Enhancing opportunities for local small and medium sized enterprises through business development strategies practices among Bruneians’ entrepreneurs

It is indisputable that small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in promoting economic growth of every country. In Brunei, SMEs make up 97% of all enterprises and contribute 22% of the country’ gross domestic product. While SMEs play a vital role in economic growth of Brunei, evidence suggests that they lack access to business development services (BDS), which could assist them to acquire key technical skills, improve their understanding of and access to markets, as well as streamline their production and management processes. To address this concern, we purpose to assess BDS needs of SMEs. Data for the study will be collected using self-administered questionnaires. Furthermore, focus group discussions will be implemented among selected participants. The benefits and outcome of this project include: enhancing the competitive advantage of local SMEs and publishing our findings in a high impact journal.