Small And Medium-sized Enterprises Research Research Articles

Deconstructing involuntary financial exclusion: a focus on African SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to obtain credit when credit ratings and collateral are used as criteria to assess their credit applications. In the context of Africa, the financial markets have gaping institutional voids, and contextual insights into SMEs’ experiences remain underdeveloped. Drawing on the stakeholder-agency theory of debt financing, this paper advances the scholarly conversation by theorising about how collateral security, collateral security value and the gender of SME owners lead to the involuntary financial exclusion of many manufacturing businesses in Africa. Analysis of the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) dataset reveals that collateral security and collateral security value, together with gender biases in Africa’s financial markets, reduce credit access potential. Consequently, SMEs’ perceptions of the likelihood of obtaining credit for business purposes are reduced. Empirical results for 13,783 SMEs across 41 African countries indicate that the motivations to apply for credit also diminish. These observations contribute to entrepreneurial financing and SME research.

Exploratory Survey of Australian SMEs: an Investigation into the Barriers and Opportunities Associated with Circular Economy.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 97.4% of all businesses in Australia and, contribute, by revenue, 32% to the country's economy. In the last decade, Australian SMEs have become increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability and need to shift away from a linear to circular economy (CE). Since 2019, there has been considerable growth on CE adoption research in SMEs, but empirical research examining Australian SMEs has yet to be undertaken. This study has used a survey and aims to understand the enablers and barriers of CE adoption in Australian SMEs. The research addresses three specific research questions- What are the barriers that impact CE adoption in Australian SMEs?; What enablers facilitate CE adoption in Australian SMEs?; and What is the effect of industry type, geographic location and job roles on enablers and barriers identification for CE adoption in Australian SMEs? Based on 352 responses from the survey of Australian SMEs, the paper identifies and analyses the enablers and barriers that these organizations face as they transition towards circular economy. The impact that location, industry sector and the role respondents undertake within the organization provides some interesting insights into how Australian SMEs are managing the process of adoption of CE. The research demonstrates that there is an overwhelming need for the development of consistent, sectoral, industry and location-specific policies by the federal and state governments to support internal policy development and the acquisition of new technologies in order to stimulate Australian SME CE adoption. In addition, Australian SMEs need to have a better understanding of how budgetary constraints, the lack of customer awareness and an absence of clearly defined business process impact CE adoption.

A systematic literature review on knowledge management in SMEs: current trends and future directions

It is generally known that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a significant driver of employment and economic growth for the majority of world economies. At the same time, SMEs are more fragile in times of crisis which in turn restricts their possibilities for action. In such an environment, it appears even more relevant for SMEs to consider knowledge and its management. Given that, it seems relevant to have an in-depth understanding of knowledge management (KM) in SMEs so that it can be better promoted. Therefore, this paper conducts a systematic literature review of the extant literature on KM in SMEs to present a state-of-the-art understanding. The review covers 180 papers from leading journals that have been published between 2012 and 2022. The review provides insight into the diversity and evolution of KM in SME research and evaluates the extant body of literature covered. Additionally, a framework is proposed that relates existing research on KM to SMEs. The paper concludes with proposals for future research on KM in SMEs.

Entrepreneurship and SMEs: A Bibliometric Analysis Amidst COVID-19 Crisis

Purpose: The remarkable concept of entrepreneurship has attracted scholars’ attention for its relevance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Entrepreneurship and SMEs (E&SMEs) have been globally acknowledged as instruments for achieving economic growth and development as well as employment creation. Based on bibliometric and distance-based visualization of similarities (VOS) analysis, the purpose of this paper is to outline a broad-spectrum perspective of the structure of research in entrepreneurship and SMEs, identifying the most prominent journals, country contributions, top-cited authors and articles in this field, as well, reporting the standard bibliometric indicators such as the growth of publications, authorship patterns, collaboration, and prolific authors.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper uses the data from Scopus online database as of June 2022. Based on ‘key-terms’ search results, 287 valid documents were obtained for further analysis using VOS viewer software and Harzing’s Publish or Perish for citation metrics and analysis.
 Findings: Sustainability (Switzerland) Journal and Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies are the most relevant journals in the field. Among many authors, concerning the frequency of citations, Fairlie’s (2020) article emerges as the most cited article with 85 cites and an average of 42.5 citations per year, followed by Brown and Rocha’s (2020) article emerges 80 cites and an average of 40 citations per year. The United States ranked as the most contributor country in productivity with 29 (10.10%) published documents.
 Originality/Value: This paper contributes to entrepreneurship and SMEs amidst COVID-19 crisis research by providing a global perspective on the concept’s investigation using bibliometric data and graphical networks.

Corporate social responsibility as a driver of digital innovation in SMEs: the mediation effect of absorptive capacity

Currently, digital innovation is one of the biggest challenges facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study analyses how SMEs can achieve higher levels of digital innovation despite their lack of resources. Using a dataset consisting of 520 German SMEs, we propose and test a model in which corporate social responsibility enables knowledge-sharing and supports SMEs in acquiring the resources needed for digital innovation development. As hypothesised, we found empirical evidence for a positive mediation effect in which absorptive capacity links corporate social responsibility and an SME's digital innovation output. In sum, this study helps to explain the relationship between corporate social responsibility and an SME's digital innovation, thus presenting far-reaching implications for SME research and the emerging scholarly debate on digital innovation in resource-constrained organisations.

Financial Literacy and Financial Performance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

"Research Aims: The study aims to examine the influence of financial literacy on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: The data were obtained from questionnaires distributed to 200 SME managers/owners. Multiple regression analysis was applied to test the influence of financial literacy on SMEs performance by controlling manager profile and SME-specific characteristics. Research Findings: Multiple regression results prove that financial literacy has a positive and significant impact on SMEs' performance. Managers/owners with financial literacy skills understand business-related financial concepts, including debt, savings, takaful, insurance, and investment, which ensure the good performance of their business. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: Similar research has been conducted outside Malaysia. However, there is a need to validate the financial literacy and SME performance relationship in the Malaysian environment due to differences in culture; ways of thinking; and legal, business, and political situations. These differences lead to different responses which then contribute to the way the effect of financial literacy on SME performance is explained. In addition, this study improves the consistency of the existing evidence on SME performance and expands the scope of the Resource-Based View (RBV) from the perspective of SMEs Research limitation & implications: Government agencies such as SME Corporation recognise the importance of financial literacy among entrepreneurs. Therefore, proactive efforts need to be accelerated to provide an adequate level of financial literacy among entrepreneurs. Furthermore, entrepreneurial finance can be introduced in formal and non-formal education to ensure that every layer of society enjoys the benefits regardless of their economic status."

Research on social responsibility of small and medium enterprises: a bibliometric analysis

Research on corporate social responsibility continues to advance in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), although the results remain fairly contentious and fragmented. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability today are strong trends in the corporate world. This article discusses the literature on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research in SMEs with the goal of understanding the history and research patterns over the last 20 years based on the review of 120 papers. We describe the contribution of literature in terms of epistemological orientation and identify the state-of-the-art of CSR research by linking it to a bibliometric analysis. In this paper, we contribute to the literature by finding a growing interest of CSR in Europe and North America and a relative increase in CSR empirical studies vis-a-vis a relative decrease in descriptive papers. According to our results, we rank CSR research in SMEs at a growing stage but with theoretical limitations when it comes to evolving into a mature stage and, eventually, provide a reference point for the theoretical and methodological positioning of future research.

Benefits and challenges in adopting social media for SMEs: A case from Bangladesh

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges, Benefits, and various determinants which play an important role in adopting social media among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh, based on the (Technology-Organization-Environment) TOE Model. The TOE framework seeks to understand the significant factors influencing the decision to adopt social media in SMEs in Bangladesh. Research methodology: In the study, a random sampling method was used to select a representative sample from the existing active SMEs in different regions of Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire was designed to measure constructs such as relative advantage. Preliminary data were collected from 365 small and medium enterprises through field studies. Then the survey data were analyzed using logistic regression (L.R.) of the independent variables included in the TOE framework Results: The outcomes of the study found that only 5 variables: relative advantage, complexity, consistency, top management's assistance, and innovative management factors significantly influence SMEs' decisions to adopt social media. Limitations: The busy schedules of the respondents are key limitations for the study along with the study area. If the study could explore more districts besides Dhaka city, then the study outcomes would be more extensive. Contribution: The results from this study will help SME foundations, research institutes, and government policymakers to formulate strategies for optimal use of social media in SMEs.

Digital innovation in SMEs: a systematic review, synthesis and research agenda

ABSTRACT This paper presents a systematic literature review on digital innovation in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). It aims to synthesize previous research and identify knowledge gaps and future research opportunities. A systematic review of the literature was carried out by analyzing 382 articles published between 1979 and 2019. From synthesizing the extant literature, we developed a theoretical framework advocating that digital innovation in SMEs is driven by a configuration of antecedents, goes through different stages of innovation process, and leads to organizational and business process performance outcomes. Using an in-depth content analysis, we discuss the examined digital technologies, theories underpinning digital innovation in SMEs research, contextual orientations, and the content of research in this field. This review identifiessignificant knowledge gaps in relation to theory, context, method and content.

Scientometric analysis of BIM adoption by SMEs in the architecture, construction and engineering sector

PurposeBuilding information modelling (BIM) has had a significant impact on the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector in the past several years. However, not much is published concerning small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adopting BIM in the construction industry. To address this knowledge gap, a complete and in-depth literature review of the adoption of BIM by SMEs in the AEC sector is conducted in this study. The paper also provides a comprehensive review of the mainstream studies of adoption of BIM in the AEC organisations.Design/methodology/approachBased on a five-stage literature review, 54 articles on the adoption of BIM by SMEs from the period 2009 to 2019 were critically analysed from the following three perspectives: (1) the number of articles produced; (2) the research focus and (3) the author's contributions. The techniques of the visualisation of similarities (VOSviewer) software were used to analyse the citation networks of the 54 articles as identified.FindingsFrom the analysis, it was established that the number of studies on BIM adoption by SMEs in the reviewed journals has not been increasing and not many articles are available. The finding makes the argument that BIM adoption by SMEs is not a focus point but rather the adoption and implementation of BIM is generalised in the AEC sector. In addition, the results revealed that most of the published articles come from the United Kingdom (UK). However, this finding is hardly surprising due to the requirements in the UK, which have made the adoption of BIM mandatory on all publicly funded projects and are at level 2 BIM. The other highly ranked countries by origins of studies on the adoption of BIM by SMEs were found to be Australia and the United States of America (USA), all of which are developed nations or economies. Some key BIM in SME research trends (adoption, enforcement, benefits, strategies, skills gap, awareness, education and training, and technology) were identified and evaluated.Research limitations/implicationsThe results presented in this journal are only applicable to SMEs in the AEC sector. As a result of little available literature on the adoption of BIM in developing countries, the articles have been drawn from developed countries. The dataset was mainly extracted from the Scopus database for the analysis.Originality/valueAn accomplished series content analysis of the implementation and adoption of BIM by SMEs from international construction journals were reported. The study makes significant and emergent contribution by building on the foundation of BIM research in SMEs as well as providing a reference point for the interpretation of findings, as well as directions for future research.

Analysis of enablers on the successful implementation of green manufacturing for Irish SMEs

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify a comprehensive list of main enablers of successful implementation of green manufacturing (GM) practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on the inputs from Irish SMEs' experts, a validated conceptual hierarchy model of the identified enablers is developed to analyse and prioritise the most dominant ones.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a questionnaire survey responded by various professionals in Irish manufacturing SMEs. Experts' opinions were analysed using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) to distinguish the mutual influences amongst the nine identified enablers.FindingsThe findings revealed that from the Irish SMEs' perspective, strong green supply chain relations are the outcome of successfully implementing GM and not a driver of the other enablers. Furthermore, lower manufacturing costs are found to arise as a result of GM practices in SMEs.Practical implicationsIt is discussed that emulating the actions of larger companies will not necessarily yield the same results for SMEs. Innovation will become a cornerstone of remaining competitive in a sustainable environment, which is facilitated by closer green supply chain relations.Originality/valueThe reported findings in this article contribute to theory and practice of GM and SMEs research domains by systematically identified, classified and ranked enablers in a conceptual hierarchal model from the perspective of Irish SMEs. This research lays the foundations for further analysis of the GM practices enablers in a time when UN mandates and EU regulations are increasingly impacting SMEs all around Europe and especially Ireland.

Using the “best‐fit” approach to investigate the effects of politico‐economic and social barriers on SMEs' internationalization in an emerging country context: Implications and future directions

AbstractThe way this study has used the “best‐fit” approach has facilitated the investigation of how three hypothesized constructs of political, economic, and social barriers can deepen our knowledge of their impacts on small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs)' internationalization within a small developing country context. Based on a quantitative analysis of the three hypothesized barriers, we used the “best‐fit” approach to measure the extent to which the SMEs' internal variables like people, products, services, and practices might best fit some of the people and non‐people factors external to the businesses. The application of the “best‐fit” approach onto the three hypotheses—politics (H1), social (H2), economics (H3), helped us in explaining the major social and politico‐economic barriers faced by a developing economy' (Bangladeshi) SMEs' internationalization despite previous literatures' emphasis on the impacts of globalization, market drivers or their oversight. Based on the findings, we point to future research trajectory. This study used primary survey data from 212 Bangladeshi SMEs and successfully validated an HR model by using Smart PLS3 software. The results from the hypotheses were used to produce the HR model to help SMEs identify the significance of people and economic factors and propose these aspects for inclusion in the “best‐fit” approach, SME, and globalization research.

Small shop survival – The financial response to a global financial crisis

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which are small retail shops, remain the largest employer in the western world. Yet the financing of their fixed and working capital investments remains under-researched. This study focuses on this topic by examining Eurozone wholesale and retail SMEs enterprises at the peak of the 2008 financial credit crisis. In order to do this, an innovative analysis of existing theories in retail finance and policy research using generalised multilevel structural equation modelling is performed to establish how retail SMEs sourced capital during this period. This analysis, a first of its kind in wholesale and retail SME research, finds that pecking order theory, the independence of investment and financing, as well as the contest for financial resources between fixed and working capital do not hold for wholesale and retail SMEs. Moreover, it is found that government grants and subsidised loans were not used by SMEs in this sector of the Eurozone as primary sources of finance during the aftermath of the 2008 global credit crisis. Crucially, it is posited that a business environment characterized by stronger legal rights and deeper credit information did not improve SMEs’ access to external finance. The authors recommend that further research should be pursued in this field in order to improve current understanding of the resilience of retail SMEs for future global financial crises.

Marketing team excellence as a function entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation and knowledge sharing: an empirical research in SMEs

This study aims to propose and test an integrated model focusing on the drivers and consequences of learning orientation in the context of marketing and business excellence. A quantitative study was conducted, including 62 marketing teams and a total of 383 employees in 49 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in Iran. Structural equation modelling examines the validity of constructs and path relationships. The results of the structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis provided three findings as follows: 1) entrepreneurial orientation had positive effects on the three dimensions of learning orientation, namely commitment to learning, shared vision and open-mindedness; 2) three components of learning orientation had positive effects on knowledge sharing; 3) knowledge sharing, which in turn, lead to marketing team performance. The combination of a developing country context and the significance of entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation, knowledge sharing and marketing team performance in SMEs enhance the contextual contribution of the paper.

Marketing team excellence as a function entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation and knowledge sharing: an empirical research in SMEs

This study aims to propose and test an integrated model focusing on the drivers and consequences of learning orientation in the context of marketing and business excellence. A quantitative study was conducted, including 62 marketing teams and a total of 383 employees in 49 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in Iran. Structural equation modelling examines the validity of constructs and path relationships. The results of the structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis provided three findings as follows: 1) entrepreneurial orientation had positive effects on the three dimensions of learning orientation, namely commitment to learning, shared vision and open-mindedness; 2) three components of learning orientation had positive effects on knowledge sharing; 3) knowledge sharing, which in turn, lead to marketing team performance. The combination of a developing country context and the significance of entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation, knowledge sharing and marketing team performance in SMEs enhance the contextual contribution of the paper.

A Review of Business Intelligence and Analytics in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) has become a cornerstone of many organizations in making informed decisions. Despite the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to all world economies, research in BI&A focuses mostly on large enterprises. To aid in closing this gap, this study provides a comprehensive review of the literature sources in this domain. Through a systematic literature review, this study collects, categorizes, synthesizes, and analyzes 78 articles related to BI&A in SMEs. The research topics that are addressed include BI&A components and solutions, Mobile BI&A, Cloud BI&A, and BI&A application, adoption, implementation, and benefits. Further, the research gaps and suggestions for future research are presented to facilitate the progression of BI&A in SME research.

Multilevel policy governance and territorial adaptability: evidence from Japanese SME innovation programmes

ABSTRACT Science, technology and innovation (STI) policies increasingly operate in a multilevel policy governance structure. This paper analyzes the variety of local authorities’ innovation support mechanisms for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Japan, drawing on a unique data set of 241 local SME research and development (R&D) subsidy programmes at the prefecture and city/municipality levels. The variation of SME R&D subsidy programmes in terms of institutional forms and coordination practices of multilevel innovation support mechanisms is analyzed as manifestations of the complex territorial adaptability. The institutional co-evolutionary processes between different levels of governments help both vertical and horizontal coordination in a highly centralized system.

Performance measurement systems in small and medium-sized enterprises and family firms: a systematic literature review

In view of the increasing sophistication of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their importance for global economies, the purpose of this paper is to provide comprehensive insight into the research on performance measurement systems (PMSs) in SMEs. Thus, a systematic literature review was conducted covering 98 top-tier journals in the areas of management accounting, SMEs, and general management, to structure the existing knowledge. The review of these journals comprises 34 studies that deal with PMSs in SMEs. The paper provides a comprehensive summary of empirical research of use, development and design, influencing factors, and consequences of PMSs in SMEs. In addition, it delineates the particular aspects of family firms. It considers research locations, theories, and methods applied, as well as research settings, and illustrates their changes over time. PMS research in SMEs is still scarce. The review shows that most research has been conducted in Europe and Australia, followed by North America. The majority of papers use the case/field study method. Multiple studies that describe their theoretical roots are informed by contingency theory, organization theory, or psychological/cultural theory. An assessment of the investigated topics illustrates the particularities of PMSs in SMEs, especially in family-controlled firms. Multiple studies highlight the importance of family influence, or continuous revision and knowledge exchange for sophisticated control systems, like PMSs. A lot of papers indicate that SMEs, including family firms, may benefit from the use of sophisticated control systems.

Employee involvement and participation in SMEs: a synthesis of extant research

It is widely acknowledged that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) cannot afford underutilize their workforce and owner/managers encourage ways to involve employees. In this article, we focus on what is known about formal employee involvement and participation (EIP) practice in SMEs. Based on a systematic, “aggregative” literature review (Briner and Denyer 2012; Gough et al. 2012) we identify key research on EIP in SMEs that is embedded in practice and provides utility for practitioners and policy makers. The findings not only allow us to comment briefly on the evolution of EIP research in SMEs, but to identify methodically what is known and not known about EIP practice in SMEs. We go therefore beyond the limited review provide by Sameer and Őzbilgin (2014) and identify with a higher level of confidence three key directions for future academic research.

Implementing Responsible Research and Innovation Practices in SMEs: Insights into Drivers and Barriers from the Austrian Medical Device Sector

This paper addresses the question of how Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) can be implemented in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). It builds on existing knowledge about RRI in business as well as on insights into motivations, drivers and barriers from the related fields of eco-innovation and sustainability innovation. Expert interviews with CEOs of SMEs in the Austrian medical device sector are analyzed to develop insights into the companies’ research and innovation activities and potential drivers and barriers for RRI. The findings support the assumption that SMEs are largely unaware of the RRI concept. At the same time, however, it is possible to identify current practices that already operationalize aspects of RRI. It is argued that SMEs could build upon existing practices to further develop ways of being responsible and that implementation of RRI should be in line with specific organizational and contextual factors.