Strategic Management - International Journal of Strategic Management and Decision Support Systems in Strategic Management

The use of artificial intelligence in marketing: a case study from the Czech Republic

Michal Konečný — 2026-06-30

Background: The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings new opportunities for marketing practice, particularly in cost optimisation and increasing campaign effectiveness. This paper responds to the need to explore the practical application of AI within a specific business environment.

Purpose: This paper aimed to investigate whether the use of AI for marketing content created by a selected South Bohemian digital agency leads to reduced costs, increased efficiency, and improved conversions.

Study design/methodology/approach: The research employed quantitative analysis of data from marketing campaigns conducted in 2023 (excluding AI) and 2024 (with AI implementation). Performance metrics, including cost-per-turnover (CPT), were compared, and Chi-square test and Effect size calculations were applied.

Findings/conclusions: AI had a positive impact on campaign performance, contributing to more efficient budget allocation and improved conversion results. The findings are particularly beneficial for SMEs seeking effective marketing solutions. For SME managers, this brings practical implications in the form of more efficient budget allocation, faster campaign optimization, and gaining a competitive advantage.

Limitations/future research: The study involved only one company and a limited number of campaigns, which limits the possibilities of generalisation. It is recommended that the research be extended to more companies and sectors in the future.

How to support the implementation of Smart Human Resources 4.0 at the enterprise level - the role of leadership and organizational structure

Nadežda Jankelová — 2026-06-30

Purpose: This study examines the role of leadership styles and changes in organizational structure within the implementation of Smart Human Resources 4.0 (SHR4.0) as a result of introducing the Industry 4.0 concept. The aim is to examine the role of leadership styles and organizational structure in the success of the Smart Human Resources 4.0 implementation.

Study design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey among top managers of companies operating in Slovakia was used to collect data. The PLS-SEM method was used to test the theoretical research model and proposed hypotheses using SmartPLS 3.0 software.

Findings/conclusions: The findings indicate a statistically significant relationship between Industry 4.0 technology solutions and the implementation of Smart Human Resources 4.0 at the enterprise level, which can be strengthened by the inclusion of mediating variables. The two mediating variables of leadership style and organizational structure changes, independently enhance the overall effect, but their joint mediating effect is of substantial importance. Leadership style plays a significant role, with organizational structure being a supporting element in the investigated relationship.

Originality/value: Based on the findings, technology solutions need to be aligned with the human resource development system and supervisors behavior in the new digital culture. In addition to focusing on HR processes, it demonstrates that SHR4.0 transformation process requires capable leaders and a redesign of structures and processes to enable the use of technology.

Limitations and future research: Despite the originality of our findings, we acknowledge the limitations of this study, namely its regional focus (on a single country) and the homogeneity of the industry sample. Future research should delve deeper into advanced talent management, workforce planning, and well-being strategies across industries, which are most affected by smart HR 4.0.

National Culture and Technological Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Study Utilising Hofstede's Theoretical Framework

Renata Amidžić — 2026-06-30

Background: The expansive advancement of technology has prompted scholars to investigate the links between external factors that influence the success of technology-based entrepreneurs, with particular emphasis on the link between national culture and technological entrepreneurial orientation.

Purpose: This paper examines the relationship between national culture and technological entrepreneurial orientation during the early stages of entrepreneurial activity, utilizing Hofstede's national culture dimensions as a theoretical framework.

Study design/methodology/approach: The empirical analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression, based on data obtained from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database. The sample comprises 8,000 participants from Southeastern Europe.

Findings/conclusions: The research findings indicate a statistically significant relationship between national culture and technological entrepreneurial orientation. A similar standard of living, associated with a lower index of power distance, is positively linked to technological entrepreneurial orientation, whereas the perception of entrepreneurship as a desirable professional career, typical of an individualistic society, is statistically significant but negatively associated with technological entrepreneurial orientation. A lower index of Power distance encourages innovativeness and efficiency in entrepreneurial ventures within high-tech sectors; conversely, Individualistic societies lead to a greater prevalence of enterprises in low-tech sectors.

Limitations/future research: A group of drivers of technological entrepreneurial orientation was examined. We recommend that future research, in addition to national culture, also considers other factors, such as individual or sociodemographic factors.

Identifying User Behavioral Intentions Towards Accepting And Using Mobile Payment Systems: An Extended UTAUT2 Model

Igor Milojevic — 2026-06-30

Background: Mobile payments represent a rapidly growing method of performing financial transactions, primarily due to the widespread use of smartphones and related technologies. Despite their numerous benefits, the global acceptance of mobile payments remains inconsistent, particularly in developing countries.

Purpose: This study aims to examine factors influencing the intention to accept and use mobile payment systems among consumers in Central Serbia. The research model is based on the UTAUT2 framework, extended by perceived trust and perceived risk.

Study design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research approach was employed, using a structured questionnaire distributed to 845 potential respondents, of which 239 valid responses were obtained. Data were analyzed using SPSS with descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression analyses to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings/conclusions: The study reveals that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, price value, habits, perceived trust, and perceived risk significantly influence behavioral intention to use mobile payments. Moreover, habits, behavioral intention, and facilitating conditions also significantly influence actual use behavior. Social influence and hedonic motivation were found to have no significant impact on behavioral intention. Additionally, perceived trust significantly reduces perceived risk, highlighting the interplay between these two constructs in user behavior. The model explains 72% of the variance in behavioral intention and 45.5% in use behavior.

Limitations/future research: The study is limited to Central Serbia, with a modest sample size and overrepresentation of older respondents. Future research should include broader geographic coverage and examine the moderating roles of gender and age on mobile payment adoption.

Generational Dynamics and the Bandwagon Effect in Consumer Electronics E-Commerce

Ivan Jajić — 2026-06-30

Background: Online purchasing of consumer electronics has expanded rapidly, and differences between Generations X and Y, as well as social contagion phenomena such as bandwagoning and herding, may shape how consumers form online purchase intentions.

Purpose: To assess how microeconomic bandwagon/herding effects interact with social influence and effort expectancy, moderated by generational groups (Gen X vs. Gen Y), to shape online purchase intention for consumer electronics in an extended UTAUT framework.

Study design/methodology/approach: The authors modified the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and have implemented Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to validate the research model as well as to research the generational groups' influence. Furthermore, the authors imposed the microeconomic theoretical bandwagon effect and herding behavior to clarify if there are statistically significant results in the e-commerce landscape for consumer electronics products.

Findings/conclusions: The paper's major findings showed a direct and indirect (via effort expectancy) social influence on Generation X’s consumer intention to purchase consumer electronics products online. However, such influence was not identified for Generation Y, suggesting that e-commerce forms a stronger bandwagon effect on the generation that was not born with the e-commerce technology, unlike Generation Y.

Limitations/future research: The limitations of the paper are seen in the unequal generational groups' data size. The potential for further research is evident in capturing a longer time frame, conducting cross-cultural comparisons, and including new generational groups.