Risk perception among small and medium entrepreneurs

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is an attempt to present the way the decision makers of an economic operator assess developments related to risks and to the economic risk management process. The study was conducted in 2017 among 124 economic operators based in the Poznań district. The respondents were selected using purposive sampling. The information was analyzed and described with the use of descriptive statistical methods. Also, the correlation between selected characteristics was assessed with the Pearson’s contingency coefficient (C) based on the chi-square test of independence. As shown by this study, the entrepreneurs surveyed have faced a situation threatening the continued existence of their undertaking over the last couple of years. Most respondents (61%) adhere to the negative risk concept, 17% perceive the potential risk impact as a loss or a profit, only 7% see it exclusively as an opportunity to make profits. The interviewees believe that businesses should be afraid the most of the financial risk (6.6) and of the risk related to changes in external factors (6.1).

Keywords

• risk
• risk perception
• decision making