How does Net­working Im­pactthe SME­s Growth

Authors

  • Karin Širec University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Razlagova 14, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia,
  • Barbara Bradač University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Razlagova 14, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia,

Abstract

Today’s market conditions are forcing companies to adapt to changes in order to survive, grow and be competitive. Such changes include inter-company cooperation and networks, which allow for competition and innovation in a dynamic environment. Today, almost all industries are affected by the evolution of networking relationships within and between firms; however, previous studies have revealed that companies differ in their competitive strategies, strategic and technological orientation, and methods of networking. Most of these studies have linked networking with performance, with less empirical evidence on linking networking in SMEs with company growth. Previous research has also shown that entrepreneurial potential in Slovenia is not fully utilized. For this reason, the presented paper investigates a networking in SMEs and its contribution to the companies’ growth.

Published

2009-04-01

Issue

Section

Research Papers