Purpose-Organizational performance, growth and development may depend considerably on entrepreneurship in existing organizations (intrapreneurship) and intrapreneurship employee-related antecedents. The purpose of this study is to focus on employee satisfaction (composed of four dimensions: general satisfaction with work; employee relationships; remuneration, benefits and organizational culture; and employee loyalty), intrapreneurship and firm growth. The model's underlying hypotheses were conceptually developed and empirically tested. Design/methodology/approach-Using data collected via a structured questionnaire sent by e-mail to 149 firms from Slovenia, the model's hypotheses were tested by applying structural equation modeling. Findings-The findings support the hypothesized relationships between employee satisfaction, intrapreneurship and growth. The influence of the control variables was also assessed in the model and firm age was found to be influential. Research limitations/implications-Firm growth can depend strongly on intrapreneurship and intrapreneurship employee-related antecedents. The study contributes to intrapreneurship research by empirically examining the relationship between employee satisfaction and intrapreneurship and testing the impact of employee satisfaction on firm growth. Practical implications-Firms need to take a detailed and systematic approach to employee satisfaction in order to improve intrapreneurship and growth. Social implications-Activities related to the stimulation of employee satisfaction and intrapreneurship can have also social implications, since they can increase creation of the new wealth in the society. Originality/value-This study can be differentiated from past studies, since it considers an ensemble of employee satisfaction elements (general satisfaction with work, employee relationships, remuneration, benefits and organizational culture and employee loyalty) as a crucial antecedent of intrapreneurship and builds a model of employee satisfaction-driven intrapreneurship and firm growth, which has not been examined before.

The personal characteristics of entrepreneurs can be importantly related to entrepreneurial startup intentions and behaviors. A country-moderated hypothesis including the relationship between an individual’s risk-taking propensity and entrepreneurship (behaviors or intentions of the person) was conceptually developed and empirically tested in this study. The data collection was performed through a structured questionnaire. Multinominal logistic regression was used for analyzing data obtained from 1,414 students in six countries. The crucial contribution of this research is the clarification of the character of risk-taking propensity in entrepreneurship and the indication that the risk-taking propensity-entrepreneurship relationship can be moderated contingent on power distance.

Employees are crucial for the achievement of internal quality and consequently for business performance of companies. The quality of employees, their competencies, loyalty and commitment are extremely important for business performance achievement. For development of employee loyalty it can be important that employees find in work, which they perform, challenge, interest and the feeling of accomplishment. The way of treatment of employees in the organization is decisive in determining if employees will indeed become an integral part of the competitive advantage of the company. The paper focuses on employee loyalty and growth of companies. The hypothesis about the relationships between employee loyalty and firm growth was developed and empirically tested. Data collection was based of responses to the structured questionnaire on the sample of Slovenian companies from service and manufacturing industries. The hypothesis was tested by using regression analysis. Findings indicate a positive relationship between employee loyalty and firm growth, particularly for manufacturing firms. Recommendations for companies are also provided.

Purpose – New firm creation plays an important role in economic development and growth. Despite the recognized importance of general and entrepreneurial self-efficacy for entrepreneurship, new firm creation, and growth, research has devoted minimal attention to explicitly investigating the relationship between marketing self-efficacy and firm creation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between marketing self-efficacy and firm creation. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected in two European countries (Finland and Slovenia). Regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis. Findings – The findings of this study demonstrate that marketing self-efficacy makes a difference in firm creation. Research limitations/implications – The model advanced in this study is partial and not comprehensive. Gaining insights into marketing self-efficacy-based firm creation in established economies of northern Europe and transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe can be valuable for broadening the new firm formation research and improving marketing self-efficacy-related practices in these countries. Practical implications – Practitioners and policymakers need to be aware that marketing self-efficacy can be an important driver of new firm creation. Social implications – It is suggested that economic policymakers make funds available or channel investments into training and education in marketing abilities in elementary, middle, higher, and university education levels in order to increase marketing self-efficacy levels in the population. Originality/value – This study contributes to a better understanding of firm creation induced by marketing self-efficacy by developing and testing a normative model.

This study addresses a certain research issue: how do the Big Five personality traits of managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) impact the business performance of companies? A representative random sample of managers of SMEs in Slovenia was used for data collection through survey research. Hypotheses and the model were tested using structural equation modeling. A valuable contribution is made in the form of a new model of Big Five personality induced SME growth, profitability and new value creation. Openness of managers can be predictive of growth and new value creation of their companies, with the new value creation impact especially expressed in female-managed companies. Conscientiousness may not be crucial for performance, except for new value creation in females where this relationship can be negative. Extraversion can predict the growth and profitability. Agreeableness can have negative effects on all performance elements. Neuroticism can be predictive of growth and profitability. Practitioners must be aware of the importance of managers’ Big Five personality traits for SME performance. Where possible, managers may like to develop their levels of openness, extraversion, non-agreeableness and neuroticism.

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Entrepreneurs as individuals are the main drivers of entrepreneurship and possess distinct personality characteristics. The study focused on entrepreneurial openness and creativity on the entrepreneurial level relative to business growth. Hypotheses were developed and empirically tested in structural equation models using survey data obtained from SMEs’ entrepreneurs in three countries. This study adds to what is known about entrepreneurship and small business management in terms of normative research on firm growth by empirically examining the relationships between the entrepreneurial openness, creative personality, and creativity of the entrepreneur and growth of the company. Moreover, the study develops refined internationally comparable measures of entrepreneurial openness, entrepreneur creativity, and a creative personality. An entrepreneur’s openness and creative personality may be essential for their creativity. The entrepreneur’s creativity may be a vital element of company growth in some countries.

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy can have positive effects on entrepreneurship, company start-ups, and business growth. The family business environment has not yet been studied in relation to financial-self efficacy, a dimension of entrepreneurial self-efficacy. In order to address this research gap, this paper focuses on financial self-efficacy and how it relates to its antecedent — the family business environment. This study contributes to a better understanding of how financial self-efficacy has developed in the family business environment by building and checking a normative model. A hypothesis about family business environment experience and the financial self-efficacy relationship was developed and empirically tested using survey data from two countries. The findings of this research reveal the family business environment can make a difference in financial self-efficacy in certain economic contexts.