Supply Chain Management: A Profile of Micro Enterprises (Manuscripts‪)‬

ABSTRACT Micro enterprises (firms with less than nine employees) represent an increasingly important component of the economy. The United States literature typically defines small businesses as having less than 500 employees, incorporating micro firms into this broader definition. Although there has been a diversity of studies focusing on small and medium sized enterprise supply chain management, there has been insufficient research on micro entities. Thus, little is known about supply chain management in micro ventures. This study develops a profile of micro enterprise supply chain management practices, the factors that encourage or discourage the implementation of supply chain management activities, and the impact of these supply chain activities on firm performance. The findings of this study indicate that micro enterprises tend to implement supply chain management methods and supply chain management appears to increase micro firm performance.