The impact of the entrepreneur, network, technological development, and environment to innovations as a key success factor SMEs – Development of a model, empirical analysis and international comparative study on the sample of companies in the tourism indu

Vrsta raziskav je poudarila pomen podjetnika in njegovih značilnosti, mreženja, tehnološkega razvoja in okolja na inovacije. V zadnjem času pa se še posebej poudarja pomen inovacij za uspešnost podjetij, panog, narodnega gospodarstva, regij in celotnega globalnega gospodarstva.
Raziskave, ki so proučevale dejavnike in učinke inovativnosti, so se do sedaj v pretežni meri omejevale na proizvodne dejavnosti. Raziskav iz področja inovativnosti v turizmu je zelo malo, tiste redke obstoječe pa vsebujejo le skromne empirične analize. Tudi turistični sektor se je soočil z razvojem novih tehnologij in s potrebo po inovativnih strategijah. Osrednja raziskovalna vprašanja predlagane raziskave so zato naslednja: (1) Kolikšen je vpliv podjetnika in njegovih lastnosti, mreženja, tehnološkega razvoja in okolja na inovacije, (2) V kolikšni meri inovacije vplivajo na uspešnost podjetij v turistični panogi in (3) Kakšne so razlike v vseh elementih predlaganega modela med Slovenijo, Avstrijo, Hrvaško, Madžarsko in Italijo
Levo stran modela bodo predstavljali vzvodi inovacij, in sicer (1) podjetnik in njegove značilnosti, (2) mreženje, (3) tehnološki razvoj in (4) okolje. Za podjetnike v turizmu lahko trdimo, da jim velikokrat primanjkuje poslovnih veščin, njihova sposobnost razmišljati in uvajati inovacije pa je skromna. Poleg tega novejše raziskave poudarjajo pomen socialnega kapitala in mreženja za uspešnost inovacij. Predvsem v zadnjih dekadah je pri razvoju in uvajanju inovacij pomembno vlogo odigrala tehnologija. Element okolja, ki se še nahaja na levi strani predlaganega modela bomo za namene te raziskave ločili na zunanje in na notranje okolje podjetja.
Osrednja dimenzija predlaganega modela bo inovativnost. Poleg raznih korelacij med dimenzijami modela nas bo zanimalo, katere so prevladujoče kategorije inovacij v turističnih podjetjih.

Many researchers have emphasized the importance of the entrepreneur’s characteristics, networking, technological development and environment for innovations, more recently especially the importance of innovation for growth, and the performance of businesses, industries, national economy, regions and the entire global economy has been studied.
Studies that examined the factors and effects of innovation have been largely restricted to manufacturing. The research in the field of innovation in tourism is very scarce, with the few existing studies containing modest empirical analysis. The tourism sector faced the development of new technologies and the need for structural and organizational innovation.
The principal research questions of the proposed research are as follows: (1) What is the impact of the entrepreneur’s characteristics, network, technological development and environment on innovations, (2) To what extent does innovation impact the business performance of tourism enterprises? and (3) What are the differences in all the dimensions of suggested model between Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy?
The left side of the model is represented by the determinants of innovation, namely (1) entrepreneur’s characteristics, (2) networking, (3) technological development, and (4) environment. For entrepreneurs in the tourism industry, we can claim that they their ability to innovate is modest. More recent research stresses the importance of social capital, and networks for the success of innovation. In developing new ideas and innovations the technology was playing an important role. For the purposes of this study the factor of environment, will be separated into the external and internal environment.

A central dimension of the proposed model will be innovativeness. In addition to the various correlations between the dimensions of the model we will analyse what are the dominant categories of innovation in tourism firms.
The right side of the model will contain the effects of innovativeness. We will measure the performance of the company, which will, for the purposes of this study, be separated into (1) business performance and (2) the perceived success of the entrepreneur. Revenue growth, profit growth and employee growth are the common indicators of success. In addition, the business success in terms of perceived performance by the entrepreneurs (their subjective opinion regarding satisfaction with the company) is included in the proposed model.
The main objectives of the research are (1) to develop and empirically examine an integrative model that links the impact of the entrepreneur’s characteristics, networking, technological development and environment to the  innovativeness as the key success factors of SMEs, (2) to verify the model empirically on a sample of small and medium enterprises in the tourism industry and (3) to perform an international comparative study of all aspects of the proposed model between Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy.
No previous study, especially in the tourism industry, has succeed in proposing and even less in testing an integrative model that links the impact of the entrepreneur’s characteristics, networking, technological development and environment to innovation as the key factor of SMEs’ performance. The proposed research will cover this gap in research. The international comparative study will present the contribution to the science and to the applicability if results.
All dimensions of the proposed model and measurement issues will be conceptually developed. The questionnaires will be developed for the purpose of the quantitative research.
The proposed research project will detect significant factors that promote innovations, thereby affecting the performance of tourism companies. Project results will include proposals for the management of tourism firms on how to increase the level of innovation in the tourism companies.