Outline of Implemented Eco-innovation Activities – the Case of Clusters of South Eastern European Region

AbstractBackground and Purpose: Providing a win-win situation for enterprises and the environment is raising the importance of eco-innovation. This article sheds light on the eco-innovation activities implemented within the clusters of the South Eastern European region (hereafter the SEE region). The main objective of this paper is to provide an outline of the situation pertaining to the implementation of eco-innovation activities in analyzed clusters. Methodology: Empirical evidence is provided through the performance of survey research with a sample of 52 clusters, encompassing 11 countries of the SEE region. The basic research method used in this research was a questionnaire developed for cluster organizations, with which we gathered the data and afterwards conducted descriptive statistics. Results: The findings demonstrate that the majority of analyzed clusters implement eco-innovation activities. The results indicate that 40 clusters out of 52 in all have set objectives with regard to eco-innovation support in their national or regional programs, followed by 35 clusters, which include objectives related to eco-innovation in their cluster strategies, and lastly, only 15 clusters are primarily focused on eco-innovation. Hence, our study depicting the current situation regarding the implementation of eco-innovation activities in analyzed clusters and clusters’ orientation towards eco-innovation leads to us the discussion of why such differences in clusters occur. Conclusion: The huge differences related to the implementation of eco-innovation activities in clusters of the SEE region, can also reflect the level of the national/regional development in terms of economic indicators such as GDP and, at the same time, offer room for a lot of improvement, and an exchange of best practice.

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An Empirical Investigation of Banks' Operating Performance in the South Eastern European Region

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.675713 ◽

2005 ◽

Author(s):

Christos Staikouras ◽

Emmanuel C. Mamatzakis ◽

Anastasia Koutsomanoli-Fillipaki

Keyword(s):

Empirical Investigation ◽

Operating Performance ◽

European Region ◽

Eastern European ◽

The South ◽

South Eastern

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A three-fold framework for understanding HRM practices in South-Eastern European SMEs

Employee Relations ◽

10.1108/er-07-2014-0078 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 310-331 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Alexandros Psychogios ◽

Leslie Thomas Szamosi ◽

Rea Prouska ◽

Christopher Brewster

Keyword(s):

Eastern European ◽

Exploratory Research ◽

Content Type ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

South Eastern ◽

Hrm Practices ◽

Business Environments ◽

Yugoslav Republic ◽

Communist Countries ◽

See Region

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study particular structural and organisational factors affecting the formality of human resource management (HRM) practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South-Eastern European (SEE) post-communist countries, in particular Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in order to understand the antecedents of formalization in such settings. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a quantitative approach, this study analyses data gathered through a survey of 168 managers of SMEs from throughout the region. Findings – The results show that HRM in SMEs in the SEE region can be understood through a threefold framework which includes: degree of internationalisation of SMEs, sector of SMEs and organisational size of SMEs. These three factors positively affect the level of HRM formalisation in SEE SMEs. These findings are further attributed to the particular political and economic context of the post-communist SEE region. Research limitations/implications – Although specific criteria were set for SME selection, the authors do not suggest that the study reflects a representative picture of the SEE region because the authors used a purposive sampling methodology. Practical implications – This paper provides useful insights into the factors which influence HRM in SMEs in a particular context. The findings can help business owners and managers understand how HRM can be applied in smaller organisations, particularly in post-communist SEE business contexts. Originality/value – HRM in SMEs in this region has hardly been studied at all despite their importance. Therefore, this exploratory research seeks to expand knowledge relating to the application of HRM in SMEs in SEE countries which have their business environments dominated by different dynamics in comparison to Western European ones.

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