Small and medium enterprises

... Sony Heru Priyanto* ... Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Priyanto, SH and Sandjojo, I. (2005) 'Relationship between entrepreneurial learning, entrepreneurial competencies and venture success: empirical study on SMEs', Int. ...

76 Int. J. Value Chain Management, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2008 ... An investigation into the effects of computer-integrated manufacturing systems on the productivity of SMEs in Pakistan ... Ghulam Yasin Shaikh* and Hussain Bux Marri ... Department of Industrial Engineering and ...

Supply chain agility (SCA) has become an important concept these days and gained a great deal of attention from the research fraternity. Researchers and scholars have mainly examined the dimensions of integration and flexibility as the antecedents of SCA from conceptual lenses in the past and suggested further explanations from empirical testing. Thus, this research aimed to investigate three key drivers of supply chain agility-i.e., strategic flexibility, employees' behavioral flexibility and relational (external) integration. The sample is comprised of 147 SMEs operating in Pakistan, collected via survey and then tested using moderated mediation structural equation modelling in MPlus software. As per the findings, customer integration, employees' behavioral flexibility and strategic flexibility have direct influence on supply chain agility (SCA). In addition to that, customer integration has indirect impact on SCA via strategic flexibility. Complexity, as a moderator, has conditional positive influence on the relationship between customer integration and SCA. This research advances supply chain literature by adding relationship-centric view in developing flexible and agile supply chains. Overall, the findings suggest Pakistani SME practitioners to allocate resources to activities that build flexible supply chains and invest in activities that create strong ties among downstream supply chain partners.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current performance of an SME's supply chain using one of the object oriented modeling techniques in order to develop a visual graphical model to be easily communicated to survive the current competitive environment. Design/methodology/approach-In this research, a semi-structured interview was conducted to an Egyptian SME and the Unified Modeling Language was used to analyze the collected data. Findings-The existing process of the supply chain was defined and mapped to understand the current process characteristics and capabilities. The current process was then analyzed and the result shows the obstacles and constrains facing the supply chain of the SME. Originality/value-This research develops a model that suits SMEs in the Egyptian market. The use of a Case Study approach with an object oriented tool, namely UML, makes this a thorough investigation that helps decision makers in Egyptian SMEs make better informed decisions. SMEs do not use the object oriented techniques in evaluating their problems, although it is very useful in analyzing the case study and model the current situation of the supply chain.

This study was conducted in order to determine the roles of government funding in enhancing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Sabah, Malaysia. Specifically, the study is focused on the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Sabah, Malaysia which were funded by many government-linked agencies such as Yayasan Tekun Nasional, Amanah Ikhtiar, Koperasi Pembangunan Desa and Agro Bank. This qualitative study was carried out in the rural and urban areas in Sabah, Malaysia. The findings of this study revealed that there are several main roles of government funding to enhance the competitiveness of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Sabah, Malaysia. These four main roles were namely provision of access to capital for opening and improving the business, provision of access to capital for skills and knowledge development, improvement of entrepreneurs ’ relations, and promoting entrepreneurship and reducing “fear of failure”. In accordance, it can be concluded that the government funds are...

Research background: The research examines the impact of emotional intelligence and ethics on knowledge sharing within organizations. It examines the impact of emotional intelligence (EQ) on the ethical behavior of the individual. The focus is on the individuals working in the SME sector. A questionnaire survey was considered the most appropriate technique to conduct the research. The study is based on 1162 responses, collected from three countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia). Purpose of the article: The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between knowledge sharing, ethics and emotional intelligence. Furthermore, nationality, gender, education, and the Oeconomia Copernicana, 12(4), 907-934 908 age of the respondents influencing EQ are also examined. The additional goal is to explore the factors that influence employee behavior. Methods: We identified four hypotheses. To test these hypotheses, we used variance analysis and logistic regression. The AES scale was chosen to assess EQ, which consisted of 33 items. The results obtained are compared with the opinion of SME owners resulting from structured interviews. Findings & value added: About 20% of enterprises are not using any motivation tool to initiate knowledge sharing of their employees. The most common (47.2%) reason for silencing knowledge-the lack of appreciation-did not appear among the answer of company owners. According to the employee perceptions, gender has impact on the level of emotional intelligence, while nationality, education and age group have no impact on the EQ. SME owners do not address much attention to gender. The occurrence of unethical behavior does not depend on the size of the enterprise. According to employee opinion, the EQ has positive impact on knowledge sharing, while it is not affected by ethics. The majority of owners also agreed with the positive impact of EQ. The attitude of employees and owners differ in different aspects. The results have shown that gender plays an influential role in EQ. The research of this complex problem laid down the empirical foundations for the V4 countries.

This study examines the impact of innovation on the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Target population of the study was 6930 SMEs in Hargeisa; a number provided by Hargeisa Local Government, and Somaliland Ministry of Trade and Investment as the two institutions issue business licenses to the small enterprises and medium enterprises respectively. A sample of 378 SMEs has been drown from this population. The study adopted both descriptive and regression analyses to estimate the impact of innovation. Regression results of the study reveal that innovation significantly affects the performance of SMEs in Hargeisa. The study finds that the effects of product innovation, marketing innovation and organizational innovation are statistically significant among these SMEs.

This empirical study explores the extent of implementation of green supply chain initiatives for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Chennai area, in the southern part of India. The green supply chain management (GSCM) framework, which has been adopted in the research, comprises three phases of the green supply chain. These phases are: ∑ greening the inbound logistics of the supply chain, categorized into green sourcing and green process. ∑ greening production or internal supply chain ∑ greening the outbound logistics of the supply chain SMEs have always been the backbone of industrial activity in manufacturing, as well as service sector. Thus, if greening of industry is to be achieved it is very important for SMEs to be green. Using a questionnaire as research instrument, survey was conducted amongst the environmental management representatives (EMR) or the chief executive of SMEs in Chennai area. The database generated thereby was analyzed using significance testing followed by structural equation modeling. From the results obtained one observes that greening of Inbound Logistics on sourcing aspect is significantly being achieved but greening of Inbound Logistics on process is not significantly being achieved yet. Greening of production is being achieved but not outbound logistics. Economic performance is achieved significantly but environmental performance is not significantly achieved, as in the current state. All the same, to achieve environmental performance the outbound logistics adopted by SMEs must be significantly enhanced.

The impact of innovative and appropriate technologies on the livelihoods of the poor and the disadvantaged in developing countries has been the concern of DFID for some time.  Modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the potential to play a substantial role in poverty reduction, but further knowledge and work on realising benefits and understanding the impact  of ICTs is needed.

This paper looks at examples of both types of intervention and their potential impact on poverty. It presents several methodologies for impact assessment and assesses their relevance and usefulness to ICT based projects, particularly in the field of enterprise development.

The way the SMEs have been doing their business has some connections with the capacity to embrace marketing activities that have made some of them to become big companies. The importance of SMEs and their contributions to the national development cannot be ignored and these are in form of job creation, paying taxes and poverty reduction. SMEs enable an entrepreneurial culture to be cultivated in a society. The major problem that this study examined was the relationship between SMEs growth and marketing practices/activities of these SMEs in the furniture industry in Zambia. SMEs have the advantage of being able to use unutilized resources by involving different groups of people such as youth and women and act as an engine to achieve the economic vision of Zambia of being a semi-industrial country by the year 2025. The SMEs that are in the furniture industry are the manufacturers and traders of furniture products in Kabwe, Zambia. The general research problem that the research investigated was to find out the types of marketing activities/practices that the SMEs were using and their effect on the growth of their enterprises. The methodologies applied in this research include a combination of descriptive study (cross-sectional survey) and explanatory embedded literature search and case study. The research findings serve as tools to take actions to stimulate marketing practices of SMEs in Zambia. Some recommendations about the contributions and importance of marketing activities/practices to the SMEs have been made to various sectors of the economy that have some significance influence on the growth of SMEs in Zambia.

This research aims at identifying the impact of excellence in drawing up the following four marketing mix strategies (Product, Pricing, Promotion and Distribution) of the small and medium enterprises in Jordan, in terms of their marketing performance in its dimensions (Sales Growth, Profit Growth, Customer Attraction and Customer Retention).In order to reach the results of this study, A total of (187) valid questionnaire surveys were collected from companies belong to the SME Association in Jordan. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) approach was used to analyze the collected data. The empirical results indicated there is a significant relationship between the building of marketing strategies of the marketing mix elements in the Jordanian SME and their marketing performance, by (sales growth, profit growth, customer attraction, and customer retention) dimensions. Consequently, decision makers in small and medium organizations need to choose strategies based on their target market to the positive impact on the mind of the consumer, which in turn could improve modern scientific methods in SME to divide their markets into sub-market sectors.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has been the main focus of the Botswana government to strengthen the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. This paper investigates the effects of information and communication technology (ICT) within the small and medium enterprise environment (SME) of the Borolong area of Botswana. A quantitative research approach was followed, where sixty-seven (67) SMEs were surveyed. The study deals with accessibility of ICT tools, drivers of ICT adoption, barriers towards ICT adoption, effects of ICT adoption and lastly it looks at training and funding opportunities available in Botswana. ICT adoption by SME’s owners on production in Borolong area of Botswana is very slow and as such the research sought to investigate slow rate of ICT adoption. This research will help SMEs and other related stakeholders to work together and improve the rate of ICT adoption in the Borolong area of Botswana.

In this paper, we provide new empirical evidence to the relationships between leadership styles (LS) and organizational performance, introducing gender as moderator variable. Data have been collected in two Congolese towns (Bukavu and Goma); an African post-conflict region dominated by very small family businesses that have not received enough attention. Combining exploratory factor analysis with a multivariate regression we found three main results. First, both leadership and performance are confirmed to be multidimensional. LS comprised participative/democratic leadership, and autocratic/ directive leadership, while performance has three dimensions: employee efficiency/productivity, effectiveness, and customer satisfaction/retention. Second, the autocratic leadership is the more adopted both by men and women, with a slight non-significant difference for men. Although democratic leadership is underscored, it appears to be more adopted by women with significant difference. Third, controlling for other variables, only participative/democratic leadership styles have positive impact on SMEs' performance, while autocratic leadership does not influence it. This implies that, in the growing competition facing SMEs, managers should adopt leadership style that allows their employees to internalize the firm's objectives and to be committed. Also, our research confirms that women have much to give in managing enterprises, as they appear to be stronger in leadership styles, which have more impact on main dimensions of firms' performance. Moreover, our results suggest new avenues for deeper research about leadership styles in family-owned enterprises.

The phrase-Make in India has been accepted with much fanfare. It is gaining an extremely wide and deep mind and literature positioning as if the country had been revealed upon a magical staff which will change India's production capabilities in no time. As part of the economic reform campaign, the plank-Make in India-pledges to encourage multinational companies and Indian companies as well to manufacture their products in India, focus on job creation and skill development, increase GDP growth and tax proceeds, attract capital and technological investment in India and many more. The paper attempts to analyse whether the campaign will succeed in convincing the foreign players of business as well as the domestic business tycoons who have resorted to conduct business operations outside to set up manufacturing units in India and exploit local minds and resources in the face of India's low positions in terms of ease of doing business. The success of-phrase‖ assumes further significance in light of the worsening religious harmony and the country marching ahead on the path of Kakistocracy.

The study determined the effects of Business Process Outsourcing on SME performance, effects of knowledge Process Outsourcing on SME performance. The study was guided by Resource-based View, Agency Theory, and Transaction cost Theory.This study used a combination of cross sectional and explanatory research design using a sample size of 440 SMEs. This study deployed the use of a questionnaire as a data collection technique. Descriptive statistical procedures including frequency distributions; means, standard deviation multiple regression, and correlation as a form of inferential statistical analyses were used to test hypothesis respectively.Study findings showed that business process outsourcing and knowledge Process Outsourcing have a positive effect on SME performance. It is, therefore, necessary for SMEs to outsource so as to cut on costs, focus on core business, secure business flexibility, and develop core competencies, inimitable resources and capabilities within the firm. There is a need for SMEs to embrace business process outsourcing in order for SMEs to improve their performance.

Moroccan SMEs do not use generally capital market due to rigidity of the conditions. Moroccan authorities have introduced the measurements to deal with this problem and to encourage SMEs to access in the capital market since 2000. However, these measures were less efficient because they are multiple reason, but indeed, it still attributed to the financial and institutional conditions of access to capital market. The article target is to analyze capital market reforms and its contribution to financing Moroccan SMEs. In order to help us to determine the constraints of access the SMEs to direct finance. In fact, to achieve the target we need to adopt a methodology based on the analysis of secondary statistics and official reports of the main actors of the capital markets in Morocco. Résumé Dans plusieurs études sur le financement des PME marocaines, il est constaté que cette catégorie d'entreprises ne recourent que très faiblement aux marchés de capitaux. Afin de faire face à cette problématique, les autorités marocaines ont mis en place une panoplie de mesures depuis le début des années 2000. Malgré les efforts déployés, le troisième compartiment de la bourse de Casablanca ne comporte qu'un nombre très limité de PME. Les causes sont, en effet, multiples mais, sont toujours imputées aux conditions financières et institutionnelles d'accès aux marchés de capitaux. L'objectif de cet article est d'analyser l'ampleur des réformes des marchés de capitaux et leurs apports au financement des PME marocaines. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous adoptons une méthodologie fondée sur l'analyse des statistiques

Recently, social media has become a popular marketing instrument. Most businesses start to use social media to promote brands, goods and services to customers. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that influence the usage of social media as a marketing tool among the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Comprehensive searches based on document analysis/academic literatures have been conducted. The findings reveal several factors namely usefulness, ease of use and enjoyment influence the usage of social media by the Malaysian SMEs, and resulted in proposing a conceptual framework. The evidences gathered in this study are useful and can be served as guidance for SMEs' entrepreneurs and marketers in using social media in the future.

Sesungguhnya perekonomian Indonesia akan memiliki fundamental yang kuat jika ekonomi kerakyatan telah menjadi pelaku utama yang produktif dan berdaya saing tinggi. Salah satu faktor pembangunan ekonomi kerakyatan yang memegang peranan penting dan strategis adalah pengembangan Industri Kecil dan Menengah, karena ia memberikan dampak ganda terhadap perekonomian lokal serta nasional karena menghasilkan devisa. Namun demikian, industri kecil dan menengah tidak terlepas dari berbagai masalah baik internal maupun eksternal seperti dalam masalah permodalan, teknologi, sumber daya manusia, pemasaran hingga masalah manajemen.

Guna menjawab tantangan tersebut, maka dalam rangka mempercepat
pertumbuhan Industri Kecil dan Menengah, Unit Pendidikan Kementerian Perindustrian, merancang dan melaksanakan Program Beasiswa Tenaga Penyuluh Lapangan IKM Industri Kecil dan Menengah (TPL-IKM) yang bertujuan untuk dapat membantu menyelesaikan permasalahan yang dihadapai para pelaku IKM. Posisi TPL IKM adalah sebagai ujung tombak pelaksanaan kebijakan Direktorat Jendral Industri Kecil Menengah ditingkat pusat ataupun pelaksanaan program kerja Pemerintah Daerah Provinsi dan Kabupaten setempat.

This research aims at identifying the impact of excellence in drawing up the following four marketing mix strategies (Product, Pricing, Promotion and Distribution) of the small and medium enterprises in Jordan, in terms of their marketing performance in its dimensions (Sales Growth, Profit Growth, Customer Attraction and Customer Retention).In order to reach the results of this study, A total of (187) valid questionnaire surveys were collected from companies belong to the SME Association in Jordan. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) approach was used to analyze the collected data. The empirical results indicated there is a significant relationship between the building of marketing strategies of the marketing mix elements in the Jordanian SME and their marketing performance, by (sales growth, profit growth, customer attraction, and customer retention) dimensions. Consequently, decision makers in small and medium organizations need to choose strategies based on the...

Adoption of E-Commerce and Electronic Supply Chain Management (E-SCM) by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has developed a tremendous performance in business process. SMEs in Pakis-tan are trying to enhance their competences by adopting a new technology to enter into the global market. The survey was aimed to investigate the current status and future direction of the adoption and benefits of E-Commerce and E-SCM by small and medium enterprises in Pakistan. A mailed questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from 210 SMEs as samples located in Karachi, Gujranwala and Faisalabad, Pakistan. The results suggest that E-Commerce and E-SCM adoption has a significant, positive influence on SMEs, who have significantly higher average sales growth rate, on-time order management and delivery process than non-adopters. The findings of this study can be useful for SMEs in general as a means of understanding how E-Commerce and E-SCM adoption positively affects the firm's performance.

This study examines the impact of innovation on the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Target population of the study was 6930 SMEs in Hargeisa; a number provided by Hargeisa Local Government, and Somaliland Ministry of Trade and Investment as the two institutions issue business licenses to the small enterprises and medium enterprises respectively. A sample of 378 SMEs has been drown from this population. The study adopted both descriptive and regression analyses to estimate the impact of innovation. Regression results of the study reveal that innovation significantly affects the performance of SMEs in Hargeisa. The study finds that the effects of product innovation, marketing innovation and organizational innovation are statistically significant among these SMEs.

Revolusi industri 4.0 telah memudahkan masyarakat dunia untuk melakukan berbagai kegiatan sehari-hari. Kemajuan teknologi tersebut dimanfaatkan pelaku ekonomi untuk mendukung bisnis mereka agar semakin berkembang dan menjangkau pasar yang lebih luas, terlebih saat pandemi covid-19 yang mengharuskan mereka mengubah haluannya dari transaksi jual-beli yang biasa dilakukan penjual dan pembeli secara tradisional dipasar ekonomi terpaksa berubah strategi dengan melalui transaksi digital yang dikenal dengan era ekonomi digital. UMKM merupakan salah satu yang harus diperhatikan karena merupakan salah satu pilar perekonomian Indonesia. Penelitian bertujuan untuk melihat strategi pemasaran apa yang dapat diterapkan bagi pelaku UMKM di Indonesia untuk dapat memperluas jangkauan penjualan, meningkatkan kepercayaan konsumen, serta menaikan grafik penjualan. Hasil yang didapatkan berikut ini strategi yang dapat diterapkan bagi pelaku UMK, (1) Melakukan Segmentasi Pasar, (2) Membuat inovasi produk, (3) Membuat promo, (4) Menerapkan Digital Advertising, (5) Memanfaatkan Sosial Media dan Marketplace untuk pangsa pasar yang lebih banyak.

Kata Kunci : Industri 4.0, UMKM, Ekonomi Digital, Strategi Pemasaran

Purpose-This study aims to examine whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities influence firm performance based on a longitudinal survey for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan. Empirical studies suggest that the SME sector plays an essential role in the economic development of Pakistan and can be considered the backbone of the economy. Design/methodology/approach-The data for this study were collected from SMEs located in the cities of Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad in Pakistan. A well-designed questionnaire was administrated over 240 entrepreneurs to analyze and measure the impact of CSR on financial performance for a 12-month period. The authors used econometric analysis of the data using structural equation modeling. Findings-Results reveal significant relationships between CSR and two determinants of firm performance, namely, employee commitment and corporate reputation. Research limitations/implications-Findings of the study are important for policymakers, entrepreneurs and other professionals in SMEs sectors both in underdeveloped and, with further application and exploration, in developing countries. Originality/value-There is no single longitudinal study prior to this has been carried out on the relationships of CSR and firm performance in the SME sector in the context of the Pakistani economy. Hence, this study significantly fills an important gap in the research. 1. Introduction There is increasing pressure on corporations to manage and administer the assessment of social responsibilities. This, in turn, has forced organizations to devote time and resources to corporate social responsibility (CSR) measurement and to ensure the mutual interests and expectations of stakeholders. Assessment of CSR activities in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) shows a lack of empirically enriched analysis and quantitative studies. Some researchers (Harris, 2018; Nazari et al., 2017) have focused attention on different aspects of CSR and even built the foundation of early studies in this emerging field of research. Yet, few studies provide empirical evidence and measurement of CSR achievements for SMEs. The wide-ranging contemporary CSR attributes related to the SME industry requires a substantial assessment to measure this construct. Furthermore, the development and empirical formulation of a framework is necessary due to the changing characteristics of CSR over time. We therefore, see a research opportunity to understand current practices as we explain and predict the changes that will be experienced in the future. There are various concerns related to the role of social and environmental activities, and business role in these activities in any country. For the purposes of this study, we see firm performance as relating to overall organizational achievements reflected in the functions and outcomes of its operations, effectiveness of employees and CSR activities. We also know from the literature and prior studies that financial performance, or the measure of how well a firm uses its assets and business model to generate revenues reflecting financial health over a given period. The focus of much of the literature, and this study involves financial performance. For the purpose of providing some boundaries, financial performance for the purpose of this study involves traditional attributes of market share, profit growth, sales, return on assets, return on investments, and performance relative to competitors. Here we see traditional performance frontiers being pushed out by calls to better understand relationships of social and financial performance (Cochran and Wood, 1984) and the opportunity to expand research into the social responsibilities of firms.

The purpose of this study was to establish the contribution education has on Entrepreneurship management and its effect on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Chipata District of Zambia. Entrepreneurs remain key relevant partners in the economic development of any country globally, and Chipata district is no exception. Due to the lack of clear evidence as to how successful educated entrepreneurs are managing their businesses in Chipata district of Zambia, this study was aimed at assessing the contribution of education to SMEs in Chipata District. The study was limited to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Chipata district, town centre. The study implored a descriptive cross-sectional study design to address the research questions. Questionnaires were used as means of collecting data from the business owners. The study sampled 60 business units in Chipata district. The sample was identified by means of specific purposive sampling. All ethical considerations were taken account. The findings showed that most of the entrepreneurs did not possess qualifications that were higher than a first degree, however some entrepreneurs made some efforts to study business courses at local universities. The findings also showed that the SMEs' owners accepted and agreed that employees that had attained some business qualifications added value to the management of the business.

The aim of this research is to examined the determinants of social media adoption and its effect on social media returns. Data was collected from 100 managers working at small medium enterprises using a Likert rating questionnaire (1-5). Data was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling. The result indicated that only subjective norm has a significant effect on social media adoption. Also, this study found that social media adoption has a significant and positive effect on social media returns. The study did not find any significant effect of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, leadership and organizational innovativeness on social media adoption. Therefore, it was concluded that subjective norms will enhance the adoption of social media, where by social media returns would increase through the adoption of social media. Managers will be able to formulate effective policies and strategies to design training programs to foster social media adoption.