Performance Measurement Practices of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises: Toward the Adoption of Deming’s P-D-C-A Model

In the XXI century, one of the most valuable resources of any organization is human capital. The effectiveness of the organization and the use of other resources depend on the formation quality and the use of the human capital. Today, many factors affect small and medium scale enterprises that lead to their rapid bankruptcy and liquidation, significant staff turnover, and reduced productivity. Under these conditions, attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel as the primary determinant of economic development and growth of small and medium scale enterprises is significantly relevant. Minimizing the negative impact of external and internal factors made by small and medium scale businesses requires recognition of the value of the human resources in improving the enterprise’s competitiveness and the effective management tools implementation. The study identifies the main factors influencing the implementation of human resource management practices in small and medium scale enterprises in Kwara, Nigeria. Methodological tools of this study are methods of analysis and synthesis, comparative and regression analysis. The study covers 200 small and medium scale enterprises in the Kwara Central Senatorial District and registered in the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME). The factors influencing the use of human resources by small and medium scale enterprises in the article are studied in the following logical sequence: using a structured questionnaire developed in the form of the Rensis Likert scale, an array of primary data is forme. The hypothesis (at the level of 5% of weight) regarding the relationship between the efficiency indicators and human resources management policy is tested using multiple regression analysis with statistical software STATA 11.0. The results of the survey are analyzed, summarized, and interpreted using descriptive statistical methods. The results of multiple regression analyses confirm a statistically significant relationship between the analyzed indicators (p = 0.000 and R2 = 0.8128). The study shows a significant impact of financial security of the organization (β = 0.76; t = 8.63; p) and its size (β = 0.46; t = 4.66; p) on the implementation of personnel management practices on the example of small and medium scale enterprises in Kwara). The study results confirm that the small and medium scale enterprises in Kwara actively use personnel management under the influence of environmental factors. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves the feasibility to consider such variables as the funding availability, the size of the firm, and the type of ownership in the business management process. Keywords: Human Resources, Human Capital Theory, Management, Nigeria, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.

The paper takes a look at the impact of total Quality Management Practice on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Lagos State: a case study of Small business owners in Lagos. However, the paper makes use of primary data of questionnaire analysis and the objectives of the paper is to examine the impact of total quality management practices on Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria and to identify the challenges encountered by the SME in adopting successful quality management programmes within their organization. Moreover, two hypotheses were tested using the spearman's rank correlation coefficient and the result revealed that total quality management practices have a significant effect on Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria and challenges encountered by the SME has lead to successful total quality management programmes within their organizations. The paper concludes that Quality management is focused not only on product/service quality, but also the means to achieve it Quality management, therefore uses quality assurance and control of processes as well as products to achieve more consistent quality. Finally, the paper then recommends that Good quality management programmes should be in place in the organization to enable all the staffs to learn and undergo the process of quality management in their organization. Keyword: Quality Management Practice, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, Small Business Owner, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Product/service quality, Quality Assurance, Management programme. I. Introduction In todays world, organizations are facing the growing challenges from global competition and more sophisticated customers in terms of what they want and their changing needs. The ever-increasing global competitive nature of the business environment has forced corporations to develop strategies to become low cost producers and to differentiate their goods and services from their competition. Through customer-focused quality programmes, quality lowers the cost and will become a powerful product differentiation to customers. (Ajayi, 2013). In order to be successful, firms must view quality as an essential part of their strategic process. Quality is a term that carries important meaning to both producer and customer. In the global market place today, many organizations realized that its survival in the business world depend highly on producing high quality product and services. Indeed, a lot of organizations have emphasized that quality should have to be put in place, integrated within the management system, especially in terms of bringing the end products or services to the customers, especially with the intense competition arriving from the rivals. (Oluseye, 2014). Accordingly, quality management (QM) has become increasingly prevalent as one of the management strategies in ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty, improving products and service quality and reinforcing continuous improvement. This paper is tailored along this line, and seeks to evaluate the level of awareness of quality management practices of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) are the life blood of modern economies. play a unique role in countries industrial development in terms of employment creation, income generation and ensuring equitable distribution of limited resources. Unfortunately, while an overwhelming percentage of Nigeria businesses are SMEs, the performance of the SME sector has remained dismal towards the drive for economic development and this has in turn contributed to low performance of larger businesses as well (Onugu, 2005). In Nigeria, the SME sectors contribution has fallen short of its potential due largely to lack of effective quality management and coordinated effort to support SMEs operations. Most Nigerian struggle to operate, manage and improve their businesses efficiently in order to consistently deliver quality products and services on time (Osuagwu, 2008). Among the numerous challenges to increase performance and growth of most of these companies include quality management practices. That they should remain competitive and

This article investigates the relations between positive impacts from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), external support, knowledge about CSR and the degree of CSR practices according to international standards in the viewpoint of small and medium enterprises in Thailand. The survey among 262 small and medium enterprises in five sections in the northeastern region of Thailand reveals that positive impacts of CSR on internal issues have shown to be positively related to the degree of CSR practices in small and medium enterprises. While there is no clear evidence supporting the positive impacts of CSR on external issues, external support and knowledge of owners/managers of small and medium enterprises about CSR have influenced the degree of CSR practices. The results indicate that, for CSR practices according to international standards, Thai small and medium enterprises are more interested in internal issues providing tangible benefits for them. In addition, external support for Thai small and medium enterprises in CSR engagement may not be enough to have a noticeable effect on the degree of CSR practices in Thai small and medium enterprises.

The Small and Medium Enterprises have been identified as important contributors to economic development who are facing a range of challenges which work against their progress, one of which is financial management. This study aimed to assess the financial management practices of small and medium enterprises in Nasugbu, Batangas. The researchers used the descriptive method with a questionnaire as the main instrument in gathering data from 34 respondents. Frequency, percentage, and mean were used as statistical tools in the study, and analysis of variance was used to determine the significant differences between variables. The data gathered were tallied, analyzed and interpreted. The results of the study revealed that majority of the respondents implement financial management practices. Financial management practices such as financial planning, investment, and working capital management are highly applied by small and medium enterprises in Nasugbu, Batangas. It was also revealed that there is a significant difference in the application of financial management practices of small and medium enterprises when they are grouped according to business profile. The outcome of this study may be useful for the entrepreneurs to focus on financial management practices in order to enhance their business performance.

The government realizes that the development of micro and small enterprises is still hampered by financing that is more expensive than conventional financing. The potential of micro, small and medium enterprises in Indonesia is inseparable from banking support in lending to micro, small and medium enterprises. Access to Islamic banking is arguably still limited compared to conventional banking. This makes micro, small and medium enterprises players sometimes choose financing from conventional banks compared to Islamic financial institutions, this can be realized through continuous synergy between Islamic banks and Islamic cooperatives. Islamic cooperatives in various regions are financial inclusion locomotives to deepen sharia-based micro, small and medium enterprises in Malang. Sharia-based micro, small and medium enterprises are micro, small and medium enterprises that only want to be served by Islamic financial institutions. So that the need to empower sharia micro, small and medium enterprises is currently very important, through entrepreneurial orientation and financial inclusion it is expected that it will increase the empowerment of Sharia micro, small and medium enterprises based on Islamic boarding schools in the city of Malang. The research objective is to improve the role of Islamic Financial Inclusion and Entrepreneurship Orientation to empower Sharia micro, small and medium enterprises in Malang City. This study uses the path analysis model. And the type of data used are primary and secondary data taken from respondents, namely Sharia micro, small and medium enterprises and Sharia Cooperatives. Based on the results of the study it was explained that Financial Inclusion of Islamic Cooperatives did not influence the empowerment of micro, small and medium enterprises. While the entrepreneurial orientation affects the empowerment of Islamic micro, small and medium enterprises in Malang. If financial inclusion is carried out well, which is supported by high entrepreneurial orientation, this will increase the empowerment of micro, small and medium enterprises.

Pandemic: Pandemic refers to Covid-19 declared by the WHO on March 11, 2020. Market structure: Market structure is defined as the various systems, procedures that exist amongst the micro, small, and medium scale enterprises who are engaged in commercial activity by buying and selling products or services, and carrying out trade, generating wealth, and are a subsect of overall macro level economy. Structural change: Structural change is a complete shift in the basic ways a market operates. In this case, the functions and operations of micro, small and medium scale enterprises. Structural changes happened in business as a result of internet usage, online payments, GST to name a few. Structural damage: Structural damage is the harm that has happened and is happening to the markets, in this case, the micro, small and medium scale enterprises, which impairs the value usefulness, or normal functioning of the enterprises. Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs): Government of India (GoI)’s Jun 2020 definition of MSME is adopted for this study and they are as follows: • Micro enterprises are those that have Rs 1 Crore investments and Rs 5 Crore turnover. • Small enterprises are those that have Rs 10 Crores investments and Rs 50 Crores turnover. • Medium enterprises are those that have Rs 50 Crores investments and Rs 250 Crores turnover.

The study examined social media marketing strategies adopted by SMEs for their business survival in Delta State, Nigeria. The research population consists of all 3,976 registered SMEs with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Delta State office (SMEDAN). Three hundred and ninety-eight (398) registered Small and Medium Enterprises in Delta State were used as sample which represents ten percent (10%) of the total number of registered SMEs which is in line with keilinger recommendation of sample study. A self structured questionnaire was used for data collection titled "Social Media and SMEs Questionnaire" (SMAPSMEQ). Data were analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. The simple percentage, frequency count, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data received via research questions. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the three hypotheses. Findings shows that there exists a significant relationship between the impact of cause marketing strategy and customer’s loyalty among Small and Medium Enterprises, as an increase in the cause marketing strategy of SMES also leads to a corresponding increase in their customer’s loyalty and vice versa. A statistically significant relationship exist between the adoption of relationship marketing as social media marketing strategy and customer’s patronage among Small and Medium Enterprises in Delta State, which implies that maintaining a good relationship with its customers will have positive influence on the customer’s patronage, encourage mutual relationship, cheaper customer acquisition of Small and Medium Enterprises. Findings also shows that there exist a significant relationship between the adoption of scarcity marketing as social media marketing strategy and the volume of sales among Small and Medium Enterprises in Delta State, which means that if a good scarcity marketing strategy is maintained by a Small and Medium Enterprises, their volume of sales would also be positively affected. Based on the findings, it was recommended that small and Medium Scale Enterprises should give adequate attention to improving their cause, relationship and scarcity marketing strategies by setting up unit committees in their organization to see that these objectives are achieved. Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Delta State office (SMEDAN) should continually encourage Small and Medium Scale Enterprises to uphold the use of these business strategies by using them as benchmark for raising the standard of their Enterprises across Delta State.
 Keywords: Social Media Marketing, SMEDAN, SMAPSMEQ, SMES, Strategies and Survival.

Foreword ix Sergio C. Trindade, Executive Director, United Nations Centre for Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD) Introduction 1 A. S. Bhalla Part I: Favorable Policies and Programs 13 1. Centralized versus Decentralized Policy Toward Small and Medium Enterprises 17 John Marcum 2. Technological Policy for Small and Medium Enterprises: The Canadian Experience 29 Paul Dufour 3. Technology Policy for Small and Medium Enterprises in The Netherlands 47 Walter Zegveld 4. Technological Transformation of Small and Medium Enterprises in China 55 Guan Ze-wen et al. 5. Technology Promotion Programs for Small Enterprises: The Philippine Experience 67 Quintin G. Tan vi Contents Part II: Building Technological Capabilities 79 6. Innovations and Small Producers in Developing Countries 83 A. S. Bhalla 7. Building Indigenous Technological Capability Through Foreign Assistance to Small/Medium Enterprises 101 J. M. Hekland 8. A New Approach to Innovation in Traditional Industries: The Italian Experience 109 Danielle Mazzonis and Mario Pianta 9. Building Technological Capability of Finnish Small Industry Through Risk-financing 127 Veikko O. Vuorikari 10. Technological Transformation of Small Enterprises in Zhejiang Province, China 139 Wu Tianzu 11. Technological Characteristics and Change in Small Industrial Enterprises in Guangdong Province, China 153 Guan Ze-wen et al. 12. Management and Technological Capabilities of Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises: Constraints and Potential 167 Ahmad Zahdi Bin Jamil and Rahimah Bt. Md. Said 13. Development of Design and Manufacturing Capabilities in a Small Nigerian Company 175 Sam Chukwujekwu Part III: Institutions and Infrastructure 183 14. Nurturing Microenterprises and Technological Innovation through Business Incubation Process 187 Rustam Lalkaka and Hu Ping 15. Institutions for Promoting Technological Modernization of Indian Small Enterprises 203 C. V: S. Ratnam 16. Technical and Managerial Extension Services for Korean Small and Medium Enterprises 213 Kyung Tae Lee Contents vii 17. Cooperation between Research and Educational Institutions and Small Enterprises in China 221 Cai Liyi 18. Infrastructural Requirements of Information Technology and Small and Medium Enterprises 233 Karl Ganzhorn The Seminar Report 247 Select Bibliography 271 Index 275 Notes on the Contributors 283

Transnational operation of Chinese small and medium enterprises is an inevitable trend of enterprise’s survival and development under the condition of economic globalization. Currently, transnational operation of Chinese small and medium enterprises exist many issues needed to be addressed due to a lack of effective theories and on the basis of analysis of “comparative advantage,” “Internalization advantage,” and “The advantages of geographical location” of China’s medium and small enterprises, trying to propose “compromise” theories of transnational operation of Chinese small and medium enterprises, and empirical analysis, followed by discussion on the countermeasures of transnational operation of Chinese small and medium enterprises.

The subject of scientifc research is the scientifc and practical principles of development of various types of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the conceptual directions of production in small, medium and large agricultural enterprises in the war and postwar period. The data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, regulatory acts of Ukraine and the scientifc research (abstract-logical, system approach, monographic, statistical-economic method) were used. Based on the retrospective analysis of agricultural enterprises production efciency, the key areas of economic activity of large, medium and small agricultural enterprises are identifed. In the conditions of wartime and the further postwar period, when a signifcant decline in investment activity is expected, agricultural production will be oriented towards more labor-intensive and less capital-intensive types of agribusiness, in particular in small and medium agricultural enterprises. In agricultural enterprises there is a different share of working capital in the total value of assets. In small enterprises, the capital structure is dominated by working capital, while in large – fxed capital and capital security is 3-4 times higher than in other types of enterprises in the branch. Based on this, in a state of war and the risk of capital investment in the industry, the most economically advantageous is the situation in small and medium enterprises, where the best rates of return on investment and rates of return. It is proved that for large agricultural enterprises it is necessary to determine the economic vectors of their development in the short and medium term. In particular, to diversify agribusiness and combine the development of crop and livestock production, to diversify sales channels to the external food market, and to focus on the domestic consumer market. Also, these companies need to pay attention to the production of biofuels, other energy resources and more. Based on the analysis of capital investment in various types of agricultural enterprises, the directions of investment in agricultural machinery and equipment are substantiated (they can be moved quickly in case of the military front approach). Such investment and reproduction processes can be traced in small and medium enterprises, in contrast to large enterprises, which have invested a lot in the construction of production and logistics facilities. Small, medium and large forms of entrepreneurship in agribusiness should take their place in the economy of rural areas. The study has generalized the conceptual directions – strategic landmarks of social and economic development of various types of agricultural enterprises for the future period are. Key words: entrepreneurship, agricultural enterprise, farming, food security, employment, economic efciency, capital investments.

The purpose of this study is to explore the performance measurement approach of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the South Durban region of South Africa. It has long been known that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in economic growth and income distribution in the world's major economies. However, due to globalisation, the fourth industrial revolution and increased competition from multinationals, South African SMEs face new challenges in measuring their performance. To respond to these challenges, SMEs must adopt efficient and effective performance measurement models. However, currently, according to the researchers, there is no such performance measurement framework. This study aims, among others, to close this gap in the literature. This study uses a deductive, positivist research design to comprehensively explore performance measurement practices in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a given region. Based on Morgan's sample size table, size 217 was chosen. The use of financial and non-financial performance measures is preferred by SMEs as it shows better performance compared to only one measure. In addition, the study found a positive correlation between business size and age, indicating that larger businesses tend to be older.The results of this study help to understand the complex relationship between job dimensions, age, and performance, highlighting the importance of choosing appropriate performance measures. Future research is recommended to gain a deeper understanding of these relationships and how they vary across contexts and sectors.

Introduction. Successful innovation and competitiveness of a modern enterprise depends on the understanding of its owners and management of the directions of its development in the future, which should be summarized in the innovative strategy. The problem of developing an effective innovation strategy is especially important for small and medium enterprises. Wrongly chosen approaches to the selection of an innovative project can not only cause losses, but also jeopardize the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to study modern scientific and methodological approaches to the formulation of the concept of "innovation strategy", the order of its development in enterprises and substantiation of the author's approach to the formation and analysis of innovation strategy of small and medium enterprises. Methods (methodology). The methodological basis of the study is a comparative analysis and theoretical generalization of scientific approaches to determining the content of the innovation strategy of the enterprise, logical-structural approach to the formation and analysis of the innovation strategy of small and medium enterprises. Results. As a result of comparison of existing approaches to development of innovative strategies, research of their classification, factors of influence on success of realization of the enterprise's innovative strategy, stages of its formation and features of the most known concepts of creation of the innovative strategies the authors formulated a logical-structural approach to the formation and analysis of the innovation strategy of small and medium enterprises. It is determined that for medium and small enterprises at the present stage it is necessary to assess the external threat of suspension of activities due to the announcement of quarantine.

Despite its potential, the impact of digital finance on small and medium enterprises’ access to funding remained underexplored, with limited empirical evidence and an incomplete understanding of how digitalization addressed information-related challenges. In Kenya, small and medium enterprises were critical to economic growth. However, many small enterprises faced financial exclusion due to limited access to traditional banking systems. This study investigated the impact of accessibility to digital financial services on financial inclusion among small and medium enterprises in Taita Taveta County, a county characterized by a burgeoning digital economy and a significant reliance on mobile financial solutions. With the rapid growth of mobile money platforms, particularly M-Pesa, and digital lending services, small enterprises gained unprecedented access to financial resources that were previously out of reach. The research employed a quantitative approach, utilizing a structured questionnaire to gather data from 125 SMEs across various sectors in Taita Taveta County. The findings revealed that digital financial services, particularly mobile money platforms like M-Pesa and digital lending services such as Tala and M-Shwari, substantially enhanced small enterprises' access to financial resources, thereby mitigating traditional barriers to finance. The study identified key factors influencing the adoption and utilization of digital financial services, including technological literacy, cost-effectiveness, and the perceived ease of use. Furthermore, it explored the implications of these services on small and medium enterprises' operational efficiency, growth potential, and overall contribution to economic development. This research not only contributed to the theoretical discourse on financial inclusion but also provided practical insights for policymakers and financial institutions aiming to foster an inclusive financial ecosystem for small and medium enterprises in Kenya. Additionally, the study highlighted the role of digital financial services in improving transaction efficiency and reducing reliance on traditional banking infrastructure. The results underscored the importance of digital financial services in promoting financial inclusion, ultimately contributing to the economic development of small and medium enterprises in Taita Taveta County.

Small and Medium Enterprises are planning to change their working style as well as diversifying their activities for their survival in this competing environment through green marketing practices. These green marketing practices provide the better results to the small and medium enterprises and develop separate line to create green-friendliness or ecofriendly in the consumer market. In “the present study consumers have environment friendly approach and that are presumed to be green like energy-efficient appliances, organic items, natural paints, recyclable product, and phosphate free detergents. Green trust refers to the process of doing business based on environmental benefits by reducing environmental degradation. Such products are marketed and processed in an environmental friendly manner. Although a good research work on green trust has been conducted across the globe; little academic research has been carried out in India especially in Agra region of Uttar Pradesh. Indian marketers are also realizing the impact of the green trust on marketing. All together these efforts develop opportunities for firms in the Indian economy. The main aim of this research study is to investigate that entire factor about green marketing practices as well as the role perform by these practices in small and medium enterprises in Agra region of Uttar Pradesh” in Northern India which provide support and identity to them to stand in the market.

Market orientation has attracted considerable attention in academics and from industry practitioners in the last three or so decades and pretty many studies have been conducted in this area. Except few, such studies have been conducted in large firms and in developed countries. Such research is either missing in least developed countries such as Ethiopia and emerging countries and on small and medium firms or little (if any) with limited coverage and significance. The Ethiopian small and medium enterprises sector has not been adequately studied empirically in this regard. These reasons gave the rationale to conduct the current research. Thus, the study aimed at investigating the determinants of and benefits of market orientation in small and medium enterprises in Addis Ababa City in terms of firm performance. Descriptive and cause-effect designs were used to achieve the objectives of the study. Data were collected using standardized instrument and measurements from 200 randomly selected respondents drawn from manufacturing small and medium enterprises. Statistical tools and econometric models were employed to undertake quantitative analysis. Descriptive findings of the study indicated that the sample enterprises were slightly market oriented. Besides, the study revealed that market orientation is affected by operators’ characteristics and enterprise features. The study also showed that market orientation and its constructs have strong and significant relationships with the indicators of enterprises’ performance. Indeed, market orientation has significant and positive effect on enterprises’ sales growth, long term focus and profit emphasis. In conclusion, the study has immense implications in terms of adding insights to the existing body of literature because it tested some hypotheses held in the literature and generated confirmatory results, and for managerial practices of small and medium enterprises. It also has implications for responsible government offices to reorient their business development services and training supports provided to small enterprises so as to make them more market oriented. Keywords : market orientation, small and medium enterprises, firm performance, Ethiopia DOI : 10.7176/DCS/9-7-01 Publication date :July 31 st 2019