TAF PUBLISHING

According to the observations of the support instrument market in Poland, one of the causes of the above-mentioned situation is the failure to adapt proposed instruments to the characteristics of SMEs, in particular ignoring the behavioral determinants in this group of businesses, including the behaviors based on another concept of economic rationality (different from the mainstream economics). Owing to empirical research, it has been possible to show that in Polish conditions, decision-makers in SMEs in specific conditions may be influenced by personal characteristics such as gender, education, seniority, experience, financial knowledge, and age. It can be expected that some of the personal qualities of decision-makers will contribute to either the acceptance or rejection of specific types of influences, which in turn may aid in the better presentation and tailor-making of instruments offered to support SMEs. As a consequence, such instruments should be offered differently depending on a specific recipient profile. Having in mind the practical dimension of conducted research analyses, at the Department of Macroeconomics, Faculty of Economics, University of Gdansk, Poland, several series of research were developed in 2013-16 aimed at separating groups of decision-makers in Pomeranian Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that will be susceptible to specific (differentiated) behavioral stimuli.