SMEs still need innovation to boost their performance in the age of globalisation and fierce market rivalry. Previous studies have identified that innovation capability is an essential driver in manufacturing industries for their survival. Yet, the featuring role of innovation capability has been considered theoretically in developed economies whereas empirical studies in emerging economies are still lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study to examines the importance of innovation capability towards SME performance and the mediating role of technology-adoption. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data from a sample size of 611 SMEs operating in the developing market of Malaysia. Derived hypotheses were verified through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS 21. The findings of the study indicated that innovation capability has a significant positive impact on SME performance. Technology- adoption partially mediates the relationship between innovation capability and SME performance. SMEs are required to generate an operative innovation model to gain sustainable performance and competitive advantage in the Malaysian market.

Microfinance is critical for the development of micro-enterprises and alleviating poverty. However, micro-enterprises are able to get microfinance services, they would face a variety of obstacles, due to the misunderstandings among many stakeholders, microfinance has not acquired widespread acceptance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate microfinance's impact on the sustainable development of Malaysia’s rural micro-enterprises. Besides, digital finance is integrated into the conceptual model to further investigate their mediating impact. Data was collected from 563 rural micro-enterprises using structured questionnaires, which were then statistically analyzed using AMOS-21. The findings of the study reveal that microfinance has a positive substantial influence on rural micro-enterprises development. Moreover, digital finance partially mediates the relationship. Thus, the study concludes that microfinance institutions are needed to adopt digital finance to enhance micro enterprises’ productivity through low transaction costs. The findings of the study can be useful to policymakers in the micro-enterprise sector who have a long-term vision and expect the sector to develop steadily. The study also provides scope and space for future academics and scholars to conduct further research.

Intention plays a critical role in enhancing entrepreneurial activity among women entrepreneurs. Although several studies have revealed that psychological capital influences intention formation, few have explored this relationship when dealing with social capital and entrepreneurial attitudes. This research designed a structural model to construct women entrepreneurs’ intentions, including the interaction of psychological capital, social capital, and entrepreneurial attitudes. Based on self-administered or online questionnaires filled out by 479 Malaysian women entrepreneurs, data was collected using stratified random sampling. Structural equation modeling (AMOS 21.0) was used to analyze the data and test hypotheses. Bootstrap confidence intervals were calculated to determine the mediating effect. The findings show that social capital, psychological capital, and entrepreneurial attitudes interact to encourage women entrepreneurs’ intentions to expand their businesses. Social capital and women entrepreneurs’ intentions were partially mediated by entrepreneurial attitudes. Lastly, entrepreneurial attitudes were also discovered to partially mediate the influential relationship between psychological capital and women entrepreneurs’ intentions. This research sheds new light on women entrepreneurs’ intentions to expand their entrepreneurial activities, which has policy implications. Moreover, future research directions and theoretical insights are discussed.

Amid difficulty, the psychological capital of small tourism firm owners/managers has been given less attention. In the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this research examined how psychological capital (self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience) affects organizational resilience. By structural equation modeling (AMOS 21.0), 644 small tourism firm owners in Malaysia were randomly selected to investigate the relationship between psychological capital and organizational resilience, and the mediating effect of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies on this relationship. The findings of the study supported hypothesized relationships, as the psychological capital of small tourism firm owners in Malaysia significantly affects organizational resilience. Furthermore, the study discovered that problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies have partial mediating effects on the association between psychological capital and organizational resilience. In the context of small tourism businesses sector, the findings of the study have implications, as the firms identify the recovery procedure in the COVID-19 pandemic.