A descriptive study of the decision processes used by managers from small and medium-sized enterprises whether to participate in government-sponsored training programs in Malaysia

This study described the decision processes used by managers from small-medium enterprises (SMEs) whether to participate in government-sponsored training programs in Malaysia. Research discovered that SMEs are critical for a nation’s economic development, and training programs provided by governments can help promote the productivity of organizations. However, research revealed that the level of participation for SMEs is relatively low. Until now, there is limited information about how managers of SMEs make decisions about whether to send their employees to government-sponsored training programs, which potentially help the organization. Thus, decision processes of managers were the focus of this study, offering to provide an in-depth understanding of phenomena. This understanding is vital for the policy developments made by selected government agencies entrusted to assist with the development of SMEs via the provision of training programs. Moreover, Bounded Rationality Theory provided a theoretical framework for this study of small and medium enterprises in a city in East Malaysia. Six research questions guided this study. The study used the methods of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis outlined by Willig (2013). Eight respondents contributed to the study. Data collection was conducted in two phases. The first phase involved an in-depth individual semi-structured interview. The second phase involved a group discussion. Four SME managers were involved in the group session. Data were supplemented by the author’s field notes and reflective journal. Data were analyzed using the guidelines outlined by Willig’s (2013) IPA approach. Each research question was answered and discussed. Based on these findings, policy implications, suggestions and limitations of the study were discussed

Learning with a website for the textile industry in Botswana

This paper reports on a locally initiated investigation into the suitability of the Internet in helping to meet the information needs of women in small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the textile industry in Botswana. The background is the stated government policy to encourage the development of SMMEs and the Internet infrastructure. The question is, how likely are women entrepreneurs to use a website as a resource? We considered two barriers to the use of technology by women in developing countries, socio-cultural and physical. To determine the extent to which these could be overcome, a design experiment was conducted in which an information website was created and its use evaluated on a target population consisting of women entrepreneurs in the textile industry in Botswana. Data collection occurred in two phases. Firstly, interviews were conducted and conferences were attended to determine the information needs. Then a website was developed and evaluated by think-aloud protocols, focus groups, and interviews. Initial results indicate that the site was both useful and usable to the target population and that it made some work easier for them. Nevertheless, they need to use the Internet not only to receive information, but also to provide information in order to trade and sell their own goods. This has implications for government policy in terms of enabling credit card-based international trading using the Web