This paper reports on the findings of a part of a study that aims to investigate the information needs and the kinds of information needed for decision-making by managers of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). It identifies their information needs when they were in the early stage of their business experience. Data were collected from SME managers operating their business in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Results revealed that the most common kinds of information required by SME managers were business information/opportunities, followed by financial sources, current marketing trends, location, survey/research, sources of raw materials/ products, information on customers, government regulations/policies and competitors. The most common kinds of information required for decision-making were business opportunities/competitors, followed by finance, methods of analysis, market, data, suppliers (of raw materials/ products) and innovation/technology. The study had a vital impact on making recommendations to business supporting agencies and business sectors relating to SME in Malaysia.
Copyright: © 2018 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
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