In Malaysia, Small Medium Enterprise (SME) has become the main contributor for the income generation and employment thus are expected to increase country's GDP growth. Hence, it is important for the SME owners to ensure the sustainability of their business in today's business settings that has moved to digital businesses in which technology is used to create new value in business models, customer experiences and the internal capabilities that support its core operations. Yet, there are still local SMEs who did not fully utilized the advantages of adopting Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in their business operation and transactions. This paper presents an interview done with 12 SME owners that operates their businesses in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. The study is to gain an understanding on the factors affecting SME owners in adopting ICT in their business by using the Thematic Analysis method. The outcome shows that there are two central themes that affect ICT usage in SME which are the (1) Internal Factor and (2) External Factor. Further, we identified two (2) components that effect the Internal Factor, namely Company (capital, company's age, less skilled workers and family business) and SME Owners (time, education, perceptions and experiences) and another two (2) components that affect the External Factor, namely Technology (high cost, complicated, system's security and stability) and Regulators (government's initiatives, training skills and no urgency). Hence, the result is important to the SME owners and management as well as the government or the authorities to resolve these issues in order to increase the ICT usage among the SME owners in Malaysia.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) today are facing a competitive business environment, in a complex and rapidly changing environment. For that technology is seen as a mediator capable of transforming SMEs to greater heights in an amid and vigorous pace of a borderless world. The agenda of SMEs to generate national income as well as to create more employment opportunities has made the government much focused in providing improvements in business opportunities to SMEs to boost the country's economic growth. To ensure that the SME owners sustain their business, they should be able to adapt the use of the internet as a key component in designing new business model values, customer experiences and internal capabilities that support the key operations. However, there are still some SME owners who do not leverage on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their business operations. This study interviewed eight SME owners who operated their businesses in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to identify a list of most important business training courses needed for SMEs in Malaysia. The data was analyzed using Thematic Analysis method and it was found that there are five main components of courses in SMEs, namely, Business Management, Sales and Marketing, Accounting and Finance, ICT and Technology, and Production and Operations. As a result of this Thematic Analysis study, researchers have developed a smart entrepreneurship training framework related to the five components and produced a system called, the Malaysian SMEs Psychometric Test or U-PPM which has been reviewed and endorsed by the respective panels of experts. This proposed framework is important for SME owners and management and also the government and stakeholders, when making the correct decisions in selecting business training courses as well as to increase ICT and digital technologies usage in providing a positive impact to all SMEs in Malaysia.
Entrepreneurship is said as a key driver of economic growth and development. The need to produce more graduates with entrepreneurial mindset from higher learning institutions is becoming vital. To ensure that this happens, it is critical for the institutions to have a correct infrastructure is in place to facilitate the developing of entrepreneurship culture. As an engineering technology university, fostering entrepreneurship culture at University Kuala Lumpur (UNIKL) is a challenge and it is especially hard to change these students' mindsets and attitudes towards entrepreneurship. This paper aims to present and discuss the challenges in fostering the entrepreneurship culture, in the forms of entrepreneurial activities, particularly at UNIKL from entrepreneurship lecturers' perceptions. Data are gathered through observations and interviews. The results of the study showed that there challenges faced by lecturers and university in their mission in implementing entrepreneurial activities. Among the issues are financial aids, students' participation and interest in entrepreneurial activities, and support system. The findings of the study would be useful for the university to enhance and improve the current approach in embedding entrepreneurship culture in the university.
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