PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore two basic research questions: what are the effects of information technology (IT) capability and employee empowerment on the innovativeness of small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), and what are the effects of innovativeness and IT capability on firm performance in SMEs?Design/methodology/approachData from 109 Polish SMEs were collected. In order to identify empirical dimensions of innovativeness, empowerment and IT capability, a factor analysis was carried out. Multiple regression analysis was employed to examine the effects of IT capability and employee empowerment on innovativeness, and the effects of IT capability and innovativeness on firm performance.FindingsThe following results are offered: innovation activity of SMEs is positively related to technological turbulence, climate for innovation, investments in innovation and use of IT in internal communications; innovation activity and IT knowledge have a positive effect on subjective measures of firm performance; and subjective measures of firm performance are significantly correlated with objective ones. The results of this study do not confirm that IT capability has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between innovativeness and firm performance.Practical implicationsThe findings identify the factors that are significantly related to innovation activity and the dimensions of the constructs under study that contribute to firm performance in SMEs.Originality/valueTo the knowledge of the authors, no previous studies conducted with regards to SMEs have examined the relationships between innovativeness, empowerment, IT capability and firm performance in an integrated way. The findings suggest some direct and indirect relationships between different dimensions of these constructs.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper aims to propose and present a decision-making support method for poorly structured problems in schools, using the example of one of the most important and difficult decisions that principals face: terminating a teacher's employment. Design/methodology/approach -A literature review was conducted, along with observations and interviews with 30 experienced principals, in order to identify decisions made by Polish principals. In order to sort non-programmable decisions according to their importance and difficulty, data were collected from 377 principals. Opinions from two groups, consisting of 22 and 25 experts, respectively, were collected in order to identify and order a set of criteria for making a specified non-programmable decision. Findings -The four following areas of school activities were distinguished: finances, teaching and care, internal processes, and development of organisation. Within these categories, 126 decisions made by principals were identified, 96 of which were non-programmable. One of the most difficult and important non-programmable decisions was related to the termination of a teacher's employment. In order to support decisions regarding a teacher's dismissal, 44 criteria with different importance levels were identified. Practical implications -Principals can use the method proposed in this paper, as it increases the rationality and objectivity of making a dismissal decision. The method can also be adapted for other difficult non-programmable decisions. Originality/value -The expert opinion method might be useful for solving poorly structured problems in the management of educational institutions. As far as it can be ascertained, no previous empirical studies have identified and ranked the most important and difficult non-programmable decisions facing principals.

Streszczenie:Na stan lokalnej przedsiębiorczości duży wpływ mają działania podejmowane przez jednostki samorządu terytorialnego. Badania pokazują, że najczęściej wspieranie przedsiębiorczości ogranicza się do stosowania w różnym zakresie instrumentów finansowych i działań promocyjnych. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie nowatorskich, usystematyzowanych, realizowanych lokalnie przez UM w Zabrzu innowacji społecznych -nowych rozwiązań, które mają wspierać rozwój i funkcjonowanie przedsiębiorczości. Zastosowanie tych innowacyjnych rozwiązań powinno przynosić społeczeństwu określone utylitarne i mierzalne korzyści. Działania te ujęte są w "Lokalnym programie przedsiębiorczości na lata 2016-2020". Słowa kluczowe: zarządzanie publiczne, innowacje społeczne, wspieranie przedsiębiorczości.

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