International Journal of Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Martin Cepel ¹

Affiliations
1 Pan-European University in Bratislava, Bratislava, SK

Abstract

A stable, prosperous and competitive economic system in every developed country requires a high-quality business environment in the SME sector. The quality of the business environment is a key factor in the economic development of countries, as it is of a great importance for the growth of the economy´s competitiveness and also for its future and sustainable economic growth. The aim of the article was to quantify the significant social and cultural factors creating the quality of the business environment in the SME segment and to compare their importance in the Czech and Slovak Republic. Within the context of the stated aim of the research, questionnaire survey was carried out among the enterprises operating in the SME segment. Within the research, 312 companies in the CR and 320 companies in Slovakia were addressed. The Z-score method was used to verify the established scientific hypotheses. The research has brought up some interesting results. The research results point to a significant finding that the entrepreneurs in both countries have experienced a relatively low public and political acceptance. On the other hand, the entrepreneurs stated that the family environment motivates them to do business and helps them with their entrepreneurial activities. The assessing of the media impact on the business is quite negative in both countries. Entrepreneurs have largely thought that the media misrepresent doing business in general and do not help to shape the business environment, e.g. through the presentation of business success stories. More than the two-thirds of entrepreneurs in both countries have agreed that the doing business´ advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This research has some limitations, but is has brought interesting findings and a potential inspiration for further research to explore the issue of the quality of the business environment of SMEs.

Keywords

Business Environment, Cultural Factors, Quality of Business Environment, Social Climate, Social Factors.

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Jan Dvorsky ¹, Martin Cepel ², Gabriela Sopkova ³, Anna Kotaskova ⁴

Affiliations
1 Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Mostní 5139, 760 01 Zlín, CZ
2 Paneuropean University in Bratislava, Tematínska 10, 830 00 Bratislava,, SK
3 University of Economics Bratislava, Dolnozemská cesta 1, 852 35 Bratislava, SK
4 Paneuropean University in Bratislava, Tematínska 10, 830 00 Bratislava, SK

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to examine university students’ propensity for entrepreneurship in the context of the evaluation of the quality of macro-environment and business environment. A part of this aim was a comparison of defined factors in the Czech and the Slovak Republic. In relation with the research aim, a survey-based research was conducted with university students in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 409 students in the Czech Republic and 568 students in Slovakia were approached during this research. To verify the defined scientific hypotheses, the regression analysis was used. The research results brought interesting findings, namely that the present macroeconomic environment does not prevent students from starting their own business, and that the present level of basic macroeconomic factors (GDP, employment, inflation) determine the students’ propensity for entrepreneurship in both countries. In Slovak Republic, the administrative workload is seen by the students as a factor discouraging them from entrepreneurship after graduating from college. The students feel that the conditions for doing business have improved in the last five years. Students in the Czech Republic think that the conditions for doing business have improved over the past five years, and consider the business environment to be reasonably risky and of good quality.

Keywords

University Students, Propensity for Entrepreneurship.

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