Abstract

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are considered a sector with significant contribution to the economical growth of both developed countries and emergent countries. However, SMEs are facing challenges for their survival with their limited resources. There is also considerable lack of empirical studies focusing on networking between SMEs in developing countries. Promotion of networking approaches with other organizations could be a good start to develop and increase competitiveness of SMEs. The primary objective of this paper is to identify networking factors that influence the competitiveness of SMEs and to develop a hypothesized model that can be tested on SMEs. The outcomes of networking factors can help to improve the survival rate of SMEs, and may offer great opportunities for business competitiveness, locally and globally.

Key words: Networking, small and medium-sized enterprises, competitiveness.