Business & Economics

This book contributes to the emerging research on the growth process of firms, with a focus on the expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A comprehensive approach to the issue of small firm growth draws upon empirical findings of the characteristics and economic importance of high-growth enterprises and the extant base of theoretical approaches to the growth of firms, with an emphasis on the literature of firm boundaries (scope and size). Consequently, this research adopts a deductive approach to building the conceptual framework of SME growth by integrating the resource-based view of the firm and transaction cost theory. This integrative theoretical framework was tested by using the multi-case study method to conclude with a proposal of the model of the growth process of SMEs. The model explains the choices of high-growth entrepreneurs regarding contractual arrangements, portfolio development, sources of new products, and associated governance in the expansion process. Consistent with the heterogeneity of SME expansion, the research reveals three equifinal patterns of these choices instead of only one path. This book is valuable for bridging separate and divergent streams of the literature on firms’ growth, namely, entrepreneurship, microeconomics, and strategic management literature related to firm boundary decisions.

?Extant management literature provides a quite comprehensive picture of the dynamic nature of value creation, whereas value appropriation has received much less scholarly attention. The number of research works devoted to the complex issues of value receiving, protecting, and retaining is at the moment relatively modest, concerning both theoretical and empirical dimensions. There is a paucity of coherent theoretical frameworks providing insights into the dynamic nature of value appropriation. This book addresses the gap in the body of strategic management literature by providing a dynamic capability-based framework of value appropriation, discussed on a theoretical level and deployed in an empirical investigation.

The faces of contemporary management relate to a vast range of methods directed at ensuring effectiveness in the functioning of organizations. This book discusses current research trends in management science in human resource management, corporate social responsibility, and contemporary management methods. The study concerns both the theory and practice of contemporary management.

In recent years, there has been intensive development of the Polish civil aviation sector, especially regional airports. Effective growth requires a diagnosis of their competitiveness in today's turbulent passenger transport market. The book compares regional airports in Poland with competitive European ports. It uses econometric analysis to model regional airport competitiveness, which is applicable to practical management of modern airports. The book also analyzes possible directions of the growth of Polish airports, taking into account the current economic and political situation as well as forecasts for passenger transport sector development.

?This book demonstrates the significance of values in organizational management. It depicts differences between various types of organization, including joint stock companies, other trading companies, and non-commercial enterprises. The book emphasizes the role of values in the formation of organizational culture and personnel policy, studying the process of recruiting and selecting staff, professional development, the dynamics of motivating and rewarding employees, as well as evaluation and promotions. Built on survey research and case studies, this book will be useful to management in both private and public sector organizations.

This book compares American and European media management systems, emphasizing both practical and theoretical implications for successful media organizations. Peter Drucker said the twenty-first century's most important resource would be information, and that, contrary to traditional economics, the more information is widespread, the more valuable it becomes. The properties of this resource play a decisive role in media organization management. Drawing on research in media, information dissemination, and organizations, this book helps academics and professionals navigate the facets of media management by integrating them into a complementary whole.

?This book follows multiple threads. It discusses the concept of gender, which is an essential category of analysis in the social sciences. It then focuses on women's and men's professional, political, and social circumstances, such as the workplace and time management and their activities in the research and development and patent sectors. These categories delineate the scope of "innovative gender" as a critical tool of analysis through which we can appreciate with greater depth the role of gender in the innovation process.

This book reformulates the central questions of ethics in economic thought. It reconsiders the purpose of economic activity, the ethical values of entrepreneurs, and the Aristotelian dilemma of differentiating between needs and desires to better understand the rise of consumerism. The book also examines cultural factors, the role of religion, and the significance of informal institutions, ultimately showing how less developed countries can increase opportunities for all of their citizens.

A growing number of companies are implementing modern cost accounting systems, such as activity-based costing (ABC). This book analyzes the general development and diffusion of ABC and its effect on Polish companies. It analyzes ABC literature in Polish journals and its implementation, structure, and benefits. It also compares general surveys and case studies with similar research conducted in Poland and throughout the world.

To maintain competitiveness in the market, today's organizations have to take numerous actions, which fall into two categories: competing and cooperating. Parallel competition and cooperation can be regarded as an element of a current paradigm in management sciences (named "coopetition"). This volume features an analysis of selected activities by organizations oriented towards competition and cooperation.

This book is addressed to all who are interested in the interplay between Information Technology and law. It constitutes the result of a project whose aim was to bring together computer scientists, legal theoreticians and legal practitioners and to prompt them to a common reflection on the implementation of Information Technologies into legal practice, on regulations the implementation may require and on potential changes it brings into the legal domain.The book consists of selected essays presenting and discussing from various perspectives how IT has been used to make and to communicate laws and how the new potential provided by the technology has already changed or can affect in the future both legal institutions and traditional legal practices.

The cases of Poland and Slovakia present: the important tasks in implementing tourism policy in the EU faced by each European country, the differences in approach to tourism policy implementation in two selected European countries, despite the presence of the EU three-level system of tourism management in both of the chosen countries, the complexity and difficulty of the systematic monitoring process of national and regional tourism products' competitiveness in the context of creating the European tourist product.

A successful health care unit means meeting patients' expectations, taking advantage of the latest organizational and technological solutions and, at the same time, providing financial balance. To achieve such a success the units have to put stress on modern methods of management, taking into account the cost analysis, its structure, controlling and caring about income. It is surprising why it has been so difficult for the hospitals to implement changes in their organization or management in favorable conditions for innovations. Is there any opposition to the innovations, successfully implemented in other companies and enterprises, which makes it impossible to introduce them in Polish hospitals? Transposing organizational solutions from other fields of economy to medical units is the task not only for the scientists, but also for the managers of health care who are responsible for hospitals' existence and finding a common ground for cooperation with the representatives from the world of medicine. However, the latter must join and support the system of management as all its parts are equally important so, if one single element of the system, seemingly unimportant, is inefficient, the system collapses.

The present book consists mainly of chapters on the theory of the AHP/ANP and their application in solving various economic, managerial, and organizational problems. Two chapters report on other methods.

It has been grouped into five parts, namely: (1) Theoretical and methodological aspects of the AHP/ANP; (2) Application of the AHP in Solving Economic, Organizational, and Management Problems; (3) Application of the AHP in connection with other methods; (4) Application of the ANP in Solving Economic, Organizational, Social, and Political Problems; (5) Other multicriteria methods. A broad variety of the presented problems and their effective and efficient solutions clearly indicate that these methods are rapidly developing, offering new, interdisciplinary research perspectives. It also shows that the presented research area is far from exhaustion and should be continued in the future.

The quality of teaching in higher education has been debated for years, and private universities have found it increasingly difficult to provide adequate academic staff for didactic purposes. Therefore the Department of Applied Economics at the Jagiellonian University financed an international study to investigate the issues affecting universities worldwide. The study found many similar problems among the universities and discovered pro quality management restructuring demands the implementation of Total Quality Management principles.

The Monograph stands out positively from the items related to change management in the context of entrepreneurial opportunities and flexibility of the organization. The authors attempt to integrate retrospective and prognostic approaches, so they not only assess the current status, but also point to challenges for management science. The work has been prepared by people whose authority in management sciences is undisputed.


With this book we try to provide the reader with information about miscellaneous parts of life and the social-economical environment. For this purpose, we have invited authors representing the leading scientific research centers in Poland but also specialists from foreign universities.

The world is standing on the very edge of the fastest industrial revolution ever. A revolution which will rapidly increase the efficiency of many production processes. Automation (both mechanical and the one happening with computer processes) will reduce the demand for human work and release a huge amount of time we can use for further development. Industry 4.0 has been a buzz word recently. It is about interconnecting devices and giving them the possibility to making autonomous decisions. It is certainly a way of increasing efficiency of production, but it will also have impact on the facilitation of other processes within the organization.

At the same time, it is said that we are on the verge of an ecological catastrophe and that we have merely a few years before irreversible climate changes may endanger the future of our species. Some say, that the development of AI will solve most of our problems. We believe that the need for the activity of human beings will be even bigger.

The monograph outlines the directions of evolution in management sciences, focusing on changes emerging in the environment and emphasizing the processes of adaptation and resilience building. The aim of the work is to initiate discussions on processes and trends of change in contemporary organizations, ranging from supply chain management to the formulation of strategies in higher education institutions, managing family businesses, and public entity management. The fundamental concept of the monograph Management Sciences - New Horizons revolves around essential questions concerning the evolution of management sciences, considering changes in the environment and emphasizing the importance of adaptation and resilience-building processes, from both theoretical and practical management perspectives.

What sets this monograph apart from other publications in the market discussing the evolution of management sciences is its strong integration of theoretical concepts with practical aspects of organizational functioning. In addition to its utilitarian nature, the discussions led by various authors have a systematic and theoretical dimension, making it a foundation for in-depth research in the field of management sciences. The monograph is an engaging and thought-provoking piece that encourages readers to delve into the factors influencing changes in management sciences.

The monograph comprises ten chapters, addressing various dimensions of organizational adaptation and resilience. The authors use a conceptual framework to characterize phenomena within the field of management sciences, supported by numerous tables and diagrams. The monograph is based on interdisciplinary and extensive theoretical knowledge, along with intriguing results from empirical research, both quantitative and qualitative, which contribute to its value. The authors tackle issues relevant to contemporary organizational management, not only presenting phenomena as they are but also synthesizing existing views and referring to research findings in the literature, attempting to outline how management processes in organizations should be shaped to enhance adaptability and resilience.
The monograph can be of interest to scholars in the field of management sciences, students studying subjects related to management and quality, as well as management practitioners. In this monograph, they will find a toolbox and proposals pertaining to various aspects of organizational functioning, allowing for a better understanding of the context in which flexible organizations operate amidst dynamic changes. Undoubtedly, it can serve as a starting point for conducting in-depth research in the field of management and quality.