In the current dynamic business landscape, digital transformation is recognized as a critical driver of entrepreneurship, innovation, and growth, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study aims to investigate the key factors influencing digital transformation,...

This brief is the first in a series of several companion pieces that assess the state of the business environment in 27 European Union (EU27) countries. This series makes use of a fully comparable data source-the World Bank Enterprise Surveys-that measures firms' experiences with and opinions on...

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated businesses globally, leading to significant economic and social challenges. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are particularly vulnerable to environmental turbulence, while their survival and resilience are critical to the national economic recovery of...

This research investigates the strategic responses adopted by Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the face of an adverse socio-economic environment. Focusing specifically on B2B firms, the study examines how the current crisis compels managers to mitigate the risk of buyer...

Purpose: This study investigates how the business environment affects the entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) of female university students in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, the research examines the role of perceived social norms (PSNs) as a mediator and self-efficacy as a moderator....

There is increasing awareness that customers and suppliers serve as key external information sources for the innovation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, existing research on the influence of customer participation (CP) and supplier participation (SP) remains inconsistent....

The purpose of this study is to create a representative socio-economic profile of entrepreneurs operating in the former Soviet Union (FSU) states as a pillar of the new middle-class stratum. This study explored middle-class entrepreneurship from multiple perspectives, encompassing statistical...

Delve deep into the heart of entrepreneurial ecosystems in lesser-known regions across the globe, as we unravel the complex tapestry of factors that drive their growth and sustainability. This book offers a rich exploration of diverse ecosystems in Brazil, South Africa, the islands of Madagascar...

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the world economy and global society. However, small- and medium-sized enterprises are among the most vulnerable and affected groups of businesses, and in some cases, life-saving interventions have resulted in serious existential implications. The...

Foreign companies, including transnational corporations (TNCs), have shown disloyalty toward their hosts in sub-Saharan Africa by, among other things, scaling back strategic expansion plans, closing operations, and shifting income-generating activities to different countries. Therefore, the...

The business environment is increasingly becoming dynamic and unstable as the world is bedeviled with technological, economic, political and social upheavals. The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) which represent the largest employer of labor are constraint with the new norm of...

Business Development (BD) activities have become prevalent in practice, and prior research has demonstrated their potential to enhance and complement the core competencies of enterprises. However, the limited and fragmented existing literature on Business Development highlights the need for a...

This paper takes us on a methodological journey, analysing the efficiency of implementing information technologies in the business environment. In the context of digital transformation of the SMEs in the EU, Romania, and the Republic of Moldova emerges the necessity to focus on implementing...

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the influence of firm characteristics (size, age, industry type, and ownership) on a firm's strategic orientation. The business environment, namely market uncertainty and competition intensity, is also analysed in association with the firm's...

This article studies the relationship between changes in the external business environment, a firm's innovation strategies towards customers, and performance. A model of relations was developed, as well as a hypothesis: "The use of the differentiation strategy has a positive effect on firm's...

This study examines the firm level drivers of employment growth in East Africa in which they are categorized as firm specific, entrepreneur specific and business environment characteristics. Using a cross-sectional World Bank Enterprise survey dataset and pooled Ordinary Least Squares estimation...

All other parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in any country are commonly governed by the political and legal aspects of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This is a novel approach that examines the integrated effect of the entrepreneurial ecosystem's political-legal subsystem on the performance...

This paper examines the moderating role of the business environment in the relationship between the gender of the top manager and firm performance (measured as sales per employee), and whether female-managed firms perform better the higher the proportion of female employees in the firm. The...