Purpose: This study explores the knowledge development of network-based market orientation (MO) for the internationalization of disruptive innovation (DI) by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Methodology: To manage knowledge development for DI internationalization, a business model was applied to a case study of an individual example. The studied company participated in a series of workshops and allowed on-site visits and interviews for two years in a European Union-funded project. The workshops helped the company to gather MO and networking knowledge and then apply that knowledge internally in the organization and externally, in interactions with suppliers, buyers, and other members of the buyer chain.

Findings: Although technological and market efforts usually proceed separately, this study shows that technical and MO knowledge can go together through external and internal networking.

Research limitations/implications: To overcome the limitation of having just one example in a case study, several SMEs can be included in future research to produce a comparative analysis. A further study can investigate how technical and market networks can be integrated in the knowledge development process to speed up internationalization. Managers can learn to internationalize DI by collaborating, knowledge sharing, and networking with other SMEs, suppliers, and firms in the buyer chain.

Originality: The current study contributes to DI literature by highlighting knowledge generation in SMEs from a process perspective as well as by integrating technical and MO efforts for internationalization.

Purpose: The main aim of the study is the analysis of the awareness of competency needs in businesses in relation to the development of Industry 4.0 and the possibility of meeting those needs within business cooperation networks.

Methodology: We formed a model of competency needs for companies operating as part of Industry 4.0 in Poland, considering the needs of managers and other staff members. The model was then employed in empirical studies. The pilot empirical study was conducted using two methods: a quantitative CAWI method, which covered 81 companies from the metal processing and machine industry in Podlaskie Voivodship, and a qualitative IDI on a sample of 25 organizations.

Findings: Manufacturing companies are not fully aware of the competency needs related to Industry 4.0, covered by the established model. Moreover, we found that the most strongly felt competency needs – both by managers and other employees – may not be met within the business cooperation network. In order to satisfy these needs, partners must be found outside the studied network. The business cooperation network that we studied may only satisfy the less noticeable competency needs.

Implications: The developed competency model should be studied and further verified, including testing with a larger sample of companies, specifying the behavioral competency gaps related to Industry 4.0, their filling in using formal education systems, lifelong education, internships, and apprenticeships. The need for further research is dictated by the intensity of processes occurring within the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Value: The pilot nature of the study and its limited sample do not undermine its contribution to the body of knowledge as it confirms that the competencies of managers and other staff members are one of the key determinants of successful implementation of the Industry 4.0 concept in Poland.

Purpose: Many empirical and review studies have been performed in the management and organization literature from the structural social capital perspective. Since these studies focus on different topics periodically, we aimed to make a bibliometric analysis of the structural social capital literature that allows a regular, systematic, and quantitative evaluation of published articles in management and organization science to identify the underlying structure in this research area and to identify the main research themes of the scholarship.

Methodology: The bibliographic matching technique was used for checking international databases to explore the main concepts and themes of the management and organization literature and to identify main themes in the research area. Therefore, this article offers a bibliometric analysis of the literature that allows for a regular, systematic, and quantitative evaluation of published articles to identify their underlying structure and to identify the main research themes in the scholarship. Research data were analyzed using the text mining method, which is a sub-branch of the data mining method and one of the most critical ways to analyze and process unstructured data.

Findings: Structural social capital studies were examined in management and organization science databases in three periods forming four years. Although there are no completely different emerging themes, we noticed periodic differences and change in priority rankings. Moreover, we found that the subjects repeat every period with few new concepts.

Implications: This research shows the main themes in the management and organization literature, where structural social capital elements are examined together, and covers all areas of management, organization and business science. Considering the main topics of the three periods of this research, there are similarities, namely the words that rank among the top in each period are “innovation,” “entrepreneurship,” “knowledge management,” “performance,” “leadership,” “technology,” and “human resources” and these themes are the most prominent.

Originality/Value: This research presents an overview of all past studies that focus on the structural social capital present in social interactions. Since structural social capital influences management and organization literature, it is considered a valuable study and a guide for future research.

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse selected aspects of the marketing strategy of the frst and biggest network of self-service shops with organic products in Poland – Organic Farma Zdrowia.

Methodology: The adopted methodology involves a qualitative approach. The case study is based on an analysis of company documents and marketing communication, especially that offered on its website and in its social media channels.

Findings: The company specializes in distribution of organic products in Poland. It has gone through organic growth, acquisitions, attracting a Dutch investment fund, and entering the NewConnect stock exchange. It operates based on the model of multichannel distribution, combining physical and online retailing. The assortment consists of 4,000 products, including organic food, cosmetics, and cleaning aids. The company has managed to create 3 own label product lines. The online retailer belonging to the company (organic24.pl) is organized in a professional way, although some improvements are possible. In 2015, the company engaged in ambitious marketing projects.

Practical implications: The fndings may be useful for the Organic Farma Zdrowia company as certain modifcations in its marketing communication are recommended. Other companies operating in the sector may also beneft from the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the business in question. Furthermore, our case study may offer a framework of reference for researchers interested in this area.

Originality: This is the frst study to examine the strategy and marketing activities of Organic Farma Zdrowia, a major player in the sector of organic food distribution in Poland.

in terms of the benefi ts for the cluster members. The paper examines which mechanisms within the clustersb promote knowledge creation between companies and other institutions.
Methodology: The literature review is based on databases of books and scientifi c articles, such as EBSCO, Elsevier, JSTOR, Springer, and the Oxford Library and Kingston University London Library. The analysis of the literature is focused around the concepts of business clusters, knowledge management in organizations, knowledge management in clusters.

Findings: The literature presented in this paper shows that network forms of organization such as clusters are conducive to inter-fi rm knowledge and skill development. Clusters as a type of network turn out to be a highly structured model of knowledge development, transfer and diffusion, produced by the interaction of social and economic relations within cluster institutions.

Research implications: The article constitutes a combination of two theoretical aspects – knowledge management and business clusters. The theoretical conclusions of the literature review, mostly foreign literature, provide a basis for research in that area.

Practical implications: In the Polish literature on the subject the aspect of knowledge management in business clusters has not yet been discussed. The conclusions of the presented literature analysis provide a basis for research and the development of practical recommendations for cluster managers. Knowledge-based clusters can serve as an example for developing clusters in the world. They are often clustered around research centers,
making it possible to improve the exchange of knowledge between the cluster members and also providing the opportunity to better connect the world of science and business.

Originality: The author has presented a unique mix of theory, knowledge management and business clusters and has demonstrated that one of the benefi ts of business clusters is their ability to generate knowledge by combining existing information and data from internal databases of businesses within clusters with the infl ux of new information.

Formal contacts between the employees of the cooperating institutions provide general knowledge and
best practices based on collective knowledge. While informal contacts are important channels for the transfer of
tacit knowledge, the so-called operational know-how

Purpose: This text is a review of the results of a research project on Polish entrepreneurs and Polish enterprises in Silicon Valley, conducted by the author in Silicon Valley in The United States in the years 2007–2012.

Methodology: 81 participants took part in the research (members of 13 different companies and several government and third sector organizations). Among the organizations represented in the project there were companies established in the Valley by Poles, Polish companies present in the Valley, as well as institutions that are active in promotion and support of Polish business presence in the United States, especially in Silicon Valley.

Findings: The research indicates that there are three main areas for improvement in Poland, if it is to be home to companies characterized by a potential for rapid growth (as the ones that Silicon Valley is famous for). The first one concerns cultural aspects associated with low tolerance of risk and social censure of those who fail in business. The second includes financing, in particular limited access to venture capital and business angels networks. The third one refers to business education of entrepreneurs, for whom gaining practical experiences in world-class centers of entrepreneurship, such as Silicon Valley, is of utmost importance.

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to present a model of the network of relationships of an enterprise with entities around it in the virtual environment, with particular consideration of internet communities against the background of its earlier forms, along with a presentation of the crucial factors, which have influenced its shape. An additional aim is to identify the key factors that determine the relationships of the network.

Approach: The article is theoretical. The basis for discussion are literature studies in economics and management.

Findings: The results of the discussion indicate the manner in which new information communication technologies change the form and nature of relationships between companies and their external environment. The author puts forward a proposal concerning the development possibilities of these mutual relationships in two opposing directions, i.e. cooperation and destruction.

Originality: A model of business relationships in the virtual environment is presented. The author also suggests the key internal and external factors determining the form of the mutual relationships in the virtual environment

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to analyze some of the innovation drivers in Poland in comparison to the selected developed and developing countries, to present the general determinants and features of the “open innovation” concept, and finally to determine the most important incentives of the open knowledge ecosystem creation process in Poland.

Methodology: The research approach and methodology are based on the assumption that in the contemporary world economy innovativeness and competitiveness depend not only on traditional modes of technology transfer (e.g. foreign direct investment, license or arm’s length agreements), but also on knowledge absorption capabilities.

Findings: The transnational corporations have already perceived the knowledge creation potential of Internetbased digital communities, therefore they are strongly interested in the implementation of the “open innovation” concept in their business models. Based on completed survey results and a selected data comparative analysis one can conclude that the innovativeness of the Polish economy has not increased since the last two decades, and
future development prospects in this area are rather gloomy. It seems that the cornerstone of the open knowledge environment building process is a systemic change concerning citizen-state relations.

Originality: The value of the article stems from emphasizing the importance of trust and cooperation as the fundamental factors influencing growth of networked innovation capabilities of society. Moreover, without promoting the development of such social attitudes it is impossible to create a modern digital society, and to profit from ideas and knowledge circulating on the Web.