Majority Of SMEs Research Articles

Ghanaian Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs') Readiness for African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation

This paper seeks to assess Ghanaian Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs') readiness for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation. The research instrument used to collect data was questionnaires and the study employed descriptive research design. The study randomly selected 250 SMEs from a population of 480 SMEs that were registered members of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cape Coast Branch and operating within manufacturing, pharmaceutical, herbal, tourism, hospitality, food and beverage, agribusiness, garment, leather, and textiles. Data collected from the SMEs was analysed using SPSS, version 28. The findings from the study shows that, there is a significant gap between Ghanaian SMEs' readiness for AfCFTA implementation. The study finds out that although majority of SMEs are capable of innovation and developing new products, they also have limited knowledge of export documentation, trade information and infrastructure, trade finance, and funding for expansion. They also have low knowledge and lack a basic understanding of the benefits of AfCFTA, its advantages, components, protocols, and Rules of Origin. The study again revealed that the obstacles facing Ghanaian SMEs exportation are high cost of production, border delays, poor infrastructure, high inflation, difficulty in accessing credit, and language problems. Based on these findings, the study recommended that SMEs needs to be retooled particularly in the area of AfCFTA Rules of Origin, its objectives, components, and Ghana’s trade policy to improve their readiness for AfCFTA implementation. Again, businesses should concentrate more on value addition, and be dedicated to looking for ways to enhance their current or existing products to outperform comparable products from other African nations.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ РАЗВИТИЯ ПРЕДПРИНИМАТЕЛЬСКОЙ АКТИВНОСТИ МАЛОГО И СРЕДНЕГО ПРЕДПРИНИМАТЕЛЬСТВА В СУБЪЕКТАХ УРАЛЬСКОГО ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОГО ОКРУГА

Each region has a unique socio-economic and political potential that creates conditions for the development of entrepreneurial activity and business in general. There is a theoretical and practical interest in how much the structure and dynamics of regional development are changing in conditions of tightening and instability of the domestic and world market. The purpose of the article is to study the development of entrepreneurial activity in the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises (hereinafter – SMEs) in the new economic conditions at the level of constituent entities of the Ural Federal District (hereinafter – Ural Federal District). To solve the problems, general scientific research methods were used, including analysis, generalization, synthesis and systematization. The basis for the study was official statistics published by the Federal State Statistics Service, the Unified Register of SMEs, the Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System, the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion and other sources, as well as sociological studies and scientific publications on the peculiarities of entrepreneurship development in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation at the country and regional levels. The results of the study indicate a low intensity of the emergence of new enterprises in the Ural Region; the majority of SMEs are characterized by a negative trend and worsening demographics. Among the barriers holding back business development are the bureaucratization of the process of obtaining government assistance, taxes, high interest rates on commercial loans, as well as low expectations of the prospects for the development of their business. Recommendations are presented for stabilizing the situation of running small businesses in the new economic conditions in the subjects of the Ural Federal District. The findings will be useful to researchers in the field of management and regulation of regional development.

Digital transformation to enhance Indonesian SME performance: Exploring the impact of market competition and digital strategy

In the current era, the challenges faced by SMEs in Indonesia are becoming increasingly complex. Previously, the primary challenge for SMEs has been to enhance performance. However, with the emergence of information technology, SMEs are now required to compete fiercely. SMEs in Indonesia are still in the process of digital transformation to improve their business strategies, thus limiting research focused on digital transformation in SMEs. Research also considers market complexity and digital strategy as crucial factors for SMEs. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of digital transformation in influencing SME performance. The research approach is quantitative, involving 171 SMEs owners as respondents. The instrument utilized is a Likert scale questionnaire, focusing on the majority of SMEs in Indonesia, particularly those in Java, the most populous island and business center of the country. This includes SMEs operating within various sectors, such as culinary, fashion, retail, and creative industries. The results indicate that digital strategy and market complexity influence digital transformation and SMEs performance. The research findings suggest that digital transformation mediates the influence of digital strategy and market complexity on SME performance. The novelty of this study lies in its focus on the current SMEs digitalization strategy area. This study indicates that digital transformation is an essential aspect affecting current SME performance. The results suggest that SMEs require focused strategies to strengthen resources and gain competitive advantage in complex markets.

Excellent Customer Experience in the Tertiary Higher Education Sector in Botswana as a Competitive Advantage

This study was aimed at developing a framework for the adoption of social media marketing by Small and Medium Enterprises in the manufacturing sector to improve their sales performance. This study was guided by objectives such as to ascertain how WhatsApp can improve the sales performance of SMEs in Botswana, to assess how Facebook can be used as a tool for increasing SME sales performance, to evaluate how effective LinkedIn is in improving SME sales performance, to determine strategies to implement social media marketing framework for SMEs and to develop a framework for the adoption of social media marketing by small and medium enterprise to improve sales performance. This study adopted pragmatism research philosophy which assisted the researcher in making decisions in regard to what worked best in finding answers for the research objectives mentioned. A sample size of 218 was determined using Taro Yamane sample size determination method. In this study it was established that SMEs have a Facebook page which they use to market its products and communicate with its customers. More so it was established that the majority of SMEs had a limited comprehension of the notion of social media marketing. The notions can be understood in a variety of ways by some. The term social media marketing is frequently used to refer to web-based platforms for engagement that, in addition to facilitating communication, enable users to share content such as photographs, videos, and links to other sites. The study established that WhatsApp has the potential to positively influence consumer purchasing decisions, thereby contributing to the growth of sales for local culinary items. It is important to comprehend the ramifications of Facebook strategies from the customer standpoint, as well as the determinants that contribute to the triumph of brands in the social media realm. It was observed that LinkedIn can assist SMEs to connect with potential customers, enhance brand visibility, and drive sales. The research suggests that policymakers should establish an index on social media marketing to serve as a reference for all small and medium businesses as a way of improving implementation of social media marketing. This research contributes to the academia and industry by identifying some research gaps and providing directions for future researches.

Peningkatan Kompetensi Digital Marketing UKM Melalui Pelatihan Video Promosi Untuk Komunitas UKM Kelurahan Pandean Lamper Kota Semarang

This research highlights significant changes in consumption patterns and digitalization that pose challenges for businesses that are unable to adapt to these changes. Data shows that the majority of SMEs in Indonesia have not yet entered the digital ecosystem, one of which is business actors who are members of the Pandean Lamper Village SME Community. Therefore, promotional video training using the CapCut application is a strategic solution. This application is popular, free, and has complete features. Against this background, the research explores how to improve the digital marketing competence of SMEs through promotional video training. Aims to provide knowledge and skills to SMEs in digital marketing, so that they can utilize social media and video to promote their products. The benefits include increasing sales turnover for SMEs and contributing to academic development at Semarang University. This activity was attended by 28 people, with an age range of 25 – 60 years, the majority of whom are business people in the culinary sector. From the results of these activities, participants felt the benefits and were willing to persist in participating in the training activities until completion.

Social-economic factors affecting small business performance among chisokone marketers in Kitwe district of Copperbelt Province, Zambia

Globally, marketers are increasingly recognized as important drivers of economic growth and are widely accepted as key aspect of economic dynamism. Small businesses are a driving force not only for economic growth, but also poverty reduction through job creation. Industrialization and economic growth come from small businesses that grow to big industries. Therefore, the study aimed at assessing socio-economic factors affecting small business performance among Chisokone marketers in Kitwe district of Copperbelt province, Zambia. The study employed both the qualitative and quantitative methods and a descriptive survey design that sampled council members for Kitwe district and Chisokone market marketers. Data was obtained from the respondents by means of interviews and questionnaires. Frequency tables, graphs, figures and pie-charts were used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data. Data was also analyzed by the use of softwares; Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 26) and Microsoft Excel (version 16). The results showed that most respondents had a strong feeling that there were factors affecting business growth in a negative way such as SMEs financing. The findings also revealed that majority of SMEs (53%) were not legally registered. Many businesses fall under sole proprietorship and the main source of finance or capital is from the family and friends. 77% of SMEs stated lack of collateral which hampers business operations resulting in unwillingness for banks to finance them; 63% lacked business management experience and 85% lacked technological advancement to enhance the overall performance. Despite marketers’ willingness to do business, crucial social economic factors such as access to finance, market demand and infrastructure are lacking. The study therefore recommended that sustainable policy interventions or technical support should be provided by government or non-governmental organizations to ensure small scale sustainable business growth.

Technological tools KM and innovation in SME enterprises

Knowledge management has emerged over the past decade as one of the key issues at the heart of modern organisations. Knowledge management as a process that supports an organisation in finding, selecting, organising and disseminating relevant information and expertise, essential for activities such as problem solving, learning, strategic planning and decision making. Knowledge management is an emergent system of organisational design and operational principles, processes, organisational structures, applications and technologies that help knowledge workers increase their creativity and ability to deliver commercial value. The issue of knowledge management is primarily considered in the context of large organisations. In contrast, relatively little attention has been paid in the literature to the specifics of knowledge management in small and medium-sized enterprises. The focus of researchers attention on large enterprises is partly due to the fact that the larger the enterprise, the greater the challenges regarding key knowledge management processes, including, for example, knowledge dissemination. Awareness of the organisation's knowledge is higher in SMEs than in large organisations. Due to their size, SMEs do not have the same problems in communicating and disseminating knowledge within the organisation as large enterprises, so formal knowledge dissemination activities and processes are less frequently implemented. In addition, formal approaches to knowledge management use IT systems, which are costly and mostly designed for large organisations. Financial barriers and the different needs of SMEs therefore mean that formal knowledge management may not be fully implemented in SMEs. Therefore, it becomes important to examine the use of technological tools in knowledge management and their impact on the innovativeness of a company from the SMEs. The main research objective of the article is to analyse the use of technological tools for knowledge management in companies operating in the Polish SME market and their impact on innovation. Specific research objectives included assessing the level of ICT use in SMEs, identifying the level of employment of ICT specialists by SMEs, identifying the use of websites, social media and cloud computing by SMEs, identifying technological tools supporting knowledge management in SMEs, assessing the impact of technological knowledge management tools on innovation in SMEs. The research was conducted in 2022 using the CATI method among 600 randomly selected SMEs operating on the Polish market. The majority of SMEs do not employ employees with specialised digital competences. Such people are employed by less than 8% of small and 30% of medium-sized companies. The situation is completely different in large companies - almost 3/4 of them employ ICT specialists. Employers have a problem recruiting digitally competent employees. For this reason, outsourcing IT services is becoming increasingly popular, especially among small and medium-sized companies. Companies that use technological knowledge management tools are more innovative.

Identifying the Barriers to Green Supply Chain Practices for Small and Medium Enterprises with Reference to Central India

Purpose: The word "green supply chain management" (GSCM) has grown-status in recent years. In a cutthroat market, the majority of SMEs are establishing their own production facilities. The need for GSCM has grown as a result of growing public awareness, economic growth, environmental concerns, or regulatory changes. This study tries to pinpoint the drivers and obstacles faced by small and medium-sized businesses operating in Nagpur in this setting.
 
 Design/methodology/approach: To determine the contextual links between various drivers and barriers, researchers have identified them. Additionally, using Modification Strategy, to determine the drivers of GSCM implementation in the SME's was proposed.
 
 Findings: Six kinds of pertinent hurdles have been found in the literature and consultations with academic and industrial professionals that followed. Three barriers have been acknowledged as the driver construct, three barriers have been acknowledged as the link construct and one barrier has been acknowledged as the dependent construct. There is no known barrier that is an autonomous variable. One bottom-level barrier and three top-level barriers have each been identified. The elimination of these obstacles was taken into consideration.
 
 Research limitations/implications: Based on the ideas of experts, a conjectural model of these barriers was built. The results thus reached may be in addition adjusted to relate to a real-world issue.
 
 Practical implications: Organizations that have a clear knowledge of these obstacles will be better able to set priorities and manage their resources.
 
 Originality/value: Through this report, the researcher helps to prioritize and identify obstacles to GSCM implementation in SMEs in Nagpur. The established structured model will aid in understanding the interrelation of the barriers. The eradication of these obstacles is likewise recommended in this paper.

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Purpose: The word "green supply chain management" (GSCM) has grown-status in recent years. In a cutthroat market, the majority of SMEs are establishing their own production facilities. The need for GSCM has grown as a result of growing public awareness, economic growth, environmental concerns, or regulatory changes. This study tries to pinpoint the drivers and obstacles faced by small and medium-sized businesses operating in Nagpur in this setting. Design/methodology/approach: To determine the contextual links between various drivers and barriers, researchers have identified them. Additionally, using Modification Strategy, to determine the drivers of GSCM implementation in the SME's was proposed. Findings: Six kinds of pertinent hurdles have been found in the literature and consultations with academic and industrial professionals that followed. Three barriers have been acknowledged as the driver construct, three barriers have been acknowledged as the link construct and one barrier has been acknowledged as the dependent construct. There is no known barrier that is an autonomous variable. One bottom-level barrier and three top-level barriers have each been identified. The elimination of these obstacles was taken into consideration. Research limitations/implications: Based on the ideas of experts, a conjectural model of these barriers was built. The results thus reached may be in addition adjusted to relate to a real-world issue. Practical implications: Organizations that have a clear knowledge of these obstacles will be better able to set priorities and manage their resources. Originality/value: Through this report, the researcher helps to prioritize and identify obstacles to GSCM implementation in SMEs in Nagpur. The established structured model will aid in understanding the interrelation of the barriers. The eradication of these obstacles is likewise recommended in this paper.

Examining the Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on New Venture Performance in the Emerging Economy of Lebanon: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Despite scholarly debates on the role of entrepreneurial orientation, its effect on new venture performance remains largely understudied, particularly in the context of emerging economies. Determining this association is crucial and has an important implication for scholars and managers of SMEs to increase performance. Therefore, using the resource-based view and upper-echelon theories, this study examines this link by considering the mediating role of opportunity exploitation and the moderating role of transformational leadership in the case of an emerging market in Lebanon. The resource-based view theory discusses the importance of intangible and tangible resources in obtaining a sustainable competitive edge. The upper-echelon theory also connects the attributes of firm performance and top employee management. To achieve this purpose, we conducted a comprehensive survey of 411 managers and owners, 346 of whom were men and 65 of whom were women, of SMEs in the top five provinces of North Lebanon, South Lebanon, Mount Lebanon, Beirut, and Bekaa, where the majority of SMEs are located. This study also collected the data in 2022 and performed moderated mediation analysis to probe this nexus. The empirical results show that entrepreneurial orientation has a positive direct and indirect (through opportunity exploitation) effect on new venture performance. Furthermore, it reveals that opportunity exploitation has a positive effect on new venture performance and partially mediates the entrepreneurial orientation–new venture performance nexus. Furthermore, the results highlight that transformational leadership moderates the direct entrepreneurial orientation–new venture performance nexus, and the positive relationship is stronger for managers (or owners) with higher-level transformational leadership. Moreover, the results reveal that transformational leadership moderates the indirect effect between entrepreneurial orientation and new venture performance through opportunity exploitation, and the extent of the indirect effect is enhanced for managers (or owners) with higher-level transformational leadership. The results are robust and have important policy implications. The current research offers crucial managerial implications for the management of SMEs by paying attention to significant drivers of entrepreneurial orientation and opportunity exploitation. The findings also suggest that entrepreneurs and managers of new ventures must transform their entrepreneurial strategic posture into opportunity exploitation behaviors by pinpointing market inefficiencies and consumer needs, launching novel products and services, and taking advantage of opportunities for new products to enter the market to maximize financial gain.

The adoption of IFRS for SMEs in the northern sector of Ghana: A case of structural equation modeling

The current study investigated the adoption of IFRS for SMEs among 800 SMEs in the northern sector of Ghana. The study specifically determined the awareness level and extent of adoption of the standard. It also assessed how coercive, memetic, normative and environmental factors influenced the adoption of standards among the SMEs. It utilized an explanatory research design that adopted a quantitative approach to analyzing data and making inferences. Adapting a close-ended questionnaire, the PLS-SEM was used in analyzing the data. The study revealed that the majority of SMEs were aware of IFRS for SMEs in financial reporting to a high extent. The study further found that most SMEs did not fully comply to the IFRS for SMEs in preparing and presenting financial statements. Again, Coercive isomorphism and Environmental factors positively influenced the adoption of IFRS for SMEs among SMEs in the northern sector of Ghana. In contrast, mimetic and normative isomorphism played no significant role in the adoption process. The study further found that level of compliance positively moderates the effect of the level of Awareness on IFRS for SME adoption. Challenges associated with IFRS for SMEs (COF) positively influenced its adoption.

스마트공장에서 객체인식과 휴먼 동특성 분석을 통한 AI융합 알고리즘 개발과 적용 연구

Many small and medium-sized enterprises in Korea have built smart factories with government support. However, the majority of SMEs are producing products that are difficult to automate and require a lot of manpower on behalf of large companies. In particular, it is difficult for manufacturing companies to enter smart factories because it is difficult to input real-time data. According to research needs as described above, in this study, in order to improve the fact that humans collect information by relying on visual information for more than 70%, object recognition and human dynamics analysis are used to overcome the problem of blind spots in performance aggregation. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, first, the requirements were investigated by qualitative and quantitative methods, and based on this, a prototype model was designed and implemented. Second, the implemented prototype system was applied to actual small and medium-sized manufacturing companies to prove the effectiveness of the AI convergence algorithm through qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The results of this study are expected to provide basic information necessary for calculating standard costs and building digital twins of smart factories by overcoming the limitations of SMEs’ smart factory and enabling real-time data aggregation.

The Influence of E-Procurement on the Effectiveness of Micro-scale and Medium-sized Businesses in South Africa

Purpose: The goal of this survey was to look into how e-procurement affected the performance of small and medium-sized businesses in Cape Town, South Africa. 
 Methodology: The descriptive research approach was used. 3000 small and medium-sized businesses operating in Cape Town, South Africa, were the target population. 97 owners or managers of Small and Medium Sized Businesses made up the sample size. Owners and managers of Small and Medium Sized Businesses made up the observational unit. Using a stratified random selection approach, 97 respondents were chosen from the target demographic. 
 Findings: According to the study, e-tendering had no appreciable impact on the performance of small and medium enterprises in Cape Town, South Africa. However, the performance of small and medium enterprises in Cape Town is significantly impacted by e-sourcing. E-invoicing also has a big influence on Cape Town's small and medium enterprises' performance. Additionally, e-payment has a big impact on Cape Town, South Africa's Small and Medium Enterprises' performance. 
 Conclusion: E-tendering has a marginally beneficial impact on Cape Town SMEs' performance. However, the majority of SMEs do not have an online system for managing supplier contracts that simplifies the tendering procedure. 
 Recommendations: Small and medium-sized businesses should adopt and use e-tendering, according to the study's recommendations, to streamline the procurement process and reduce associated expenses. Additionally, small and medium-sized businesses should switch to electronic invoicing to save money on the costs of printing, storing, and shipping paper invoices. The report also suggests that all small and medium-sized businesses implement e-payment to boost productivity by increasing payment efficiency and lowering mistakes associated with cash transactions. Additionally, small and medium-sized businesses should use e-sourcing since it expands their access to a wide range of suppliers and speeds up the contract award process.

The Impact of the Activity-Based Costing on SMEs’ Financial Performance in Lusaka, Zambia (II)

While several studies have been conducted regarding the impact of Activity-based costing (ABC) system on the financial performance of a firm, to a larger extent they were focused on large enterprises who are mainly established in developed economies. There have been very few studies focused on small and medium sized enterprises and specifically those in the developing/emerging economies. This project therefore sought to explore the impact of Activity-based costing on the financial performance of small and medium sized enterprises based in Lusaka, Zambia, being a developing economy. The specific objectives of the study were to investigate the relationship between Activity-based costing and financial performance in SMEs based in Lusaka, the impact of the implementation of ABC in SMEs on cost control and cost reduction, and the reasons why the majority of SMEs have not adopted the use of the ABC system. An analysis of the responses from 20 participants in the survey revealed that only seven respondents (35%) had implemented the ABC system, while the other 13 (65%) were still using a traditional costing system. The study further revealed that all the SMEs who had adopted the ABC system had reported a positive impact on their financial performance, as well as on cost control and cost reduction. Furthermore, the study showed that there were three major reasons that the respondents indicated for not adopting the system, namely being satisfied with the traditional costing system (53.85% of the respondents), the high cost of implementing the ABC system (30.77% of the respondents), and lack of expertise to implement the ABC system (15.38% of the respondents). The contribution of this study to the body of knowledge is that the findings will contribute to the understanding of the impact that the adoption and implementation of the ABC system has on the financial performance of SMEs particularly those based in Lusaka, this being the first study on this topic. In addition, the findings of the study will contribute to the understanding of the reasons for low implementation of the ABC system among SMEs in Lusaka.

The Impact of the Activity-Based Costing on SMEs’ Financial Performance in Lusaka, Zambia (I)

While several studies have been conducted regarding the impact of Activity-based costing (ABC) system on the financial performance of a firm, to a larger extent they were focused on large enterprises who are mainly established in developed economies. There have been very few studies focused on small and medium sized enterprises and specifically those in the developing/emerging economies. This project therefore sought to explore the impact of Activity-based costing on the financial performance of small and medium sized enterprises based in Lusaka, Zambia, being a developing economy. The specific objectives of the study were to investigate the relationship between Activity-based costing and financial performance in SMEs based in Lusaka, the impact of the implementation of ABC in SMEs on cost control and cost reduction, and the reasons why the majority of SMEs have not adopted the use of the ABC system. An analysis of the responses from 20 participants in the survey revealed that only seven respondents (35%) had implemented the ABC system, while the other 13 (65%) were still using a traditional costing system. The study further revealed that all the SMEs who had adopted the ABC system had reported a positive impact on their financial performance, as well as on cost control and cost reduction. Furthermore, the study showed that there were three major reasons that the respondents indicated for not adopting the system, namely being satisfied with the traditional costing system (53.85% of the respondents), the high cost of implementing the ABC system (30.77% of the respondents), and lack of expertise to implement the ABC system (15.38% of the respondents). The contribution of this study to the body of knowledge is that the findings will contribute to the understanding of the impact that the adoption and implementation of the ABC system has on the financial performance of SMEs particularly those based in Lusaka, this being the first study on this topic. In addition, the findings of the study will contribute to the understanding of the reasons for low implementation of the ABC system among SMEs in Lusaka.

Konsep Kesatuan Usaha : Pendekatan Socioemotional Wealth dan Family Embeddedness

The purpose of this study is to analyze and make conclusions about the concept of business unity that will be associated with socioemotional wealth and family embeddedness. This study will portray SMEs from the concept of business entity. This study uses Social-Emotional Wealth (SEW) and Family Embeddedness (FE). There are five dimensions in SEW and three dimensions in FE. This research uses qualitative research with the object of research of several food and beverage and batik UKM in Salatiga and Surakarta. The selection of research objects is based on the length of the business and the family's business management. The technique used in this study was an interview with six people as key informants. The results showed that the majority of SMEs in this study had applied the concept of a business entity. The social-emotional wealth approach has a bigger role than the kinship family approach because external factors trigger the development of SMEs in maintaining their business continuity more and internal factors of family members actually reduce company performance because they are prone to conflict and thus costs. that happened was bigger.

Evaluation Of Accounting System Used By Small And Medium Scale Enterprises In Odo-Ona Nla/Idi Ayunre Ward

For a successful business endeavor, accounting is considered as the conduit and essential tool of achieving its target. It has always concerned itself with determining how a business is doing. The level of book keeping and accounting in SMEs have created many problems against the effective operation and accountability of these businesses. The study seek to determine the extent to which Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Odo-Ona Nla/ Idi-Ayunre ward use accounting record keeping system in their business and to examine their perception towards accounting record keeping systems in their business. Achieving this objective, the paper adopts a quantitative and qualitative approach in which a semi structured questionnaire was used as the main data collection method. The researcher used purposive and simple random sampling techniques to reduce the possibility of research limitations.
 A total of 50 semi-structured questionnaires were distributed to various SMEs in Odo-Ona Nla/ Idi-Ayunre Ward at Oluyole Local Government in Ibadan. Forty-three (43) were returned and completely answered for the purpose of data analysis. The primary data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The analyzed results are presented into graphical and descriptive representations such as tables, percentages, and graph.
 The findings indicate that majority of SMEs that maintain accounting records fail to keep complete accounting records and it also indicate that SMEs have many issues triggers to have negative attitudes in compliance to proper record keeping for their business, including cost associated, Time consuming and Tax avoidance. The paper concludes that a concerted effort should be made by the government and other stakeholders to set out proper guidelines for record keeping and proposes that SMEs owners be trained on key skills for records and information management which will enable them keep records of their business activities.

Supply Chain Management in SMEs, Pandeglang Regency, Banten

This study aims to implement supply chain management and market expansion in the marketing of SMEs products in Pandeglang Regency, Banten. The data analysis technique used in this study is a descriptive qualitative approach with qualitative methods. Information was obtained from SMEs and coop-mart managers in Pandeglang Regency. Discussion of the results of the above research will be discussed independently from each side of the supply chain and the marketing side. Therefore, the results obtained are the SMEs in the Pandeglang region have not considered supply chain activities seriously enough to obtain the raw material. Most SMEs in Pandeglang region employ local workers, each of them carries out the production process at home and after that, the finished product is submitted. The SMEs in the Pandeglang do not have specific storage warehouses, there are no distribution/communication/promotion channels regarding supply chains conducted by SMEs in and the majority of SMEs do not have an understanding of marketing activities that enable them to improve their performance in working.

Business experience or Financial Literacy? Which one is better for opportunity recognition and superior performance?

AbstractRecognition of useful opportunities is very crucial for small and medium‐sized enterprises' (SMEs') survival and growth in the competitive environment. However, the majority of SMEs cannot easily recognize new opportunities in the turbulent markets due to a lack of managerial competencies and knowledge. Several studies have been carried out to unleash the determinants of opportunity recognition that configure SMEs' success, but the results are disjointed. In particular, the mediating role of opportunity recognition between business experience, financial literacy, and SME performance has been missed. This study aims to test if either financially literate or experienced managers can recognize new opportunities that result in high performance. For testing the hypotheses, we surveyed 232 Pakistani SMEs from the manufacturing, trading, and service sectors. After performing the structural equation modeling, we found that financial literacy and business experience are the substantial prognosticators of opportunity recognition and SMEs' performance. Opportunity recognition shows a partial mediating role between financial literacy and SMEs performance as well as between business experience and SMEs performance. However, this research endorses that business experience is more vital for high performance as compared to financial literacy whereas in terms of opportunity recognition financial literacy is more crucial as compared to experience. This study recommends the enterprises to hire the financially literate and experienced managers as both display a prominent role in the identification of opportunities and high performance. Further implications are discussed.

Impacto del programa educativo: Comercio Internacional y Aduanas en el desarrollo de las Pymes en los municipios de Comalcalco y Paraíso del Estado de Tabasco

The majority of SMEs in the municipalities of Comalcalco and Paraíso, in the State of Tabasco, are largely unaware of the various activities that take place in the context of the activities that correspond to the specific area of International Trade and the alternative topics that it brings as a consequence , as well as the lack of personnel highly knowledgeable of the changes in negotiation that are propitiated at every moment in the global markets, for that reason it is important to analyze, evaluate and determine the impact that the University has had in the Chontalpa region. Polytechnic of the Gulf of Mexico offers the Degree in International Trade and Customs, and know if it has provided the human resource with professional characteristics for the development of such tasks. The object of study is limited to the State of Tabasco, specifically in the municipalities of Comalcalco and Paraíso. It is very important to mention that in the face of all the changes that arise in foreign trade, companies need to be inserted in the global levels of competitiveness and development, which allow them to have a presence in national and international markets to make strategic investment alliances and cooperation.