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Innovation performance is an issue that has a profound effect not only on Malaysian large companies but also among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) especially Bumiputera SMEs. The purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical review of innovation culture pertaining to innovation performance by conducting a literature review on SME studies. The previous reference on innovation performance in Malaysian SMEs is still scarce, even though it is the key benchmark to measure firm performance. It has been demonstrated by the literature that innovation culture is significantly associated with innovation performance. Nonetheless, its effect on Bumiputera SMEs is still underexplored. Thus, this study examines the importance of internal factors (specific human capital and social capital) to innovation culture in driving innovation performance.

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to gather data from Bumiputera SMEs. A total of 140 responses were obtained and analyses were carried out using Smart-PLS software to produce interesting findings.

The findings indicate that social capital (relational capital and social network) has a significant impact on innovation culture and indirectly impacts innovation performance. The findings also reveal that specific human capital does not have significant impact on innovation culture and innovation performance. This paper shows the importance of social capital and how it directly influences Bumiputera SMEs and innovation performance. This result will be encouraging to firms in other developing countries.

Although SMEs play an important role in economic development, their contribution to innovation is small and marginal. This study makes an important contribution by providing information to the Malaysian SMEs, especially those that are of Bumiputera status on the factors that could enhance innovation performance and nurture innovation culture in their organisations. Thus, it is hoped that this study will generate interest among researchers to attain more conclusive evidence about the practice of innovation culture among Malaysian SMEs.

This paper is one of the first to address the mediating effect of innovation culture on specific human capital, social capital and innovation performance.

Innovation has become an approach to create value for the customer to remain competitive in the market. However, previous research on innovation performance particularly among Bumiputera small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) had received little intention. Hence, Bumiputera SMEs need to inculcate the innovation culture to generate innovation performance. As such, the purpose of this study is to examine the ambidextrous orientation and innovation strategy on innovation culture, and how innovation culture could mediate the relationship between ambidextrous orientation and innovation strategy and innovation performance. In addition, this study also examines the role of government support as the moderator between innovation culture and innovation performance.

Data were collected from 140 Bumiputera SMEs and analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling via Smart PLS.

Findings indicated that ambidextrous orientation (alignment and adaptability) and innovation strategy (proactive creativity strategy and growth risk orientation strategy) had a significant impact on innovation culture. Besides, innovation culture mediated the relationship between alignment, proactive creativity strategy, growth risk orientation strategy and innovation performance. Surprisingly, innovation culture does not significantly mediate the relationship between adaptability and innovation performance. However, government support plays an important role to support innovation culture and innovation performance in Bumiputera SMEs.

This study makes both theoretical and practical contributions, especially in identifying the significant role of Bumiputera SMEs in creating an innovation culture. Besides, it explained government support as an important role in strengthening the relationship between innovation culture and innovation performance. The findings of the study will provide great help to Bumiputera entrepreneurs in formulating innovation culture in Malaysian SMEs.

Drawing on the institutional theory and the theory of planned behaviour, the purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of social institutional and psychological variables on the formation of agropreneurial intention and behaviours using samples from Malaysia.

Via a six-month longitudinal study, the paper analyses whether normative forces supplied by subjective norm and social networking impact psychological variables and agropreneurship activities.

The model explained a satisfactory percentage of the variance in all five dimensions of agropreneurial behaviour, intention and the psychological variables. The results suggest a certain path in the configuration of agropreneurial intention and behaviour.

The longitudinal effect of intention on actual agropreneurial behaviour was limited to six months longitudinal time only. Hence, the causality between intention and actual behaviour could not be strongly demonstrated. Nevertheless, future study on agropreneurial behaviour can replicate this study by extending the longitudinal time frame to more than six months.

Key policy actions should increase the agropreneurial social events such as agropreneurship’s seminars, forums or workshops to exert more normative influence on the young Gen Y.

This study shows that the development of agropreneurial intention and behaviour is the significant effect of social institutional and psychological influences. The results suggest that six-month period is adequate for Malaysian Gen Y to make appropriate preparation for the establishment of an agropreneurial business.

This study aims to explore the key factors that hinder technopreneur’s success.

The finalization of the most appropriate method to conduct any study is based on the nature of the research questions (Shaw, 1999; Morse and Richards, 2002). As this study is exploratory, a qualitative approach was used to collect the data. Morse and Richards (2002) have emphasized that the qualitative technique to collect is useful for in-depth assessment of the participant’s experiences, their understanding regarding the matter and their interpretation of their experiences.

Technopreneurs face four significant problems that have an impact on their business agility and competitiveness. These four factors are as follows: the entrepreneur’s skills and preparedness; their organization’s insufficient capabilities and talent to deal with the challenges; a lack of support mechanisms from relevant institutions; and, finally, the rapidly changing business environment in terms of technology and competition.

This study explores the hindrance factors through qualitative techniques faced by young technopreneurs in the context of Malaysia. This study will provide deep insight regarding the key issues facing new startups and will be helpful for policymakers.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the trend of human resource (HR) outsourcing among manufacturing companies in Malaysia.

The data for the study were obtained from survey responses from 232 manufacturing companies in Malaysia, of which were engaged in HR outsourcing. Descriptive analyses were performed to obtain the information on the practices of HR outsourcing among these companies. The practices to be explored include the types of HR functions outsourced, and the reasons for and for not engaging HR outsourcing.

The findings suggest that only 49 percent of manufacturing companies engage HR outsourcing. This implies that the trend of HR outsourcing is still a relatively new practice, but is increasing considerably. Many companies tend to outsource recruitment functions because they want to get access to expert services. However, many companies also refuse to outsource HR functions because it is not appropriate for their business operations.

This study is merely descriptive. Therefore, it does not test the relationship on the factors that induce the companies to engage HR outsourcing. In fact, it would be interesting for future studies to analyze the antecedents and consequences of HR outsourcing.

Manufacturing companies are aware of which HR functions are frequently outsourced. It guides them on the conditions in which HR outsourcing is most desired, such as the reasons for engaging with HR outsourcing and the reasons for not outsourcing HR functions. From this information, companies should be attentive to the potential HR functions to be outsourced.

As HR outsourcing is expected to boom in Malaysia in the next few years, this study provides an input for manufacturing companies to determine their HR deliveries in future.

The purpose of this paper is to understand further the concept of outsourcing among small and medium‐sized industries (SMEs). The paper highlights the concept of outsourcing between SMEs and large organizations as well as the advantages and disadvantages of SMEs' outsourcing from the theoretical perspectives.

This is a conceptual paper based on an in‐depth literature review of outsourcing among SMEs.

The study is of value to SMEs not only in facilitating their acquaintance with the concept of outsourcing but also in enhancing their appreciation of outsourcing put into practice.

The contribution of this paper is more theoretical and others can test this empirically in the future to get a better understanding of this phenomenon among SMEs.

It is crucial for SMEs to consider outsourcing their activities as a strategic tool to remain competitive in the dynamic environment.

This an under‐researched area whereby the practice of outsourcing among SMEs is elaborated.

This paper seeks to examine whether the decision to outsource human resource (HR) activities and the performance of the HR department are influenced by the particular business strategy espoused by the organisation. Four distinct strategies are considered: quality‐based, proactive, breadth, and reactive.

The data for the study were obtained from survey responses from 232 organisations, of which 113 were engaged in HR outsourcing.

The findings suggest that there is a significant relationship between organisations with proactive strategies and the decision to outsource both traditional and transactional HR functions. Breadth strategies demonstrate a negative significant relationship with outsourcing of traditional functions. Outsourcing of both functions has a significant relationship with HR performance – traditional with a positive impact and transactional with a negative impact.

The paper focuses on the perceptions, knowledge and experience of senior HR managers. Therefore there are understandable limitations in respect of generalisation. In addition, the impact of HR outsourcing on the performance of the HR department focuses only on the reduction of the number of HR employees from the department.

The results indicate that HR outsourcing has the potential to empower HR managers, allowing them to focus on strategic activities that add more value to their organisation. Also, the results show that HR reduces actual HR labour costs.

The study applies to a very under‐researched area.

This study aims to provide a conceptualisation of HR outsourcing (HRO) effectiveness from a service quality perspective and subsequently develop a scale – HROSERVPERF to measure HRO service performance underpinned S-O-R theory.

Grounded on theoretical conceptualisation, literature and information collected through semi-structured interviews, HRO service performance items pool were generated. 257 responses from manufacturing firms in Malaysia that have outsourced their HR were collected. PLS-SEM is used for scale confirmation and validation.

The conceptualisation of HRO effectiveness and HRO service performance suggests a need for scale development that encompasses service quality-satisfaction-loyalty framework supported by S-O-R theory. Operational improvement, resource alignment and service delivery emerged as the service performance dimensions of HROSERVPERF.

This study was limited to manufacturing firms in Malaysia, hence little generalisation could be drawn beyond this context. However, this serves as future research opportunities.

HR managers and service providers can employ HROSERVPERF to measure and improve HRO service performance more effectively. Service providers can re-strategise and target their scarce resources to better retain their clients.

This is the first paper that provides HRO effectiveness conceptualisation from a service quality perspective followed by a scale development with formative measures using PLS-SEM underpinned S-O-R theory.

The purpose of this paper is to examine succession planning and performance of family-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The quantitative research approach and a cross-sectional research design were employed. The probability sampling technique was used to draw 219 respondents from the sampling frame. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests were used for data analysis.

It was revealed that most of family-owned SMEs founders in the study area had mechanisms for succession planning for their businesses. Also, there is a difference in business performance when successors are selected and prepared by business founders compared to when they are selected and prepared by other family members. Successors selected and prepared by business founders performed better in business than successors who were selected and prepared by other family members.

This study employed a quantitative research paradigm methodology, which limits deep discussion with respondents. Future studies could consider using a qualitative research paradigm methodology.

The paper presents succession planning process experience in family-owned SMEs in the study area, specifically the existence of succession planning in family-owned SMEs. It also shows a difference in business performance between the two investigated groups. This paper will benefit business founders, family business successors and researchers.