Purpose

This paper aims to attempt to first examine the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the logistics industry; second, to identify the MSMEs’ perception towards takāful (Islamic insurance); third, to recognise the challenges in the adoption of takāful; and fourth, to suggest strategies to enhance the micro-takāful penetration rate.

Design/methodology/approach

The SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis was used to measure the MSMEs’ competitiveness. Interview sessions were conducted with 13 owners of MSMEs in the logistics industry from the period November 2018 until January 2019 in Selangor, Malaysia.

Findings

The SWOT analysis identified several strengths (e.g. advanced infrastructure, rising number of new entrants and contribution to the local economy), weaknesses (e.g. lack of digital culture and training and a dearth of expertise), opportunities (e.g. supportive government initiatives and evolution of the mobile internet) and threats (e.g. changing customer expectations and limited financing facilities). The MSMEs’ perception towards micro-takāful and challenges in the adoption of takāful were also identified.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides an understanding of the MSMEs’ perception towards micro- takāful products, sheds light on the challenges faced by MSME owners in protecting their businesses from risk exposures and offers strategies to enhance the micro- takāful penetration rate. This study, however, is limited to Malaysia’s experience.

Practical implications

The identification of MSMEs’ SWOT will be useful for these businesses as it provides solid information that can be used to improve business performance while also seeking takāful protection. This paper, other than serving as a guideline for stakeholders in the logistics industry to have a better understanding of their business environment, may also provide useful insights to practitioners and policymakers.

Originality/value

This paper integrates the SWOT analysis into a study on business risk exposure and takāful protection from the MSMEs’ perspective. Hence, the findings could broaden available knowledge on MSMEs, especially for businesses in the logistics industry. The knowledge may also facilitate matters for takāful operators interested in tapping into the market.

中文翻译：

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微型和中小型企业的竞争力和微型化

目的

本文旨在尝试首先检验微型，中小型企业（MSME）在物流行业中的竞争力；第二，找出微小中型企业对感知回教（伊斯兰教保险）; 第三，认识到采用takāful所面临的挑战；第四，提出提高微可可渗透率的策略。

设计/方法/方法

SWOT（优势，劣势，机会和威胁）分析用于衡量MSME的竞争力。从2018年11月至2019年1月，在马来西亚雪兰莪州与物流行业的13家MSME所有者进行了访谈。

发现

SWOT分析确定了多种优势（例如，先进的基础设施，新进入者的数量不断增加以及对当地经济的贡献），劣势（例如，缺乏数字文化和培训以及专业知识的匮乏），机遇（例如，政府的支持性举措和政府的发展）移动互联网）和威胁（例如，不断变化的客户期望和有限的融资设施）。MSME也认识到微型可卡因的认识以及在采用可卡因时的挑战。

研究局限/意义

本文提供了对MSME对微型可卡因产品的看法的理解，阐明了MSME所有者在保护其企业免受风险影响方面面临的挑战，并提供了提高微型可卡因渗透率的策略。但是，这项研究仅限于马来西亚的经验。

实际影响

MSME的SWOT的标识对于这些企业将是有用的，因为它提供了可用于改善业务绩效并寻求塔卡保护的可靠信息。本文除了作为物流行业利益相关者更好地了解其业务环境的指南外，还可以为从业者和决策者提供有用的见解。

创意/价值

本文将SWOT分析整合到了从MSME角度进行的业务风险敞口和takāt保护的研究中。因此，这些发现可以拓宽有关MSME的可用知识，尤其是对于物流行业的企业。这些知识还可以为有兴趣打入市场的伊斯兰教经营者提供便利。