Abstract:

This paper provides an overview of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) development in Malaysia from 1965 to 2015. SME in this country had shown a remarkable change in terms of its economic contribution and national employment opportunity. With the vast government assistance and support mechanism, SME is a booming economic catalyst for national income. By looking at the SME history, academicians and policy makers may know what had been done in our country and prepare to face competitive global market. Also, it helps government to develop appropriate policies to cater for SME needs in Malaysia. The methodology used in this article is based on extensive literature review and secondary data from various sources. Literature review is selected from three databases for Management field which include Web of Science, Scopus and Emerald the key word: SME development and SME history. This paper intends to contribute to the existing literature review on Malaysian SME development in 50 years. So far, there is a limited literature on this topic which makes it crucial for SME’s reference.