Steering through the landscape: a study on entrepreneurs' perceptions of business environments

The purpose of this research is to analyze the perception of the environment by SME owners and managers. The research methodology used in this study involved collecting information from 384 SME owners-managers from different sectors of the economy in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador. Proporti...

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Main Authors: Gelmar García-Vidal, Laritza Guzmán-Vilar, Alexander Sánchez-Rodríguez, Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer, Rodobaldo Martínez-Vivar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University in Belgrade 2025-05-01
Series:Serbian Journal of Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://aseestant.ceon.rs/index.php/sjm/article/view/45366/27902
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author Gelmar García-Vidal
Laritza Guzmán-Vilar
Alexander Sánchez-Rodríguez
Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer
Rodobaldo Martínez-Vivar
author_facet Gelmar García-Vidal
Laritza Guzmán-Vilar
Alexander Sánchez-Rodríguez
Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer
Rodobaldo Martínez-Vivar
author_sort Gelmar García-Vidal
collection DOAJ
description The purpose of this research is to analyze the perception of the environment by SME owners and managers. The research methodology used in this study involved collecting information from 384 SME owners-managers from different sectors of the economy in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador. Proportional stratified sampling was used with 95% confidence and an error of 5%. The data was collected through a self-administered cross-sectional survey questionnaire that aimed to get SME owner-managers to describe how they perceive their environment making a combination of the value of each variable. The study applied categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA) to identify the component structure of social capital by considering the ordinal and nominal nature of the data. The methodology used allowed us to understand the perception of the environment by different SME owner-managers from different sectors of the economy. It also revealed the strategic approach they considered most appropriate to the market situation in which they operate. The practical implications of this research suggest that SME owner-managers can benefit from understanding the perception of the environment by adopting flexible and adaptable solutions to changing environmental conditions, using environmental profiles to uncover opportunities, and anticipating changes to gain valuable insights.
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publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher University in Belgrade
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series Serbian Journal of Management
spelling doaj-art-8fe065c7d7d04b8f9cb042517ef7fd4f2025-08-20T03:11:11ZengUniversity in BelgradeSerbian Journal of Management1452-48642217-71592025-05-0120119722210.5937/sjm20-45366Steering through the landscape: a study on entrepreneurs' perceptions of business environments Gelmar García-Vidal0Laritza Guzmán-Vilar1Alexander Sánchez-Rodríguez2Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer3Rodobaldo Martínez-Vivar4Universidad UTE. Faculty of Law, Administrative and Social Sciences. Quito, 170527, EcuadorCalle Manuel Valdivieso, Paseos de Pichincha. Quito, 170527, EcuadorUniversidad UTE. Faculty of Engineering Sciences and Industries. Quito, 170527, EcuadorUniversidad UTE. Faculty of Law, Administrative and Social Sciences. Quito, 170527, EcuadorUniversidad UTE. Faculty of Law, Administrative and Social Sciences. Quito, 170527, EcuadorThe purpose of this research is to analyze the perception of the environment by SME owners and managers. The research methodology used in this study involved collecting information from 384 SME owners-managers from different sectors of the economy in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador. Proportional stratified sampling was used with 95% confidence and an error of 5%. The data was collected through a self-administered cross-sectional survey questionnaire that aimed to get SME owner-managers to describe how they perceive their environment making a combination of the value of each variable. The study applied categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA) to identify the component structure of social capital by considering the ordinal and nominal nature of the data. The methodology used allowed us to understand the perception of the environment by different SME owner-managers from different sectors of the economy. It also revealed the strategic approach they considered most appropriate to the market situation in which they operate. The practical implications of this research suggest that SME owner-managers can benefit from understanding the perception of the environment by adopting flexible and adaptable solutions to changing environmental conditions, using environmental profiles to uncover opportunities, and anticipating changes to gain valuable insights.https://aseestant.ceon.rs/index.php/sjm/article/view/45366/27902perceptionenvironmentsmesecuador
spellingShingle Gelmar García-Vidal
Laritza Guzmán-Vilar
Alexander Sánchez-Rodríguez
Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer
Rodobaldo Martínez-Vivar
Steering through the landscape: a study on entrepreneurs' perceptions of business environments
Serbian Journal of Management
perception
environment
smes
ecuador
title Steering through the landscape: a study on entrepreneurs' perceptions of business environments
title_full Steering through the landscape: a study on entrepreneurs' perceptions of business environments
title_fullStr Steering through the landscape: a study on entrepreneurs' perceptions of business environments
title_full_unstemmed Steering through the landscape: a study on entrepreneurs' perceptions of business environments
title_short Steering through the landscape: a study on entrepreneurs' perceptions of business environments
title_sort steering through the landscape a study on entrepreneurs perceptions of business environments
topic perception
environment
smes
ecuador
url https://aseestant.ceon.rs/index.php/sjm/article/view/45366/27902
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AT alexandersanchezrodriguez steeringthroughthelandscapeastudyonentrepreneursperceptionsofbusinessenvironments
AT reynerperezcampdesuner steeringthroughthelandscapeastudyonentrepreneursperceptionsofbusinessenvironments
AT rodobaldomartinezvivar steeringthroughthelandscapeastudyonentrepreneursperceptionsofbusinessenvironments