The building of long-term relationships is key to the success of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs). This is according to Prof Sebastian Kot, one of four extraordinary professors from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

Prof Kot and his colleagues, Prof Andrzej Sztando, Prof Beata Slusarczyk and Prof Wlodzimierz Sroka, recently visited the campus in Mahikeng for a series of lectures.

Prof Kot, currently a professor in supply chain management at the Czestochowa University of Technology in Poland, shared some of the findings of his research on SMMEs.

“In the case of SMMEs, they are most likely to rely on informal relationships within supply chains,” he explained.

Some of the other lectures in the visiting professors’ series dealt with Poland’s experience of the decentralisation of power vs GDP growth, and the importance of inter-organisational cooperation for business success.

All four professors have published widely and serve as editorial and scientific board members and reviewers for several international journals.

From left are Prof Sebastian Kot, Prof Andrzej Sztando, Prof Beata Slusarczyk and Prof Wlodzimierz Sroka.