TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose This study aims to determine the status and conditions of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as predictors in empowering the rural communities of Samar Island, Philippines. Specifically, it aimed to describe SMEs’ organizational variables, and assess their conditions in terms of membership/ownership structure; leadership; policies, systems and procedures; resource mobilization; linkages and networking; communication systems; and awards and recognition; determine the level of empowerment of rural communities with SMEs along the aspects of material, perceptual and relational changes; and find out whether significant relationship exist between the organizational variables and the level of empowerment.Design/methodology/approach The study is a descriptive survey that utilized structured survey questionnaires, personal interviews and dialogues with the respondents in the actual data collection. The survey involved 18 SMEs from the rural communities of the 12 municipalities from the 3 provinces of Samar Island, as study samples – 6 coming from each province with 2 SMEs in every sub-sector of trading, manufacturing and services. Out of 270 respondents, 256 (94.81 per cent) responded. All statistics were computed using the SPSS computer software.Findings The organizational variables of the SMEs such as membership and ownership structure, leadership, policies, systems and procedures, resource mobilization, linkages and networking, communication systems and awards and recognition were assessed to be all “good” and were found to have significant relationship with the level of empowerment of rural communities with SMEs.Originality/value The rural communities with SMEs were empowered along the aspects of material, perceptual and relational changes. The result of the study indicated that through SMEs, rural people experienced changes in their lives. The test about the relationship of the organizational variables such as nature and ownership of business enterprise, leadership, policies, systems and procedures, resource mobilization, linkages and networking, communication systems and awards and recognition and the level of empowerment of rural communities as determined by changes in the material, perceptual and relational aspects of rural life proved to have significant relationships.
VL  - 12
IS  - 1
SN  - 2071-1395
DO  - 10.1108/APJIE-12-2017-0045
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/APJIE-12-2017-0045
AU  - Miranda Asterio Tenedero
AU  - Miranda Juneth Lourdes Fiel
PY  - 2018
Y1  - 2018/01/01
TI  - Status and conditions of small- and medium-sized enterprises as predictors in empowering rural communities in Samar Island, Philippines
T2  - Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 105
EP  - 119
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -