Abstract:

The content of the article is devoted to the issue of risk of conducting a business activity.  The most important concepts and risk factors, analyzed in practical operations of small and medium-sized entities, have been defined. On the basis of the survey conducted in entities operating in Poland, the approach of the surveyed companies to selected threats to survival in the changing economic environment has been assessed. The objective of the paper has been to present differences in the structure of market, financial and operational risk between micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. In this purpose was conducted the survey among randomly selected enterprises running their business activity in Poland. Therefore, the research has included the employment factor as a determinant of perception and assessment of various risks arising from the activity of the entity in the Polish market. The conducted research has allowed the identification and assessment of the intensity of individual business risks in relation to the course of the business activity of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the indication of some relationships between the size of the entity and the intensity of fear of the specific phenomenon.