Relationships Between Networking, Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Firm Growth: The Case Of Slovenian Companies

摘要

Social networks represent the immediate environment in which entrepreneurs are embedded and they therefore have a great influence on entrepreneurs’ behavior. Entrepreneurs’ social networks can provide entrepreneurs and their firms with information, support and access to resources. The support of the environment is important for reinforcing self-efficacy which is recognized as a predictor of firm performance. In this study, we developed and empirically tested hypotheses about the relationships between networking, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and small firm growth. The findings show that entrepreneurs can enhance entrepreneurial self-efficacy through network support, and consequently contribute to relative firm growth. The study provides significant contributions to entrepreneurship network theory and holds important implications for theory and practice.Sa?etakSocijalne mre?e predstavljaju okru?enje u kojemu se poduzetnici me?usobno povezuju na taj na?in zna?ajno utje?u na poduzetni?ko pona?anje. Poduzetni?ke socijalne mre?e omogu?uju poduzetniku i njegovom poduze?u da koristi nove informacije, koristi ?iru podr?ku i pristup brojnim resursima. Podr?ka okru?enja vrlo je va?na za poticanje samoefikasnosti kao preduvjeta poslovanja poduze?a. U ovoj studiji razvili smo i empirijski testirali hipotezu o odnosu socijalnog umre?avanja, poduzetni?ke samoefikasnosti i rasta poduze?a. Rezultati pokazuju da poduzetnici mogu unaprijediti samoefikasnost kroz podr?ku vlastite socijalne mre?e i tako zna?ajno koristiti relativnom rastu vlastitog poduze?a. Ova studija zna?ajno doprinosi teoriji poduzetni?kog umre?avanja i teoretski te prakti?ki zna?ajno uvodi brojne implikacije.