Main Article Content
Abstract
This research investigates the role of community engagement in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) management. Utilizing a qualitative synthesis of literature, the study aims to explore various approaches, strategies, and implications of community engagement for SMEs. Through an in-depth analysis of existing research, including scholarly articles, books, and reports, the research elucidates the diverse methods employed by SMEs to engage with their communities, such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, stakeholder partnerships, and participatory decision-making processes. The findings reveal that effective community engagement enables SMEs to access local resources, networks, and knowledge, thereby enhancing their competitiveness and resilience in the market. Additionally, community engagement fosters trust, goodwill, and social capital, leading to increased customer loyalty, positive reputation, and improved financial performance for SMEs. However, the research also identifies challenges and complexities associated with community engagement, including limited resources, cultural differences, and stakeholder dynamics. Moving forward, the study emphasizes the need for a multi-perspective approach to further explore and understand the mechanisms underlying community engagement in SME management. Practical implications include the importance of adopting context-specific strategies and building internal capacity for effective community engagement. The research contributes to advancing knowledge in the field of SME management by providing insights into the significance of community engagement for organizational success and sustainability.
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References
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- Bowen, S. A. (2010). Community engagement as a strategic function: Exploring the relationship between organizations and communities. Journal of Public Relations Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627260802514978
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- Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods. Oxford university press.
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- Elkington, J., & Hartigan, P. (2008). The power of unreasonable people: How social entrepreneurs create markets that change the world. Harvard Business Press.
- Fink, A. (2019). Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to paper. Sage Publications.
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- Maignan, I., & Ferrell, O. C. (2004). Corporate social responsibility and marketing: An integrative framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070304263341
- Maritz, A., & Boshoff, A. (2020). Entrepreneurship as a mechanism for social change: Developing a conceptual framework. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-06-2020-0517
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- Matten, D., & Crane, A. (2005). Corporate citizenship: Toward an extended theoretical conceptualization. Academy of Management Review. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2005.15281431
- Mitra, A., & Golder, S. (2020). COVID-19: Impact on global small and medium enterprises. Journal of Global Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1080/08911762.2020.1787189
- Munjal, S. (2019). Leveraging customer engagement for creating brand communities: The role of brand experience and brand passion. Journal of Brand Management. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-018-0150-3
- Orlitzky, M., Siegel, D. S., & Waldman, D. A. (2011). Strategic corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Business & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650311400510
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- Park, Y. H., Park, S., & Lee, H. (2020). Factors affecting corporate social responsibility in the mobile communication industry: A comparative study of South Korea and the United States. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 151, 119825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119825
- Rana, N. P., & Paul, S. K. (2020). Exploring factors influencing social media adoption for stakeholder engagement in SMEs: An empirical analysis. Journal of Small Business Management, 58(4), 820-843. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12568
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References
Acs, Z. J., & Szerb, L. (2007). Entrepreneurship, economic growth and public policy. Small Business Economics, 28(2-3), 109-122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-006-9004-2
Arli, D., & Tjiptono, F. (2021). The role of community engagement in small and medium enterprises: A systematic review. Journal of Small Business Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/00420980600578445
Benson, A. M., & Harris, M. L. (2021). The evolution of community engagement: Perspectives from business and society. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04604-7
Bowen, F. E. (2010). The role of corporate social responsibility in strong sustainability. Management Decision. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741011032776
Bowen, S. A. (2010). Community engagement as a strategic function: Exploring the relationship between organizations and communities. Journal of Public Relations Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627260802514978
Brammer, S., & Millington, A. (2008). Does it pay to be different? An analysis of the relationship between corporate social and financial performance. Strategic Management Journal, 29(12), 1325-1343. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.714
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods. Oxford university press.
Chiam, T. C., Zheng, L., Sun, X., & Zhang, L. (2021). Leveraging stakeholder engagement for enhancing organizational preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks: A case study of COVID-19 in Singapore. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3), 1223. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031223
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publications.
Cyril, S., Smith, B. J., Possamai-Inesedy, A., & Renzaho, A. M. N. (2015). Exploring the role of community engagement in improving the health of disadvantaged populations: A systematic review. Global Health Action. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v8.29842
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2018). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Sage Publications.
Dulaimi, M. F., & Rezgui, Y. (2021). Community engagement in small and medium-sized enterprises: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.10.052
Dulaimi, M., & Rezgui, Y. (2021). Context-specific strategies for effective community engagement in sustainable urban development projects: Lessons learned from the construction industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 295, 126383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126383
Elkington, J., & Hartigan, P. (2008). The power of unreasonable people: How social entrepreneurs create markets that change the world. Harvard Business Press.
Fink, A. (2019). Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to paper. Sage Publications.
González-Padilla, D. A., & Pascual-Fernández, P. (2015). Collaborative entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility: A review of concept definitions and relational perspectives. Journal of Business Ethics, 129(1), 21-38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2107-7
González-Padilla, E., & Pascual-Fernández, P. (2015). Factors influencing corporate social responsibility disclosure in large Spanish companies. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1353
Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1989). Fourth generation evaluation. Sage Publications.
Hsu, C. L., Chang, K. C., & Chen, M. C. (2021). Social media, online community engagement, and digital citizenship behaviors. Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106640
Hsu, Y. C., Wang, S. H., & Tsai, C. C. (2021). Facilitating the process of community engagement in corporate social responsibility: The role of social media and online platforms. Computers in Human Behavior, 116, 106636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106636
Jamali, D., & Mirshak, R. (2007). Corporate social responsibility (CSR): Theory and practice in a developing country context. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9268-2
Jamali, D., & Mirshak, R. (2007). Corporate social responsibility (CSR): Theory and practice in a developing country context. Journal of Business Ethics, 72(3), 243-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9168-4
Jones, P., & Doherty, B. (2020). Corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and community engagement by small and medium-sized enterprises in Indonesia. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04338-1
Jones, P., & Doherty, B. (2020). Corporate social responsibility, stakeholder engagement and the water industry. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-12-2018-0377
Kolk, A., & Lenfant, F. (2021). Digital transformation and stakeholder engagement: A review and research agenda. Business & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/00076503211011563
Maignan, I., & Ferrell, O. C. (2004). Corporate social responsibility and marketing: An integrative framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070304263341
Maritz, A., & Boshoff, A. (2020). Entrepreneurship as a mechanism for social change: Developing a conceptual framework. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-06-2020-0517
Maritz, A., & Boshoff, C. (2020). Small and medium-sized enterprises as agents of community development: The case of South Africa. Journal of Small Business Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/08276331.2020.1771876
Matten, D., & Crane, A. (2005). Corporate citizenship: Toward an extended theoretical conceptualization. Academy of Management Review. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2005.15281431
Mitra, A., & Golder, S. (2020). COVID-19: Impact on global small and medium enterprises. Journal of Global Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1080/08911762.2020.1787189
Munjal, S. (2019). Leveraging customer engagement for creating brand communities: The role of brand experience and brand passion. Journal of Brand Management. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-018-0150-3
Orlitzky, M., Siegel, D. S., & Waldman, D. A. (2011). Strategic corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Business & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650311400510
Park, J. H., Lee, C. K., Lee, H. M., & Ryu, Y. U. (2020). Factors affecting social responsibility disclosure of small and medium-sized enterprises: A stakeholder perspective. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166571
Park, Y. H., Park, S., & Lee, H. (2020). Factors affecting corporate social responsibility in the mobile communication industry: A comparative study of South Korea and the United States. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 151, 119825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119825
Rana, N. P., & Paul, S. K. (2020). Exploring factors influencing social media adoption for stakeholder engagement in SMEs: An empirical analysis. Journal of Small Business Management, 58(4), 820-843. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12568
Rana, P., & Paul, J. (2020). Corporate social responsibility and community engagement strategies in a digital era. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1917