Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
The rapid growth of digital technology has transformed the way small and medium enterprises (SMEs) reach consumers. Kampung Lawas Maspati SMEs face challenges in expanding their market due to limited online presence and traditional sales methods. This study aims to develop an e-commerce website for these SMEs by applying the Design Thinking methodology, which emphasizes user-centered innovation through the stages of empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Through interviews, surveys, and observation, user needs and pain points were identified to guide the design process. The resulting website provides an intuitive, responsive, and accessible platform that enables SMEs to showcase their products, manage transactions, and engage with customers online. This approach not only improves market accessibility but also enhances the competitiveness and digital literacy of Kampung Lawas Maspati SMEs. The implementation of Design Thinking proves effective in creating practical and user-friendly digital solutions tailored to local SMEs’ needs....
As e-commerce expands, packaging increasingly serves as a communication interface in at-home consumer environments, where it may influence how consumers interpret sustainability. Unlike retail settings, where disposal decisions may be externally guided, consumers in e-commerce contexts rely on material cues and on-package information to interpret recyclability and brand intent. This study aims to examine how paper-based and plastic packaging influence visual attention, disposal behavior, and brand perception in apparel e-commerce. A controlled experimental study (n = 91) was conducted using mobile eye-tracking, behavioral observation, post-experience surveys, and follow-up interviews. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three packaging conditions: a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bag, a translucent paper bag, or a hybrid paper-based bag combining kraft and translucent materials. Results show that paper-based formats generated greater visual engagement than plastic, with translucent paper eliciting longer fixation duration and higher fixation count (p < 0.05). Recycling rates were higher for paper-based formats (70–77%) than plastic (53%), though not statistically significant. Perceived ecofriendliness differed significantly, with the hybrid paper format more strongly associated with environmental responsibility (p < 0.001). Qualitative findings indicate that material statements and disposal instructions improve confidence in interpreting recyclability. These results suggest that packaging material plays a role in shaping consumer attention and perceived eco-friendliness in e-commerce contexts....
Ghana’s ambition to build a cash-lite economy, articulated in the National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy (NFIDS 2018-2023) and reinforced by broader digitalization initiatives, has heightened interest in digital payment platforms as tools for strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite rapid fintech growth, adoption among SMEs remains uneven, raising important questions about the factors shaping uptake and the extent to which digital payment use is associated with firm performance. This study investigates the determinants, barriers, and performance implications of digital payment adoption among Ghanaian SMEs using a mixed-methods design grounded in interpretivism and pragmatism. Quantitative data from 501 SME owners and managers were analyzed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and regression analysis, while qualitative insights from nine semi-structured interviews were used to contextualize the statistical patterns. The findings indicate that digital payment adoption is positively associated with SME performance, with fintech usage explaining 32.4% of the variance in the performance construct. Higher levels of adoption were linked to improved sales growth, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and market reach within the study sample. Survey patterns and qualitative accounts further suggest that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions are particularly salient in shaping SME perceptions of digital payment platforms, while financial limitations, infrastructural deficits, cybersecurity concerns, low digital literacy, and entrenched cash preferences remain important perceived barriers. Because detailed multivariate outputs for the individual UTAUT2 constructs are not reported, these adoption-related interpretations are presented as descriptive rather than definitive estimates of relative effect size. The study recommends targeted financial incentives, expanded digital infrastructure, tailored capacity-building, and clearer regulatory frame-works to foster more inclusive adoption among SMEs. By situating these findings within Ghana’s policy agenda, the paper shows that digital payments have meaningful potential to support SME competitiveness, financial inclusion, and resilience, although their benefits depend on the broader structural and institutional conditions that shape adoption and sustained use....
This study examines the relationship between institutional constraints and the adoption of frugal innovation among formal SMEs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, using data from the 2024 World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES). Based on a sample of 27 firms operating in trade, services, and light industry, the results show that nearly 70% of SMEs report implementing frugal innovation practices. Logistic regressions, t-tests, and chi-square tests reveal positive but statistically non-significant associations between perceived institutional constraints (licenses, access to land, regulatory delays) and frugal innovation. Although the limited sample size reduces statistical power, the findings highlight the adaptive capacity of Congolese SMEs in a restrictive institutional environment. The study recommends combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to better understand frugal innovation dynamics in sub-Saharan Africa and calls for public policies that recognize and support these practices as drivers of sustainable development....
Research addressing the microfoundations of corporate social performance (CSP) in small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) remains sparse. This paper aims to investigate how SME managers' ethical ideology affects CSP and examines the mediating role of their CSR orientation (CSRO): economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. Data were collected from 239 SME managers in the United Kingdom via survey and analyzed using regression and structural equation modeling. Findings show that idealism positively affects CSP, with philanthropic CSRO partially mediating this relationship. It also positively impacts all CSRO types. Relativism does not influence CSP but positively relates to economic CSRO. This paper is the first to integrate idealism, relativism, multiple CSRO types, and CSP into a unified model, providing insights into their interactions. It expands knowledge of CSP's personal drivers and offers guidance for educators, policymakers, and managers seeking to foster CSP....
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