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THE IMPORTANCE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT
IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Liuda MACIUKEVIČIENĖ, Birutė VAITĖNIENĖ
Vilniaus Kolegija / University of Applied Sciences,
Faculty of Business Management, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Jūratė SEREIKIENĖ
Socialinių mokslų kolegija/ University of Applied Sciences,
Vilnius, Lithuania.
Abstract
The article provides the concept of entrepreneurship and analyses Lithuanian and the EU documentation
emphasizing the importance of entrepreneurial competence development. It highlights the relevance of
entrepreneurial competence development in creating the added value of enterprises with regard to the
increasing impact of globalization and rapidly changing labour market demands. The article presents and
analyses the empirical research data aimed at the identification of entrepreneurial competencies and their
development in the context of international business. The empirical research was carried out by providing the
questionnaire and interviewing the heads of small and medium-sized enterprises. On the basis of the obtained
results key entrepreneurial competencies are provided that are significant to the specialists who have their
business in Lithuanian and foreign markets.
Keywords: entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship development, professional and general competencies,
entrepreneurial competencies.
Introduction
Entrepreneurship is considered as one of major factors ensuring the country's
innovativeness and its economic development - it affects the creation of economic and
social added value. Entrepreneurship - an opportunity to self-realization, fast and efficient
adaptation to changes and the ability to change one's life and the life quality of other
people.
In scientific literature entrepreneurship is analysed in diverse aspects. Some scientists heed
on the content of entrepreneurship and/or entrepreneurial competencies, others
emphasize the entrepreneurial skills development process, whereas the third part of
scientists discern specific personality traits, qualities, general and subject specific
competencies essential for an entrepreneur.
Different Lithuanian and the EU documentation define entrepreneurship and
entrepreneurial competencies synonymously. This tendency is prevailing in scientific
literature as well. Scientists are arguing whether entrepreneurship is the innate talent or
acquired skill; however, researchers are virtually unanimous asserting that entrepreneurship
is very important issue not only in theoretical, but also in practical terms.
Fostering entrepreneurship is the precondition determining the added value creation in
small and medium-sized enterprises of the country. The significance of these enterprises to
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