Tomasz Mickiewicz | Aston University (original) (raw)
Journal Articles by Tomasz Mickiewicz
Regional Studies, 2017
Local governance and business performance in Vietnam: the transaction costs’ perspective. Regiona... more Local governance and business performance in Vietnam: the transaction costs’ perspective. Regional Studies. This paper adopts a transaction costs’ perspective to explain why the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may
vary across regions of an emerging economy. Furthermore, it is argued that young and small firms gain more from the improvement of local governance than do old and large firms. In addition, depending on the institutional history, SMEs will respond differently to the incentives provided by local governance. Analysing more than 300,000 SMEs in Vietnam during 2006–12, it is shown that higher-quality local governance positively influences local SME revenue growth; this effect is stronger for young and small firms, and matters more where institutional history suggests there is less support
for entrepreneurship.
Journal of Business Ethics
In order to understand how the environment influences business owner/managers' attitudes towards ... more In order to understand how the environment influences business owner/managers' attitudes towards tax morale, we build a theoretical model based on a neo-in-stitutionalist framework. Our model combines three complementary perspectives on institutions—normative, cultural–cognitive and regulatory–instrumental. This enables a broader understanding of factors that influence business owner–managers' attitudes towards tax evasion. We test the resulting hypotheses using regression analysis on survey data on business owner/managers in Latvia—a transition country, which has undergone massive institutional changes since it was part of the Soviet Union over 25 years ago. We find that legitimacy of the tax authorities and the government (normative dimension), feeling of belonging to the nation (cultural–cognitive dimension) and perceptions of the risk and severity of punishment (regu-latory–instrumental dimension) are all associated with higher tax morale for business owners and managers.
We apply prospect theory to explain how personal and corporate bankruptcy laws affect risk percep... more We apply prospect theory to explain how personal and corporate bankruptcy laws affect risk perceptions of entrepreneurs at time of entry and therefore their growth ambitions. Previous theories have reached ambiguous conclusions as to whether countries with more debtor-friendly bankruptcy laws (i.e. laws that are more forgiving towards debtors in bankruptcy proceedings) are likely to have more entrepreneurs, or whether, creditor-friendly regimes have positive effects on new ventures via enhanced incentives for the supply of credit to entrepreneurs. Responding to this ambiguity, we apply prospect theory to propose that entrepreneurs do not attach the same significance to different elements of bankruptcy codes—and to explain which aspects of debtor-friendly bankruptcy laws matter more to entrepreneurs. Based on this, we derive and confirm hypotheses about the impact of aspects of bankruptcy codes on entrepreneurial activity using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor combined with data on both personal and corporate bankruptcy regulations for 15 developed OECD countries. We use multilevel random coefficient logistic regressions to take account of the hierarchical nature of the data (country and individual levels). Because entrepreneurs and creditors are sensitive to different elements of the codes, there is scope for optimisation of the legal design of bankruptcy law to achieve both an adequate supply of credit and to encourage high-ambition entrepreneurship.
We consider whether the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance is moderate... more We consider whether the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance is moderated by the company affiliation with business groups. Within business groups, we explore the trade-off between inter-firm insurance that enables risk-taking, and inefficient resource allocation. Risk-taking in group affiliated firms leads to higher performance, compared to independent firms, but the impact of proactivity is attenuated. Utilizing Indian data, we show that risk-taking may undermine rather than improve business performance, but this effect is not present in business groups. Proactivity enhances performance, but less so in business groups. Firms can also enhance performance by technological knowledge acquisition, but these effects are not significantly different for various ownership categories.
A B S T R A C T This paper applies property rights theory to explain changes in foreign affiliate... more A B S T R A C T This paper applies property rights theory to explain changes in foreign affiliates' ownership. Post-entry ownership change is driven by both firm-level characteristics and by the differences in the institutional environments in host countries. We distinguish between financial market development and the level of corruption as two different institutional dimensions, such that changes along these dimensions impact upon ownership change in different ways. Furthermore, we argue that changes in ownership are affected by the foreign affiliate's relatedness with its parent's sector, as well as by the affiliate's maturity. We use firm level data across 125 host countries to test our hypotheses. ã 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
We advance research on human capital and entrepreneurial entry and posit that, in order to genera... more We advance research on human capital and entrepreneurial entry and posit that, in order to generate value, social entrepreneurship requires different configurations of human capital than commercial entrepreneurship. We develop a multilevel framework to analyse the com-monalities and differences between social and commercial entrepreneurship, including the impact of general and specific human capital, of national context and its moderating effect on the human capital-entrepreneurship relationship. We find that specific entrepreneurial human capital is relatively more important in commercial entrepreneurship, and general human capital in social entrepreneurship, and that the effects of human capital depend on the rule of law.
Entrepreneurs in emerging market economies operate in weak institutional contexts, which can imp... more Entrepreneurs in emerging market economies operate in weak institutional contexts, which can imply different types of government. In some countries (e.g. Russia), the government is predatory, and the main risk faced by (successful) entrepreneurs relates to expropriation. In other countries (like China) this kind of risk is lower; nevertheless the government is intrusive, and the rules of the game remain fluid. The implication of the latter for entrepreneurs is that they are more likely to spend time and resources on influence (rent seeking) activities rather than on productive activities. We illustrate this type of government by focusing on the distribution of subsidies in China. We present a simple formal model that explores not only the direct effects of rent seeking for a company but also externalities under a situation of policy-generated uncertainty in the distribution of subsidies. We explore how these effects differ for the entrepreneurial sector (young, private and small companies) compared with other sectors. We posit that while the performance of private companies is more affected than the performance of state firms, the impact of government-induced uncertainty on young and small companies is actually less pronounced. Our empirical analysis, based on a unique large dataset of 2.4 million observations on Chinese companies, takes advantage of the regional and sectoral heterogeneity of China for empirical tests.
International Small Business Journal, Nov 18, 2014
This article explores the philanthropy of owner–managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (... more This article explores the philanthropy of owner–managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) investigating whether and why more entrepreneurially oriented SMEs are also more likely to engage in philanthropic activities. We find support for a positive link between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and philanthropy in a representative sample of 270 Lithuanian SMEs controlling for alternative explanations. We highlight that philanthropy is relatively common among SME owner–managers and thus complement existing research which views philanthropy as sequentially following wealth generation. In line with our theorizing, further qualitative findings point to drivers of philanthropy beyond those considered in the dominant strategic-instrumental perspective. Building on social-psychological theories of motivation, we argue and confirm that philanthropy can also be an expression of owner–managers’ altruistic values; these values can be compatible
Journal of Baltic Studies 42:3, 359-378, Sep 1, 2011
Applying regulatory focus theory, this paper investigates the impact of both ‘initial confidence’... more Applying regulatory focus theory, this paper investigates the impact of both ‘initial confidence’ and ‘exactness of growth expectations’ on the financial performance of small and medium-sized firms in Latvia. Drawing on a data set based on repeated survey design, we explore the complexity of this relationship empirically. Our overall findings suggest that when controlling for other relevant factors, such as actual growth, entrepreneurs having higher growth expectations perform significantly better in terms of profitability. In addition, education has a strong modifying effect. The impact of high growth expectations on subsequent profit performance is stronger for entrepreneurs with a lower level of education. Moreover, these effects are amplified by ethnicity. They are much stronger for ethnic Russian entrepreneurs compared with ethnic Latvian entrepreneurs.
Papers by Tomasz Mickiewicz
Small business economics, May 17, 2024
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2017
We consider how the origins of institutional frameworks affect entrepreneurship in Africa, evalua... more We consider how the origins of institutional frameworks affect entrepreneurship in Africa, evaluating the extent to which historically-embedded institutions and other environmental conditions affect the likelihood of high-growth-potential entrepreneurial start-ups. We investigate whether entrepreneurs in these countries are primarily motivated by the pressures of subsistence, or whether the broader economic context favours more ambitious entrepreneurial ventures. To illustrate our ideas, we draw on Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data about African economies in 2013, presenting results for nine countries. Next we focus on two pairwise comparisons, for which we conducted an in-depth analysis of entrepreneurial attitudes and historical context: First for a pair of resource-driven economies, Nigeria and Angola, and next for two economies with lower natural resource endowments: Ghana and Uganda. We conclude by highlighting the historical origins of present-day institutional environments for entrepreneurship in Africa, emphasizing the evolutionary elements of the historical context that continue to determine entrepreneurial aspirations.
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2022
Proceedings - Academy of Management, 2013
ABSTRACT We utilize concepts of legality, legitimacy, government effectiveness, trust and identit... more ABSTRACT We utilize concepts of legality, legitimacy, government effectiveness, trust and identity to develop hypotheses about antecedents of tax morale. We rely on the institutional approach that links the cognitive and normative aspects. We posit that tax morale of business owner-managers is related to their beliefs about political and tax institutions. We also argue that as well as looking at macro level, one needs to consider the micro level factors and meso level social structures, in particular: norms of behavior observed in the close neighborhood of the entrepreneur. We test our hypotheses based on survey data on owners-managers of Latvian businesses.
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Jul 1, 2012
We explore theoretically and empirically how country specific bankruptcy laws may affect entrepre... more We explore theoretically and empirically how country specific bankruptcy laws may affect entrepreneurship. We consider the relationship between more finely grained elements of bankruptcy law and di...
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2018
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Feb 1, 2010
Oxford University Press eBooks, Dec 19, 2022
Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Feb 28, 2020
Deep Blue (University of Michigan), Feb 1, 2007
Regional Studies, 2017
Local governance and business performance in Vietnam: the transaction costs’ perspective. Regiona... more Local governance and business performance in Vietnam: the transaction costs’ perspective. Regional Studies. This paper adopts a transaction costs’ perspective to explain why the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may
vary across regions of an emerging economy. Furthermore, it is argued that young and small firms gain more from the improvement of local governance than do old and large firms. In addition, depending on the institutional history, SMEs will respond differently to the incentives provided by local governance. Analysing more than 300,000 SMEs in Vietnam during 2006–12, it is shown that higher-quality local governance positively influences local SME revenue growth; this effect is stronger for young and small firms, and matters more where institutional history suggests there is less support
for entrepreneurship.
Journal of Business Ethics
In order to understand how the environment influences business owner/managers' attitudes towards ... more In order to understand how the environment influences business owner/managers' attitudes towards tax morale, we build a theoretical model based on a neo-in-stitutionalist framework. Our model combines three complementary perspectives on institutions—normative, cultural–cognitive and regulatory–instrumental. This enables a broader understanding of factors that influence business owner–managers' attitudes towards tax evasion. We test the resulting hypotheses using regression analysis on survey data on business owner/managers in Latvia—a transition country, which has undergone massive institutional changes since it was part of the Soviet Union over 25 years ago. We find that legitimacy of the tax authorities and the government (normative dimension), feeling of belonging to the nation (cultural–cognitive dimension) and perceptions of the risk and severity of punishment (regu-latory–instrumental dimension) are all associated with higher tax morale for business owners and managers.
We apply prospect theory to explain how personal and corporate bankruptcy laws affect risk percep... more We apply prospect theory to explain how personal and corporate bankruptcy laws affect risk perceptions of entrepreneurs at time of entry and therefore their growth ambitions. Previous theories have reached ambiguous conclusions as to whether countries with more debtor-friendly bankruptcy laws (i.e. laws that are more forgiving towards debtors in bankruptcy proceedings) are likely to have more entrepreneurs, or whether, creditor-friendly regimes have positive effects on new ventures via enhanced incentives for the supply of credit to entrepreneurs. Responding to this ambiguity, we apply prospect theory to propose that entrepreneurs do not attach the same significance to different elements of bankruptcy codes—and to explain which aspects of debtor-friendly bankruptcy laws matter more to entrepreneurs. Based on this, we derive and confirm hypotheses about the impact of aspects of bankruptcy codes on entrepreneurial activity using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor combined with data on both personal and corporate bankruptcy regulations for 15 developed OECD countries. We use multilevel random coefficient logistic regressions to take account of the hierarchical nature of the data (country and individual levels). Because entrepreneurs and creditors are sensitive to different elements of the codes, there is scope for optimisation of the legal design of bankruptcy law to achieve both an adequate supply of credit and to encourage high-ambition entrepreneurship.
We consider whether the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance is moderate... more We consider whether the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance is moderated by the company affiliation with business groups. Within business groups, we explore the trade-off between inter-firm insurance that enables risk-taking, and inefficient resource allocation. Risk-taking in group affiliated firms leads to higher performance, compared to independent firms, but the impact of proactivity is attenuated. Utilizing Indian data, we show that risk-taking may undermine rather than improve business performance, but this effect is not present in business groups. Proactivity enhances performance, but less so in business groups. Firms can also enhance performance by technological knowledge acquisition, but these effects are not significantly different for various ownership categories.
A B S T R A C T This paper applies property rights theory to explain changes in foreign affiliate... more A B S T R A C T This paper applies property rights theory to explain changes in foreign affiliates' ownership. Post-entry ownership change is driven by both firm-level characteristics and by the differences in the institutional environments in host countries. We distinguish between financial market development and the level of corruption as two different institutional dimensions, such that changes along these dimensions impact upon ownership change in different ways. Furthermore, we argue that changes in ownership are affected by the foreign affiliate's relatedness with its parent's sector, as well as by the affiliate's maturity. We use firm level data across 125 host countries to test our hypotheses. ã 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
We advance research on human capital and entrepreneurial entry and posit that, in order to genera... more We advance research on human capital and entrepreneurial entry and posit that, in order to generate value, social entrepreneurship requires different configurations of human capital than commercial entrepreneurship. We develop a multilevel framework to analyse the com-monalities and differences between social and commercial entrepreneurship, including the impact of general and specific human capital, of national context and its moderating effect on the human capital-entrepreneurship relationship. We find that specific entrepreneurial human capital is relatively more important in commercial entrepreneurship, and general human capital in social entrepreneurship, and that the effects of human capital depend on the rule of law.
Entrepreneurs in emerging market economies operate in weak institutional contexts, which can imp... more Entrepreneurs in emerging market economies operate in weak institutional contexts, which can imply different types of government. In some countries (e.g. Russia), the government is predatory, and the main risk faced by (successful) entrepreneurs relates to expropriation. In other countries (like China) this kind of risk is lower; nevertheless the government is intrusive, and the rules of the game remain fluid. The implication of the latter for entrepreneurs is that they are more likely to spend time and resources on influence (rent seeking) activities rather than on productive activities. We illustrate this type of government by focusing on the distribution of subsidies in China. We present a simple formal model that explores not only the direct effects of rent seeking for a company but also externalities under a situation of policy-generated uncertainty in the distribution of subsidies. We explore how these effects differ for the entrepreneurial sector (young, private and small companies) compared with other sectors. We posit that while the performance of private companies is more affected than the performance of state firms, the impact of government-induced uncertainty on young and small companies is actually less pronounced. Our empirical analysis, based on a unique large dataset of 2.4 million observations on Chinese companies, takes advantage of the regional and sectoral heterogeneity of China for empirical tests.
International Small Business Journal, Nov 18, 2014
This article explores the philanthropy of owner–managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (... more This article explores the philanthropy of owner–managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) investigating whether and why more entrepreneurially oriented SMEs are also more likely to engage in philanthropic activities. We find support for a positive link between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and philanthropy in a representative sample of 270 Lithuanian SMEs controlling for alternative explanations. We highlight that philanthropy is relatively common among SME owner–managers and thus complement existing research which views philanthropy as sequentially following wealth generation. In line with our theorizing, further qualitative findings point to drivers of philanthropy beyond those considered in the dominant strategic-instrumental perspective. Building on social-psychological theories of motivation, we argue and confirm that philanthropy can also be an expression of owner–managers’ altruistic values; these values can be compatible
Journal of Baltic Studies 42:3, 359-378, Sep 1, 2011
Applying regulatory focus theory, this paper investigates the impact of both ‘initial confidence’... more Applying regulatory focus theory, this paper investigates the impact of both ‘initial confidence’ and ‘exactness of growth expectations’ on the financial performance of small and medium-sized firms in Latvia. Drawing on a data set based on repeated survey design, we explore the complexity of this relationship empirically. Our overall findings suggest that when controlling for other relevant factors, such as actual growth, entrepreneurs having higher growth expectations perform significantly better in terms of profitability. In addition, education has a strong modifying effect. The impact of high growth expectations on subsequent profit performance is stronger for entrepreneurs with a lower level of education. Moreover, these effects are amplified by ethnicity. They are much stronger for ethnic Russian entrepreneurs compared with ethnic Latvian entrepreneurs.
Small business economics, May 17, 2024
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2017
We consider how the origins of institutional frameworks affect entrepreneurship in Africa, evalua... more We consider how the origins of institutional frameworks affect entrepreneurship in Africa, evaluating the extent to which historically-embedded institutions and other environmental conditions affect the likelihood of high-growth-potential entrepreneurial start-ups. We investigate whether entrepreneurs in these countries are primarily motivated by the pressures of subsistence, or whether the broader economic context favours more ambitious entrepreneurial ventures. To illustrate our ideas, we draw on Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data about African economies in 2013, presenting results for nine countries. Next we focus on two pairwise comparisons, for which we conducted an in-depth analysis of entrepreneurial attitudes and historical context: First for a pair of resource-driven economies, Nigeria and Angola, and next for two economies with lower natural resource endowments: Ghana and Uganda. We conclude by highlighting the historical origins of present-day institutional environments for entrepreneurship in Africa, emphasizing the evolutionary elements of the historical context that continue to determine entrepreneurial aspirations.
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2022
Proceedings - Academy of Management, 2013
ABSTRACT We utilize concepts of legality, legitimacy, government effectiveness, trust and identit... more ABSTRACT We utilize concepts of legality, legitimacy, government effectiveness, trust and identity to develop hypotheses about antecedents of tax morale. We rely on the institutional approach that links the cognitive and normative aspects. We posit that tax morale of business owner-managers is related to their beliefs about political and tax institutions. We also argue that as well as looking at macro level, one needs to consider the micro level factors and meso level social structures, in particular: norms of behavior observed in the close neighborhood of the entrepreneur. We test our hypotheses based on survey data on owners-managers of Latvian businesses.
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Jul 1, 2012
We explore theoretically and empirically how country specific bankruptcy laws may affect entrepre... more We explore theoretically and empirically how country specific bankruptcy laws may affect entrepreneurship. We consider the relationship between more finely grained elements of bankruptcy law and di...
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2018
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Feb 1, 2010
Oxford University Press eBooks, Dec 19, 2022
Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Feb 28, 2020
Deep Blue (University of Michigan), Feb 1, 2007
Frontiers of entrepreneurship research, 2012
ABSTRACT We utilize concepts of legality, legitimacy, government effectiveness, trust and identit... more ABSTRACT We utilize concepts of legality, legitimacy, government effectiveness, trust and identity to develop hypotheses about antecedents of tax morale. We rely on the institutional approach that links the cognitive and normative aspects. We posit that tax morale of business owner-managers is related to their beliefs about political and tax institutions. We also argue that as well as looking at macro level, one needs to consider the micro level factors and meso level social structures, in particular: norms of behavior observed in the close neighborhood of the entrepreneur. We test our hypotheses based on survey data on owners-managers of Latvian businesses.
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Jul 1, 2012
The relationship between the informal and formal sectors in developling countries is not yet well... more The relationship between the informal and formal sectors in developling countries is not yet well understood. This applies especially to entrepreneurship, much of which occurs into the informal sec...
Frontiers of entrepreneurship research, 2014
Frontiers of entrepreneurship research, 2011
Social Science Research Network, 2010
Post-communist Economies, Nov 17, 2022
Editorial to the special issue focused on entrepreneurship and local development in postcommunist... more Editorial to the special issue focused on entrepreneurship and local development in postcommunist Central and Eastern Europe.
In this paper, the start-up process is split conceptually into four entrepreneurial stages consid... more In this paper, the start-up process is split conceptually into four entrepreneurial stages considering entrepreneurship, intending to start a new business in the next three years, nascent entrepreneurship and newly established business. We investigate the determinants of the start-up process using a multinomial logit model which allows the effects of resources and capabilities to vary across the different entrepreneurial stages. We employ a pooled Global Entrepreneurship Monitor database for the years 2006 to 2009, containing 8,269 usable observations of the East Midlands region in the United Kingdom, controlling for the local environmental effects. Our results show that the combinative role of human capital, experience and local context varies along the different stages of the entrepreneurial process. In the early stages the (negative) opportunity cost effect of resources dominates tends to reverse in advanced stages, where the (positive) endowment effect becomes stronger.
Academy of Management Proceedings, 2021
We examine the impact of nascent entrepreneurs’ human capital, both general and specific, and of ... more We examine the impact of nascent entrepreneurs’ human capital, both general and specific, and of their age, on the duration of the business start-up process until a positive (profitable) outcome. W...