Current Issue : April-June Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Small-scale food production is declining worldwide, primarily due to the corporatization of food systems. The lack of economic inclusion, the difficulty in preserving culture, and low social integration are some of the primary barriers this economic activity faces. Based on grounded theory and through in-depth interviews with small-scale farmers and other community stakeholders, these components are analyzed in case studies of immigrant Latin American-owned farms and markets in Ohio, USA. This study analyzes SFSC in Ohio Farms as alternatives to preserve food culture as heritage and combat social inequities. The primary findings show that family traditions and cropping methods are closely related and both are important factors for farmers to preserve their cultural heritage. The common typology of SFSC in the analyzed cases is the farmers’ market type. By prioritizing cultural preservation, farmers sacrifice the use of technology, crop fashionable or market-demand food, and therefore forego potential economic benefits. This prioritization creates restrictions to economic inclusion that escalate when coupled with the lack of institutional support....
While Lean methodologies have been widely adopted in large enterprises, their application in small and medium enterprises remains an area requiring further exploration. This study aims at a hybrid approach combining a systematic literature review based on the PEO framework and PRISMA methodology with comprehensive data analysis from 780 respondents to examine the direct relation between Lean and SMEs. Various statistical methods were used to identify different patterns and themes. The findings suggest that while resource constraints pose significant challenges for SMEs in adopting Lean, tailored approaches with a significant reliance on leadership commitment can considerably enhance operational efficiency, resilience, costs, and waste reduction. Insights from the analysis further revealed a preference for operational methods with limited adoption of complex and strategic methods of Lean across SMEs. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for SMEs and lays a foundation for future directions in terms of integration with ESG and sustainability....
This study investigates the relationship between management accounting practices (budgeting, planning, and control) and profitability among micro-businesses in Borongan City, Eastern Samar, using a descriptive-correlational design with survey data from 306 business owners. Data was analyzed using frequency count, mean and Spearman’s rho to examine correlations. Findings revealed that while some control practices are often practiced, overall budgeting and planning are seldom practiced. Despite these efforts, while estimated annual sales revenue generally exceeded P 100,000, annual net profits were typically below P 50,000, with some businesses earning over P 100,000. The key finding is that there is no statistically significant relationship between the level of these management accounting practices and the profitability of the businesses surveyed. It is recommended that business owners improve their budgeting and planning practices to strengthen management accounting practices. Even though these practices show no significant relationship with profitability, these practices are crucial for improving decision-making, efficient resource allocation, risk management and sustainable business growth. Additionally, the study recommends that the government should implement programs focused on improving financial literacy and management accounting skills among microbusiness owners....
This paper explores how geopolitical risk impacts small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine war. Using daily return data from the ECPI Italy SME Equity and Shenzhen SME Composite indexes, as well as the Global Geopolitical Risk Index, this study employs a Dynamic Conditional Correlation GARCH model to analyze how correlations change over time. The results show that Asian SMEs, represented by China, exhibit higher short-term volatility but stronger long-term resilience than their European counterparts. Notably, Asian markets react consistently across crises, while European markets distinguish between different events. These findings provide important insights for policymakers, suggesting the need for standardized crisis response frameworks and emphasizing short-term mitigation efforts. This study adds to SME theory by highlighting the complex relationship between geopolitical shocks and SME performance, with important implications for risk management and regulatory strategies in emerging economies....
Facing many challenges and the pressure to achieve sustainable development through digitalization, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should increase their consumption of digital technologies. SMEs are part of the engine of emerging economies, making a significant contribution to economic development. Using Rossmann’s Digital Transformation Maturity Index and a survey-based dataset, the purpose of this paper is to uncover key associations between different dimensions that define digital transformation. Through association rules mining (ARM), our results show that even when resources are constrained, SMEs in central Romania—Transylvania—make efforts to increase human resources competencies to drive digital transformation. Furthermore, we identified that the firms are in a transition stage in terms of digital transformation. Thus, although digital initiatives are considered at the firm level, they are not fully integrated into leadership and human resources....
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