The perplexity of the cooperation of small and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

Cooperation of companies determines the development of the modern economy and creating innovation. Experts even recognize its superiority over the competition. The degree of cooperation is dependent on the environment, competitors, and the needs of the cooperator. Any company that operates in terms of the knowledge economy to be developed and strengthened its position in the market must be innovative, and this is possible due to acquisition of knowledge external sources. Derivative of cooperation based on mutual learning process is created in the system value innovation. The practice indicates a growing number of cooperation initiatives by external actors with small and medium-sized enterprises, in spite of the fact their cooperation is exposed to the impact of the many barriers that arise both from market conditions and internal determinants dependent on the entity. In the first part of the article we outline theoretical aspect of cooperation. The second part of the article is devoted to the presentation of research results that show the conditions of cooperation of small and medium-sized enterprises in Tarnów and Małopolska Region. The purpose of this article is to present modern forms of knowledge from the outside. The paper attempts to identify the determinants and assess the level of cooperation of small and medium-sized enterprises, as a prerequisite for strengthening their capacity development.