Policies and Performance of SMEs in Malaysia

This study aims to achieve two major objectives. First, to assess policies and initiatives implemented for the development of Malaysian SMEs, from the Eighth Malaysia Plan (8MP) to the current Eleventh Malaysia Plan (LIMP), and under the SME Masterplan (2012-20). The second goal is to examine the performance and contribution of these SMEs to the economy. The study provides a critical analysis of the adequacy of the LIMP for SME development and seeks to determine whether its targeted goals can actually be achieved by 2020. It utilizes content analysis and the notion of embeddedness to examine an enormous volume of fragmented text from the existing body of government published reports available on the topic of SME development and the way forward.