Evaluating Competitiveness in the Supply Chain Management of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises

(PDF) Evaluating Competitiveness in the Supply Chain Management of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (researchgate.net)

Abstract
This research investigated Supply Chain Management (SCM) in Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs) in Thailand, Slovakia, and Poland and compared the SCM practices among the three
countries. The sole purpose was to first determine the various factors that influence SCM
operations and SCM practices in each of the countries and then find out whether there is a
difference among the three countries in terms of SCM operations and practices. The study
was conducted using primary data collected from SME management personnel from the three
countries. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data using a 5-point Likert scale.
The data was analyzed using multi-group Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of
the study indicated that supply chain management practices and operations adopted by the small
and medium enterprises in Thailand, Slovakia, and Poland were invariant. The environmental
sustainability elements in SCM and the social aspects of sustainability in SCM have positively
influenced SCM practices in all countries. The study recommended that SMEs in the countries
should consider adopting the factors that support SCM, operationalizing the SCM through
enhancing the capabilities of the end-user, and vitally taking into consideration the environmental
sustainability elements in SCM, such as environmentally-friendly production processes, taking
action towards waste management, and adopting production processes that inhibit the emission
of harmful substances into the atmosphere by encouraging the implementation of policies that
foster the use of renewable energy sources in production.