The financial literacy of SMEs : Do sustainability and sustainable development matter?

Abstract

The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development and their relationship with financial literacy are important topic. Our research aims to examine the trends in articles focusing on financial literacy of SMEs and to determine if sustainability or sustainable development was in a focus of the authors. To address our research questions, we selected articles from Scopus and Web of Science databases published from 2015 until present focusing on the abstract, title and keywords. By using research terms regarding financial literacy and small businesses, we systematically searched the database for relevant results Our research revealed that the terms related to sustainability and sustainable development are rarely mentioned by researchers in the abstract, title and keywords. The analysis conducted highlights the importance of appropriate usage of keywords and reveals a research gap, that could be narrowed if the concept of sustainability and sustainable development gain prominence in research, and if authors’ keywords are used properly. This research holds value for others conducting research in the field of financial literacy issues of SMEs, as it emphasizes that there is strong relationship between financial literacy and business sustainability and indirectly, to sustainable development. By including sustainability and sustainable development as authors’ keyword, or by referring to the given SDG goals, it may help to draw more attention from other researchers.