Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the corporate functions that contribute most to the innovation success of SMEs with limited resources. After a systematic literature review, the authors used a unique primary data set of 784 SMEs from eight countries. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to show the data set peculiarities. The logistic regression targeted the presence of innovative products and services in sales by 11 dummy variables and 4 principal factors describing SMEs’ different resources and capabilities. Design/methodology/approach: The authors developed a resource-based product innovation model that is synthesising the impact of the company resources and capabilities and of the innovation activity of the company on the actual innovation performance. The authors carry out an empirical analysis of the characteristic features of innovation activity in an international sample of SMEs. Findings: The results show that two corporate functions play a crucial role in the effectiveness of innovation for SMEs as follows: management and research and development (R&D). In addition, although of lesser importance, the effect of the marketing function also appears significant. The binary logistic regression had 84.2% of explanatory power. Originality/value: From a scientific point of view, the SME-focussed, complex and synthesising RBV model of innovation construction and literature review can be used as a reference point for future researches. From a practical point of view, the analysis is useful for those SMEs, which want to gain a competitive advantage through innovation. Indeed, the results show that in the case of SMEs, a company wishing to innovate must invest in three corporate functions for innovation to be effective as follows: management, R&D and marketing.

The article deals with the topic of communication and trust in leadership which affect the success of cooperation and organizational performance. The paper summarizes the theoretical basis of trust and communication and examines what leaders must do to develop them and achieve the expected results and outcomes. The study focuses on Zenger and Folkman’s model related to the two aspects of leaders’ qualities: warmth and professional competence. The empirical analysis is conducted on a dataset obtained from a Hungarian nationwide omnibus study where 999 responses were collected. The methodology is based on the application of Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Binary Logistic Regression. The research confirmed that trust and communication are significant factors of leadership success, whereas warmth is measured to have twice as much importance as professional competence in building the former two. This is the first study where the Zenger and Folkman’s model is controlled in a Central and Eastern European country in the context of leaders and employees.

Purpose: Competitiveness is a multidimensional construct, related to a number of external and internal company factors. This paper aims to provide empirical evidence on the relationship between the application of small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) compensation incentives as an index/element of human system development and competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach: A unique primary data set drawn from the Global Competitiveness Project on SMEs’ competitiveness was analysed, using cross-sectional data of 784 firms. First, descriptive statistics were used to show the data set peculiarities. Second, a forward logistic regression was applied to show the effects on the application of compensation incentives. A 25.1% of explanatory power was found by targeting the application of compensation systems by 7 firm-level principal factors and 30 control variables. Findings: The findings suggest that there is a higher chance of the application of compensation incentives in cases when the employees possess a more substantial tacit knowledge and formal and informal relationship networks. It is also positively impacted by the higher level of intra-company manifestation of knowledge. Research limitations/implications: The research was conducted among SMEs from eight countries, based on a unique questionnaire designed for small enterprises. The respective countries are from Europe and Latin America, which serve as a reference category for Hungary. Also, there is a high level of 0 answers for the involved variables. The binary logistic regression methodology is suitable for filtering out some of these; nevertheless, the proportion of uncertain factors remains high as it is indicated by the explanatory power. Originality/value: The majority of the literature is dealing with large companies in the topic of competitiveness, whereas in this data set, a deeper analysis was carried out among SMEs from eight countries, comparing their results to the Hungarian ones. The findings can be used as reference points for future studies, and the understanding of the HR cycle within SMEs.

This study investigates the predictors of marketing innovation among SMEs using a resource-based view (RBV) framework, drawing on data from the Global Competitiveness Project (GCP). Our analysis, based on ordinal logistic regression, reveals that specific internal firm-level capabilities, such as product uniqueness, the use of marketing and communication tools, product innovation, and the sophistication of distribution channels, significantly increase the likelihood of marketing innovation. Furthermore, customer responsiveness also shows a statistically significant effect. In contrast, pricing strategies, general management capabilities, internationalisation activities, and generic business or social networks do not exhibit significant associations with marketing innovation. These findings highlight the role of dynamic capabilities, particularly responsiveness, digital engagement, and learning orientation, as critical enablers of marketing innovation in SMEs. The results also underscore the domain-specific nature of marketing innovation, which cannot be fully explained by broader entrepreneurial traits or internationalisation. The paper contributes to the innovation literature by offering a nuanced understanding of the RBV framework in the context of marketing innovation and proposes practical implications for policymakers and SME leaders.

The purpose of this paper is to show the necessary competence sets for Higher Education (HE) lecturers in the framework of the COVID and post-COVID. A COVID-situated competence survey was carried out among university lecturers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA, CFA) were applied to show the significant digital education competence factors. The representative online survey of 322 respondents shows that three big competence sets can be identified: Awareness, Professional, and Digital. Those having higher scores in Professional competencies foresee more digital programs and communications in the future, and not only the digital competencies but also the professional ones should be developed to meet the requirements of the digital education transformation process. The findings emphasize that the forced and drastic changes in the application of digital education to the intensification of COVID-19 should become sustainable and find its proper place and role in the future HE. The structured and closely managed use of the results was followed by a set of digital and professional competence development initiatives carried out within the framework of the Digital Education and Learning Support Centre, founded in 2020 at the University of Pécs.

This study contributes to the topic of small and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) decision‐making peculiarities from a resource‐based view (RBV). It provides empirical evidence on the relationship between the decision of SMEs and a variety of information sources. We analysed a comprehensive dataset drawn from the Global Competitiveness Project on SMEs' competitiveness, including cross‐sectional data of 784 businesses from eight countries. The extent of information used by SMEs is positively affected by the intensity of competition, networking and the existence of formal and informal relationships, the higher level of innovation activity and a more complex compensation system. We could only partially support the fact that the amount of information used by SMEs in decision‐making is positively influenced by their marketing practices. The SME leaders should consider the fact that their business is much smaller than their potential benchmarking counterparts, and a mere imitation of decision‐making‐related information sources is not necessarily leading to the desired outcome.