{"id":{"repo_id":"southwales","oai_identifier":"oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/southwales/oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000","repository":{"repo_id":"southwales","name":"University of South Wales","base_url":"https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/ws/oai"},"display":{"title":"Integrating Technology into the Organisational Structure of SMEs in Malaysia","abstract":"This thesis investigates how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia integrate technology into their organisational structures, addressing a long-standing gap in the literature where emphasis has been placed on adoption rather than post-adoption integration. The study examines the organisational, technological, and environmental factors that influence integration and explains the mechanisms through which these factors shape competitiveness, resilience, and long-term digital capability. Three objectives guided the research: to identify the determinants of integration, to assess how external and policy environments interact with internal capabilities, and to explore the barriers and coping strategies SMEs employ. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. A survey of 419 SMEs, with<br/>354 usable cases for hypothesis testing, tested five hypotheses derived from the Malaysian SME Technology Integration Model (MSTIM), followed by 21 in-depth interviews with SME leaders and industry stakeholders that provided contextual insights into integration practices. The integrated analysis validated and refined MSTIM and informed the development of the Malaysian SME Technology Adoption–Integration Framework (MSTAIF), a framework tailored to resource-constrained environments.<br/><br/>The findings show that the perceived positive influence of technology (R2 = 0.074) and perceived cost-effectiveness (R2 = 0.126) are highly significant predictors of integration outcomes, while technological infrastructure readiness emerged as the strongest predictor overall (R2 = 0.517). Integration challenges / barriers (R2 = 0.063) and government support (R2 = 0.059) were statistically significant yet substantively weaker, with their influence conditioned by firms’ absorptive capacity. Interview narratives revealed how SMEs navigated integration through phased implementation, cloud-based subscriptions, staff training, workflow redesign, and cultural adaptation. Two emergent dimensions, accountability and cybersecurity, surfaced as stabilisers of integration: systems that embed transparency and discipline deepen usage, while security safeguards underpin trust, compliance, and client confidence. Technology integration thus emerged as both predictable, shaped by readiness and infrastructure, and contingent upon financial scarcity, bureaucracy, vendor dependency, and cultural dynamics. The study contributes theoretically by validating and extending MSTIM, advancing MSTAIF, and embedding TAM, TOE, and socio-technical systems principles within the Malaysian and ASEAN SME context. Empirically, it provides a comprehensive examination of SME technology integration in Malaysia, with insights applicable to other emerging<br/>economies. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of sequential mixed methods in linking statistical predictors with organisational mechanisms. Practical implications highlight that SMEs must invest not only in technology but also in leadership, training, accountability, and security; policymakers must streamline digitalisation schemes and strengthen national digital infrastructure; and vendors must shift from transactional sales toward partnerships that build SME capability. Overall, technology integration emerges as a socio-technical process in which readiness, alignment, and trust are decisive, while policy and environmental forces function as conditional enablers.","abstract_html":"This thesis investigates how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia integrate technology into their organisational structures, addressing a long-standing gap in the literature where emphasis has been placed on adoption rather than post-adoption integration. The study examines the organisational, technological, and environmental factors that influence integration and explains the mechanisms through which these factors shape competitiveness, resilience, and long-term digital capability. Three objectives guided the research: to identify the determinants of integration, to assess how external and policy environments interact with internal capabilities, and to explore the barriers and coping strategies SMEs employ. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. A survey of 419 SMEs, with&lt;br/&gt;354 usable cases for hypothesis testing, tested five hypotheses derived from the Malaysian SME Technology Integration Model (MSTIM), followed by 21 in-depth interviews with SME leaders and industry stakeholders that provided contextual insights into integration practices. The integrated analysis validated and refined MSTIM and informed the development of the Malaysian SME Technology Adoption–Integration Framework (MSTAIF), a framework tailored to resource-constrained environments.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The findings show that the perceived positive influence of technology (R2 = 0.074) and perceived cost-effectiveness (R2 = 0.126) are highly significant predictors of integration outcomes, while technological infrastructure readiness emerged as the strongest predictor overall (R2 = 0.517). Integration challenges / barriers (R2 = 0.063) and government support (R2 = 0.059) were statistically significant yet substantively weaker, with their influence conditioned by firms’ absorptive capacity. Interview narratives revealed how SMEs navigated integration through phased implementation, cloud-based subscriptions, staff training, workflow redesign, and cultural adaptation. Two emergent dimensions, accountability and cybersecurity, surfaced as stabilisers of integration: systems that embed transparency and discipline deepen usage, while security safeguards underpin trust, compliance, and client confidence. Technology integration thus emerged as both predictable, shaped by readiness and infrastructure, and contingent upon financial scarcity, bureaucracy, vendor dependency, and cultural dynamics. The study contributes theoretically by validating and extending MSTIM, advancing MSTAIF, and embedding TAM, TOE, and socio-technical systems principles within the Malaysian and ASEAN SME context. Empirically, it provides a comprehensive examination of SME technology integration in Malaysia, with insights applicable to other emerging&lt;br/&gt;economies. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of sequential mixed methods in linking statistical predictors with organisational mechanisms. Practical implications highlight that SMEs must invest not only in technology but also in leadership, training, accountability, and security; policymakers must streamline digitalisation schemes and strengthen national digital infrastructure; and vendors must shift from transactional sales toward partnerships that build SME capability. Overall, technology integration emerges as a socio-technical process in which readiness, alignment, and trust are decisive, while policy and environmental forces function as conditional enablers.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Joseph, Beulah"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctoral Thesis","degree_level":"Student thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Kamruzzaman, Md Palash","Thompson, Andrew"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-6-8","date_published":"2026-6-8","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:40:03Z","subjects":["SME technology integration Malaysia","digital transformation","MSTIM","MSTAIF","TAM","TOE","socio-technical systems","Cybersecurity"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000"],"render_values":[{"text":"oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Kamruzzaman, Md Palash","Thompson, Andrew"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Joseph, Beulah"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2026-6-8"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026-6-8"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Student thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctoral Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["SME technology integration Malaysia","digital transformation","MSTIM","MSTAIF","TAM","TOE","socio-technical systems","Cybersecurity"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000","https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/files/38883983/Beulah_Joseph_2026_DBA_Thesis_Final.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis investigates how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia integrate technology into their organisational structures, addressing a long-standing gap in the literature where emphasis has been placed on adoption rather than post-adoption integration. The study examines the organisational, technological, and environmental factors that influence integration and explains the mechanisms through which these factors shape competitiveness, resilience, and long-term digital capability. Three objectives guided the research: to identify the determinants of integration, to assess how external and policy environments interact with internal capabilities, and to explore the barriers and coping strategies SMEs employ. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. A survey of 419 SMEs, with<br/>354 usable cases for hypothesis testing, tested five hypotheses derived from the Malaysian SME Technology Integration Model (MSTIM), followed by 21 in-depth interviews with SME leaders and industry stakeholders that provided contextual insights into integration practices. The integrated analysis validated and refined MSTIM and informed the development of the Malaysian SME Technology Adoption–Integration Framework (MSTAIF), a framework tailored to resource-constrained environments.<br/><br/>The findings show that the perceived positive influence of technology (R2 = 0.074) and perceived cost-effectiveness (R2 = 0.126) are highly significant predictors of integration outcomes, while technological infrastructure readiness emerged as the strongest predictor overall (R2 = 0.517). Integration challenges / barriers (R2 = 0.063) and government support (R2 = 0.059) were statistically significant yet substantively weaker, with their influence conditioned by firms’ absorptive capacity. Interview narratives revealed how SMEs navigated integration through phased implementation, cloud-based subscriptions, staff training, workflow redesign, and cultural adaptation. Two emergent dimensions, accountability and cybersecurity, surfaced as stabilisers of integration: systems that embed transparency and discipline deepen usage, while security safeguards underpin trust, compliance, and client confidence. Technology integration thus emerged as both predictable, shaped by readiness and infrastructure, and contingent upon financial scarcity, bureaucracy, vendor dependency, and cultural dynamics. The study contributes theoretically by validating and extending MSTIM, advancing MSTAIF, and embedding TAM, TOE, and socio-technical systems principles within the Malaysian and ASEAN SME context. Empirically, it provides a comprehensive examination of SME technology integration in Malaysia, with insights applicable to other emerging<br/>economies. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of sequential mixed methods in linking statistical predictors with organisational mechanisms. Practical implications highlight that SMEs must invest not only in technology but also in leadership, training, accountability, and security; policymakers must streamline digitalisation schemes and strengthen national digital infrastructure; and vendors must shift from transactional sales toward partnerships that build SME capability. Overall, technology integration emerges as a socio-technical process in which readiness, alignment, and trust are decisive, while policy and environmental forces function as conditional enablers."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Integrating Technology into the Organisational Structure of SMEs in Malaysia"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Kamruzzaman, Md Palash","Thompson, Andrew"],"dc:creator":["Joseph, Beulah"],"dc:date":["2026-6-8"],"dc:date.issued":["2026-6-8"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis investigates how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia integrate technology into their organisational structures, addressing a long-standing gap in the literature where emphasis has been placed on adoption rather than post-adoption integration. The study examines the organisational, technological, and environmental factors that influence integration and explains the mechanisms through which these factors shape competitiveness, resilience, and long-term digital capability. Three objectives guided the research: to identify the determinants of integration, to assess how external and policy environments interact with internal capabilities, and to explore the barriers and coping strategies SMEs employ. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. A survey of 419 SMEs, with<br/>354 usable cases for hypothesis testing, tested five hypotheses derived from the Malaysian SME Technology Integration Model (MSTIM), followed by 21 in-depth interviews with SME leaders and industry stakeholders that provided contextual insights into integration practices. The integrated analysis validated and refined MSTIM and informed the development of the Malaysian SME Technology Adoption–Integration Framework (MSTAIF), a framework tailored to resource-constrained environments.<br/><br/>The findings show that the perceived positive influence of technology (R2 = 0.074) and perceived cost-effectiveness (R2 = 0.126) are highly significant predictors of integration outcomes, while technological infrastructure readiness emerged as the strongest predictor overall (R2 = 0.517). Integration challenges / barriers (R2 = 0.063) and government support (R2 = 0.059) were statistically significant yet substantively weaker, with their influence conditioned by firms’ absorptive capacity. Interview narratives revealed how SMEs navigated integration through phased implementation, cloud-based subscriptions, staff training, workflow redesign, and cultural adaptation. Two emergent dimensions, accountability and cybersecurity, surfaced as stabilisers of integration: systems that embed transparency and discipline deepen usage, while security safeguards underpin trust, compliance, and client confidence. Technology integration thus emerged as both predictable, shaped by readiness and infrastructure, and contingent upon financial scarcity, bureaucracy, vendor dependency, and cultural dynamics. The study contributes theoretically by validating and extending MSTIM, advancing MSTAIF, and embedding TAM, TOE, and socio-technical systems principles within the Malaysian and ASEAN SME context. Empirically, it provides a comprehensive examination of SME technology integration in Malaysia, with insights applicable to other emerging<br/>economies. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of sequential mixed methods in linking statistical predictors with organisational mechanisms. Practical implications highlight that SMEs must invest not only in technology but also in leadership, training, accountability, and security; policymakers must streamline digitalisation schemes and strengthen national digital infrastructure; and vendors must shift from transactional sales toward partnerships that build SME capability. Overall, technology integration emerges as a socio-technical process in which readiness, alignment, and trust are decisive, while policy and environmental forces function as conditional enablers."],"dc:identifier":["oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000","https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/files/38883983/Beulah_Joseph_2026_DBA_Thesis_Final.pdf"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby":["https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/b76e21ef-8e2f-43ec-9865-5653ae404000"],"dc:subject":["SME technology integration Malaysia","digital transformation","MSTIM","MSTAIF","TAM","TOE","socio-technical systems","Cybersecurity"],"dc:title":["Integrating Technology into the Organisational Structure of SMEs in Malaysia"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Student thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["Doctoral Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:40:03Z"}