Effect of Participation in Development Initiatives on Competitive Advantages, Performance, and Sustainability of Micro-Enterprises in Malaysia

IF 2.4 Q2 ECONOMICS

Contemporary Economics Pub Date : 2021-04-23 DOI:10.5709/CE.1897-9254.439

A. Mamun, Rajennd Muniady, N. Nasir

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引用次数: 26

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of micro-enterprise development initiatives (commonly provide access to financial services and micro-enterprise development training programs to low-income households) upon competitive advantages, performance, and sustainability of micro-enterprises owned and managed by selected low-income households in Peninsular Malaysia. Upon the adoption of cross-sectional design, data were randomly gathered from 300 micro-entrepreneurs residing in four states of Peninsular Malaysia selected from the eKasih database (national poverty data bank). The quantitative data had been collected by holding structured interview sessions with the participants from October until November 2017. The study outcomes revealed that the total amount of economic loan received, the total number of training hours and the number of center meetings/discussion attended exerted significantly positive effects upon competitive advantage, while marital status (control variable) was found to affect competitive advantage in a significantly positive manner. As for micro-enterprise performance, length of participation and number of center meetings/discussions attended as well as marital status as the control variable exhibited significantly positive effects. Meanwhile, the impact of participation duration, total amount of economic loan received, and number of center meetings/discussions attended upon micro-enterprise sustainability seemed to be inconclusive. Additionally, age of entrepreneurs and duration of enterprises establishment (micro-enterprise established) appeared to affect the aspect of sustainability. The findings appear to emphasize on the mixed effects of participation in development initiatives on competitive advantage, performance, and sustainability of micro-enterprises. Hence, this study recommends that the government of Malaysia formulate and adopt more specific strategies and policies in advocating development initiatives to ensure positive progression amongst micro-entrepreneurs and micro-enterprise owners.

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参与发展计划对马来西亚微型企业竞争优势、绩效和可持续性的影响

本研究评估了马来西亚半岛选定的低收入家庭拥有和管理的微型企业的竞争优势、绩效和可持续性对微型企业发展倡议(通常为低收入家庭提供金融服务和微型企业发展培训计划)的影响。采用横断面设计后，从eKasih数据库(国家贫困数据库)中随机收集了居住在马来西亚半岛四个州的300名微型企业家的数据。定量数据是在2017年10月至11月期间通过与参与者进行结构化访谈来收集的。研究结果发现，经济贷款总额、培训总时数和参加中心会议/讨论次数对竞争优势有显著的正向影响，而婚姻状况(控制变量)对竞争优势有显著的正向影响。对于微企业绩效，参加中心会议/讨论的时间和次数以及婚姻状况作为控制变量表现出显著的正影响。同时，参与时间、获得的经济贷款总额、参加中心会议/讨论次数对微型企业可持续性的影响似乎尚无定论。此外，企业家的年龄和建立企业(建立微型企业)的时间似乎影响可持续性方面。调查结果似乎强调了参与发展倡议对微型企业的竞争优势、业绩和可持续性的混合影响。因此，本研究建议马来西亚政府制定和采取更具体的战略和政策来倡导发展倡议，以确保微型企业家和微型企业主的积极发展。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Contemporary Economics ECONOMICS-

CiteScore

3.70

自引率

9.50%

发文量

审稿时长

24 weeks

期刊介绍： The mission of the Contemporary Economics is to publish advanced theoretical and empirical research in economics, finance, accounting and management with the noticeable contribution and impact to the development of those disciplines and preferably with practice relevancies. All entirety of methods is desirable, including a falsification of conventional understanding, theory building through inductive or qualitative research, first empirical testing of a theory, meta-analysis with theoretical implications, constructive replication that clarifies the boundaries or range of a theory for theoretical research as well as qualitative, quantitative, field, laboratory, meta-analytic, and combination for an empirical research. This clear priority for comprehensive manuscripts containing a methodology-based theoretical and empirical research with implications and recommendations for policymaking does not exclude manuscripts entirely focused on theory or methodology. Manuscripts that raise significant, actual topics of international relevance will be highly appreciated. The interdisciplinary approach including – besides economic, financial, accounting or managerial –also other aspects, is welcomed.