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. The Scientific Committee is represented by professors with high academic reputation at international level.   Our partnership with De Gruyter publishing house supports increasing the journal’s performance and a greater visibility offered by the content distribution and marketing services, together with the De Gruyter platform and all its functionalities that significantly contribute to the international impact.   The international journal is indexed in Web of Science (ESCI) and Scopus and other relevant international databases.   Rejection Rate    70%      Archiving   Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.   Plagiarism Policy   The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process.     Open access and publication fees　   This journal provides immediate open access to its content under the Creative Commons BY 4.0 license. Authors who publish with this journal retain all copyrights and agree to the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Management &amp; Marketing requires a 50 euro fee for manuscript submission, and a processing fee in case the manuscript is accepted for publication (the fee is 400 euro, regardless the type of manuscript). All other costs are being supported by the Society for Business Excellence.　   Publication timeline　   The editors of the journal accept manuscript submissions all year round, and the four yearly issues appear according to the following schedule: 1st issue – March   2nd issue – June   3rd issue – September   4th issue – December   Authors should be aware that, most of the times, a single manuscript passes through two peer-review processes separated by a period necessary for improving the content, which can translate into 4-6 months before obtaining a final answer, and the paper can enter publication during a time span of 4-12 months.       Making an Article Submission     Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Authors Guidelines page.　     Please visit the Authors Guidelines page before submitting a manuscript. Management &amp; Marketing requires a 50 euro submission fees for manuscript submission, and a processing fee in case the manuscript is accepted for publication (the fee is 400 euro, regardless the type of manuscript). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. 