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Knowledge acquisition strategies of small and medium‐sized enterprises during institutional transition: Evidence from Hungary and Ukraine
Author(s) -
Danis Wade M.,
Shipilov Andrew
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
thunderbird international business review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.553
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1520-6874
pISSN - 1096-4762
DOI - 10.1002/tie.21465
Subject(s) - business , transition (genetics) , marketing , industrial organization , competitive advantage , economic system , economics , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
Drawing on data from Hungary and Ukraine, this study explores how small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in transition economies acquire the managerial, marketing, and technological knowledge they need to compete in increasingly competitive local and global markets. Although Hungary and Ukraine are at different stages of transition and levels of economic and institutional development, the patterns we observed were remarkably similar, suggesting that shared institutional legacies shape management practice in important ways. Managerial knowledge was perceived as the most difficult to acquire, with technological knowledge being the easiest. Both managerial and marketing knowledge were perceived as critically important for success, although the priority may differ depending on stage of SME development. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.