Analyzing the sustainable international competitiveness factors of SMEs by Fuzzy Delphi and Neutrosophic DEMATEL

Abstract

AbstractToday's small and medium enterprise (SMEs) are under pressure to pursue complex growth strategies in order to increase their competitiveness and keep up with the rapidly changing international environment and sustainability. SMEs lack a holistic perspective on sustainability and internationalization; they are frequently hindered from contemplating environmentally favorable investments beyond what is legally needed. The purpose of this paper is to present a joint Fuzzy Delphi and Neutrosophic DEMATEL for identifying and finding cause‐effect relationship among international sustainable competitiveness factors for SMEs. This study addresses the issue by exploring international sustainable competitiveness factors and applying the novel method that integrate Fuzzy Delphi and Neutrosophic DEMATEL for understanding the cause‐effect relationship among them. Moreover, prioritizing the factors for attaining international sustainable competitiveness for Indian manufacturing SMEs. The findings show that “Managerial Orientation” and “Economic Performance” are the important for SMEs in gaining International sustainable competitiveness. Prioritizing factors and their cause‐and‐effect relationships allowed decision‐makers to concentrate on overcoming them in order to increase international sustainable Competitiveness. These findings offer some preliminary information as well as advice for managers and policymakers looking to integrate sustainable efforts. The study's objective is to aid executives in understanding the elements of their respective businesses' international sustainable competitiveness. The outcome demonstrates the strongest correlation between managerial orientation and economic performance. The originality of this study lies in its empirical research on Indian SMEs, which uses the Fuzzy Delphi and Neutrosophic DEMATEL method framework as a base for establishing cause‐and‐effect relationships among various international sustainable competitiveness factors.