Strategies to Sustain Small Businesses in the Texas
Retail Fashion Beyond 5 Years
Section 1: Foundation of the Study
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is an independent business having
fewer than 500 employees (U.S. Small Business Administration, 2021). SMEs create
more job possibilities and contribute to a country's national economy than other types of
businesses. This is true in the United States, where small businesses are necessary for
new products, employment, and strong economic growth (Li & Nguyen, 2017). Small
businesses are also significant suppliers, innovators, and sources of growth in free-market
economies around the world (Snider, 2015; U.S. Small Business Administration, 2020).
Many SME businesses in tourism and hospitality have suffered challenges during periods
of turbulence, such as the COVID-19 pandemic (Bledsoe-Gardner, 2021). As a result,
many SME leaders have had to rethink how they can make their businesses survive in
such unprecedented times (Bledsoe-Gardner, 2021). Some of the issues facing small
business owners include the leaders’ lack of leadership, innovation, and relevant growth
strategic plan (Mallett, 2019). Other problems include lack of sales, investment, financial
assistance, marketing, and staff (Back, 2019; Lane et al., 2018). Some of the challenges
small businesses face include high operational costs, high turnover, and bureaucracy
(Ertel, 2019). The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies
that some SME owners use to sustain business operations beyond 5 years.
Background of the Problem
SME owners confront different hurdles, including difficulties with business
registration, a lack of government support, and bureaucracy, than do owners of other
types of businesses (Zainuddin & Sulaiman, 2016). Small businesses rely heavily upon
capital streams for revenue and job creation, which in turn creates a healthier economy
(U.S. Small Business Administration, 2020). SME owners face challenges in obtaining
raw materials, have limited technological capabilities, and face costly administrative
procedures. SME owners also lack access to key business information and policies and
are subject to restrictions that promote market share (Dawar & Singh, 2022). Other
challenges that sometimes confront SME owners include the inability to access loans,
challenges with regulatory licensing and taxes, high costs of production and
manufacturing, limited managerial skills, and a lack of innovation and creativity (Dawar
& Singh, 2022). Further research to determine successful business strategies and
leadership skills may contribute to SME success by providing business leaders with tools
they can use to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years.
Problem and Purpose
SMEs comprise 99.9% of all firms in the United States (Al-Ahmadi & Kasztelnik,
2021) but have a high failure rate, with 51.12% failing in their first 5 years of operation
according to SBA, 2020 (U.S. Small Business Administration, 2020). The general
business problem was that SME owners who do not implement effective strategies to
remain competitive may experience business failure. The specific business problem was
that some SME owners lack strategies to sustain business operations beyond 5 years.
The purpose of the qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies SME
owners use to sustain their business operations beyond 5 years. The targeted population
consisted of five SME owners of fashion retailers in Northcentral Texas who had
sustained their company for more than 5 years. I used the purposive sampling method to
obtain five participants from the target population. The data sources for the study include
interviews with participants, document reviews, and financial reports from the
organizations involved in the study. Successful businesses benefit local citizenry through
increased employment and improved supply of goods and services in the community;
employment and access to goods and services improve individuals' standard of living and
support societal welfare (Hariastuti et al., 2021). The sustainability initiatives may lead to
a reduction in societal unemployment and promote the prosperity of local families and
communities.
Population and Sampling
The study population comprised SME owners at fashion retailers in Northcentral
Texas who had successfully sustained their fashion company for more than 5 years. The
sample or target population consisted of five senior-level managers from five fashion
retailers in Northcentral Texas of the United States who had been successful in business
for over 5 years. The inclusion criteria included (a) fashion retailers and supply firms
with at least $1 million in revenue, (b) that were located in Northcentral Texas in the
United States, and (c) had engaged in fashion retail operations for at least 5 years. I used
the purposive sampling method to obtain a sample of five participants from the target
population. The data sources for the study included interview data from participants and
reviews of documents (i.e., financial reports) from the organizations involved in the
study.
Nature of the Study
The three research methods are qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
(Strijker et al., 2020). The qualitative method is appropriate to explore individual and
group understanding by collecting data regarding participants' experiences (Moser &
Korstjens, 2018). I used a qualitative approach to explore strategies small business
owners implement to sustain their businesses. Because I relied on nonnumerical data
collection methods such as interviews, document analysis, and focus groups to
understand the underlying reasons for a problem, the qualitative research approach was
the best fit (Anguera et al., 2018). I chose the qualitative method for this study because I
identified and explored common themes and extracted data from the participants’ natural
environment by asking what and how questions.
Quantitative researchers examine variable characteristics, relationships, or group
differences to address their research question and test related hypotheses (Tecun et al.,
2018). I did not need to test hypotheses to identify relationships among variables;
therefore, the quantitative method was not necessary to answer my research question. Yin
(2018) noted that the mixed-methods researcher uses a combination of both qualitative
and quantitative aspects. This approach is time-consuming because it requires two
different forms of data collection. It is inappropriate for this research study because the
qualitative method was sufficient to answer the research question.
I considered three principal qualitative designs in this research: (a) case study, (b)
phenomenological, and (c) ethnographic. I used a case study design for this study. Yin
(2018) described a case study as an empirical inquiry used to investigate contemporary
phenomena within its real-life context. Researchers use the phenomenological design to
understand the personal meaning of participants' lived experiences related to the study
purpose (Yin, 2018). The limitation of exclusively focusing on lived experiences made
this approach inappropriate for this study because I did not look at the personal
experience of the participants. Keränen and Prior (2019) noted that researchers use the
ethnographic design to immerse themselves in and explore the culture of groups of people
in their natural settings over a prolonged period. The ethnographic design was not
suitable for this study as understanding group culture did not address my research
question.
A single-case study was unsuitable because of the need to explore several fashion
company owners for an in-depth understanding of the research phenomenon. By
conducting a multiple-case study, the researcher was able to focus on multiple groups and
provide a more extensive description and explanation of the phenomenon, thereby
improving the rigor and reliability of findings by comparing results across the cases (Yin,
2018). The multiple-case study design was appropriate for this study, and I was able to
obtain sufficient and relevant information from participating SME leaders.
Research Question
What strategies do SME owners use to sustain business operation beyond 5 years?
Interview Questions
I developed and followed an interview protocol (see Appendices A and B) to
provide structure for the interviews. The eight questions I posed to participants were as
follows:
1. What strategies did you use to sustain business beyond 5 years?
2. How has your organization used the strategies to improve corporate strategies
and return on investment capital?
3. What were the primary barriers to implementing your strategies?
4. How did you overcome the barriers to implementing your strategies to sustain
business?
5. What adjustments have leaders had to make to business procedures to sustain
the business?
6. How did you categorize management functions and strategic sourcing in your
organization?
7. How did the pandemic in quarantine affected supply chain strategies?
8. What other information would you like to share regarding the strategies and
system you developed and implemented in your organization?
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework for this study was systems theory (ST), which was
developed by von Bertalanffy (1972), and the Six Sigma’s define, measure, analyze,
improve, and control (DMAIC) model, which was developed by Bill Smith in the 1980s
(Monday, 2022). The importance of synergy in organizational development, personal
groupings, personality, and technological gadgets is confirmed by the application of ST
(von Bertalanffy, 1972). The combined ST/DMAIC framework was suitable for this
study because of the strategies used by small business owners, considering that small
business owners execute diverse, effective business strategies to extend sustainability
beyond 5 years (see Daniel et al., 2022; Turner & Endres, 2017). ST is a set of concepts
for holistically studying complicated situations (von Bertalanffy, 1972). von Bertalanffy
noted the following constructs of ST: (a) system-environment boundary, (b) input, (c)
output, (d) process equilibrium, (e) state, (f) hierarchy, (g) goal-directedness, and (h)
information. ST is useful for understanding the ever-changing business environment and
applying the different day-to-day business operations components for business survival.
A system consists of different components, and each section is significant for
sustaining the small business. System thinkers’ primary purpose is to show the wholeness
and connectivity of multiple distinct parts (Handiwibowo et al., 2021). By using ST,
business leaders can increase their personal and professional effectiveness and transform
their organizations (Brieger & De Clercq, 2019). Leaders who apply ST principles gain
insights into a business's nature and how managerial techniques and performance are
measured (Volkova et al., 2021). Mella and Gazzola (2019) identified three primary
principles of ST:
•System thinking must be applied when there are few symptoms to avoid
problems from arising or appearing too soon.
•The symptoms are not the problem but a sign that some problem has caused
them.
•In problem solving, it is necessary to always consider the decision in the
context of some systems of an individual or organization whose network or
processes must be specified through the construction of a meaningful concept.
System thinkers link business owners' behavior to their environment (Katrakazas et al.,
2020). Researchers use system thinking as a control element to recognize problems in
small businesses (Tani et al., 2018).
DMAIC is an organized and systematic method for strategic process improvement
and new product and service development that relies on statistics to reduce
customerdefined defect rates dramatically (Madhani, 2022). The ideas underlying
DMAIC consist of stages that relate to each other that include: (a) defining the goals and
the requirements, (b) measuring the current process, (c) analyzing the results and possible
solutions, (d) improving the process and implementing changes, and (e) controlling the
improved process and monitoring results (Dey et al., 2020). Using a composite
conceptual framework of ST and DMAIC, I gained further understanding of the nature of
the problems affecting small business sustainability. Identification and understanding of
the strategies of small business owners led to insightful knowledge regarding
sustainability.
Operational Definitions
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system: A platform used by business leaders
to oversee and coordinate the vital aspects of their operations (Kenge & Khan, 2020).
Fishbone diagram: A graphical method for displaying the several causes of a
certain occurrence. The fishbone diagram is used as a cutting-edge form of graphical
representation to locate, investigate, and evaluate the sources of innovation, particularly
for general-purpose technology (Coccia, 2020).
Kaizen method: A process meant to foster constant improvement in all spheres of
life, whether they be social, domestic, or professional. The culture of kaizen, which is
ingrained in Japanese society's way of life, has an impact on people's general patterns of
conduct (Prayuda, 2020).
Production hub: A combination of experts who are enmeshed in production,
becoming a team that identifies gaps in the market on the production line and ensures that
production aligns with market needs (Hervas-Oliver et al., 2020).
Six Sigma’s define, measure, analyze, improve, and control model (DMAIC): An
organized and systematic method for strategic process improvement, new product, and
service development that relies on statistics to make dramatic reductions in customer
defined defect rates (Madhani, 2022).
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis: A strategic
examination of a business, resources, and environment (Ashutosh et al., 2020).
Superior inventory: A share of any class or series of stock of a corporation that
has a preference over Series A Stock in terms of dividends or assets, as well as any
instrument or security that can be exchanged for Superior Stock (Petropoulos et al.,
2019).
System thinkers: People who operationalize system thinking to ensure that
individuals see the true meaning of phenomena; a broader goal is to elevate society
intelligence (Mella & Gazzola, 2019).
Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations
Assumptions
Assumptions are beliefs that researchers hold true about a study but cannot verify
(Vergne & Wry, 2014). I had three assumptions in conducting this research. The first
assumption was that the participants would give honest, thoughtful, and comprehensive
responses during the interviews. The second assumption was that the participants selected
for this study would provide information regarding the strategies they used to sustain
small businesses beyond 5 years. The third assumption was that the sample of
participants in the study would be sufficient to reach saturation.
Limitations
Limitations are potential weaknesses that a researcher has no control over and that
are closely associated with the chosen research design and other factors (Theofanidis &
Fountouki, 2018). The first limitation of this study was that the interview participants
might misrepresent or misinterpret concepts and provide misleading information
knowingly or unknowingly. Second, the findings may not apply to other types of SME
businesses. Another limitation is that the study was limited by the interviewees’ honesty
and forthrightness and their willingness to share documentation. The choice of qualitative
method and case study design was also a limitation. The last limitation was the possibility
that the participants would be unwilling to share experiences related to the strategies they
used to sustain small businesses beyond 5 years.
Delimitations
Delimitations are conditions or parameters that a researcher imposes to limit the
scope of their study (Bloomberg & Volpe, 2008). The location of the study and the
selection of interviewees were the delimitations. I excluded SME businesses outside
northcentral Texas. The study included only SME owners who had developed and
implemented successful strategies that sustained their business.
Significance of the Study
Contribution to Business Practice
The proposed study's findings may be valuable to SME owners seeking to identify
new operations strategies to sustain their businesses beyond 5 years. The examples of
strategies that may emerge from this study may help empower aspiring entrepreneurs
toward innovation, which may catalyse small businesses survival. The research findings
may have the potential to identify a business problem and apply solutions from existing
literature on strategies SME owners used to sustain their business operations beyond 5
years in the fashion industry.
Implications for Social Change
The study's results may contribute to positive social change by providing SME
owners the opportunity to increase their communities’ contributions for the betterment of
their citizens. The findings could serve as a guide for SME owners to sustain operations
and create more revenue through taxes leading to better community services such as
better roads, schools, and other public services. An associated implication for positive
social change from the proposed study could enable business leaders to donate money to
support activities in their local communities and nonprofit charitable organizations.
A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature
In this literature review, I describe the ST and DMAIC composite framework, as
well as opposing and supportive theories. The primary source of the professional and
academic literature was Walden University Library databases, including ScienceDirect,
SAGE Premier, Emerald Management Journals, and EBSCOhost. I also used the search
engine Google Scholar, via Walden University Library, to identify relevant articles.
Keywords used in searches included small medium enterprises, small medium enterprises
strategies, small business owners, success rates, systems theory, DMAIC model,
complexity theory, entrepreneurs, operations strategies, fashion industry peculiarities,
current strategies and failure in SME, current conditions for SME ownership, and key
success factors for SME business. The literature review begins with an overview of ST
and the DMAIC model. The literature review of this doctoral study consists of 168
references, of which 149 have a publication date between 2018 and 2022.
These 149 references correspond to 88% of the total references (see Table 1).
Table 1
Frequency of the Study Sources
Peer-reviewed journal
article
144 19 163 97
Other periodical 4 0 4 2
Doctoral dissertation 1 0 1 1
Source 2018 –2022 201 or 7
before
Total n Total %
Total 149 19 168
Systems Theory
The theorist von Bertalanffy (1972) introduced ST to explore the complexity of
the world’s problems. ST is useful for understanding the ever-changing business
environment and applying the different day-to-day business operations components for
business survival. ST is a set of concepts for studying complicated situations holistically,
as well as an interdisciplinary theory that includes systems in nature, human society, and
science (Javanmardi & Liu, 2020; Scott, 2019). von Bertalanffy suggested that the
contribution of a functioning system comes from all parts of the entity. Instead of
individual patterns, ST enables researchers to identify interrelationships and parts of a
system (Scott, 2019). von Bertalanffy used ST to examine coexistence between events
and components.
Variables such as company size, the business climate, the usage of technology,
and the personal traits of the owners or managers drive decision-making processes and
the installation of accounting systems (Abernethy & Wallis, 2019; Ruiz & Colazzo,
2021). Microbusinesses are especially essential in emerging markets because they
provide an alternative to traditional employment or the potential to produce additional
revenue (Abernethy & Wallis, 2019; Ruiz & Colazzo, 2021). Al Mamun et al. (2018)
identified that stakeholder focused organizational systems that address the integrated
economic, environmental, and social components of performance over short- and
longterm periods within the boundaries are enterprise accountable.
Valentinov and Hajdu (2021) identified three key elements of ST as (a) structures
of organizations, (b) open systems, and (c) interrelated subsystems. Organizations consist
of several subsystems alternately interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent
(Javanmardi & Liu, 2020). SMEs are as ecosystem with interrelated and interdependent
operations (Kasim et al., 2018). Open systems interact with the environment, and closed
systems have boundaries that limit interactions with the environment (von Bertalanffy,
1950). Open systems are those that influence larger environments while interrelated
subsystems function within a continuous response loop comprising inputs/outputs,
feedback, and transformation (Javanmardi & Liu, 2020). According to van Tulder and
Keen (2018), SME sectors complement one another to achieve sustainable development.
von Bertalanffy (1972) noted the holistic approach of the ST by implying that systems
consist of interrelated parts, and it is impossible to isolate the connections from the rest of
the system by reviewing a single component. The holistic system approach involves use
of set boundaries to understand problems, while understanding the relationships within
natural systems to avoid unwanted consequences (Monat & Gannon, 2018). von
Bertalanffy found that components, when linked together, are greater than or equal to the
sum of their smaller parts. The objects, their attributes, accompanied internal
relationships, and the environment of the systems are all essential components of ST. One
key feature of ST is the concept of reversible and irreversible processes (Turner & Baker,
2019).
Popescu (2018) focused on ST as two overlapping systems, internal and external,
which small business owners respond to as part of maintaining their business. Hafiz et al.
(2022) emphasized that ST provides a foundation for exploring the distinction between an
individual’s perception and conception. Hafiz et al. noted four factors of this exploration:
(a) the elements of the system, (b) the properties of the system, (c) the internal
relationship of its objectives, and (d) the environment. Consequently, the interactions
among employees and management partially determine the ultimate behavior and
performance of business (Jung & Vakharia, 2019). Through internal relationship of
business objectives, elements of the business system, and business environment of the
SME, the employees as well as the SME owners could pursue sustainability goals for the
business enterprise (Fröhlich, 2019). The ST organization is a social system with subunits
that interrelate harmoniously for the organization to be effective (Teece, 2018). In the
case of an open system such as SME, for example, ST encompasses the system’s
interactions with its environment (Teece, 2018).
Evolution of Systems Theory
ST originated in the 1940s providing an alternative to reductionism (Laszlo &
Krippner, 1998). von Bertalanffy (1949) stated that a complex organism is the sum of its
parts; therefore, understanding can be deduced from its components. By contrast, ST is
centered on holism, which suggests that a system is more than the sum of its parts.
Systems produce behaviors that are not directly attributable to individual elements, but
which instead emerged through interactions between those elements (Laszlo & Krippner,
1998; von Bertalanffy, 1949)
According to Teater (2019), ST originated in the works of pre-Socratic
philosophers and evolved through different philosophic entities until formally accepted in
the early 1900s. ST's evolution exhibits three development phases (Mella & Gazzola,
2019). The first phase is called systems science, or the scientific exploration and theory
of systems in various sciences (Mella & Gazzola, 2019). From the 1940s to the 1960s, ST
was a paradigm for universal scientific theory (Teater, 2019). ST lost its relevance in the
1970s because of theoretical and political criticisms in the core social sciences, from
which ST never fully recovered (Teater, 2019). ST reemerged in several new forms in the
biosocial and social sciences over the last three decades, such as dynamic systems theory,
complexity theory, chaos theory, autopoietic (or self-organizing) systems theory, and
emergentism (Cea, 2020). Several small systems work together to form the whole of
small businesses (Teater, 2019). A business is also a system with parts such as
employees, assets, products, resources, and information that form a complex system
(Patton & McMahon, 2021).
Systems of all types share certain common characteristics to permit a generic
description, which is not inherent to any particular discipline, domain, or sector
(Hammond, 2002). The systems in ST are self-organizing functional units that
differentiate themselves from their environments through a unique composition of
interactions and relationships (von Bertalanffy, 1972). ST does not comprehensively
represent the complete system in the form of a massive supermodel, but instead derives
constructs or abstractions that facilitated an understanding of observed phenomena
(Bernard, 2006). ST permits multiple perspectives, thus acknowledging that different
constructs or abstractions may offer a variety of similarly valid viewpoints on the same
system (Bernard, 2006).
ST evolved in the work of physiologies who treat system to depend upon ideas
(Badcock, 2012). ST is described as interdependence of parts or variables with
assumptions such as (a) the system components are given in advance, before its
constitution, and (b) changes in a system are placed on the side of environment (Badcock,
2012). Given that people are biological systems, it follows that psychologists should
focus on several connected levels of analysis that are centered on Tinbergen's (1963) four
issues: (a) adaptive function, (b) phylogeny, (c) ontogeny, and (d) mechanism. The
paradigms are arranged in layers of explanation around evolutionary psychology,
evolutionary developmental biology, and developmental psychobiology, which, when
combined, are the basis for evolutionary system theory with developmental psychology,
and psychology's overall subfields, in that order (Badcock, 2012).
Six Sigma’s Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control Model
Six Sigma is an organized strategy from a business perspective that enabled
industries to effectively recognize the customer desires, eliminates the variability within
the production, and reduces all non-value-added activities (Kumar et al., 2021). The ideas
underlying DMAIC consists of stages that relate to one another. These are (a) defining
goals and requirements, (b) measuring the current process, (c) analyzing the results and
possible solutions, (d) improving processes and implemented changes, and (e) controlling
the improved process and monitoring results (Dey et al., 2020). DMAIC includes Lean
and Six Sigma. Use of the Six Sigma approach improves customer satisfaction by
focusing on the customer’s needs (Sengupta, 2020). Managers have used Lean and Six
Sigma to achieve success in the health care, construction, and education industries
(Madhani, 2022). The Lean Production System framework was developed in the 1950s
by Taaichi Ohno, a Toyota engineer, for waste reduction and product improvement
(Ahmed, 2019). The name changed to Lean Six Sigma in the 1990s, and Xerox
corporation managers implemented the lean production system into their supply chain
(Ahmed, 2019). The purpose of Lean Six Sigma purpose is to promote quality
improvement, reduced cost, and eliminated errors to achieve sustainable business with
growth and new development (Ahmed, 2019).
Company managers in the health care industry have subsequently used Lean Six
Sigma to improve patient satisfaction (Madhani, 2022). Sengupta (2020) posited that
Lean and Six Sigma gained a foothold in many industries because leaders wanted a
means of enhancing processes and eliminating waste. The Six Sigma approach includes
strategies for quality improvement (Someh et al., 2019). The Lean and Six Sigma
approach enhances business performance by achieving a fast and flexible flow of goods
and illuminating issues that affect the quality of a product or service (Someh et al., 2019).
The Six Sigma DMAIC model is an advanced process that applies to stipulation
and search for additional advancement (Chyon et al., 2020). Lean Six Sigma and DMAIC
include collaborative solutions that assist organizational leaders in improving their
processes (Madhani, 2022). The tools are (a) design of experiment; (b) value stream
mapping; (c) supplier, inputs, outputs, and customers; and (d) the 5 Whys, which are
steps to improve problems (Chyon et al., 2020). The DMAIC model features Lean tools
to benefit the customer. Leaders in the health care industry and other sectors have
adopted the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC model to gauge employees’ perspectives on each
phase of the process (Chyon et al., 2020).
The fundamental goal of the Six Sigma DMAIC model is to apply a strategy
based on measurement and course improvement that minimizes abnormalities (Aichouni
et al., 2021). The Six Sigma DMAIC model is suitable for improving a competitive,
demanding, and constantly changing environment (Chyon et al., 2020). Implementing the
DMAIC model is an excellent process for improved customer satisfaction, which leads to
sustained industry (Madhani, 2022). Guo et al. (2019) studied the DMAIC model in the
auto industry to measure customer requirements through a case study by issuing
questionnaires to analyze product performance. Guo et al. identified the process as using
critical quality and management evaluation elements by defining, measuring, analyzing,
improving, and controlling product quality. Guo et al. concluded that customer
satisfaction and business profit are improved through perfect quality, service, product
design, manufacturing, and service quality, leading to sustainable operation.
To successfully implement the Six Sigma DMAIC model, understanding the
barriers and motivating factors of the Six Sigma DMAIC model was necessary (Guo et
al., 2019). The DMAIC model is a highly disciplined approach that helped industrial
world leaders focus on developing perfect products, processes, and services (Chen et al.,
2022). Six Sigma DMAIC includes and eliminates defects or failures in product features
concerned SME owners that affected processes or the performance of systems (Gupta et
al., 2018). The DMAIC model is a problem-solving approach that reduces process
variation and associated defects (Aichouni et al., 2021). The existence of tools that can
improve the decision-making processes and the strategies controlling the business
operations of SME owners can improve resource consumption efficiency while
identifying any bottlenecks that may hamper progress (Palkhe, 2020). The process
requires the development of the capacity to benchmark business and production related
operations (Gupta et al., 2018). Company leaders used simulation methodologies to
reduce waiting times and optimize resource allocation and usage through Six Sigma
DMAIC model applications to sustain business operations (Ahmed et al., 2020).
DMAIC is suitable for extensive problem-solving tasks, requiring all the
components of problem definition, diagnosis, and the design of remedies (Bates et al.,
2019). The model is less suited for problem tasks of a smaller scope. Six Sigma is a
generic method with versatile advantages, some of these advantages include eliminating
product or process defects, cost reduction, quality improvement, and profitability increase
through stable processes (Bates et al., 2019). Quality improvement often results in lower
production costs but can also result in improvement in customer service and satisfaction
(Ahmed et al., 2020; Timans et al., 2016). Task domain specific methods also benefit
from advanced specific domain knowledge, which is absent in generic accounts of Six
Sigma (Bates et al., 2019). Domain specific elaborations such as health care and financial
service operations of DMAIC partly overcome these weaknesses inherent to general
methods (Aichouni et al., 2021). DMAIC is not a suitable model for less extensive
problem-solving processes, such as solution known projects and design problems (Bates
et al., 2019).
The fundamental goal of the Six Sigma DMAIC model is to apply a strategy
based on measurement, focused on course improvement, and minimizes abnormality
(Aichouni et al., 2021). For successful implementation of the Six Sigma DMAIC model,
one must understand the barriers and motivating factors of the Six Sigma DMAIC model
(Bates et al., 2019). The DMAIC model is a highly disciplined approach that helps
organizations focus on developing perfect products, processes, and services (Chen et al.,
2022). Six Sigma DMAIC identified and eliminated defects or failures in product features
concerned SMEs that affect processes or performance of the system (Gupta et al., 2018).
The DMAIC model is a problem-solving approach which reduce process variation
and associated defects (Aichouni et al., 2021). The existence of tools that improved the
decision-making processes, as well as the strategies controlling the business operations of
SME, has improved resource consumption efficiency, while also identifying any
bottlenecks that may hamper progress (Ahmed et al., 2020). The process requires the
development of the capacity to benchmark business and production-related operations
(Patel & Patel, 2021). Ahmed et al. (2020) corroborated these findings by stating that
companies use simulation methodologies to reduce waiting times as well as optimize
resource allocation and usage through application of Six Sigma DMAIC model.
DMAIC Elements
Smętkowska and Mrugalska (2018) stated that DMAIC cycle consists of five
stages that relate to each other. The stages are: (a) define the project objective, (b)
identify the problem, (c) measure the base line of the information and process, (d)
analyze the information collected which determines if there is more than one issue and
plan for several postulations, (e) improve the process by conducting experiments and
confirmation runs to find the best solution to the problem stated, and (f) to control the
performance once the project has been implemented by stating policies that guarantee the
changes will continue to be used by other people (Smętkowska & Mrugalska, 2018).
DMAIC is a philosophy or concept (Ali, 2021). Using DMAIC as a philosophy
helps with changing the world and transformation of an enterprise, treating DMAIC as a
strategy ensures development and increases the position of a company (Ali, 2021). The
model applies the Six Sigma stages, which should be implemented in companies that
want to develop and increase their position on the market (Hernadewita et al., 2019). The
first stage is concentration on the customer, where every action taken should agree with
customers’ specifications and requirements (Hernadewita et al., 2019). Six Sigma is real
data and facts, which performs a detailed analysis (Smętkowska & Mrugalska, 2018). Six
Sigma is about continuous process improvement of all aspects of functioning
development in the organization as well as proactive management and cooperation
without boundaries at every level in enterprise (Bates et al., 2019). Six Sigma is not only
an approach for solving the problems with manufacturing but also business processes
(Bates et al., 2019; Ishak et al., 2019).
Define Phase. Bates et al. (2019) opined that the objective of this phase is to
define the scope and goal of the improvement project in terms of customer requirements
and to develop a process that provides these requirements. In this stage, managers
verified the actions taken to solve the problems with the priorities and support from
management and the availability of required resources (Ahmed, 2019). Leaders serve as a
pivotal part in the define stage (Ahmed, 2019). Understanding between the team and the
leader is important in the define stage (Patel & Patel, 2021).
In identifying a problem, a leader needs to understand the relationship between
corporate strategy, return on investment capital (ROIC), and measuring success that leads
to a solution with an understanding of the issues with clear evidence of leadership
(Ahmed, 2019). Ahmed (2019) indicated that understanding the strategies and the
relationships between ROIC are necessary for service organizations. Managers use a
process map to measure success by identifying the boundaries in each process step (Patel
& Patel, 2021). Multiple ways exist to identify a project's improvement to sustain
operations (Wang, 2018).
For example, in the health care industry, leaders became involved by stating the
objectives for management to follow and determine the customer's needs (Agarwal,
2021). An error occurs in any part of the process if team members' concerns remained
neglected (Ahmed, 2019). In addition, the team leaders ensured the team members had
the training, knowledge, and engagement in the process (Antony et al., 2021; Rehman &
Anwar, 2019). The team leader of the business operations should communicate the
function of the defined objective (Antony et al., 2021). Ahmed (2019) indicated that the
DMAIC process is risky, and some managers preferred a nonformal process to improve
problems in the organization.
Managers use the DMAIC model when a situation is complex. For example, in
manufacturing and in service sectors, the application of this tool has not only reduced the
rate of defects but has also simplified processes in the areas of product development,
customer retention analysis, cycle time optimization, productivity improvement and
market share (Ahmed, 2019). For instance, changing from one banking software
application to another could involve the use of DMAIC for a smooth cross over without
losing data, customers, or staff.
In health care logistics, managers used Six Sigma DMAIC to identify and remove
expired products and drugs (Sirshar et al., 2019). Some logistics systems in health care
become difficult because products are classified based on patient care (Sirshar et al.,
2019). Managers use Six Sigma DMAIC to simplify health care logistics, reduce defect
rates, and support productivity. Sharma et al. (2021) stated that Six Sigma does not work
well with a project feasibility study or risk analysis; rather, it understands the project and
details the customer expectations.
Once implemented, firm wide, Six Sigma is not easy to change, alter, or improve.
For instance, new innovations such as industry 4.0 are not introduced into the project
when using Six Sigma (Sharma et al., 2021). Industry 4.0 is a concept better known as the
‘smart factory’ (Maia et al., 2023). In an Industry 4.0 factory, machines are connected as
a collaborative community to collect, exchange, and analyze data systematically (Maia et
al., 2023). Six Sigma DMAIC applies to business processes that generate measurable
outputs such as calls handled per hour or customer wait time (Sharma et al., 2021). When
combined with CRM Six Sigma does greatly improve customer (Davidson et al., 2020).
Huang et al. (2021) stated that not all products or operations need to meet Six
Sigma quality standards. Medical manufacturers and aerospace companies should meet
Six Sigma quality standards because lives depend upon the reliability of their products.
They further noted that while cell phones and computers that meet Six Sigma quality
standards are more reliable than the competition, they may be more expensive (Huang et
al., 2021). Six Sigma is an excellent model to implement in any given organization, but it
is not necessarily imperative for the survival of any given organization (Davidson et al.,
2020).
Measure Phase. In the measure phase, practitioners evaluated the key process
characteristics and quantified the problem through data collection and analytics
(Aichouni et al., 2021). Valid and reliable standards determine to monitor advances
towards project purposes (Aichouni et al., 2021). Some factors such as parameters and
places of measurements define, measure, and classify (Wang et al., 2019).
A statistical perspective on processes and problems related to them must evaluate
the projects (Wang et al., 2019). In the measure phase, a process map of the actual
situation is created with failure mode and effect analysis performed, which indicates the
place of possible risk (Wang et al., 2019). The main issue of the measurement phase is
that the data collected and analyzed is used in the control phase to show the differences
and assess the progress made (Huang et al., 2021). Instruments used by leaders in the
measurement phase include histograms with scatterplots, Pareto charts, and measurement
sheets (Ahmed, 2019; Akonkwa et al., 2022). A significant error in this phase includes
team members misusing data to validate false points (Ahmed, 2019). To rectify the
problem, the team leader became actively involved by helping the team with decisions
about data collection and how to measure customer needs (Ahmed, 2019)
In this phase, the voice of the customers (VOC) collected during surveys was
followed by making a project charter (Svikruhova et al., 2021). A project charter is a
formal statement that defines a project's scope, objectives, and participants to authorize
the project officially and ensure that everyone involved knows its purpose and objectives
(Ahmed, 2019). There are many ways to collect customer data; understanding the VOC is
one of the most critical issues in the defined stage (Svikruhova et al., 2021). When
choosing tools, one needs to keep in mind the specific needs and goals of individual
projects, as well as the procedural maturity of the company (Svikruhova et al., 2021). A
fishbone diagram identifies the causes of the problem that occur in an organization (Guo
et al., 2019). DMAIC is often described as a problem-solving approach that applies to
practical problems ranging from well-structured to semistructured problems
(Chakrabortty et al., 2013).
Six Sigma projects yielded no cost savings (Huang et al., 2021). Improved
product quality generates capital and long-term overhead costs regarding quality
personnel (Huang et al., 2021). Chakrabarty and Kay Chuan (2009) identified some
challenges in different companies that adopt Six Sigma, and most reported difficulty in
gathering data, prolonged effort, difficulty in determining process specifications, and
complexity. Grida and Zeid (2019) found that a lack of sufficient knowledge about Six
Sigma is the most significant Six Sigma barrier. Chakrabarty and Kay Chuan (2009)
identified challenges in different companies adopting Six Sigma. The most reported
difficulty is gathering data, prolonged effort, difficulty determining process
specifications, and complexity. Grida and Zeid (2019) opined that a system consists of
several parallel sections that may be shared with multiple departments. While introducing
measurement as a step, the ST is applied to allow parallel measurement in several
departments with unified feedback and reports channeled to the head of operations.
Analyze Phase. In this phase, data were collected to generate a prioritized list of
sources of variation, such as semistructured interviews, document reviews, surveys, and
field notes (Singh et al., 2019). The stage sets new goals and route maps for the target
performance level, a vital component of any defect-reducing program (Kumar et al.,
2021). The relationship between the causes of defects and process variability sources was
analyzed, and afterward, a potential list of the problems was narrowed to vital cases
(Wang et al., 2019). The relationship between input and output directly affecting issues
becomes visible and possible causes of process variability are verified (Yusof et al.,
2020).
Researchers identified delays, waste, and poor quality in the analysis phase using
scatter plots, diagrams, and the five whys analysis of the Lean Six Sigma approach
(Singh et al., 2019). Team leaders introduce customer value analysis (Singh et al., 2019).
Customer value analysis includes focusing on the customer value or customer value
added, business value added, and non-value- added aspect of business operations
(Ahmed, 2019). The customer value added, and non-value-added metrics are beneficial
because the customer analysis result helps the business recruit more customers and retain
existing customers to create value for the organization (Ahmed, 2019). A trained leader
identifies problems and determines how the non-value-added aspect work for the
customers, leading to sustainable business operations (Singh et al., 2019).
In the analysis phase, data analysis tools and process analysis techniques are used
to identify the root cause of the problem (Sajjad et al., 2021). The main tools are
parameter estimation and hypothesis testing (Sajjad et al., 2021). Parameter estimation is
the process of using observations from a dynamic system, such as the angular speed of
the earth's rotation or the earth's gravitational acceleration, to develop mathematical
models that adequately represent the system characteristics (Sidhu & Kok, 2020). Deniz
and Çimen (2018) revealed a key component of Lean Six Sigma: Unique infrastructure
features green belts, champions, and black belts for leading and implementation.
Researchers argue that when the Six Sigma DMAIC model applies to business
processes such as performance reviews or processing purchase orders, the recommended
solution is often called 'bureaucracy busting' (Deniz & Çimen, 2018). The business
process is rigid, which contradicts innovation and kills creativity (Deniz & Çimen, 2018).
Dentoni et al. (2020) argued that one of the main criticisms of Six Sigma DMAIC is that
it simply repackages traditional principles and techniques related to quality. On the other
hand, Kwak and Anbari (2006) pointed out that organizations need to realize that Six
Sigma is not the universal answer to all business issues. It may not be an organization's
most essential management strategy to understand and implement.
Lack of insight into Six Sigma's advantages and poor communication regarding
the need for change at all management levels of employees was a typical challenge for
the organization. Deniz and Çimen (2018) found out that the problem with Six Sigma
differs at each management level. For instance, top managers found that inadequacy of
knowledge about Six Sigma and beliefs regarding the complexity of Six Sigma was the
most significant challenge. Similarly, middle-level managers considered their dearth of
comprehension of Six Sigma the most significant challenge (Deniz & Cimen, 2018).
First-level managers discovered they did not have enough time for Six Sigma projects
(Subagyo et al., 2020). A limitation of Six Sigma relates to the ratio between the effort
and cost of Six Sigma implementation and the accruing benefits (Foster, 2007). Several
practitioners and researchers argued that the effort required to implement Six Sigma is
comparatively higher than the benefits from complex projects that consume resources and
time (Chakrabarty & Kay Chuan, 2009; Foster, 2007; Gupta et al., 2018).
Dentoni et al. (2020) introduced the socio-ecological systems that described how
an organization could cope with change and unforeseen disturbances while safeguarding
the ecological systems on which human activity depends. Dentoni et al. inferred that by
using ST, an organization could collaborate with public and nonprofit actors in
understanding and protecting the socio-ecological system for the benefit of the business.
In contrast to DMAIC's step-by-step approach, ST involves a collaborative and
interdependent approach to management.
Improve Phase. In the improvement phase, practitioners present and implement
business solutions on processes to improve the identified problems (Aichouni et al.,
2021). This stage focuses on determining a solution based on the uncovered problem in
the first three phases (Antony et al., 2021). The main goal of the Six Sigma methodology
is the continuous improvement of processes to sustain the desired level of quality (Singh
et al., 2019). In this stage, the measurement system and potential verification process are
repeated to corroborate the progress of the process (Aichouni et al., 2021; Holston-Okae
& Mushi, 2018).
SME owners employ the best strategies to satisfy customers while maintaining
successful business operations (Ahmed, 2019). The team leader monitored the process by
identifying problems and determining why the problems occurred by implementing an
action plan strategy (Ahmed, 2019). The team leader is pivotal in this phase because they
keep an open line of communication with the team by reiterating the project's goals (Patel
& Patel, 2021). SMEs have limitations when employing the Six Sigma DMAIC model for
the business owner and other barriers, for instance, organization culture, the structure of
the new business, and strategies adopted. Chakrabarty and Kay Chuan (2009) identified
that the limitations differ among companies that adopted Six Sigma. Leaders reported
difficulty gathering data, prolonged effort, difficulty determining process specifications,
and complexity. The companies that had not implemented Six Sigma mentioned that their
decision was based on unfamiliarity, irrelevance, or a lack of interest (Subagyo et al.,
2020). Six Sigma may impact customer satisfaction negatively if not implemented
properly.
Two global U.S. corporations (3M and Home Depot) abandoned their Six Sigma
program because of negative influence on customer satisfaction. Peterson et al. (2021)
evaluated the ST to involve system thinking of complex interdependences of an
organization rather than being limited to improvement as a single factor in the
organization. Using ST in appraising marketing, the organization will engage in activities
such as (a) marketing system, (b) the impact of marketing systems in society, and (c) the
impact of society in marketing systems (Peterson et al., 2021; Wasieleski et al., 2020).
Control Phase. The control phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC cycle occurs after
implementing the proposed solutions (Aichouni et al., 2021). The control phase in
DMAIC is about controlling the variables identified during the earlier phases (Aichouni
et al., 2021). In the control phase, the team communicates the updated procedure to all
organization members (Ahmed, 2019). The team ensures process performance through
guidelines (Ahmed, 2019). The functions include: (a) recording the process, (b) obtaining
cash by contacting the finance department, (c) focusing on improvement, monitoring the
system, (d) organizing, and (e) setting up a control plan (Ahmed, 2019). The team used
control charts to identify potential problems in the control phase (Maia et al., 2023).
Enforcing the Kaizen method is pivotal in the control phase (Ahmed, 2019). The
Kaizen method is a process improvement step through small steps leading to more robust
results for longevity (Ali et al., 2020). Six Sigma offers reliable methods for testing
conjectured causes, but only limited methodological support for identifying candidate
causes (Ali et al., 2020). DMAIC offers scant strategic guidance for ensuring the
efficiency of the diagnostic search (Ahmed, 2019). The core principle of lean is based on
resource efficiency and waste minimization. Non-standardization procedures in the
certification process of black and green belts are a limitation in this phase (Rathi et al.,
2020). A black belt professional aims to provide project leadership. Black belts are highly
trained to improve results using lean concepts and advanced statistical analysis
techniques. Black belts understand the team dynamics and can assign roles and
responsibilities to team members. Black belts have a thorough understanding of all
aspects of the DMAIC model in accordance with Six Sigma principles (Hollingshed,
2021).
The skills and expertise developed by black belts are inconsistent across
companies and are dependent to a great extent on the certifying body (Rathi et al., 2020).
Antony et al. (2019) determined that more than 60% of Six Sigma initiatives fail to
deliver desired results. Many companies implementing Six Sigma enjoy its benefits in the
first two to three years but cannot demonstrate a lasting impact over time. The
implication is that the initial enthusiasm and momentum diminish after a certain period,
with many organizations quickly falling back into the old habits of executing things
(Rapp et al., 2020). Efficient use of resources is mandatory for successful Six Sigma
implementation. More resources (financial, human, etc.) is a big challenge for many
organizations (Grida & Zeid, 2019).
Subagyo et al. (2020) used the ST to involve organization effectiveness, where
control is a subset of the entire act of effectiveness. Effectiveness entailed ideating ideas,
planning, implementing, and ensuring customer satisfaction (Subagyo et al., 2020). While
the DMAIC has control as a step in the process, leaders use ST to take care of the
controlling process and other functions to ensure the business is sustained even in
complex, volatile, and uncertain circumstances (Subagyo et al., 2020). For instance, using
a system dynamics model in a medium sized hospital, different patients are served using
the same limited resources (Grida & Zeid, 2019).
Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises
SMEs contribute significantly to the development of local economies, accounting
for two thirds of employment opportunities in most Western economies, thereby
stimulating these economies and increasing their growth (Owusu et al., 2022). SMEs play
an essential role in many economies, especially in developing countries. SMEs represent
90% of the world's businesses and more than 50% of the employment (World Bank,
2020). SMEs contribute up to 40% to the gross domestic product (GDP) in developing
economies (World Bank, 2020). Owusu et al. (2022) opined that small businesses are the
mainstay of every economy. Albuquerque et al. (2016) identified small businesses as a
mix of organizations offering goods and services across various industries, making them
difficult to classify. Small business owners and entrepreneurs are the most influential
drivers of economic growth (Owusu et al., 2022). Sustaining SMEs has helped to
stimulate economic activities such as employment and increased standard of living.
Business survival is a priority for leaders, especially regarding higher exposure to
risk and the impact of competition among small businesses compared to larger firms.
Bates et al. (2019) recognized that small business owners face various challenges
restricting their growth and survival. Small business owners need help attempting to
create and sustain their business ventures. Leaders need access to valuable resources
because they have a limited market presence and depend on a niche customer base
(Ikrama, 2019). Calme and Polge (2018) found that small business economic
performance and economic indicators are difficult to track because such entities may not
borrow from financial institutions.
Small businesses are vulnerable to troubled environments due to limited financial
and human resources, making them more susceptible to local cyclical troubles (Ikrama,
2019). Competition is one obstacle for small businesses (T. Zhang et al., 2021). As a
dominant component of economic growth, the resilience of small businesses following a
crisis is essential for global market success (Ikrama, 2019; Rahman et al., 2018).
Strategic planning by small business owners is essential to ensuring success (Al-Ahmadi
& Kasztelnik, 2021). Ikrama (2019) identified a relationship between strategy and
business performance, implying that small business owners may implement effective
strategic management. Most small business owners serve as owner-managers responsible
for most daily operations. The owners are busy attending to the short-term challenges of
running a business, limiting the resources available for long-term planning. Effective
small business owners and managers use strategic planning to identify long-term goals
and evaluate the ability to achieve these goals (Ghezzi et al., 2021). Small business
owners and managers could collaborate to consider and weigh strategic options in all
aspects of the business to conduct effective strategic planning.
Operations Strategies for Small Businesses
Operations strategies can best be described as a collection of activities in SMEs
that involve administration, marketing, procurement, logistics, and other details carried
out to serve a customer and ensure the smooth running of the organization (Ikrama,
2019). Aruna Apte et al. (2018) recommended category management and strategic
sourcing for products and services for SMEs. The use of category management and
strategic sourcing for product and service procurement is one component of purchasing's
evolution to a strategic function (Aruna Apte et al., 2018). The management of a specific
category of products and services is concerned with ensuring that the policies, sourcing,
and use of such products and services satisfy corporate-level strategic objectives (Ikrama,
2019). Category management is a continuous activity focusing on value factors other than
price reductions. It is part of category management to engage stakeholders, thoroughly
understand their product and service requirements, gather market knowledge on market
trends, cost drivers, and risks, and design a sourcing strategy that aligns stakeholder
expectations with market realities.
Another strategy was that SME owners leveraged the cost focus or product
differentiation in offering their products or services. Rising labor costs and intense global
competition force are significant reasons Chinese businesses shifted from a cost-focused
to a differentiation-focused business strategy (Sun et al., 2021). China has had a massive
ecommerce development, as evidenced by the widespread usage of the Internet and
mobile shopping platforms throughout the country. Differentiation strategy's unique
qualities, such as brand name awareness, has become critical to a company's success. As
a result, many business leaders opted for the differentiation strategy. Using the
differentiation strategy, SME owners can present several products and services for a
significant market rather than focusing on one product and service (Sun et al., 2021).
Current Strategies and Challenges in the Fashion Industry
The retail value chain is undergoing a dramatic transition in the global retail
scene. Traditional brick and mortar store-based businesses are facing threats from all
angles as new retail business models and competitors emerge. The threat is mostly
because of the rise of e-commerce causing digitalization’s increasing effect (Yeo et al.,
2022). Narayan Rao et al. (2021) reported that during the first months of the lockdown,
prices at fashion businesses, electronics stores, furniture stores, and restaurants dropped
dramatically. Fear of COVID-19 and lockdowns resulted in new consumer behaviors,
while people are confined to their homes. Groceries, apparel, home décor, and workout
equipment are all available for purchase online (Yeo et al., 2022). Roggeveen and
Sethuraman (2020) revealed that the coronavirus epidemic has altered how we consume
information and interact with the world. Even before the health crisis, a shift in
consumption pattern was noticed and the pandemic only accelerated some of these
changes. Corporations are prone to making significant adjustments to their business
procedures in this regard (Justus-Oni et al., 2020; Nair, 2020). Many firms' operations
and processes had to go virtual (Yeo et al., 2022).
Prior to COVID-19, in 2018, the Malaysian fashion industry addressed the issue
of sustainable fashion as several multinational brands took practical actions to address the
environmental impact (Ali et al., 2020). Malaysian fashion customers are still unaware of
sustainable fashion consumption and its environmental implications (Ali et al., 2020;
Rosli, 2018). The rapid growth of fast fashion, a phenomenon that began in 2000 and
based on the fashion industry's low-cost strategy, has resulted in a lack of understanding
of sustainable fashion consumption (Ahmad et al., 2020). Companies in the fast fashion
apparel sector routinely provide low-cost, trendy clothing to the market to attract
customers (Ali et al., 2020; Rosli, 2018). While e-commerce is adopted as a strategy in
the fashion industry by SME leaders because of COVID-19, several fashion companies
could not continue in business because of the significant investment required in the
technology to set up e-commerce; therefore, such fashion companies failed in business
(Ali et al., 2020).
Development of a Sustainable Competitive Advantage Through Superior Inventory
Leaders desire to achieve sustainable competitive advantage over competitors and
often engage in innovative activities to outperform their competition and remain relevant
in the marketplace. Superior inventory in form of supply chain management is one area a
firm provides unique services to their client and remain distinguished in their
performance. The ability of a business to carry out its operations in a unique fashion that
others cannot duplicate is what is referred to as having a competitive edge (Fazal et al.,
2022). Organizational resources have several possible benefits for businesses, including
cheaper costs, higher efficiency, improved quality, a larger market share, rising
profitability, and increased success. Because logistics facilitates the free flow of
commodities and services necessary for the operation of industry and the economy,
logistics is the foundation of any economy (Sharma et al., 2020).
India's logistics industry expanded quickly despite confronting significant
obstacles. Supply networks and logistics have become more vulnerable as the COVID-19
epidemic spreads (Sharma et al., 2020). Health supply chains have been interrupted,
including effects on active medicinal ingredients, transportation, purchases, finished
medical items, and more (Sharma et al., 2020). For a firm to have a sustainable
competitive advantage, such firm must have a long-term plan that could resist any
disruption such as the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted to a lockdown in many
economies. Business sustenance involves a consistent research and development in
providing unique services to current and prospective customers.
Supply Chain Management
The management of the supply chain is a source of competitive advantage.
Building new capabilities for participating businesses that will provide them a
competitive edge over rivals has long been a critical objective of SCM (Cahyono et al.,
2023). In this regard, Gezgin et al. (2017) claimed that even in the digital economy,
business and technical capabilities are driven by a defined supply chain strategy that
aligns with the strategic goals of participating enterprises. A company's supply chain
capabilities have changed from layer-by-layer integration of forecasting, planning, and
execution operations to seamless data management from the beginning to the end of the
supply chain because of constant visibility (Min et al., 2019). Business leaders should
combine their technology and people management capabilities to benefit from data
management.
SMEs must collaborate with suppliers and use cutting-edge smart technology to
compete and succeed in the global market (Benitez et al., 2021). SMEs utilized
technology to improve effective and efficient operations and performance, reduce risks,
and achieve competitive advantages. Such advanced technologies include artificial
intelligence, the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and blockchain
technologies to drive business activities and enhance business process innovation (Akpan
et al., 2020). Big data analytics is the technology designed to economically extract value
from massive volumes of a wide variety of data by enabling high-velocity capture,
discovery, and analysis (Akpan et al., 2020). SMEs are becoming increasingly significant
in the domestic and global markets because of the considerable contribution of SMEs to
the national or global economy (Gonçalves et al., 2019). Because SMEs center on serving
domestic consumers, their sales could be more extensive on the global market.
ERP systems try to adapt to all business models, whether industrial, commercial,
or service-oriented (Aljawarneh & Alomari, 2018). Because different divisions of the
organization cannot operate independently without integration and effective connectivity,
which occurs through an efficient integrated information system that increases the
efficacy of the organization's information system ability and manages business processes,
ERP systems effectively link the available resources of these organizations with one
another and create a kind of integration and flow of information between their different
sections (Aljawarneh & Alomari, 2018). ERP can be described as a strategic tool that
synchronizes, integrates, and streamlines an organization’s data and operations into a
unified system to obtain a competitive advantage in an uncertain by environment by
assisting in achieving the organization’s aims and objective (Jayamaha et al., 2023).
Key Success Factors for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Key success factors are the elements or items that are favorable to the business
that may ensure sustainability (Elkhairi et al., 2019). In Pakistan, the factors identified are
the entrepreneur’s characteristics, internal business environment, external business
environments, and supportive factors (Shakeel et al., 2020). Entrepreneurial
characteristics included self-efficacy, locus of control, innovative mindset, risk-taking
ability, and the personal need for achievement. The external business environment
include the political, economic, social, technology, legal and environmental factors that
shape the business. The internal environment is the strength of the business, the
weaknesses, the opportunities to leverage and the threats that may hinder the growth of
the business. The supporting factors are the government support, the family and friends
support, and the customer patronage (Ali et al., 2020).
Sukathong et al. (2021) identified strategy, organization, top management,
environment, and technology as success factors for SME sustainability. Strategy is the
identification of short- and long-term goals of the organization and the directions and
resources required to achieve the goals (Grainger-Brown & Malekpour, 2019). The top
management is the decision body of the firm, where such decision as expansion,
employment and product segmentation are made (Grainger-Brown & Malekpour, 2019).
The environment is the location of the business and how competition is tensed or
favorable, and technology is the infrastructure that is used to support the business to
service customers both virtual, and brick and mortar (Ali et al., 2020).
Business Sustainability
Sustainability is a structure created to prolong the existing survival of any
operation especially in business (Hanaysha et al., 2022). Actions related to sustainability
include volunteering, predefining a system of regulation, methods used in the
environment for preservation, and the systemic behavior of a business (Hanaysha et al.,
2022). Evaluating business sustainability began with accepting the concept of how to
incorporate innovation and implement a process of products and service to a future
generation and to a community of customers (Al Mamun et al., 2018; Hanaysha et al.,
2022).
The creation and promotion of new approaches to address severe concerns about
unsustainable business practices is generally a commendable development (Hanaysha et
al., 2022; Imbrogiano & Nichols, 2021). Hanaysha et al. (2022) elaborated that the
promotion of management approaches that ought to enable sustainability performance in
businesses is problematic. A fallacy about the effectiveness of concurrent management
approaches to business sustainability does not rest on due diligence practices alone but
also involves other tools and mechanisms promoted by the sustainability service industry
(Imbrogiano & Nichols, 2021). For instance, the extent to which sustainable supply chain
management programs are conducive to achieve sustainability objectives remains unclear
(Imbrogiano & Nichols, 2021).
Critical Analysis of Systems Theory Concepts
Kannengiesser and Gero (2019) identified fundamental constructs in ST to include
function, behavior, and structure. Function is the teleology ascribed to the artifacts that
establishes a connection between the goal and the measurable effects of the artifact
(Teater, 2019). Behavior is described as the measurable performance criteria for
comparing different artifacts, while structure is the components and their relationships
(Teater, 2019).
von Bertalanffy (1950) promoted ST that supports a holistic approach to solving
everyday practical problems, such as SME survival strategies in business beyond 5 years.
von Bertalanffy appraised interactions of components in a system, not individual
components, and determined the properties and functions of that system. The
fundamental principles of ST comprise a holistic approach, interconnections of parts, and
the need for controlling the system (von Bertalanffy, 1972). In ST, the idea of wholeness
came about from aiming at uniting the parts to form a whole, taking cognizance of the
influence of the external environment on the system (Javanmardi & Liu, 2020). Using ST,
a researcher could develop interactions among entities to evaluate how such system may
produce a desired result (Javanmardi & Liu, 2020).
Systems theorists provide real-world explanations and solutions to everyday
practical situations (Brandt & Sleegers). Systems theorists argue that a system reduced to
parts will cease to exist. Altering one part affects system performance, and the success of
enhancing one part depends on the interactions between this part and other parts of the
same system (Javanmardi & Liu, 2020). The application of ST is common in qualitative
and quantitative studies (Pype et al., 2018). ST prepares managers to deal with multiple
interacting systems in an organization to sustain performance (Gear et al., 2018). ST
sheds light on the dynamics of the process and the environment (Elliott & Davis, 2020).
ST adopts the understanding of manager’s control of businesses.
When responding to the ST debate, Hassan et al. (2019) appraised that theorizing
does not begin when hypotheses or propositions test or validate. As the superset to
reasoning, theorizing is as natural to human beings as thinking, and it is this rich natural
capability endowed in all human beings that characterizes the activities within the context
of discovery well before any claims are considered. Instead of focusing on the context of
discovery by taking advantage of all plausible avenues to explain the phenomenon,
research practice tends to limit thinking to the clean, rationalized reconstructions found in
published works (Hassan et al., 2019). In addition to digging deeper into the insights and
creative thinking that characterize the context of discovery, researchers use the natural
human capabilities they are endowed with and have a certain level of willingness to
question and even forget previous thinking to engage in original research in ST (Hassan
et al., 2019).
Complimentary Theories for Systems Theory
Human Capital Theory
The human capital theory is a helpful way to explain how employees enhance
their value in organizations, leading to improved skill, autonomy, and socioeconomic
well-being (Gerhart & Feng, 2021). The human capital theory implies that employees
should bear the costs and benefits of their investment for the organization (Gerhart &
Feng, 2021). For instance, pilots protested that their system ultimately meant they were
forced to flee because they would not be paid otherwise, even if unwell or fatigued. So,
the pilots collectively drafted a safety petition, arguing that the status of self-employment
and the use of zero-hours contracts, where workers are paid only for the hours they work,
which is not guaranteed in the event of low demand, jeopardize passenger safety (Gerhart
& Feng, 2021).
The human capital theory supports the individualization of the labor force
(Gerhart & Feng, 2021). Many forces are behind the individualization of the labor force,
including the growing power of large organizations, the decline of unions, and even the
genuine desire for freedom among workers (Gerhart & Feng, 2021). Gerhart and Feng
(2021) considered that treating human beings as property or marketable assets might
seem distasteful to the average person. More importantly, Human capital theory provides
the ultimate neoclassical retort to the Marxist slogan that workers should seize the means
of production. Employment relationships inspired by the human capital theory are
lucrative to individual workers if their skill is scarce and demand is high (Gerhart &
Feng, 2021). In most cases, contract-based independence puts downward pressure on
income because of competition and the asymmetrical power relationship between firms
and workers (Gerhart & Feng, 2021).
Resource-Based Theory
The resource-based view (RBV), or resource-based theory (RBT), is a classical
and influential theory in the field of SME. Individual business owners have various
management styles and strategies to avoid barriers and acquire resources for success
(Donnelly, 2019). A strategic management specialist, Barney et al. (2021) published the
seminal work on RBT, the second part of the conceptual framework. Barney et al.
discussed that small business owners could earn reasonable revenues with adequate
resources. Resources were scarce and limited and thus needed appropriate mechanisms to
regulate and monitor the businesses (Barney et al., 2021).
Barney et al. (2021) built RBT from the works of scholars such as Ricardo in
1817, Porter in 1980, and Nelson and Winter in 1982. These earlier scholars wanted to
determine the economic value of resources and anticipate the potential resources needed
to support the success of businesses (Barney et al., 2021; Davis & DeWitt, 2021).
Researchers perform a SWOT analysis to assess the sustainable competitive advantage in
businesses before the development of RBT (Barney et al., 2021). The SWOT analysis
model assumes all businesses have the same traits, and small business owners could
optimize internal strengths by responding to external opportunities (Barney et al., 2021).
The RBT has become one of the most salient theories in human resource
management that provide a new view on sources of sustained competitive advantage. The
RBV theory is relevant in assessing SMEs' strategies to sustain a business for some years
(Barney et al., 2021). The RBV framework implies that human resources may be of
greater significance for smaller firms, as they often must do more with fewer resources to
remain competitive (Mupani & Chipunza, 2019). RBT posits that the success or failure of
a business lies in the caliber of its employees and the quality of their working
relationships (Godwell & Krishna, 2020). The service industry uses RBT, including small
businesses, where the business's success depends on its employees (Mupani & Chipunza,
2019).
RBV helps to examine the competitive environment facing small businesses
because of its focus on the role of the internal environment in guaranteeing SME
performance (Mupani & Chipunza, 2019). The theory identifies a business's internal
resources, core competencies, and distinctive capabilities as necessary to formulate
resource strategies to achieve critical organizational outcomes (Beamish & Chakravarty,
2021; Zubac et al., 2010). The theory regards an organization's internal resources as
crucial to positive business performance. One reason the RBT is essential for small
businesses is its focus on the internal environment of a business to manage business
uncertainties rather than merely capitalizing on the business opportunities presented by
the turbulent external environment (Barney et al., 2021).
However, the RBT framework does not explain how SMEs develop and deploy
resources to gain a competitive advantage. In a qualitative study, Barney et al. (2021)
applied the RBT conceptual framework to explain factors that empower SMEs to survive
and grow in highly competitive markets. Barney et al. explored the relationship between
enterprise orientation, resources, and the environment with the growth of SMEs. Barney
et al. used the case study research methodology to study three small firms. The study's
findings indicated that the availability of redundant or slack resources could influence the
growth of SMEs.
The focus on RBT is solely on the internal attributes of a small business, such as
business skills, steady cash flow, and the ability to secure the required capital (Day,
2014). Owusu et al. (2022) argued that small businesses could remain resourceful,
successful, and profitable to sustain their businesses. Thus, the success of small business
practices depends on the owners' efforts to harmonize and sustain the steady flow of
resources for business success. Valuable and irreplaceable resources can make the
organization more efficient and competitive (Botha et al., 2019). A company must have
the necessary resources to compete in the market. The strategies needed to succeed in
business become significant to this research study because future potential small business
owners might benefit from the findings.
Transition
Section 1 provided a summary of the foundation of the study and the background
of the problem. Section 1 introduced the significance around the concept of business
sustainability of small business owners. The literature review section provided
information on small business enterprises, small business owners, business sustainability
and ST. Section 2 includes the project, purpose statement, role of the researcher,
participants, research method and design, population and sampling, and ethical research. I
concluded Section 2 with information on data collection instruments, data collection
technique, data organization technique, data analysis, reliability and validity, and
transition and summary.
Section 2: The Project
Introduction
In Section 2, I review my role as the researcher, the participants’ criteria for
eligibility, and how I gathered information. I explain the use of the qualitative
multiplecase study design and justify the plan I used to reach data saturation.
Additionally, I restate the purpose of the study and discuss research method and design,
including population and sampling, ethical procedures, data collection instruments, data
collection techniques, data organization techniques, data analysis, and reliability and
validity. Section 3 includes the presentation of findings, applications to professional
practice, implications for social change, recommendations for action, recommendations
for further research, reflections, and conclusion.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of the qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies SME
owners use to sustain their business operations beyond 5 years. The study population
consisted of five SME owners at fashion retailers in Northcentral Texas who had
successfully sustained their company for more than 5 years. I used the purposive
sampling method to obtain five participants from the target population. The data sources
for the study include interviews with participants and document reviews of financial
reports from the organizations involved in the study.
Role of the Researcher
I was the primary instrument for data collection in this qualitative study. Yin
(2018) confirmed that the researcher is the focal instrument in a qualitative study. The
data collection for this study involved (a) the use of multiple sources of evidence; (b)
creation of a case study database; (c) maintenance of a chain of evidence; and (d) the
exercise of reliability in using data from electronic sources of evidence, such as social
media, as identified by Yin. Yin identified sources of data collection such as (a)
interviews, (b) direct observation, (c) participant observation, (d) focus groups, (e)
company document analysis, (f) archival analysis, and (g) reflective journal.
I developed six interview questions grounded in the conceptual framework. My
intention was that the responses to interview questions would provide data to answer the
research question stated in Section I. Saunders et al. (2018) recommended eight to 10
questions as sufficient questions for a case study design. As the researcher in this study, I
selected participants who had experience and training as SME owners, arranged interview
appointments, and synthesized the information for further member checking on the study.
I used the registered small business website in the United States
(https://www.zoominfo.com). I used the business registration report available on the
website to identify five SME fashion owners in Northcentral, Texas. SMEs that operated
for more than 5 years were my focus. I sent a letter of expression of interest (see
Appendix C) to all the identified SME owners. I obtained the consent of the five SME
owners by having them sign a consent form. I scheduled a Zoom interview for the five
owners, in which I asked questions using the interview protocol (see Appendix B). The
Zoom interview was auto recorded and transcribed for data analysis.
Because they serve as the main instrument of their study, a qualitative researcher
should consider the possibility of researcher bias. Researchers should have a systematic
method of interpreting the data collected without introducing biasness (Berger, 2015;
Dasgupta, 2015). One problem is researcher prejudice factors that can prevent researchers
from obtaining unbiased findings (Berger, 2015; Yin, 2018). Keeping in mind one's
potential biases is crucial. I considered and used evidence-based strategies to lessen the
potential for bias, such as avoiding closed-ended or prejudicial questions in the interview
process. Although having a personal lens may be inevitable, taking basic precautions
might lessen its negative impacts.
Yates and Leggett (2016) stated that there are numerous strategies to reduce
prejudice in research. To reduce any potential for personal bias, I made sure that the
procedure utilized to collect semistructured interview responses and to organize, analyze,
and interpret data was transparent. I used an interview protocol that contained the same
interview questions for all the participants. The participants were people with whom I did
not have any personal or business relationship. The study's observations and other
components are reliable and accurate, I believe. It was necessary to adhere to a
trustworthy interviewing procedure that was thorough, simple to comprehend, and
address every facet of the research topic to guarantee that the information gathered
satisfied the study goals and was of high quality (see Yeong et al., 2018). As a result, a
similar technique such as audio recording was used for the semistructured interviews.
Semistructured interviews were a key source of data in this study. A researcher
who uses this data source must also ensure that the participants' opinions are truthful,
reliable, and well-expressed (Burkholder et al., 2019). Reflexivity, or the act of being
critical of oneself, and member checking, or the obtaining of participant input on data
analysis, are further techniques for reducing researcher bias (Burkholder et al., 2019).
The extra precautions reduced the danger and outcome of researcher bias, I believe. I
strictly adhered to ethical guidelines and avoided preconceived notions during the
interview process and beyond (see Yu et al., 2014). I respected the confidentiality of each
participant and complied with the ethical standards for research involving human
participants outlined in the Belmont Report (U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, 1979). The principles of respect, benevolence, and justice in the Belmont Report
required that participants clearly understood the intent of the research and its potential
risks or benefits and that they voluntarily consented to participate in the study.
Bias may affect the reliability and validity of a qualitative research. To reduce
bias, I did the following:
1. Asked consistent questions across all interviewees using the interview
protocol.
2. Kept detailed records of all interviews.
3. Incorporated data in the study in separate folders.
4. Synthesized finding from the original source, the Zoom transcribed document,
and note-taking.
5. Requested company documents that corroborated participants’ statements.
6. Conducted member checking.
Member checking is the researcher’s interpretation of the interviewee’s responses. It
provides maximum benefit for reliability and validity and is preferable to transcript
review. Member checking in this study involved (a) conducting the initial interview, (b)
interpreting what the participant shared, and (c) sharing the interpretation with the
participant for validation. I used member checking to ensure the participants’ thoughts
aligned with the emerging themes.
Participants
The population included five SME owners at fashion design organizations in
Northcentral Texas who had successfully implemented strategies sustaining their
businesses beyond 5 years. Through the public domain website, I identified five
participants who were SME owners and who had founded their businesses within the
fashion industry in Northcentral Texas. I adhered to the Walden University Institutional
Review Board’s (IRB) guiding principles and research protocol identified in the Belmont
Report. The inclusion criteria for recruitment were as follows: (a) SME owner, (b)
operated business beyond 5 years, (c) have a verifiable website, and (d) business located
at Northcentral Texas.
Yin (2018) suggested screening participants to verify eligibility by using existing
documentation or well-informed persons. I contacted my potential candidates through
telephone and email as obtained from their website. In the initial contact, I introduced
myself and explained the reason for the contact and discussed the potential participant’s
interest and qualification criteria. I then inquired if the candidate was willing to
participate in a voluntary interview. I sent an expression of interest letter through their
email and fixed an appointment after receiving positive feedback of their willingness to
participate in the data collection process. I interviewed the participants through the Zoom
meeting and followed up to find out if there was any documentation to support some of
the claims as contained in the inclusion criteria.
Research Method and Design
The three research methods are (a) qualitative, (b) quantitative, and (c) mixed methods
(Strijker et al., 2020). The qualitative method is appropriate to explore individual and
group understanding by collecting data pertaining to participants' experiences (Moser &
Korstjens, 2018). A qualitative researcher uses semistructured interviews, document
analysis, focus groups to gain an in-depth understanding of a phenomenon (Maher et al.,
2018). I used the qualitative method for this study because I identified and explored
common themes and extracted data from the participant’s natural environment by asking
what and how questions.
Research Method
Quantitative researchers measure variables and test hypotheses for examining
variable characteristics, relationships, or group differences to address the research
question (Tecun et al., 2018). I did not need to test hypotheses to identify relationships
among variables; therefore, the quantitative method does not answer my research
question. Yin (2018) noted that the mixed-method researcher uses qualitative and
quantitative aspects in the same study. I did not use mixed-method research because I did
not need the quantitative aspect to address my research question.
Research Design
The three principal qualitative designs I considered are: (a) case study, (b)
phenomenological, and (c) ethnographic (Yin, 2018). I used the case study design for this
study. According to Yin (2018), a case study is an empirical inquiry used to investigate
contemporary phenomenon within real-life context, especially when the boundaries
between phenomenon and context are not clear. Researchers use the phenomenological
design to understand the personal meaning of participants' lived experiences related to
the study purpose (Yin, 2018). The phenomenological design was not appropriate for this
research, as I focused on the personal meanings of individuals who share the same
experience. Keränen and Prior (2019) noted that researchers use the ethnographic design
to immerse in and explore the culture of groups of people in their natural settings over a
prolonged time. The ethnographic design was not suitable for this study because
understanding groups' cultures did not address my research question. I chose a
multiplecase study design to explore a phenomenon bounded by place and time.
Although with a single-case study, my focus was on one specific organization, I
conducted a multiple-case study to focus on multiple groups to provide more extensive
descriptions and explanations of the phenomenon, thereby potentially improving the rigor
and reliability of my findings by comparing results across the cases.
Case studies are the preferred strategy researchers employ when asking how or
what questions (Amerson, 2011; Yin, 2009). The studies identify operational links among
events over time (Baxter & Jack, 2015; Yin, 2009). Case studies may be exploratory,
explanatory, or descriptive and may involve one organization and location or multiple
organizations and locations for a comparative case study (Amerson, 2011; Stake, 2006;
Yin, 2009). Hancock et al. (2021) opined that the case study design is one of the most
widely used methods due to its flexibility and opportunity to use company documents as
data. The multiple-case study design was appropriate for this study because in-depth
insight was required.
Data Saturation
Saunders et al. (2018) described data saturation to mean the instant in which
additional data collection yields little or no alteration in the recorded themes or codes.
Attaining data saturation will significantly impact the quality and content validity of the
research study. Data saturation is about the depth and breadth of the data rather than the
numbers (Saunders et al., 2018). The researcher should choose the sample size that
provides the best opportunity to reach data saturation. Yin (2018) suggested that a
population sample size of two to 10 participants may be sufficient to explore a
phenomenon within a clear conceptual framework. In this study, I proposed five
participants.
While data saturation may occur when analyzing the data attained from the
interviews, the probability of achieving data saturation increases when exploring
secondary sources such as a document analysis (Onwuegbuzie & Byers, 2014). Saunders
et al. (2018) indicated that researchers use numerous strategies to achieve data saturation.
One such strategy is to continue additional interviews with more respondents until no
new data are revealed. Another approach for reaching data saturation may involve the
member-checking technique, where each participant receives a summary of their
interview, and the participants are requested to endorse the accuracy of the synthesis
(Saunders et al., 2018). By analyzing, synthesizing, and verifying any new information
gathered during the member-checking process, the researcher engages in an iterative
process of data collection and member checking until no novel data appear (Saunders et
al., 2018). I selected five participants to reach data saturation and answer the research
question. I collected data from interviews, observations, and a review of financial
documents that address the decision-making strategies of small retail business leaders
with sustainability over 5 years.
Population and Sampling
I conducted a qualitative study and incorporated semistructured interviews,
document review, and note-taking to obtain a representative sample from a targeted
population. Majid (2018) suggested that researchers use sampling strategies to reach the
targeted population. Researchers use probability and nonprobability as two sampling
techniques in carrying out studies (Sharma et al., 2021). Probability sampling is a
scientific method of obtaining a representative sample out of a targeted population, which
is used to construct valid statistical inferences for a target population (Sharma et al.,
2021). When using probability sampling, researchers use random techniques to collect
participants from the targeted population (Sakshaug et al., 2019).
Researchers recruit individuals in the population differently to be selected for the
interview process (Rafail, 2018). Researchers develop research samples based on the
study participants' features (Rafail, 2018). Rafail (2018) found that nonprobability entails
the researcher's subjective judgment, which could be biased because of the subjective
nature of responses. The ideal participants for the study could be omitted using the
nonprobability technique. When using nonprobability sampling selection, the researcher
knows the research participants, which may lead to data collection bias (Wang, 2018).
Some organizations use nonprobability sampling for research because of its
straightforward nature to execute (Ames et al., 2019). I used nonprobability sampling
because it aligns with the purpose of the study. Some of the nonprobability sampling
researchers use include: (a) convenience sampling, (b) purposive sampling, and (c)
snowball or chain sampling (Ames et al., 2019). The convenience sampling technique
involves available and willing participants in the study (Riley et al., 2019).
Although the convenience sampling technique is easy to use, its disadvantage is
that it does not ensure a reasonable representation sample (Ames et al., 2019). The
snowball sampling technique is a convenient sampling technique that qualitative
researchers use when much effort is needed to access participants with the target qualities
that only existing participants can identify in the subsequent participants (Riley et al.,
2019). With snowball sampling techniques, researchers allow active research participants
to select future participants due to their relations with them, which increase the chances
of including new participants among the number of participants in the study (Riley et al.,
2019). The snowball sampling technique may be suitable for this study since identified
leaders can share their experiences and make referrers to suitable participants. The
disadvantage of using snowballing is the fact that the findings of the study may be
affected by unexpected challenges, such as unnecessary pressure in recruiting participants
(Fuchs et al., 2018).
The purposive sampling technique is the deliberate choice of a participant due to
the qualities the participants possess, such as ranks, experiences, or geographical location
(Ames et al., 2019). Purposive sampling entails the researcher determining what
information is required and putting in place a system to find people who can and are
willing to supply it based on their expertise and experiences (Ames et al., 2019). In
purposive sampling, researchers choose participants based on the information they are
most likely to supply in response to the questions (Yin, 2018). For this study, I used the
purposive sampling technique to select the participants who meet the criteria, such as: (a)
SME owner, (b) operated business beyond 5 years, (c) apparent success to have a
verifiable website and (d) business located at Northcentral Texas.
Using the inclusion criteria, I identified participants from Northcentral Texas from
their website to identify who could be included as a participant. Purposive sampling is the
most appropriate sampling method for this study because I interviewed individuals who
have successfully implemented strategies that have sustained their businesses beyond 5
years. As the researcher in this study, I created the criteria that permit the successful
collection of data and ensure data saturation. In qualitative research, sample size depends
on the researcher's intention to explore (Moser & Korstjens, 2018). Moser and Korstjens
(2018) recommended that researchers evaluate the study's context to determine the
appropriate sample size.
Stake (2006) explained that multiple-case studies would have limited benefits if
fewer than four cases are chosen, while more than 10 cases may yield better results. I
interviewed five participants until data saturation was reached. Saunders et al. (2018)
inferred that data saturation is achieved when no new data or new themes emerge during
the data collection. After the initial interview of five participants, I did not recruit more
participants and perform new interviews since I achieved data saturation by the lack of
appearance of new themes or codes. Due to the potential for uncertainty regarding the
point at which data saturation is achieved, qualitative researchers need to focus more on
providing evidence of achieving data saturation than on concerns regarding the point at
which saturation will occur (Yin, 2018).
Throughout the study, I focused on providing evidence of achieving data
saturation. The procedure I adopted includes completing the initial interview, interpreting
what the participants said, and sharing the interpretation with the participants for
validation. The interview was via the Zoom videoconferencing tool. According to Stake
(2006) and Yin (2018), a suitable environment for conducting interviews is one in which
the participants are not constrained or uncomfortable. The interviews were conducted
using the Zoom videoconferencing tool, which ensured a peaceful, private, and
interruption-free environment, improving the quality of the encounter.
Ethical Research
In the process of designing and conducting research engaging human data, the
researcher must consider the principles of ethical conduct (Kaewkungwal & Adams,
2019). As the instrument of this study, I ensured and respect that: (a) participants privacy
was protected, (b) participants were protected from harm, and (c) the participant’s
informed consent was received. Yin (2018) noted the importance of the consent form and
recommended that researchers obtain consent to maintain and respect research ethics. I
requested and received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) from Walden
University before engaging in data collection, with the approval number 02-15-23-
0611697.
I also completed the human subjects training offered through the Collaborative
Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) as illustrated in Appendix D. Researchers
need to follow rigorous procedures to protect human dignity and rights. These include
heeding informed consent regulations and applying the principles outlined in the Belmont
Report (National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and
Behavioral Research, 1979). The main concern in this doctoral study regarding the
recommended informed consent form guaranteed that the risk that participants may face
was minimized. The IRB is required to supervise any research involving human subjects
to attain the subject’s safety and privacy and to sustain the study process at the highest
level (Biros, 2018). In human subjects, ethical research involves informed consent, which
is a method to secure ethical rights for potential participants by researchers seeking to
gain the participant’s authorization or refusal to engage in research before conducting any
data collection (Biros, 2018). Reid et al. (2018) explained that informed consent is a legal
policy and contractual agreement between the public and researchers. The informed
consent form is designed to document records of the researchers’ intention of securing the
confidentiality and integrity of participants' identities (Broesch et al., 2020).
The informed consent form includes: (a) the purpose statement of the study, (b)
the topic under study, (c) the researchers’ information, (d) the procedure of the study, (e)
possible risk and benefits of the study, (f) voluntary nature of the study, researcher’s
document retention and security for privacy disclosure, and (g) disclosure statements
such as gift, payment or refunds, and the statement of consent (Abaunza & Romero,
2014). As part of this ethical process, I gave a detailed explanation of the research study,
the role of the researcher, the inclusion criteria, the strategies to protect the identity of the
participants, and the confidentiality of the participants. Voluntary participation was
required for this research study with no coaxing, and at any time, participants can
withdraw if the participant wishes to do so, as contained in the consent form.
I ensured the confidentiality of participants by using pseudonyms such as P1, P2,
P3, P4, and P5 to represent each of the five participants in this study, where P1- P5
represent Participant one to five. For the safety of the research recordings and electronic
documents, I stored them on a personal computer with a secret password and encrypted
Cloud drive format to protect them from any form of natural hazard. Moreover, I used the
shredding machine to destroy any form of hard copy data and terminally delete all
recording and electronic documents with Cloud drive data removal software 5 years after
the research is completed. As part of ethical consideration, researchers must introduce
themselves to the participants (Martínez-García et al., 2019). I introduced myself to the
participants by providing detailed information regarding my background, the topic, the
purpose of the study, explanation of the study content, informed content and responding
to participants’ concerns to guarantee their confidentiality and protection. In qualitative
research, participants must be allowed to read and ask questions concerning the informed
consent document before signing to accept to participate and approve the use of data
recording instruments during the interview process (Newington & Metcalfe, 2014). I
followed all the rules of engagement to ensure that ethical practice was respected. The
participants were informed that they can withdraw at any time.
Data Collection Instruments
The researcher is the primary data collection instrument in a research study
(Kandade et al., 2021). I was the data collection instrument in this study. Researchers use
different methods such as semistructured interviews, focus groups, and examining
company documents, such as date of registration, location of business, and size of
business to collect data in qualitative research (Yin, 2018). In qualitative research, using
numerous data sources such as reviewing a company report, interviews, and observations
would enable researchers to compare present and past data and triangulate data
(Hilkenmeier et al., 2020). Researchers must select the most suitable data collection
method to achieve the purpose of the study (Yin, 2018). I carried out in-depth
semistructured interviews using the interview questions (see Appendix B), but I adopted
some flexibility regarding follow-up questions to the participants to give detailed
spontaneous narratives and descriptions.
In this study, I reviewed the following documents to validate the participants'
interview responses: (a) records, such as evidence of SME ownership and operation of
business beyond 5 years; (b) internal meeting notes; (c) and websites. The variety of data
sources reflects the case study approach I used. As Yin (2018) stated, use of the case
study design enables researchers to collect data through interviews, observations,
documents, archival records, and physical artifacts. A researcher should consider the
types of documents and how organizational leaders use documents in their business
activities (Yin, 2018). In the interviews, I used an interview protocol (see Appendices A
and B). This is an essential tool that provides details of the interview process and fosters
trustworthiness in a qualitative study. An interview protocol encompasses the wording of
interview questions, details on the data collection process, and procedures for ensuring
that participants answer the established questions (Yin, 2018).
Researchers use member checking to validate the credibility, verifiability, and
accuracy of the data collection (Belinfanti & Stout, 2018). If researchers can connect with
and listen to participants during the interview process, they may obtain a deeper
knowledge of their perspective (Belinfanti & Stout, 2018). In qualitative research, the
application of multiple sources of data (data triangulation) can influence data saturation,
ensure data reliability, data validity, and accurate research result (Fusch et al., 2018). To
ensure saturation was reached in the study, l continued to recruit participants until it
became evident that I have achieved data saturation. Reliability is the extent to which a
measurement of a phenomenon provides a stable and consistent result (Carmines &
Zeller, 1979).
Using data from several sources to create a triangulated analysis is essential for
creating a study that is both credible and practical. Making sure that the study's findings
contain only trustworthy and correct data is essential. A researcher can employ
triangulation in several ways to improve study dependability. Multiple approaches or
sources used in triangulation help to lessen the impact of researcher bias (Burkholder et
al., 2019). Methodological triangulation entails collecting data using several different
techniques (Mills et al., 2010). The sources used to gather information from study
participants may include interviews, archival materials, journals, observations, and data
from government organizations.
Reliability in qualitative research is the ability of the researcher to produce
consistent outcomes in the analytical processes. Reliability enables the researcher to
ensure the credibility of their data finding (Srivastava & Misra, 2014). Kennedy et al.
(2019) explained that the dependability, credibility, conformability, and transferability of
research results in qualitative research validate the study. To obtain validity, researchers
ensure that their research findings are correct and match the facts (Silva et al., 2020). To
ensure reliability, I collected data from multiple sources to provide evidence and ensure
that all participants review my interpretations of the interviews to achieve validity.
Data Collection Technique
I commenced data collection as soon as I received the IRB approval (# is 02-
1523-0611697). Using the inclusion criteria such as (a) SME owner, (b) operated
business beyond 5 years, (c) apparent success to have a verifiable website, and (d)
business located at Northcentral Texas, I contacted 25 participants, through company
website that falls into this category with the letter of expression of interest (see Appendix
C). I used an interview protocol (see Appendices A and B) to administer the interview
process. Contacting the pool of potential participants included sending an email that
included the study's objective and an informed consent request. Five responded as
accepted, 20 did not respond to the email, and none rejected the invitation. After
obtaining consent, the researcher scheduled Zoom audio-recorded appointments with
participants. There was no need for requesting for permission as these individuals
represented their respective organizations. The researcher acknowledges that participants
received no form of incentive.
Yin (2018) appraised that collecting data involves gathering information from
research participants. A researcher must determine the best method to collect data in a
qualitative research study (Yin, 2018). Researchers collect rich and in-depth data to
answer research questions through data collection techniques and interview protocol
(Helgeson et al., 2021). The most common approach for collecting data among
participants includes in-depth interviews, note-taking, document review, participant’s
observation, and audio recordings (Fusch et al., 2018).
The data collection technique I adopted consist of semistructured interview and
review of company’s documents documentation. I used a semistructured interview format
in this study because it is the most appropriate method of obtaining rich data on
participants’ experiences. Researchers employ semistructured interviews due to the
available use of already developed questions to ensure clarification of responses from
participants (Yin, 2018). The advantage of using semistructured interviews is that
researchers can use a comfortable setting to execute interviews with participants
(Wiseman et al., 2019).
I used the expression of interest form (see Appendix C) to invite potential
participants to signify their interest in participating in this study. I then sent the informed
consent: If you feel you understand the study and wish to participate, please indicate your
consent by replying to this email with the words, ‘I consent’. I conducted Zoom
interviews and ensured that the company documents of the selected participants are
received for validation. The documents included: (a) records of company existence, (b)
notes of meetings, (c) checklists, and (d) websites. The records of company’s existence
were verified through the letter of incorporation as shown during the interview meeting
and was verified through the corporate affairs commission (CAC) website
(https://www.cac.gov.ng), confirming the registration of the companies. The documents
which were proprietary information served as evidence of business ownership and
evidence of business operation beyond 5 years. An interview serves as the primary data
collection method in a qualitative study (Lo Giudice et al., 2019).
I used an interview protocol (see Appendix B) to administer the interview process.
The steps involve contacting the pool of potential participants through email and
communicating the purpose of the study. I scheduled a Zoom meeting with the
participants to discuss the study purpose. The recording was with iPhone 14 Zoom
recording functionalities that allow access to record the interview. I ensured that selected
participants are given an informed consent through email and to all the participants. Each
participant received a copy of the research questions to ensure familiarization and address
their concerns. Structured, unstructured, and semistructured are the essential methods
researchers use to conduct interviews (Lo Giudice et al., 2019). A structured interview is
used when researchers want to achieve a broader sample of participants (Yin, 2018). In a
structured interview, the participants do not have the opportunity to explore interview
questions in detail (Yin, 2018).
In qualitative research, researchers could use unstructured interviews with no
format but open-ended questions (D. C. Zhang et al., 2018). D. C. Zhang et al. (2018)
stated that unstructured interviews allow the researcher and participant to discuss during
the interview, resulting in more time. An unstructured interview is unsuitable for this
study because researchers and participants can divert attention from the main topic.
Researchers explicitly ask questions regarding elements of the study using semistructured
interviews (Barrett & Twycross, 2018). In this study, I used semistructured interviews to
collect data.
Using a semistructured interview enabled the researcher to capture significant
aspects of the study and allowed flexibility for research participants to share their
personalities and perspectives in the interview discussion (Barrett & Twycross, 2018).
After obtaining permission to record from the participants, I used iPhone 14 audio
recorder during the virtual interview process. The interview questions attached to the
protocols (see Appendix B) entail seven open-ended questions. To ensure accuracy in this
study, I provided interpretations of the interview data to each participant to assure the
authenticity and approve the validity and accuracy of the responses gathered during the
interview. None of the participants made any changes to the transcript, as they all
confirmed the true position of the transcript. The transcript represented what the
participants said verbatim.
Data Organization Technique
The data collection instruments used in this qualitative multiple-case study
include in-depth, semi-structured interviews and the review of the interviews.
Researchers increase the accuracy of their research by collecting data through several
techniques, various sources of information, and using different methods to analyze the
data (Abdalla et al., 2018). Researchers use several data organization techniques such as
attaching labels to participants’ responses on audio-recordings of interviews to safeguard
the originality of the data collected (Khan et al., 2019). The technique to collect data in
qualitative research is important for researchers because of the significant role to analyze,
review, and report interview results accurately because it involves human elements (Yin,
2018).
In this study, I used pseudonyms name such as P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 to represent
the one to five participants. For each interview question, I created a file in Microsoft
(MS) Word and Excel documents to categorize and label transcribed data. I identified
themes using code numbers to analyze and interpret data for effective data organization.
NVivo is a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software commonly used by
researchers to organize data in qualitative research (Livera et al., 2019). The advantage of
using NVivo software is that it enables researchers to retrieve and manage data promptly
for analysis. I used NVivo 12 software to organize the outcome of the interviews into
themes or categories using thematic techniques. In a qualitative study, researchers are
required to store transcribed recorded interviews data of participants in a safe place such
as a personal password-protected and encrypted Cloud drive for the confidentiality of
participants and to keep it safe from fire and any natural hazards (Swarnakar et al., 2021).
The feedback of each interview was created and sent to the participants for review and
feedback to gain information. The assigned alphanumeric code for participants includes:
P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 to protect participants confidentiality during the data collection
and analysis process.
I stored the raw data of interviews, note taken, document review in a confined
security cabinet at home for 5 years to comply with Walden University Institutional
Review Board (IRB) requirement. From the participant’s privacy and confidentiality
perspective, I secured data from the interview on hard copy, which I lock in a metal
cabinet in a private room. I stored the electronic data collected in this research in a
Google cloud technology and USB flash drive with a secret password. I will delete all
electronic data and use a shredding machine to destroy all hard copy files after 5 years.
Data Analysis
Data analysis is an important stage in qualitative research (Raskind et al., 2019).
Concepts such as ST, and Six Sigma was analyzed based on the data received from
participants during the interview process. Data analysis is a process of developing data
from participants and other sources to determine primary themes, patterns, and
descriptions that provide answers to the study's research question (Yin, 2018).
Methodological triangulation uses different data collection methods like interviews,
observations, and reviews of company documents to ensure rich, reliable, and
trustworthiness of research findings (Fusch & Ness, 2015). Using methodological
triangulation in research can help researchers to ensure that biases that arise from using a
single method of data collection are overcome (Noble & Heale, 2019). For this data
analysis, I used methodological triangulation to compare raw data from interviews with
data from the notes taken and documents reviewed. In seeking access to documents,
researchers require legitimacy in line with the prevailing practice of the institution or
relationship that exist (Alexander & Smith, 2018). The procedure of methodological
triangulation is suitable for reinforcing data verification validity, and to achieve
conformability (Yin, 2018). After the data collection using semistructured interviews,
document reviews and field notes, and transcription, a researcher analyzed data for the
study (Moser & Korstjens, 2018; Raskind et al., 2019).
After the five participant’s semistructured interviews, document reviews (records
of company existence, notes of meetings, checklists, and websites), and field notes
(keywords written during the interview) were completed, I transcribed the interview and
commenced data analysis. I began immediately after the last participant was interviewed.
I used Yin’s (2018) five-step data process to analyze data for emergent themes and
patterns. Yin (2018) explained the following five steps to analyze data in qualitative
research: (a) compilation, (b) disassemble, (c) reassembling, (d) interpreting, and (e)
review the data to conclude. The compiling involves organizing data to create a database
(Yin, 2018). Based on their similarities, I labelled and compiled data by grouping
information from interview transcripts, document review, and notes from the interview
process. I created a centralized database for all information collected and uploaded them
into NVivo 12 software to code, organize, and interpret the data.
Researchers use NVivo software to achieve data analysis through coding and
eliminating systematically collated data from interviews (Livera et al., 2019). The NVivo
software 12, assist researchers to store and code data as well as help in the preservation of
participant’s confidentiality. The second step of the disassembling procedure was the next
step in data analysis, which breaks down the compiled data into narrative segments (Yin,
2018). Researchers repeat interpretation that may enable the researcher to recompile the
database differently (Yin, 2018).
The third step of data analysis was reassembling. The codes, to which each
concept in phase two is mapped, form into context with each other to create themes
(Castleberry & Nolen, 2018). A theme captures some vital information about the data
concerning the research question and represents some level of patterned response within
the data set (Castleberry & Nolen, 2018). I grouped data segments with related codes to
identify themes in this phase of data analysis. I used Nvivo 12 to validate that the
groupings of data are consistent with the raw data by establishing inter-coder reliability.
The fifth and last step of data analysis explained by Yin is reviewing the data to
conclude. The step calls for concluding the entire study after data review is done and the
researcher accesses the data connection to the research question (Yin, 2018). To simplify
the data analytical process, Yin (2018) suggested using NVivo software. NVivo is a
beneficial tool that enables researchers to identify essential themes, mind mapping, and
coding in a study (Sotiriadou et al., 2014). Zamawe (2015) considered NVivo software as
a tool that enables researchers to save time and reduce human errors that are likely to
occur during manual coding and theme selection. Weighing the advantages and the
disadvantages of data analysis tools, I used NVivo 12 to collect and analyze data
effectively.
The conceptual framework on RBV and research question relates to the strategies
that SME owners use to sustain business operations. This study's data analysis focusses
on discovering new themes and correlating the findings with the literature review. The
conceptual framework employed to explain the organizational activities of SME growth
and survival strategies beyond 5 years after startup includes holistic perspectives of the
ST and DMAIC (Ashby, 1958; Drack et al., 2007; von Bertalanffy, 1950). I applied the
data triangulation structure to develop the patterns and themes, report the findings and
discuss the relationship of the emergent themes to the ST model for the small business
model and the literature.
Reliability and Validity
The significant elements of reliability and validity are dependability, credibility,
transferability, member checking, and confirmability in qualitative research (Houghton et
al., 2013). Pietilä et al. (2020) considered that researchers confirm the validity of research
in qualitative research through member checking and methodological triangulation.
Conducting qualitative research requires the assurance of confirmability, credibility, and
trustworthiness of the study that researchers undertake (Pietilä et al., 2020).
Reliability
Reliability is the consistency with which the research finding is obtained
(Andrade, 2018). In qualitative studies, researchers obtain reliability by repeating the
research questions in a similar setting to participants to achieve consistent results
(Starcher et al., 2018). In qualitative research, reliability is when researchers obtain the
same findings using the same method to conduct a study in the future (Starcher et al.,
2018). Researchers agree to the reliability approach to evaluate dependability to reduce
the possibility of research outcome biases (Assarroudi et al., 2018). During data
collection and analysis, researchers must ensure the reliability of the study by repetitively
performing the same data collection and analytical procedure in each case to handle data
to avoid biases (O’Connor & Joffe, 2020).
I made sure I remain unbiased by using member checking to ensure dependability.
Researchers can gain feedback by sharing data with participants to allow them to
provecheck the interpretation made by the researcher (Yin, 2018). I reviewed the
interviews with each participant, transcribe the interview feedback, interpret the
feedback, and allow participants to validate the accuracy and validity of the processed
documentation through the member checking process. After each participant interview,
transcription, audio recording, I conducted member checking to improve the accuracy of
the data collection process. Validity
Validity entails the effectiveness of a research instrument’s function (Andrade,
2018). Internal validity is used to examine whether the way a study’s design allows
trustworthy answers to the research questions (Andrade, 2018). Internal validity examines
whether the approach employed by researchers to conduct, develop, and analyze research
can produce reliable responses to a study issue (Andrade, 2018). To achieve the validity
of a study in qualitative research, researchers need to use the available body of
knowledge (Andrade, 2018). To achieve a study’s credibility and validity, researchers
need to collect data, interpret data, and provide accurate findings of the participant’s view
of the study (Yin, 2018). Researchers can achieve validity by presenting confirmability,
transferability, dependability, and credibility of the study (Lincoln et al., 1985). Member
checking is a strategy used by researchers to explore the accuracy, credibility,
transferability, and validity (Madill & Sullivan, 2018).
I used member checking as a technique to explore the credibility and
dependability of the study results. Another technique that researchers use to achieve
validity in qualitative research is data saturation, which entails the consistency of
participant’s responses (Yin, 2018). Methodological triangulation involves using several
sources of information to validate data from the interview and helps ensure validity in
research (Harriss et al., 2019). Researchers need to achieve data saturation and will
accomplish this if data saturation shows the reoccurrence of the same theme, with no new
ideas appearing (Lowe et al., 2018). In data collection, I continued the interview process
until no new themes emerged in this study.
To ensure transferability, researchers need to explain the nature of the population
and share information about the boundaries of the population to the participant (Andrade,
2018). I used a systematic approach to provide information about the participants and the
location of the study to comply with the transferability requirement. Moreover, I recorded
the procedure and analyzed accurate data to ensure credible research finding. The
participants represented five SME owners at fashion retail organizations in Northcentral
Texas, who have successfully implemented strategies that have sustained their businesses
beyond 5 years.
Regarding confirmability, the data representing the participant’s response had a
detailed description that participants use to explain emerging themes. In qualitative
research, researchers might achieve confirmability by comparing the original data to the
study's conclusion (Yin, 2018). I used a reflective journal or practice an audit trial to help
establish confirmability in this study. Researchers keep reflective journals for future
reference (Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). I confirmed the credibility of this study in several
ways, including the use of data triangulation, semistructured interviews, member
checking, and documentary analysis.
Transition and Summary
Section 2 included a restatement of the purpose statement, the research method
and design, and the justification for eligibility of the participants for this study. I included
the choice and justification of the research method and design. I provided detailed
information regarding the population sample, a detailed discussion of the ethical research,
data collection instrument, data collection technique, data organization, and analysis
focusing on validity and reliability. I continued with the discussion on dependability,
credibility, transferability, data saturation, and confirmability to ensure reliability and
validity. In Section 3 of this study, I briefly introduce and restate the purpose statement.
After introducing the research topic, I provided a detailed discussion on the following: (a)
the findings of the study, (b) the study’s application to business practice, (c) the study’s
implication for social change, and (d) the recommendations based on the result of the
research. I concluded this study by offering suggestions for future research and stating
my reflections.
Section 3: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for Change
Introduction
The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies SME
owners use to sustain their business operations beyond 5 years. The study findings
resulted from interviewing and examining the documents of five SME owners at fashion
retailers in Northcentral Texas who had sustained their company for more than 5 years.
The data sources for the study included interviews with participants and reviews of
documents, such as financial reports, from the organizations involved in the study. After
using methodological triangulation, five themes emerged that are related to strategies that
SME owners use to sustain business operations beyond 5 years: (a) creative innovation
and testing new markets, (b) quality improvement, (c) production hub and training
centers, (d) human relationships, and (e) government support through social change
initiatives. In this section, I provide a comprehensive analysis of the five themes.
Presentation of the Findings
The overarching research question was, what strategies do SME owners use to
sustain business operation beyond 5 years? I conducted semistructured interviews using
an interview protocol (see Appendix B) and reviewed pertinent documents to address the
research question. A total of 25 SME owners of fashion retainers were contacted through
their private website to participate. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) SME
owners, (b) operated business beyond 5 years, (c) apparent success based on information
on their business website, and (d) business located at Northcentral Texas. Of the 25
individuals I contacted, five (20%) accepted the invitation, and 20 (80%) did not respond
to the email; none rejected the invitation.
I collected data from all five participants to ensure data saturation. Saturation is
achieved when no new theme or information is obtained (Fusch et al., 2018). To
methodologically triangulate findings, I collected data by conducting semistructured
interviews and document reviews. Triangulation refers to using multiple methods or data
sources in qualitative research to develop a comprehensive understanding of phenomena
(Abdalla et al., 2018). Data triangulation is crucial to strengthen the validity of the
research and ensure researchers understand and properly analyze the data (Bergen &
Labonté, 2019; Daniel, 2019). Member checking was used to confirm from the
participants that the data collected were the proper responses they intended to say, as
recommended by Marshall and Rossman (2016).
To transcribe the five interviews, I repeatedly played each Zoom recording and
typed out every word I heard. This allowed for identification of codes and common
themes. The common themes were identified using both hand-coding and the NVivo 12
software program. The process of data collection was stopped when no new information
emerged. The process of saturation is achieved when no new theme or data emerge as the
interview process continues (Fusch & Ness, 2015). The emergent themes included (a)
creative innovation and testing new markets, (b) improvement in quality, (c) production
hub and training centers, (d) human relationships, and (e) government support through
social change initiatives (see Table 2).
Table 2
Themes
Theme No. of respondents No. of times participants
addressed themes
Creative innovation and
testing new markets
4 30
Improvement in quality 5 25
Production hubs and
training centers
3 15
Human relationships 5 20
Government support
through social change
initiatives
4 16
Theme 1: Creative Innovation and Testing New Markets
The first theme that emerged from the participants' responses was creative
innovation and testing new markets. Triangulated materials supporting this theme include
the semistructured interviews, supporting evidence provided by the participants, and
analysis of information on business websites. The responses of four of the five
participants were the basis for this theme. This represents 80% of the participant size. P1
stated the following:
In a competitive global environment where organizations have adopted the
concept of flexibility and agility, only companies with a creative mindset
and ability to grow into a new market can remain sustainable. In our
fashion business, we do not imitate trends, rather we improve our research
and development and ask questions to existing and prospective customers
to understand their taste and income level which they intent to spend on
fashion. Based on this information, we expand into new markets with
innovations to satisfy lifestyle.
P2 mentioned the following: “Despite the fact that market look saturated with
beautiful fashion and varieties, only with creative innovative mindset and ability to
identify new markets and the strategy to penetrate, will companies remain in business for
a long time.” P3 and P4 corroborated that high level of creative innovation into a new
market and existing market is a guarantee to business sustainability as strategy. After
manually hand-coding the data, the NVivo 12 software was used to verify the theme,
which revealed a total of four participants sources and 30 references.
P4 further stated that “creative innovation is a continuous process to stay ahead of
competition and discovering the channels to make your products available in demanding
markets is the bedrock of sustainability”. Theme one confirms previous literature such as
Taneo et al. (2020). It is essential that innovative ideas are speedily achieved and
products that enter the market faster have greater opportunities to increase
competitiveness through profit and productivity (Taneo et al., 2020). Taneo et al. (2020)
described creative innovation for competitiveness as the ability of a company to (a) do
something better than others, (b) do something difficult to imitate, (c) do something of
value to customers, (d) do something that is difficult to replace, and (e) do something that
has a greater profit potential than that of competitors.
Moon and Acquaah (2022) categorized innovation into (a) creative innovation, (b)
imitative innovation, and (c) combination innovation. While imitative innovation is the
ability to copy the original innovator’s products attributes, creative innovation is to
reconfigure or recombine the products into a distinctive characteristic (Moon & Acquaah,
2022). Participants responses and previous responses support the theme that using
creative innovation and testing new markets, SME owners in the fashion retailers could
sustain their business operation beyond 5 years. The company’s training documents
reviewed from the five participants indicated that the participants carry out market survey
and testing new markets before launching products. Testing new market was also
revealed on the website as activities carried out periodically. The notes taken during the
interview section also capture some keywords such as sharing questionnaires among new
markets.
Theme 2: Improvement in Quality
The second theme that emerged from the participants responses and data
collection process was improvement in quality. After manually hand-coding the data, the
Nvivo 12 software was used to verify the theme. Triangulated materials such as
semistructured interview, document review and supporting evidence included participant
responses, and public website. The total number of five participants from the five
participants responses resulted in the emergence of the theme. This represents 100% of
the participant size. P1 stated:
Each year we define the business objectives which is followed by market
growth overtime with increased customer base. There is more research,
customer feedback, creating at least 10 new styles annually, more pop-ups,
sales, sourced raw materials widely, improved quality. The quality of
material goes with the cost, and this is mostly done through a pre-advice
of how the cost relate to quality of product. In the fashion retailers such as
our business, quality is both on the texture and the style of finishing. This
is what quality represents to the customers. A quality material that does
not look fitting into the customer’s body is not seem quality. Therefore, the
ability to match quality of material to sowing, is what brings sustainability
and repeat patronage in the fashion world.
P2 mentioned: Quality improvement involves proper training of all staff to know
the essence of quality in retaining customers. P2 also mentioned how they have a central
procurement of fashion material from markets and traders who they have maintained a
long-term relationship with over the years. P3 and P4 repeatedly narrated the importance
of improved quality in fashion business in Texas where the seasons determine the nature
of dressing people use during the season. P4 stated:
During the winter for instance, quality varies when compared to summer
period. The ability for the fashion to meet the peculiarity of the season is
the quality to customers of P4. P4 pointed an instance when demand for
simple dressing increases during the summer while thick cloths are of high
demand during the winter season in Texas. Improvement in delivery is
also put into consideration when examining why customers would remain
and why the business will operate in perpetuity.
P5 stated “improving quality is an annual strategic pillar. This is the one way to
increase customer’s loyalty for the business”. The participants responses that with
improved quality SME owners in the fashion retailers could sustain their business
operation beyond 5 years. After manually hand-coding the data, the Nvivo 12 software
was used to verify the theme, which revealed a total of four participants sources and 30
references.
The second theme on improvement of quality aligns with previous literatures such
as Hellberg and Fauskanger (2022). Hellberg and Fauskanger appraised organizations
that use quality improvement to sustain their organizations. The effects of quality
improvement are not achieved only through the application of various quality tools,
rather, through the collaboration of the individuals concerned and their understanding of
improvement (Hellberg & Fauskanger, 2022). Hellberg and Fauskanger identified some
of the quality improvement method as lean tools, six-sigma, quality management
techniques, and implementation processes theory.
Organizations leaders that had experienced business sustainability used six-sigma
as tool to reduce process variation and enhance process control, while they used lean
concept to reduce waste and promote work standardization and flow. Ershadi et al. (2019)
described the concept of quality to be developed from product-oriented approach to the
user-oriented perspective which is important source of quality competition, and a special
tool for the long-term growth of an organization. Mättö (2019) analyzed the effectiveness
of a quality improvement method as a potential means of innovation, specifically directed
to improve organizational performance and to alleviate problems in organizational
processes which lead to business sustainability. From the documents that were reviewed,
company certification revealed quality measures demonstrated by the participants. The
website and the notes taken revealed that improvement in quality is what the company
pays attention.
Theme 3: Production Hubs and Training Centers
The third theme that emerged from the participants responses and data collection
process was production hubs and training centers. Triangulated materials such as
semistructured interview, document review and supporting evidence included participant
responses, and public website. Three participants from the five participants responses
resulted in the emergence of the theme. This represents 60% of the participant size. P1
stated:
The bulk of the activities at a fashion retailers’ business is production and
training. The ability for your apprentices and staff to replicate your style
for clients who have become your loyalist is important. Once that touch is
maintained, you are sure of positive patronage and referral that would
guarantee business sustainability. Also, employees who consider their
human capacity as a priority for the top management tend to also
demonstrate sense of loyalty to customers and fellow staff. Staff adequate
training has been our strategy to turnover reduction as well as business
sustainability.
P2 and P4 repeatedly mentioned that maintaining a large production hub and
training separate from the product display and marketing unit create a sense of
concentration for the employees as well as lead to effective coordination of employees.
Focusing on the details, such as repeated training in fashion retainers is relevant to sustain
existing market as well as attract new customers. After manually hand-coding the data,
the Nvivo 12 software was used to verify the theme, which revealed a total of three
participants sources and 15 references.
The theme about production hub and training center as a strategy for achieving
sustainable organization aligned with previous literatures. Piantoni et al. (2023) inferred
that while training workers, launching projects aimed at fostering social and economic
results may imply initial cost and investment that may not have fast returns, the long-term
effect of training workers is on the sustainability of the organization. As a result of
increase for customized products from customers in the product complexity and
production process in manufacturing, which requires more complicated and
interdisciplinary decisions, resulting in a long-term impact on organizational growth,
companies are resulting to modularity, flexibility, scalability, agility, and
knowledgebased decision in creating smart factories and production hub to remain
sustainable (Yildiz & Moller, 2021).
Hervas-Oliver et al. (2020) appraised a production hub as a means of providing
sustainable learning culture for an organization, where their brand and style are retained
for the preservation of their values to the customers. While production hub could be
digital or brick and mortar, training is the practice that enhance and improve the workers
to retain what they have learned to produce repeatedly without a regular intervention of
the management (Hervas-Oliver et al. (2020). Participants response and previous
literature supported that having a production hub and training center for fashion retailer is
a strategy that SME owner in the fashion retailers could use to sustain their business
operation beyond 5 years (Yildiz & Moller, 2021). The participants kept training records
especially the training on production and services provided. Several of the terms on
training were captured on the notes taken during the interview.
Theme 4: Human Relationships
The fourth theme that emerged from the participants responses and data collection
process was human relationships. Triangulated materials such as semistructured
interview, document review and supporting evidence included participant responses, and
public website. Five participants from the five participants responses resulted in the
emergence of the theme. This represents 100% of the participant size. P1 stated: Among
all the skills acquired to recruit customers and retain such customers, the greatest of all is
the human relationships that you maintain with your customers. There may be
competitors or even experts that will become better than you or use more sophisticated
machines to make cloths for customers in large quantities and faster than you are. But
with a human relationship on your side, you will remain in business and hand that
business over to the next generation to come.
P2 stated “learning to take complaints as gift is the knowledge towards building a
positive human relation with your customers. The first and most important skills we teach
every staff is that of human relationship; to deal with all customers with dignity”. P3
mentioned that maintaining human relationship with employees further leads to
employees respecting the customers because they will see human relations as a culture of
the organization. P3 added that the leadership of the organization determine the culture of
such organizations, and they define what others emulate. P4 stated:
Many people wonder why we have been in business for half a decade and
still going strong even though we focus on women fashion alone. I tell
them, the ability to manage the female gender for half a decade is the
secret of business longevity. Human relationship and ability to know each
of your customers taste, time management, style, and body language, gives
you an edge over competition. This has sustained us for five years
running.
P5 stated,
Customers are not just king or princess, rather, they are the purpose of the
business. We have had to compete on every other aspect of the business such as cost
minimization, styles, cost reduction, customers identification and acquisition, however,
we take the lead in managing the relationship over our customers. After manually hand-
coding the data, the Nvivo 12 software was used to verify the theme, which revealed a
total of five participants sources and 20 references.
The documents on human resources that also include inter-departmental
communication and knowledge sharing among the departments were spotted among the
documents kept by the participants. On their website were also evidenced activities such
as team bonding and events such as staff forums organized for employees. During the
interview, some keywords that were captured on the notes include, human relations,
employee’s relationship, and inter-departmental support system. The theme on human
relationships aligns with previous literatures; Giertz et al. (2022) discussed that although
consumers favorable human brands can be used to improve corporate brand outcomes,
organization rely deeply on consumers’ relationship with the endorsing human brands.
Gaumer and Shaffer (2018) evaluated that current customers, suppliers, and
employees must receive the attention they deserve to avoid negatively impacting
hardearned organizational brand equity. Failure to nurture supplier’s relationships,
neglecting customers relationships can cause great loss to the organization. An ineffective
management of employee relationship could result in expensive turnover, loss of
customers, and negative word of mouth (Gaumer & Shaffer, 2018). Gaumer and Shaffer
(2018) evaluated the succession plan of businesses and claimed that the ability of an
organization to succeed in the next generation lies on their ability to manage human
relationship effectively, among all stakeholders. Using the participant response and
previous literature, it is inferred that human relationship is a strategy SME owner in the
fashion retailers could use to sustain their business operation beyond 5 years.
Theme 5: Government Support Through Social Change Initiatives
The fifth theme that emerged from the participants responses and data collection
process was government support through social change initiatives. Triangulated materials
such as semistructured interview, document review and supporting evidence included
participant responses, and public website. The total number of four participants from the
five participants responses resulted in the emergence of the theme. This represents 80%
of the participant size. P1 stated:
Irrespective of how much one tries to remain in business, if the
government of the day does not support such business, it becomes difficult
to survive. Taking the green revolution into perspective for instance. If the
government decide to phase out a particular fashion of clothing from their
society, that may have a negative impact in the business of fashion or on
customers who patronize fashion. Also, most of our raw materials are
sourced from African countries. Those countries need to be at peace
before business transaction can take place. Therefore, it is important for
government to support business growth as experienced in the western
world as compared to Africa.
P2 mentioned that in periods such as COVID-19 pandemic, you need more of
government support in Texas to remain in business. When the social distance became
implemented, you hardly could maintain delivering products to customers irrespective of
how perfect the supply chain mechanism you have in place. But with the government
interventions in opening businesses through the use of palliatives, and vaccine, the
business sustainability got restored.
P3 stated:
government interventions through social change help businesses to survive
tough policies in international businesses. Some of us rely on international
patronages to remain in business. Texas is where the products hub exists, but
the marketing and delivery is all over the world. Therefore, the government
policies determine the extent of sustainability. Such policies
as inflation, devaluation, importation and exportation, inclusion list, and
exclusion list of a country, has many ways it affects international business.
P5 mentioned that government factor plays a significant role in business
sustainability. For instance, in Texas, the policies favor startups businesses in terms of tax
and other levies paid to the government. Therefore, one must carefully evaluate the
impact of government policies and interventions. After manually hand-coding the data,
the Nvivo 12 software was used to verify the theme, which revealed a total of four
participants sources and 16 references.
The theme about government support through social change initiatives aligns with
previous literatures. Nurdin et al. (2022) described government role in sustenance of
business is about integrating social, environmental, and economic responsibilities. Part of
government intervention is e-government sustainability which involves the continuous
optimization of service delivery, constituency participation, ongoing monitoring, and
evaluation, sustaining political leadership and government improvement by transforming
internal and external relationships through technology, the internet, and new media
(Nurdin et al., 2022).
Samkin and Wingard (2021) identified stakeholder’s groups that determine the
success of an organization as communities, governmental organizations,
nongovernmental organizations, environmental groups, customers, employees,
shareholders, media, and donors. Samkin and Wingard (2021) analyzed that political
factors must be considered when undertaking social and environmental accounting
research in a developing country context. A decline in government funding can result to
many leaders of organizations re-examining all sources of revenue (Samkin & Wingard,
2021).
Applications to Professional Practice
SME owners of fashion retailers can apply the findings of this study to implement
strategies that assist them in sustaining their business operations in a challenging and
highly competitive environment. Realizing the strategies may ensure long-term
sustainability might help SME owners of fashion retailers and increase customer
satisfaction. Strategies including creative innovation and testing new markets,
improvement in quality, production hub and training center, human relationships, and
government support through social change initiatives are available for SME owners to
sustain business operations beyond 5 years. The marketing and customer relationship
theme allows business owners to build a marketing strategy that directs their limited
resources toward profitable opportunities to increase sales and gain a competitive
advantage. Through networking, small business owners can expand the business,
innovate, and develop relationships across their industry. Even though the focus of this
study is on operations sustainability, sustainability comprises economic sustainability,
which is related to the firm's ability to generate adequate cash flows to maintain liquidity
position; environmental sustainability encompasses the firm's focus on reducing negative
environmental impacts due to business operation and social sustainability which is related
to adding value to society (Latif et al., 2023).
Implications for Social Change
The study's results may contribute to positive social change by providing SME
owners the opportunity to increase their communities' contributions for the betterment of
their citizens. The study's findings could guide SME owners to sustain operations and
create more revenue through taxes, leading to better community services such as better
roads, schools, and other public services. An associated implication for positive social
change from the proposed study could enable business leaders to donate money to
support activities in their local communities and nonprofit charitable organizations. The
social change implications include innovations that could lead to employment and job
creation, quality of products on health and climate change, training for an improved
standard of living, social cultural development, and co-existence.
Recommendations for Action
The intent of the qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies SME
owners use to sustain their business operations beyond 5 years. The study’s findings
resulted from interviewing and examining the document of five SME owners at fashion
retailers in Northcentral Texas who are sustaining their company for more than 5 years.
The data sources for the study include interviews from participants, document reviews,
and financial reports from the organizations involved in the study.
Recommendation 1: Creative Innovation and Business Expansion in African
Countries
SME owners of fashion retailers could adopt creative innovation and business
expansion to African countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and the Gambia, as
these countries share similar cultures in terms of fashion. Some of the participants in
Texas shares similar origins and, therefore, could make their products and services
borderless to sell across countries. By embracing creative innovation, fashion experts
could quickly fill in the gaps in style and cost in African countries and the Western world.
Ye et al. (2021) analyzed innovation as the idea of a creative leader who is not only
visionary but can also articulate their vision in such a way as to incentivize employees to
pursue the articulated vision.
Recommendation 2: Human Relationships as a Key Part of Organizational Culture
SME owners of fashion retailers should inculcate the paradigm of human
relationships into organizational culture. Human relationship is the ability to manage the
human element among all stakeholders. As established in this study, human relationship
is the one element that cannot be delegated or stolen from competitors. Instead, it is found
in the culture of the organizational players, or the absence of it can create a toxic business
environment that has the potential to lead to high staff turnover, customer nonretention,
and complex community relationships. Fashion retailers must invest in training their
employees and everyone in their value chain on the importance of human relations.
Recommendation 3: Maintenance of Favorable Government Relations
SME owners in fashion retailer businesses need to maintain a close alliance with
government agencies and the community for favorable policies. It was revealed in this
study that in times of harsh business environments or uncertain periods such as the
COVID-19 pandemic, only the government rules and policies determine the industry that
remains in business and those that will fail. Piller (2022) described the fashion industry as
the products with the most complex, convoluted, and lengthy supply chain among
manufactured products. A lack of government policy, regulation, incentives, and
infrastructure for collecting, sorting, and recycling textiles can create a significant barrier
to SME owners of fashion retailers (Piller, 2022).
Recommendations for Further Research
In this multiple-case study, I explored strategies SME owners use to sustain their
business operations beyond 5 years. The study findings resulted from interviewing and
examining the document of five SME owners at fashion retailers in Northcentral Texas
who have been sustaining their company for more than 5 years. The recommendation for
practice includes creative innovation, finding new markets for business expansion across
African countries, and human relationships, including managing stakeholders in the
business cycle. The last recommendation is collaborating with the government for
intervention for business continuity.
The current research is about the qualitative methodology, which explores SME
owners' strategies to sustain business operations beyond 5 years. The first
recommendation is that future researchers could adopt quantitative methodologies to
study the relationship between the findings and the business performance of fashion
retailers. Through this study, future researchers can indicate which findings will be worth
pursuing regarding probability and which to drop. The other recommendation is that the
study's number of participants and location should be different. The number of
participants could be increased to 10, and the location should be in African countries.
Changing the location may help future readers to compare the result findings.
Reflections
The doctoral study exposed me to a new vista of learning. It was terrific to start
the new journey when discussions and assignments had deadlines. Adapting to this new
change has given life a new meaning in my academic reasoning. When I commenced the
program, the exchange rate was comfortable between the Naira and the dollar. However,
the exchange rate disparity began to take an upward toll along the line. This new change
in the exchange rate, coupled with the changes experienced in class, tested my resilience
to life. Getting this journey this far is a significant milestone, as I can see the light at the
end of the tunnel.
While in the Doctor of Business Administration program, I gained great insight
into business strategies SME leaders use to sustain business in the United States and
beyond borders. During the data collection, I had significant concerns and made every
effort to minimize bias to the minimum. After obtaining Walden University IRB
approval, the researcher closely followed the interview protocol. A significant challenge
appeared in getting the participants at the data collection stage of the research, however I
overcame this obstacle. Throughout the data collection process, I remained neutral and
attentive to the role while making the interviewees comfortable. This journey enhanced
my critical thinking, research, and writing skills. The achieved skills will be an asset in
future endeavors, including academia and publishing. Walden University provided the
necessary tools and resources to guide me through this qualitative multiple-case research.
Conclusion
The objective of the qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies SME
owners use to sustain their business operations beyond 5 years. The study population
consisted of five SME owners at fashion retailers in Northcentral Texas who have been
sustaining their companies for over 5 years. The data sources for the study include
interviews with participants, document reviews, and financial reports from the
organizations involved in the study. After using methodological triangulation, five
themes emerged which are related to strategies SME owners use to sustain business
operations beyond 5 years: (a) creative innovation and testing new markets, (b) quality
improvement, (c) production hub and training centers, (d) human relationships, and (e)
government support through social change initiatives. The study findings provided
practical recommendations such as creating innovation and expansion, maintaining
human relationships among all stakeholders, and encouraging government support for
business sustainability. These study findings have contributed to scholarship and filled
gaps in the literature on strategies SME owners use to sustain their business operations
beyond 5 years.
