Selected Aspects of Managerial Success Perception: The Case of Polish Born Globals

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to analyze the influence of three groups of factors on managerial success perception in Polish small- and medium-sized international new ventures (Born Globals). We considered the following explanatory variables: (1) international entrepreneurial orientation, (2) the perceived level of excellence in the use of marketing mix tools, and (3) sector-specific determinants (i.e., industry type). Financial situation and the success relative to competitors have been considered as the measures of success perception. The results indicate that the substantial majority of interviewed managers of Polish Born Globals considered their firms to be successful. The first hypothesis concerning the positive relationship of international entrepreneurial orientation and the perception of success was confirmed in the case of internationally experienced and capable top management but disconfirmed as far as orientation on domestic market or international markets was concerned. The second hypothesis related to marketing mix tools was confirmed with the exception of innovativeness: innovative firms evaluated their success in less favorable terms compared to the innovative ones. The third hypothesis was confirmed in the sense that there were significant differences between industries concerning the success perceptions and their considering improved explanation of success based on the first two groups of variables.