Purpose

The presence of barriers in the supply chain finance (SCF) of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) cripples the productivity and efficiency of SMEs and makes it challenging to execute strategies. SCF barriers can be internal and external which tend to impede the desired performance and profitability of the SMEs. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discern the possible SCF barriers and analyze the criticality of the barriers to understand how they impact on the SMEs market of India.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a novel hybrid approach called best worst method (BWM) to evaluate the discerned barriers. BWM technique is espoused to appraise the SCF barriers, so that the decision-makers can rationally comprehend the reason behind dominance of one barrier over other. Although such an assessment may possibly vary for different industries, that is why proposed approach is generic in nature and can be applied in real-world cases. The robustness of the suggested model is also assessed through sensitivity analysis.

Findings

SCF barriers are identified through extensive literature review and inputs from the industry. The results derived through BWM approach concludes that the “Financial Barriers” are censorious and foremost inhibitors for SMEs to flourish, therefore, require special attention by the top management. Likewise, “Supply and Suppliers Barriers” are ranked second, conversely, “Market and Policy Related Barriers” are found least critical in nature in SMEs of India.

Research limitations/implications

This work is specific to SCF barriers and other barriers have not been touched upon. The study is based on expert panel opinion for seeking information which is restricted to Indian context, as the members of the expert panel belong to same geography.

Practical implications

This research could aid decision-makers and strategists to comprehend the deep-rooted initiatives to achieve a comprehensive implication of SCF across SC network. By assessing SCF barriers, this study helps SMEs to understand their shortfalls and in answering the pertinent question of how to gain excellence in this intensely competitive market.

Originality/value

SMEs are considered as engines of economic development worldwide. India too is striving for increasing the growth and development of SMEs in every aspect, to gain operational excellence, to make profits or employment generation but presence of SCF barriers makes it difficult to achieve this in Indian SMEs. Therefore, it is imperative to analyze the criticality of the SCF barriers to understand how they impact on SMEs market of India. The paper illustrates the modeling of SCF barriers among SMEs using BWM approach, exhibiting how comprehending barriers can improvise productivity and efficiency of the SCs in SMEs.

中文翻译：

---

使用 BWM 框架对印度中小企业的供应链金融 (SCF) 障碍进行建模

目的

中小企业 (SME) 供应链金融 (SCF) 中存在的障碍削弱了中小企业的生产力和效率，并使战略执行具有挑战性。SCF 障碍可以是内部和外部的，它们往往会阻碍中小企业的预期绩效和盈利能力。因此，本文的目的是识别可能的供应链金融障碍并分析障碍的重要性，以了解它们如何影响印度的中小企业市场。

设计/方法/方法

本研究提出了一种称为最佳最坏方法 (BWM) 的新型混合方法来评估识别出的障碍。BWM 技术支持评估 SCF 障碍，以便决策者能够理性地理解一个障碍优于其他障碍的原因。虽然这种评估可能因不同行业而异，但这就是为什么提议的方法本质上是通用的，并且可以应用于实际案例。建议模型的稳健性也通过敏感性分析进行评估。

发现

SCF 障碍是通过广泛的文献回顾和行业投入来确定的。通过 BWM 方法得出的结果得出结论，“财务壁垒”是审查性的，也是阻碍中小企业蓬勃发展的首要因素，因此需要高层管理人员特别关注。同样，“供应和供应商壁垒”排在第二位，相反，“市场和政策相关壁垒”在印度的中小企业中被认为是最不重要的。

研究限制/影响

这项工作特定于 SCF 障碍，其他障碍尚未涉及。该研究基于专家小组的意见，以寻求仅限于印度背景的信息，因为专家小组的成员属于同一地域。

实际影响

这项研究可以帮助决策者和战略家理解根深蒂固的举措，以实现跨 SC 网络的 SCF 的全面影响。通过评估供应链金融障碍，这项研究帮助中小企业了解他们的不足，并回答如何在这个竞争激烈的市场中取得卓越成就的相关问题。

原创性/价值

中小企业被视为全球经济发展的引擎。印度也在努力促进中小企业在各个方面的增长和发展，以实现卓越运营、盈利或创造就业机会，但供应链金融障碍的存在使得印度中小企业难以实现这一目标。因此，有必要分析 SCF 障碍的重要性，以了解它们如何影响印度的中小企业市场。本文说明了使用 BWM 方法对 SME 之间的 SCF 障碍进行建模，展示了理解障碍如何提高 SME 中 SC 的生产力和效率。