Determinants of business sustainability among women micro-entrepreneurs: A study of East Coast Peninsular Malaysia
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Business sustainability is still a major issue for women micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia, as is the case in the East Coast region of the country, where low levels of financial literacy, lack of government support, and less access to digital participation hinder business sustainability. This paper investigates the determinants of business sustainability among women micro-entrepreneurs in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang. Based on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Knowledge-Based View (KBV), it assesses whether financial literacy, entrepreneurial competence, digital inclusion, and government support are related to green knowledge management and business sustainability. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, with responses from 314 women micro-entrepreneurs. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) version 4.1.1.6. The findings reveal that digital inclusion (β = 0.343), government support (β = 0.309), and financial literacy (β = 0.218) significantly influence GKM, while entrepreneurial competence shows no significant effect. GKM demonstrates a significant positive relationship with business sustainability (β = 0.308). These findings support a resource- and knowledge-based interpretation of sustainability outcomes in an understudied group of women-led micro-enterprises. They do not independently establish causal relationships or statistical mediation.
Institutions: Universiti Teknologi MARA System, Universiti Teknologi MARA
Language: English
Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224975893