Perceiving of legal risk and the role of public sector in smes of v4 countries

Abstract

The public sector plays an important role in the process of creating a quality of business environment. The objective of the paper was to present new scientific knowledge in the field of legal risk in the SMEs sector of the V4 countries. For this purpose, weights of selected factors of legal risk were quantified and there were compared the trends of the Czech Republic with other V4 countries. Empirical research was conducted via questionnaire survey on a sample of 1.585 respondents. On the basis of the research conducted, it can be concluded that the level of legal risk in the V4 countries was relatively high; this risk negatively affects business activities in the SMEs of the V4 countries. A major part of enterprises in the V4 countries evaluate the legal risk as unacceptable. Entrepreneurs in the V4 countries negatively evaluated the fact that the dynamics of legislative changes is too intensive and has a negative impact on their business activities. SMEs in the V4 countries considered the business environment to be too strictly regulated. On the other hand, entrepreneurs showed a high level of self-confidence in the knowledge of basic legal norms in business. Legal risk is perceived differently in individual countries. The lowest intensity of legal risk is perceived by SMEs in Hungary; the highest level of perceiving legal risk was shown in Poland. Empirical research showed that the size of enterprise and education of entrepreneurs do not have a significant impact on the formation of entrepreneurs´ attitudes in terms of legal risk. © 2021, Bucharest University of Economic Studies Publishing House. All rights reserved.