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The purpose of this study is to develop a brand orientation model based on Malaysian SMEs context. Semistructured interviews were selected as the research method in order to get an expert opinion from Small and Medium Size Enterprise Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp) and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). Both agencies operate under Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to support SMEs and they were chosen for this study because they have long experience in promoting branding to SMEs. Four major levels of brand orientation have emerged from the data analysis: absent, low, medium, and high. This paper highlights the importance of branding for Malaysian SMEs and emphasizes the crucial issues related to the adoption of branding process and the solutions provided by Malaysian government to enhance brand development. This research is among the restricted works that have studied brand orientation from the governmental perspective and have proposed a related model. It suggests considering the proposed model and referring to SME Competitiveness Rating for Enhancement (SCORE) for future studies on branding in Malaysian SMEs.

Branding in SMEs setting has received a significant interest from academic researchers. However, the majority of studies took a single stakeholder approach, although multiple stakeholders are of major importance in managing brands. Thus, this study aims to provide a conceptual framework grounded in stakeholder theory to extend the understanding of SME branding. To do so, the paper reviews the literature from peer-reviewed journals with a focus on branding in SMEs context. The review covers online papers published within the period of 2008-2018. Along with the highlighting of significant progress of research on SME branding, the review reveals three categories of outcomes: 1) Methodological and contextual findings, 2) Frameworks and guidelines for building strong SMEs, and 3) General evidence and issues. Furthermore, this study finds out that most of the conducted researches are of exploratory nature and anticipates that a stakeholder-oriented SME would perform better from branding standpoint. Therefore, this study recommends carrying out more studies on SME branding with a focus on multiple stakeholders and varying the research approach (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods). Finally, this study advances the literature by underlining the research general and methodological issues and proposing a conceptual framework linking SME branding field with stakeholder theory.

The aim of this article is to investigate the motivation of potential entrepreneurs toward the realization of a new business creation. Universally, it is evident that the motivation of potential entrepreneur stem from both the individual factors and the environment matched together to trigger entrepreneurial motivation. The Vroom’s Expectancy Motivation Theory explains self-employment in terms of an individual’s motivation and ability to start a business. Businesses are created by those with the motivation and capability to realize it.  Based on the Vroom’s expectancy motivation theory (1964), the new business start-up specific expectancy, instrumentality and valence are key components of entrepreneurial motivation and this translates into the efforts, behavior sand performance that would in the end lead to a new business start-up among the potential entrepreneurs. The methodology used in this research was based on a positivist philosophy that entails a deductive approach with a quantitative technique through a cross-sectional survey. The data were collected with a questionnaire as an instrument for the survey. To attain the objectives of this research, the data of this study were analyzed using PLS-SEM Path Algorithms, Bootstrap path coefficients and Sobel test statistics.  The statistical significance of relevant path coefficients that are fundamental in measuring self-employment among potential entrepreneurs were assessed and evaluated. The results confirm the supposition that expectancy, instrumentality and valence enhance entrepreneurial motivation for a new business start-up. Furthermore, external factors such as vocational training, machinery/equipment and ICT’s were also significantly found to exert an impact on the potential entrepreneur’s new venture creation.