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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.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of NGOs microfinance in women empowerment in the Northern Pakistan. A total number of 309 beneficiaries were selected form three NGOs microfinance (Biyar Local Support Organization, Garamchashma Area Development and Integrated Chitral Development Programme). Quantitative primary data was adopted while the partial least squaresstructural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data collected. A logistic test was also performed to estimate the microfinance impact on women empowerment. The results show microfinance program has boosted the confidence level and the decision making power of the beneficiaries. In addition, respondents are able to make choices regarding the expenditure as well as to express their opinions in the community. The findings imply that more injection of micro loans by the government and NGOs so women can play a greater role in the community specifically to improve the wellbeing of the members of the households.

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.