Do tangible resources lead to business growth among SMEs?
Philani Khumalo · Nelisiwe Mary-anne Mchunu ORCID ↗
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2026 · Vol. 8 / Issue 1 · 244-252
Publication metrics
External links open provider records or DOI searches. Provider counts are not combined. Mendeley readership measures saves, not citations.
Dimensions
Live provider badge. If unavailable, use the Dimensions link above.
Observed 21 Oct 2026, 00:14 UTC
Observed 22 Oct 2026 01:34 UTC
OpenAlex and Mendeley observations refresh on article visits, at most once per 24 hours. Unavailable data is not zero. Google Scholar opens a DOI search.
Citations received by this article, grouped by the year of the citing work. Crossref and OpenAlex lifetime totals remain separate in Publication metrics.
2017–2026 Annual history last updated:
Citations received
OpenAlex · year of the citing work
Hover over a year or focus the chart and use arrow keys to inspect values.
2017–2026 annual-history window. 2026 is year to date. Unknown years have gaps.
View data & coverage
2026 is incomplete. Within a successfully fetched ten-year window, omitted years mean zero. Years beyond a saved observation’s window remain unknown (—). Older citations are excluded, so this chart’s sum may differ from the OpenAlex lifetime total. The date above belongs to this annual history; an unsuccessful refresh keeps the previous observation.
Abstract
The globalized and technologically advanced business environment presents significant challenges to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which play a critical role in national economic growth and innovation. These challenges include strategic orientation, effective resource allocation, and adapting to changing markets, often resulting in premature business failure. Therefore, the paper reviews recent literature on how tangible resources such as financial capital, physical assets, and technology influence SME growth, focusing on studies from the past decade that apply frameworks like the Resource-Based View. A systematic literature review was conducted, involving a comprehensive search of academic databases. Thematic analysis was applied to synthesize the findings on resource impact and management in SMEs. The review revealed that financial capital, physical assets, and technological infrastructure significantly influence SME growth. However, the extent of impact varies across contexts, depending on managerial capabilities, access to finance, and market conditions. Addressing this gap, the article aims to inform both theory and practice on SME sustainability and development and suggests avenues for future research.
Keywords: {'name': 'Tangible resources, business growth, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), eThekwini Municipality, resource management, financial capital, physical assets, technological infrastructure, SME development, economic growth, contextual factors, Sustainability.'}
Authors & affiliations
Philani Khumalo
Durban University of Technology
Nelisiwe Mary-anne Mchunu
Durban University of Technology
Deposited references
Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.
No reference list supplied.