ROTIRAKYAT: EMPOWERING LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH HOME-BASED BREAD BUSINESS IN TUMPAT, KELANTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEMP.935038Keywords:
Bakery, Bread Business, Business Sustainability, Home-Based Business, Micro-Entrepreneurship, TumpatAbstract
Home-based food businesses have become an important form of micro-entrepreneurship, particularly among rural and semi-rural communities seeking flexible income-generating opportunities. However, empirical evidence focusing specifically on the sustainability of home-based bread businesses in rural Malaysia, particularly Tumpat, remains limited. This study examines the factors influencing the sustainability of home-based bread businesses in Tumpat, Kelantan through the RotiRakyat initiative. Specifically, the study investigates the influence of entrepreneurial competency, digital marketing capability, product branding, financial management and production capacity on business sustainability. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed using a structured questionnaire administered to 150 respondents selected through purposive sampling. The sample comprised home-based food entrepreneurs, small bakery operators and individuals involved in micro-business activities in Tumpat who had experience or direct exposure to small-scale business activities relevant to the enterprise capabilities examined in this study. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. The reliability results showed that all constructs recorded good to excellent Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.852 to 0.924. All study variables recorded high mean scores, although digital marketing capability and production capacity were lower than the other variables. Pearson correlation analysis showed that all independent variables had positive and significant relationships with business sustainability. Based on the standardised beta coefficients, financial management had the largest influence on business sustainability (β = 0.347), followed by digital marketing capability, entrepreneurial competency, product branding and production capacity. The regression model explained 72.6% of the variance in business sustainability (R² = 0.726). These findings should be interpreted within the purposively selected study sample rather than generalised to all home-based bread entrepreneurs in Tumpat. Practically, the findings indicate that entrepreneurship support programmes should prioritise financial record-keeping and costing, digital promotion, branding, and production planning to strengthen the sustainability of home-based bread enterprises.
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