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The development of Ecommerce within Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Wales is restricted by a number of barriers. Various projects initiated by government and academic bodies exist to assist SMEs overcome these barriers. However, whether these projects represent the needs of SMEs is debatable. The opportunity for SMEs to exploit information communication technology has increased due to the improved affordability and sophistication of computing equipment, along with the development and utilisation of the Internet. This progress has seen the emergence of Ebusiness and Ecommerce, whereby SMEs can operate, communicate and trade in global markets. Recent surveys by academia, government and trade bodies have identified Wales as the worst performing region for Ebusiness in the UK with sceptical attitudes towards its increased adoption. This paper reports on a quantitative study investigating Ebusiness utilisation within SMEs in Wales. Specifically this paper focuses on the key barriers influencing the adoption of Ebusiness within SMEs in Wales. The survey of the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce (CCC) membership was undertaken in 2001. The CCC is a trade body of approximately 1000 SMEs encompassing a geographical area covering Cardiff, Bridgend, Newport and the Valleys areas. The postal survey and telephone follow up achieved a response rate of 100 SME classified enterprises, a response rate of approximately 10%. Academic research has identified these barriers as deficiencies in financial resources, time, information and skills; concerns over security, legal issues and competition and doubts over the applicability of Ebusiness to their business practices and cultural and infrastructure issues. These barriers are a major influence as to how Ebusiness will develop within SMEs and this paper identifies the significance of each factor in constraining growth. The paper concludes by investigating the assistance for SMEs from academia, government and trade to develop Ebusiness activities and questioning whether these are representative and effective mechanisms for this sector. This paper contributes to knowledge by appraising and contrasting existing barriers to Ebusiness literature and comparing it with the relevant SOGM literature. Secondly it classifies barriers in two ways by type and time of occurrence. Finally the paper recognises that the support mechanisms for Ebusiness within SMEs remain unproven and require further investigation to verify their effectiveness.

Inventory is a crucial part of a systematic supply chain of a business. Small firms mostly neglect inventory management (IM) by accumulating excessive inventory for a time. The study aims to examine the IM practices of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh.

The study applied a qualitative case study design. Data were collected from ten SME owners in Bangladesh. The study employed a purposive sampling technique to collect data. This study used semi-structured interviews to generate data. The NVivo software was used to analyze the data.

The findings show that most SME business owners collect raw materials from the local market. Along with the local sources, they collect raw materials from international markets. Some SME entrepreneurs collect raw materials throughout the country as they dealt with recycled products. Frequently, they used digital technologies and online media to manage raw materials. SME owners could not buy many raw materials due to financial crisis, wastage, and damage, leading to a ratio of 10–15% losses.

This research contributes greatly to the government, SME Foundation, and trade associations concerning the SME IM system. The study recommends the government should reduce the tax rate on importing SME raw materials and inventories and exporting SME products.

This is the first study that focuses on the IM systems of SMEs in Bangladesh.

This study examines the nexus between entrepreneurship through small–medium enterprise (SME) business formation and the growth of the Nigerian economy. Furthermore, this paper seeks to explore the link between small enterprise development and econo.

The paper focused on secondary data for the period 1990–2016 for macro parameters including, registered small and medium scale enterprise, nominal gross domestic product, employment, total labor force and population. Forecasting technique was applied to obtain data for missing trends. Quantitative analytical techniques used include the dynamic method of the error correction model (ECM) and Johansen co-integration test for a long-run correlation.

The result shows an increasing number of SME formation which has also led to the growth of the economy. However, an increase in the amount of micro-small and medium scale enterprises did not contribute to the development of the economy more than existing businesses. The employment elasticity is positive and significant and shows that the contribution of entrepreneurship regarding employment is the most essential factor that advances economic growth and reduction of unemployment.

The paper examines how the persistent increase in small and medium enterprise formation improves the growth and development of the Nigerian economy, employing the ECM approach.

The purpose of this study is to determine and compare the performance of small and medium enterprises (SME) and manufacturing company stock portfolios in the Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets by the Sharpe Index and the significance of differences in average performance in the capital market.

This is comparative research that compared the performances of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets. The hypothesis examination of comparative test used one-way ANOVA technique on the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets. One-way ANOVA test was used in the analysis to test the average difference of performance indices of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios is in Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets.

The performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian capital market was not better than the performances of IHSG and LQ45 Index, the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Chinese capital market (SZSE) was better than the performance of Shenzhen Composite Index and the performance of Shenzhen A-Share Stock Price Index. The comparison of the performances of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets showed that the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Chinese capital market was the best and the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian capital market was the lowest.

The implication of this study was that SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios had relatively better performances in China and India, so investors should consider investing in SME and manufacturing company stocks. The performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesia was not able to exceed market and LQ45 portfolios, so the authority in Indonesia financial market should consider developing a special market for SME and manufacturing company to support the development of SME and manufacturing company in Indonesia and solve the problem of lack of funding source for SME and manufacturing company.

The originality of the present study is in the measurement of the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolio by risk-adjusted return which returns per risk unit measured by Sharpe Index as a more beneficial measurement in measuring stock portfolio performance than average return. Comparative study of the stock portfolio performances of small medium enterprises and manufacturing company In Indonesian, Chinese and Indian stock markets, and object studies conducted in Indonesia, China and India.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of customer-focus on small medium enterprise (SME) performance from the perspective of a resource-based view (RBV).

This research study implemented a survey strategy to gather data from 255 respondents on the registered list of Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) in the eastern region of Ghana. Scales used to gather data were operationalized from previous research studies. A structural equation modeling (SEM) path analysis was used to estimate the impact of customer-focus on the performance of SMEs.

The outcomes of this study indicate that customer-focus has a significant positive impact on SME performance, hence backing the current demand for investigating the distinct influence of customer-focus on SME performance. The results show that customer-focus has a positive and significant relationship with financial performance, customer performance, internal business process performance and learning and growth performance, thus supporting the literature on the positive impact of customer-focus on SME performance. Therefore, customer-focus determinants used in this study, including co-creation, networking ties, customer insight and artificial intelligence marketing (AIM), are critical to the optimization of SME performance.

Notwithstanding the importance of this research study mentioned earlier, the study has limitations. Notably, the sample size of this study can be increased to capture SME respondents in other geographical zones that were not included in this study. Future research studies may address how business environment conditions moderate the relationship between customer focus and performance, and also the cause-effect of the relationship between customer focus and business environment conditions on SME performance.

The practical implications consist of two main items. First, this study empowers SME owners and managers to develop a customer focus technique as a central strategic goal in their quest for SME performance optimization. Second, SME owners and managers should progressively exploit the four determinants of customer focus which include co-creation, networking ties, customer insight and (AIM in order to accrue important resources for effective utilization of their customer focus competences as a way to enhance their performance.

This study is targeted at the sound development of SMEs to bring about poverty alleviation and employment. Poverty, unemployment and poor living standards are recognized as vital social challenges in most emerging economies. The establishment of customer focus as an important strategic capability provides opportunities for SME survival, profitability and growth.

Generally, the findings of this research study provide a strong backing to RBV perspective and the proposition that customer-focus and its determinants (i.e. co-creation, networking ties, customer insight and AIM) should be acknowledged as a vital strategic resource for optimizing the performance of SMEs. This research study also provides new knowledge contribution to the present body of knowledge on customer-focus orientation and management literature, particularly in the context of an emerging economy.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the relationships between learning opportunities, person-organization fit, self-directedness career attitude and job hopping among generation Y employees in Malaysian small medium enterprise (SME) service sectors.

Research data was gathered from a sample of 203 generation Y employees from SME service sectors in Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modelling is used to perform the data analysis in the present study.

The results demonstrated that person-organization fit and self-directedness career attitude correlates significantly with job hopping among generation Y employees. However, there is no significant relationship between learning opportunities and job hopping.

This study provides an empirical framework for explaining the job hopping among generation Y employees in SME service based on the review of related careers.

This study offers new insights into the predicting factors of job hopping among generation Y employees in the Malaysian context specifically.

(i) To determine the push and pull factors for a developing country SME to internationalize via exports. (ii) To evaluate the use of social networks in the internationalization journey of Yew Chian Haw (YCH). (iii) To analyse how a developing country SME adapts to local conditions in order to sustain and grow the business in a foreign country.

Yew Chian Haw (YCH) was a small and medium enterprise (SME) producing herbal and healthcare products in Penang, Malaysia. This case study traced the company's internationalization journey, focusing on how the owner used his social networks based on common ethnic ties and language to penetrate the external markets by establishing trading companies in each of his export destinations, from Singapore to Hong Kong and later to Taiwan and China. These internationalization activities also helped him cultivate deeper local networks and enhance his business opportunities in each investment destination. The social network approach has important implications for SME firms such as YCH. The network strength helped to overcome entry barriers to foreign markets and enabled YCH to tap into local complementary resources such as local networks to sustain the internationalization process. Yew’s successful internationalization journey prompted him to focus on the external market for his company’s herbal soup products. But now he must decide whether to continue the internationalization journey in the existing external markets he has penetrated or to expand towards other markets such as Northeast Asian markets like Japan and Korea, as these countries have high income and purchasing power. However, Yew has no extensive social network in both countries, especially in terms of ethnic ties and common language. Yew therefore, had a dilemma: should he just continue expanding the existing external markets he has successfully penetrated, or should he move forward and seek to enter new markets where his current social networks may be weak or non-existent?

This case study is relevant for DBA, MBA, Master and undergraduate (International Business and Business Economics) students

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 5: International Business

The deployment and strategic use of e‐business, from basic e‐mail utilization to total enterprise integration, involves the commitment of financial and technical resources. The resources have to be financed. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the views of trade promotion organizations, donors, export associations and banks on e‐business financing in Ghana's non‐traditional export (NTE) sector, with the view to making policy contributions to the e‐business financing phenomenon in a developing economy (DE) context.

The research design is qualitative since this is an exploratory study and deep preliminary insights were sought about a hitherto under‐researched information systems topic from a developing country perspective. Officials from the trade promotion; export association, donor and financial communities were interviewed to generate insights to help understand the phenomenon under investigation.

Some banks find it difficult financing e‐business in NTE firms because it is considered a new area with relatively higher risks and uncertainties. Banks would rather grant small loans to a few select small and medium enterprise exporters in an attempt to limit their default risk. The trade promotion organization is helping (albeit in a moderate manner) with up‐skilling for the improvement in e‐competencies in Ghana's NTE sector. The export product association in collaboration with the donor interviewed is in the throes of designing e‐business interventions in Ghana's NTE sector after recently completing an e‐readiness survey in the same sector.

This paper presents a modest contribution to the export firm‐electronic business literature from a resource‐centered perspective, in a DE context. Studies on e‐business financing in DEs are virtually non‐existent and the policy prescriptions could apply with minor modifications to other related contexts in respect of e‐business financing.

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of literature on fraud with a specific focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, it aims to provide further knowledge on recent developments in fraud research and offers suggestions for future research.

This paper systematically reviews the fraud literature, by organising them into five sections; definition, elements, theories, factors and prevention mechanisms.

The most common factors of fraud in SMEs are the low morale among employees and weak internal control within the organisations. Nonetheless, research on fraud involving SMEs is limited, albeit the importance of SMEs to the economy.

This paper encapsulates the importance of research on fraud in SMEs by offering directions for future research. Among others, future studies might indicate the link between corruption, financing sources and innovation of SMEs, especially within the context of an emerging country and reveal the cost of the criminal justice system to identify more accurately the cost of fraud in SMEs.

The focus on fraud in SMEs and the recent period of study offer a foundation for future research directed at the factors of fraud and the prevention mechanisms. Future research can further explore and broaden the literature on fraud involving SMEs through research that focuses on the impact of fraud and the types of control mechanisms that suit the SMEs. Greater understanding of fraud in the SMEs allows in identifying the best approach to prevent and detect fraud for small businesses with limited resources.

The purpose of this study is to assess small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) owners’ intentions to participate in waqf, involving two countries, which are Malaysia and Indonesia, using the theory of planned behavior. SMEs are the backbone of many economies, representing 95% of all companies worldwide and accounting for 60% of employment. Based on this fact, this paper analyzes the influence of religiosity, knowledge and attitude to predict the intentions of SMEs’ owners in waqf participation in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Data were randomly obtained from 175 SMEs owners from Malaysia and Indonesia with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) used for analysis.

The empirical analysis data suggest that knowledge and attitude show a significant impact on the intentions of SMEs’ owners to participate in waqf, while religiosity does not have a significant impact on the intentions of Malaysian and Indonesian SMEs’ owners to participate in waqf.

This study aims to assist SMEs in Malaysia and Indonesia to formulate appropriate strategies and marketing using waqf for the sustainability of SMEs which represent more than 90% of business establishments in both countries. The strategy is a necessity, especially because the government is targeting to promote a sustainable Islamic financial system, improve governance policy and halal industry for SMEs, strengthen the development of Malay Reserve land, providing as financial independence to higher learning institutions and invest in digitalization and advanced technology through waqf funds. Therefore, both countries should take the initiative to provide training to equip SMEs with extensive knowledge through multiple platforms to further encourage their participation in waqf.

Because of the increasing interest in waqf participation both in Malaysia and Indonesia, this study claims three essential contributions. First, it aims to examine the intention of SMEs in waqf participation among the business owners in Malaysia and Indonesia. Second, the study findings are expected to benefit the development of literature in accordance with Islamic social finance, particularly waqf. Third, this study provides an insight into the inclusive knowledge and attitude of SME owners and their intention to participate in waqf.