Investigation of Critical Success Factors for Sustainable Marketing of Malaysian Manufacturing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach

Abstract

In today's business environment, sustainable marketing has become an essential component for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) aiming to enhance productivity and maintain competitiveness. However, there is a gap in research regarding the critical factors that contribute to the success of sustainable marketing and the importance and interconnections of these factors from experts' perspectives. Thus, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationships among factors contributing to the success of sustainable marketing strategies within manufacturing companies. This study extracted 19 success factors crucial to sustainable marketing within Malaysian manufacturing SMEs from the literature and thoughtfully categorized them into technology, organization, environment, human, and social groups. Data was gathered from 26 experts in Malaysian SME manufacturing using a questionnaire. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was employed to identify the significant factors and reveal cause-and-effect relationships among them. The findings showed that perceived benefits, sustainable strategy, natural resources protection, IT knowledge and expertise, and customer demands were crucial factors within technology, organization, environment, human, and social groups, respectively. Meanwhile, the environment group was ranked as the most important dimension influencing sustainable marketing. This study provides valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, offering a foundation to initiate and boost sustainable practices within the organizations.