engleski

Innovation capacity as a competitive advantage small firms in Croatia: An empirical analysis

The Small- and Medium-Enterprise (SME) sectorrepresents a significant share of economic activity in Croatia, as well as contributes to the growth ofemployment, exports and the development of regions and industries affected by the economic crisis. In the economic environment, characterized by the global competition, innovation, i.e. its commercial application is considered to be an important factor for the survival of new SMEs (start-ups), as well as for strengthening their market position. This paper discusses the innovation capacity of SMEs on a sample of enterprises, which persist on developing their competitive advantage on the product (service) innovation, technological development, or the business model innovation. Authors emphasize identification of the ways in which knowledge and innovation are commercialized, including analysis of the major (both internal, and external) sources of innovation capacity, as well as support tools/policies (i.e. elements of the entrepreneurial infrastructure), that have been used for this purpose. It is believed that the research results will represent a useful basis for the conceptual definition of the innovative entrepreneurs, as well as for establishing indicators relevant for identification/assessment of SMEs’ innovative capacity and networking. In a wider context, these results will open new venues in developing the entrepreneurial infrastructurethat could support innovative entrepreneurs to establish new links with the academic sector, as to further develop their capacity for innovation.

innovative entrepreneurship; competitiveness; SMEs

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