<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Access to finance for small and medium enterprises still represents one of the biggest problems that entrepreneurs face when launching their business or when they want to enhance their production capacities in other stages of the enterprise life cycle. Entrepreneurs generally use informal sources of financing when starting their business (3F: family, friends and fools) if they do not have other available sources of financing. There is a common classification in the literature that divides the sources of financing to: informal investors, debt financing, equity financing, government support programs and the entrepreneurs’ own sources. The purpose of the survey conducted for this paper is to determine the sources of used finance of Croatian SMEs and the main problems that SMEs encountered while accessing finance. The second main goal of this article is to identify future needs for financing with potential financing problems that may occur. We gathered data from Croatian SMEs about the sources of funding used over the past three years and about the funding sources that they intend to use in the next three years. In last part of the paper we analyze the results from the survey and from that draw the implications for policy makers and market participants.</abstract>

Access to Finance – Experiences of SMEs in Croatia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Increasing competitiveness of small and medium enterprises, especially in the situation of growing economic globalization in the member countries of European Union and internationalization of activity of such enterprises, requires overcoming numerous obstacles the enterprises have to face. One of the most substantial of them is deficiency of means for the enterprises’ growth, particularly the means earmarked for innovative activity. This is mainly the consequence of lack of knowledge about how the enterprises could gain financial means from the alternative financing sources. This hinders establishing the optimal configuration of financing for an enterprise. Consequently, the purpose of the paper to improve enterprises’ access to external capital so as to be able to carry out the investments oriented towards strengthening of the enterprises and launching innovative products and services. The main result of research (sample of Polish SME) is preparing of advanced system of financing including alternative forms of financing of SME on each stages of their life cycle, connected with multicriteria forms of their assessment.</abstract>

Advanced System of SME Financing in Market Economy

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">There are two competing hypothesizes on whether firms that are part of a business group should pay higher or lower dividends. Under one hypothesis, that can have different theoretical assumptions, firms that are a part of a business group should pay higher dividends. In contrast, if the pecking order hypothesis holds, firms that operate within a business group should pay lower dividends. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of group affiliation of Croatian firms, which are listed on the Zagreb Stock Exchange, on their propensity to pay dividends. Two panel data models were used in line with recent literature and the results of the study show some evidence that the pecking order theory was followed by Croatian firms. From this result the conclusion is that Croatian firms are more likely to pay dividends if they are not part of a business group.</abstract>

Dividend Policies and Business Groups: the Case of Croatia

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has a relatively low level of entrepreneurial activity as evidenced by GEM reports but also has an economic structure in which SMEs account for about 99% of the total number of enterprises. The goal of this paper was to examine the level of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and influence of EO on business performances of SMEs in the Republic of Srpska (RS), one of the two BiH entities, in which the empirical research was done. We have used adapted Covin &amp; Slevin (1989) version of the questionnaire. We found out that only 12.28% of sampled SMEs have all three dimensions of EO pronounced. The least pronounced dimension is risk-taking and the most pronounced dimension is proactiveness. Our research did not confirm the impact of EO on selected indicators of business performances.</abstract>

Effects of the Establishment of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Performances of Small and Medium Enterprises in Transition Countries: Empirical Evidences from Bosnia and Herzegovina

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper analyses the influential factors which determine the differences between social and economic dimensions in the European Union. The main objective was to construct a composite indicator of the quality of government and citizens’ well-being, and rank the EU countries based on it. The dataset refers to variables specific to economic and social wellness (latest year available is 2015), focusing on both, the objective and subjective dimension of the governance and well-being. The results obtained indicate that the countries with the highest performance in terms of the quality of government and citizens’ well-being are Denmark, Sweden, Finland, followed by Austria and the Netherlands. Differences to the rest of the EU member states are based on economic and social policies, as these countries have the highest employment rates and social protection expenditures, focusing on the risks related to unemployment, social exclusion, invalidity or aging to increase citizens’ overall life satisfaction.</abstract>

Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

Doctoral School of Economics and Business Administration

Quality of Government and Well-being: Assessing the Gap in European Countries

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">This paper investigates the basic risk and incentives relationship in franchising companies. The results of past research reflect volatile influence of risk and incentives. An in-depth analysis of this relationship was conducted using case study approach, including 12 international franchise firms of two types. Our study included retail and service franchising. Findings from this research confirm basic agency theory predictions. The risk-incentives relationship is negatively correlated in retail franchise companies, due to lower royalties in the sector. Service franchise companies do not follow the same concept, due to their adaptability of franchise system to local markets. We believe service franchise systems might be responsible for volatility. However, both types of companies nurture and develop strategies based on experience and intuition. Findings of the research offer important insights in understanding the nature of franchisor’s risk perception, as the basic underlying mechanism to the risk and incentives relationship.</abstract>

Organization in New Business Environment: a Franchisor’s View

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">An ageing population means a growing number of healthy older people with human capital, financial resources, and time available to contribute to economic activities. However, the economic potential of older people remains mostly underused, which leads to the question, how to make best use of the underused. One way would be fostering senior entrepreneurship. The paper discusses which factors may positively influence or hinder the self-employment of older people. Overall, attention will be drawn to the relevance of older people in the field of business and entrepreneurial economics. From an economic point of view, it seems necessary not only to focus on young people but also to take into account the large and still growing economic potential of the elderly. There seems to be a treasure in waiting.</abstract>

Senior Entrepreneurship. Self-employment by Older People – an Uncharted Territory

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Recent research demonstrates that entrepreneurs who learn contribute to lower failure rates of their startups. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of financial management, where the entrepreneurs’ lack of skills and competencies – and their willingness to acquire them - can be a critical factor to the success of the business venture. The purpose of this paper is to examine the financial management practices among Croatian entrepreneurs in relation to budgeting, raising capital, cash flow management, and the use of ICT tools for enhanced efficiency of their businesses. The survey was conducted on a sample of 58 entrepreneurs whose answers provide valuable insight into their grasp of financial concepts in the context of smart ICT use. The ensuing analysis of the level of proficiency in combining smart tools with financial management reveals increased adoption of ICT practices for budgeting and purchasing among Croatian entrepreneurs. Additionally, the findings indicate that the entrepreneurs’ acquisition of skills and competencies for smart financial management presents a sound basis for increased overall financial sustainability of the startups.</abstract>

Gordana Nikolić are at PAR University College

Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management

Examining Financial Management Practices in the Context of Smart ICT Use: Recent Evidence from Croatian Entrepreneurs

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 26 (2023): Issue 2 (November 2023)

Volume 26 (2023): Issue 1 (May 2023)

Volume 25 (2022): Issue 2 (November 2022)

Volume 25 (2022): Issue 1 (May 2022)

Volume 25 (2022): Issue s1 (December 2022) Special Conference Issue

Volume 24 (2021): Issue s1 (December 2021) Special Conference Issue

Volume 24 (2021): Issue 2 (November 2021)

Volume 24 (2021): Issue 1 (May 2021)

Volume 23 (2020): Issue 2 (November 2020)

Volume 23 (2020): Issue s1 (December 2020) Special Conference Issue

Volume 23 (2020): Issue 1 (May 2020)

Volume 22 (2019): Issue 1 (May 2019)

Volume 22 (2019): Issue s1 (March 2019)

Volume 22 (2019): Issue s2 (December 2019) Special Conference Issue

Volume 22 (2019): Issue 2 (November 2019)

Volume 21 (2018): Issue s1 (December 2018)

Volume 21 (2018): Issue 2 (November 2018)

Volume 21 (2018): Issue 1 (May 2018)

Volume 20 (2017): Issue s1 (April 2017)

Volume 20 (2017): Issue 2 (November 2017)

Volume 20 (2017): Issue 1 (May 2017)

Volume 19 (2016): Issue 1 (May 2016)

Volume 19 (2016): Issue s1 (December 2016) Special Conference Issue

Volume 19 (2016): Issue 2 (November 2016)

Volume 18 (2015): Issue 2 (November 2015)

Volume 18 (2015): Issue 1 (May 2015)

Zagreb International Review of Economics and Business

 ZIREB is an international journal of economics and business. It covers wide range of topics in macroeconomics, microeconomics, management, marketing and tourism. In general, it delivers relevant scientific research in the field of economics and business and offers empirical insights on current economic development and political economy issues as well as on current developments in marketing, tourism and management research.  ZIREB is edited by Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb and it is managed by a team of academic researchers from universities all over the world.  ZIREB is published as a semiannual journal by the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb. The first issue was published in May 1998. Every two years ZIREB is published three times a year. This Special Conference Issue consists of selected papers presented at the international conference "An Enterprise Odyssey" which is hosted by Faculty of Economics and Business.  Why subscribe and read ZIREB is an economics and business journal directed at scientific and academic researchers who are interested in new insights and research methods in the field of economics and business. The journal welcomes research on topics related to respective countries or on regionally relevant topics. Furthermore, professional papers, short papers, review articles and book reviews are also welcome.  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. 