Reducing Obstacles for Small and Medium Enterprises Via Digitalisation: Albania’s Case

Authors

  • Edlira Llazo Department of Marketing, Aleksandër Moisiu University, 2001, 1 Currilave Str., Durres, Albania;
  • Violeta Neza Department of Marketing, Aleksandër Moisiu University, 2001, 1 Currilave Str., Durres, Albania;

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48161/qaj.v4n2a255

Abstract

Within the framework of modern economic science, scientists are increasingly focusing on the role of small and medium-sized enterprises. This is determined by the many benefits they provide for the country’s development. Digitalisation is one of the opportunities that can make these structures function more efficiently. Therefore, an assessment of its possibilities for different countries is still relevant. The assessment was made for Albania in the research. The research aims to show the level of digitalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the country, as well as to provide recommendations for future policy development in this area. The main research methods used in the study were analysis, forecasting, abstraction. The study describes the role of small and medium-sized enterprises in Albania’s economic development and the importance of digitalisation in facilitating their growth. The study also surveyed more than 100 enterprises and based on selected statistics, described the relationship between marketing budget, years of existence and use of social media. The study also focused on the benefits of digital technologies for organisations, such as the automation of internal processes, and improved communication between the company and potential buyers (target audience). The study provides recommendations for further policymaking in small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development based on the identified weaknesses of SME development in Albania. This study contributes new knowledge to the field of entrepreneurship development in countries, small and medium-sized companies. In addition, it provides a better understanding of the peculiarities of the Albanian economy.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Erdin, C., & Ozkaya, G. (2020). Contribution of small and medium enterprises to economic development and quality of life in Turkey. Heliyon, 6(2), e03215.

Zhang, J., Zhao, W., Cheng, B., Li, A., Wang, Y., Yang, N., & Tian, Y. (2022). The impact of digital economy on the economic growth and the development strategies in the post-COVID-19 era: Evidence from countries along the “Belt and Road”. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 856142.

Melo, I. C., Queiroz, G. A., Alves, P. N., Jr., de Sousa, T. B., Yushimito, W. F., & Pereira, J. (2023). Sustainable digital transformation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs): A review on performance. Heliyon, 9(3), e13908.

Musabelliu, M. (2020). Albania economy briefing: Science, technology, R&D and innovation in Albania (or the lack thereof). Weekly Briefing, 32(2). https://china-cee.eu/2020/09/18/albania-economy-briefing-science-technology-rd-and-innovation-in-albania-or-the-lack-thereof/

Hobbs, S., Paparas, D., & AboElsoud, M. E. (2021). Does foreign direct investment and trade promote economic growth? Evidence from Albania. Economies, 9(1), 1.

Ahmetaj, B., Kruja, A. D., & Hysa, E. (2023). Women entrepreneurship: Challenges and perspectives of an emerging economy. Administrative Sciences, 13(4), 111.

Domi, S., Capelleras, J. L., & Musabelliu, B. (2020). Customer orientation and SME performance in Albania: A case study of the mediating role of innovativeness and innovation behavior. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 26(1), 130-146.

Mosavi, H., & Triansyah, F. A. (2023). Digitalization impacts on small businesses: A systematic review. Jurnal Penelitian Ekonomi Manajemen dan Bisnis, 2(2), 194-205.

Amankwah-Amoah, J., Khan, Z., Wood, G., & Knight, G. (2021). COVID-19 and digitalization: The great acceleration. Journal of Business Research, 136, 602-611.

Heinrichs, H., Mueller, F., Rohfleisch, L., Schulz, V., Talbot, S. R., & Kiessling, F. (2022). Digitalization impacts the COVID-19 pandemic and the stringency of government measures. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 21628.

Zancajo, A., Verger, A., & Bolea, P. (2022). Digitalization and beyond: The effects of COVID-19 on post-pandemic educational policy and delivery in Europe. Policy and Society, 41(1), 111-128.

Dethine, B., Enjolras, M., & Monticolo, D. (2020). Digitalization and SMEs’ export management: Impacts on resources and capabilities. Technology Innovation Management Review, 10(4), 18-34.

Buntak, K., Kovacic, M., & Mutavdzija, M. (2020). Application of Artificial Intelligence in the business. International Journal for Quality Research, 15(2), 403-416.

Bahoo, S., Cucculelli, M., & Qamar, D. (2023). Artificial intelligence and corporate innovation: A review and research agenda. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 188, 22264.

Morina, D., & Gashi, P. (2016). The role of SMEs on the economic development: Kosova’s case. SSRN Electronic Journal, 3(5), 167-180.

Herr, H., & Nettekoven, Z. M. (2017). The role of small and medium-sized enterprises in development. Bonn: Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

Tytok, V., Emelianova, O., Galinsky, O., Lysytsia, N., & Malykhin, M. (2022). Organisational and economic tools for managing investment pro-grammes involving construction enterprises through digitalisation. Review of Economics and Finance, 20, 1060-1066.

Shipanga, U., Le Roux, S., & Dubihlela, J. (2022). Operational risk factors and the sustainability of small and medium manufacturing enterprises in South Africa. Insights into Regional Development, 4(4), 126-139.

Sabirova, Z. A., Tashpulatov, S. S., & Parpiev, A. P. (2018). Evaluation of form-resistance of fully-formated semi-finished furniture sewing products with content of polymer composition. Journal of Engineering and Applied Science, 13(23), 10141-10144.

Radicic, D., & Petkovic, S. (2023). Impact of digitalization on technological innovations in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 191, 122474.

Ordov, K., Madiyarova, A., Ermilov, V., Tovma, N., & Murzagulova, M. (2019). New trends in education as the aspect of digital technologies. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 10(2), 1319-1330.

Sinaj, Z., & Vela, F. (2022). The difficulties that exist for start-up and managing an agricultural business in Albania. Review of Economics and Finance, 20, 1295-1307.

Beshir, F. (2022). The ongoing political crises and their impact on micro and small enterprises: a case study of Ethiopia. Insights into Regional Development, 4(3), 48-60.

Kataeva, S. B., Nemirova, L. F., Tashpulatov, S. S. H., Muminova, U. T., & Zhilisbaeva, R. O. (2019). Research of knitted fabrics for daily use thermal fabric. Textile Industry Technology, 383(5), 154-158.

Tashpulatov, S. S., Sabirova, Z. A., Cherunova, I. V., Nemirova, L. F., & Muminova, U. T. (2020). A device for studying the thermophysical properties of bulk textile materials and their packages by the regular mode method in air. Periodico Tche Quimica, 17(34), 940-950.

Butenko, D., Zaslavska, K., & Sheianova, Yu. (2023). Scientific and methodological principles of organizational capital management and its assessment. Economics of Development, 22(3), 52-61.

Telukdarie, A., Dube, T., Matjuta, P., & Philbin, S. (2023). The opportunities and challenges of digitalization for SME’s. Procedia Computer Science, 217, 689-698.

Lupenko, Y., Khodakivska, O., Nechyporenko, O., & Shpykuliak, O. (2022). The state and trends of agricultural development in the structure of the national economy of Ukraine. Scientific Horizons, 25(6), 121-128.

Radavičius, T., & Tvaronavičienė, M. (2022). Digitalisation, knowledge management and technology transfer impact on organisations’ circularity capabilities. nsights into Regional Development, 4(3), 76-95.

Gawel, A., Mroczek-Dąbrowska, K., & Pietrzykowski, M. (2023). Digitalization and its impact on the internationalization models of SMEs. In Artificiality and Sustainability in Entrepreneurship: Exploring the Unforeseen, and Paving the Way to a Sustainable Future (pp. 19-40). Cham: Springer.

Idrysheva, Z., Tovma, N., Abisheva, K.-Z., Murzagulova, M., & Mergenbay, N. (2019). Marketing communications in the digital age. E3S Web of Conferences, 135, 04044. http://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/201913504044.

Chen, T.-C., Ibrahim Alazzawi, F. J., Mavaluru, D., Mahmudiono, T., Enina, Y., Chupradit, S., Al Ayub Ahmed, A., Syed, M. H., Ismael, A. M., & Miethlich, B. (2022). Application of data mining methods in grouping agricultural product customers. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2022, 3942374.

Brodny, J., & Tutak, M. (2022). Digitalization of small and medium-sized enterprises and economic growth: Evidence for the EU-27 countries. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(2), 67.

Makhazhanova, U., Kerimkhulle, S., Mukhanova, A., Bayegizova, A., Aitkozha, Z., Mukhiyadin, A., Tassuov, B., Saliyeva, A., Taberkhan, R., & Azieva, G. (2022). The evaluation of creditworthiness of trade and enterprises of service using the method based on fuzzy logic. Applied Sciences, 12(22), 11515. http://doi.org/10.3390/app122211515

Loi, A. (2023). Identification of investment attraction strategies to increase the economic potential of a trading enterprise. Economics, Entrepreneurship, Management, 10(1), 8-16.

Kalaj, E., & Merko, F. (2021). How digital are Albanian enterprises: A microeconomic analyses. In SCEE’2021 Proceedings (pp. 4-11). Riga: Riga Technical University.

Polishchuk, V., Chomakhashvili, O., Shvets, K., Hafych, I., & Nadiienko, O. (2023). State influence on the formation of legal culture under martial law: The experience of Ukraine. Qubahan Academic Journal, 3(3), 11-21.

Pomperada, J. R. (2022). Human resource information system with machine learning integration. Qubahan Academic Journal, 2(2), 5-8.

Shahini, E., Misiuk, M., Zakhodym, M., Borkovska, V., & Koval, N. (2023). Analysis of the economic efficiency of growing pigs for meat and its improvement. Scientific Horizons, 26(6), 110-120.

Omarkhanova, Z. M., Niyazbekova, S. U., Varzin, V. V., Kerimkhulle, S. Y., & Nurekenova, E. S. (2022). Financial provision of the agro-industrial complex of Kazakhstan: Problems and solutions. In E. G. Popkova, & B. S. Sergi (Eds), Sustainable Agriculture. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes (pp. 27-32). Springer: Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1125-5_4.

Hussien, A. Y. (2022). Review on social media and digital security. Qubahan Academic Journal, 2(2), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.48161/qaj.v2n2a137.

Published

2024-06-19

How to Cite

Llazo, E. ., & Neza, V. (2024). Reducing Obstacles for Small and Medium Enterprises Via Digitalisation: Albania’s Case. Qubahan Academic Journal, 4(2), 264–278. https://doi.org/10.48161/qaj.v4n2a255

Issue

Section

Articles