THE COMPETITIVENESS OF ENTERPRISES IN A KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY

Abstract

Purpose- The aim of the study was to show the issue of the competitiveness of enterprises in mod-ern economic conditions, where knowledge becomes particularly important - its place in the com-pany's resources, the extent to which it is used, the way in which it is collected or treated as an indispensable factor in the creation of competitive strategies. Design/methodology/approach- In this study, various research methods have been used, including: descriptive and comparative methods and induction. The choice of methods has been determined by the available research materials relating to business competitiveness and knowledge. The descripti-ve method is used to present key issues of this paper, in particular for historical considerations of competitiveness. The comparative method has been used wherever different positions have been presented and described or the selected research area has been discussed. In addition, the article uses a literature review, carried out using both Polish and foreign language positions. Findings- The results of this study show that the competitiveness of businesses is a very complex issue. The competitiveness of Polish small and medium-sized enterprises, which were the subject of the study, is unsatisfactory. This is probably due to internal and external factors. Among the exter-nal factors, it is worth mentioning, for example, the lack of systemic solutions related to cooperation in the triad science-business-administration, the lack of coherent solutions concerning the commer-cialisation of knowledge, which may result from the lack of tradition of such forms of cooperation in Poland. Moreover, Polish entrepreneurs operate within the framework of a free market economy for a relatively short period of time (conventionally, 1989 is assumed to be the beginning of social and economic transformations in Poland), which means that they often face problems that already exist in highly developed countries only in the past or do not exist in such intensity (finance, access to technology).Limitations/applications of testing- It should be stressed that the study was restricted to Polish small and medium-sized industrial enterprises. When analysing the results of the study, it should be borne in mind that the operating conditions of all entities change over time.Practical effects- The results of these studies have both theoretical and practical implications. In theoretical terms, they can contribute to further research into the issue of competitiveness, and can give rise to a broad academic discussion, especially in those areas that are not presented here but are important from the point of view of competitiveness. In practical terms, the results of research can inspire entrepreneurs to revise or strengthen their pro-innovative and pro-competitive activities. Orginality- This article makes a real contribution to the development of research relating to the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in a knowledge-based economy. The results of the research will provide an opportunity to broaden the research areas in the future and for managers and other entities they can provide a base of knowledge about competitiveness