A shift toward seamless consumer journey experience is a new concept observed in the retail industry resulting from customer-centric approach (Schoenbachler & Gordon, 2002). In the new paradigm, channels are becoming more intertwined and intricate and ultimately we have to face the omni-channel alternative. However, this alternative seems to be difficult to operationalize by companies. This is mainly due to several difficulties that need to be unveiled and disentangled. Therefore, in this paper, we aimed at identifying the barriers faced by firms and categorize them depending on the perspective: operational and strategic (where employeerelated and strategy-related factors were identified). Based on that, some propositions of further research were suggested to verify if the framework proposed effectively explains the main reasons why firms are facing difficulties in implementing a real omni-channel approach.

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Companies operating in the creative industries are struggling with the simultaneous pressure to be innovative and creative, which requires access to unique resources (such as knowledge and creative potential), but also means they must be effective in actions taken. To find a balance between those tensions, they are using the networking approach. Therefore, it seems that networking is becoming a high priority and that being involved in networks is a crucial part of such companies’ business models. Nevertheless, their competitive advantage is based on creative potential, which means that they are rooted in building and maintaining internal relations. As a result, in creative industries, relationships with internal and external stakeholders are crucial, but are strongly based on trust. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to investigate whether trust is the main factor influencing the approach to management. Moreover, we tried to understand the impact of trust on the managerial actions taken. We used the multiple case study research method to examine the role of trust in cooperation, as well as in shaping internal relations in companies operating in the creative industries. To achieve that goal, 10 companies from Poland and Portugal (5 from each country) were investigated in order to find any regularities. By analyzing the research results, it was possible to identify consistencies among the sample and present the main findings. Therefore, four approaches distinguished by the degree of trust were identified. When the level of trust is low, companies are operating within their network based on close relationships, as well as using collective participation where the team is perceived as a key success factor. On the other hand, when the level of trust is higher, companies move towards cooperative management (where the role of competitors is crucial) as well as individual participation (where an employee is engaged in the creative, as well as the decision-making, process). As a result, a theoretical model is proposed that includes the level of trust and the external and internal stakeholders’ perspective. Based on our research, trust can also be added as a fourth ‘T’ to the ‘3T’ (talent, tolerance and technology) concept proposed by Florida (2003).

The idea of sustainable development has been present in the field of management for many years, yet the challenges and rules of contemporary business mean that it remains topical. At the same time, the results of much research indicates an unsatisfactory level of execution of development concepts. Due to this, the subject of the study encompasses the implementation of the idea of sustainability in the strategy execution process, lending it a holistic and balanced nature. The purpose of the paper is an examination of the relationship between strategy implementation and the effectiveness of the strategy execution process. The relationships between the perspectives defined and results obtained by organizations were investigated. The research demonstrated the existence of a positive correlation of varied intensity. It is thus possible to identify a positive influence of the integration of the idea of sustainability with strategy execution, which is reflected in the effectiveness of activities undertaken.

SummaryThe paper discusses the subject of the strategy implementation and the operational risk that accompanies this stage of the strategic management process. The studies confirmed the existence of a relationship between the effectiveness of the strategy implementation and the operational risk aspects (including internal processes, systems, people and the environment). This indicates the role of risk aspects when implementing development concepts. Therefore it seems necessary to take these elements into account in the course of the strategic management process in order to achieve a greater effectiveness of the implementation work..

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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the main obstacles to the strategy implementation and the company's revenues. The main research question, to which the author sought an answer, was whether the individual elements hindering the strategy implementation were linked with the effects of the implementation. The studies covered 200 Polish companies, which had been awarded in best companies rankings (revenues on sales constituted one of the criteria for the awards) and thereby had achieved market success in implementing their development concepts.

Although many studies have discussed the strategy execution process and the reasons for its ineffectiveness, there is a need to consider the relations and interactions between the factors that hinder strategy implementation. The purpose of this article is to explore the interrelations between the strategy execution barriers by considering six factors and understanding the influence of these factors on a company's performance measured by its achievement of strategic goals (as one of the strategy execution measures) and its revenue dynamics (as a financial measure). In order to achieve the research goal, structural equation modelling was performed for the path analysis. The research sample, which consisted of 150 companies of different sizes and from different industries, was selected from the population of companies registered on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The initial model of relationships was modified to create the final model from which insignificant paths had been removed. Our main finding is that the strategy implementation process should be perceived as a set of integrated factors, which should be analysed from an aggregated perspective in decision-making process. We believe that, rather than focusing only on the efficiency of final results, attention should be paid to ensure the effectiveness of all the factors aggregated in one construct and hence that it is necessary to regard the implementation process as an execution-as-learning concept. As revealed by our study, the awareness of strategy execution barriers directly impacts the achievement of strategic goals and indirectly impacts the revenue dynamics.