Determinants of Business Sustainability among Traditional Food Micro- Entrepreneurs in Kelantan: Structural Equation Modeling of Vulnerabilities, Authenticity, and Digital Adoption

In Southeast Asia, traditional food microbusinesses play a critical role in maintaining local socioeconomic resilience and intangible cultural legacy (Bessière, 1998; Timothy, 2015; Senthil Kumar et al., 2023; Kavitha & Raagha Ravi, 2024). However, cumulative labor, market, and spatial vulnerabilities make long-term business survival difficult for many microbusinesses (Porter, 2011; Kruger & Viljoen, 2021; Sharma et al., 2022). With an emphasis on traditional akok producers and artisanal food vendors, this quantitative empirical study explores the structural determinants influencing business sustainability among traditional food micro-entrepreneurs in Kelantan, Malaysia (Omar et al., 2019; Mohd. Suleiman et al., 2023). The study assesses the impact of Operational Vulnerabilities, Culinary Heritage Authenticity, and Digital Marketing Adoption on Business Sustainability using a structured questionnaire survey given to N = 168 micro-entrepreneurs (Yin, 2018; Hair et al., 2021, Prayogi & Subriadi, 2024). Operational vulnerabilities have a considerable negative direct impact on business performance (ß = -0.342, p < 0.001), according to empirical studies using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (Sowden, 2018; Deacon et al., 2020; Zainal et al., 2022). On the other hand, enterprise sustainability is strongly positively impacted by both digital marketing adoption (ß = 0.412, p < 0.001) and culinary heritage authenticity (ß = 0.285, p < 0.001) (Sims, 2009; Gössling et al., 2018; Bandhu et al., 2024; Givan & Pancasilawan, 2025). Additionally, the link between traditional heritage preservation and business performance is considerably mediated by the use of digital marketing (ß = 0.148, p < 0.001) (Gössling et al., 2018; Kruger & Viljoen, 2021; Sharabati et al., 2024). Regarding municipal zoning preservation, ergonomic workplace interventions, and focused digital skill building for heritage micro-entrepreneurs, the study provides practical managerial and policy insights (Porter, 2011; Sowden, 2018).

Culinary Heritage, Micro-Entrepreneurship, Quantitative Research, PLS-SEM, Business Sustainability, Akok, Kelantan Cuisine

1. Avieli, N. (2013). Rice Talks: Food and Community in a Vietnamese Town. Indiana University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Aweng, E. R., & Ahmad, A. N. (2018). Environmental challenges and sustainable agriculture in rural Kelantan. Journal of Tropical Resources and Sustainable Science, 6(2), 45–52. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bandhu, A., Singh, R., & Seal, P. (2024). Taste of tradition: Exploring tribal cuisine's impact on sustainable tourism and economic growth. In Gastronomic Tourism and Sustainable Development (pp. 115–134). Emerald Publishing Limited. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bessière, J. (1998). Local development and heritage: Traditional food and cuisine as tourist attractions in rural areas. Sociologia Ruralis, 38(1), 21–34. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Deacon, M., Robinson, S., & Smith, L. (2020). Input cost volatility and resilience strategies in rural food micro-enterprises. Journal of Small Business Management, 58(3), 512–534. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Elkington, J. (1997). Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business. Capstone Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Eisenhardt, K. M., & Martin, J. A. (2000). Dynamic capabilities: What are they? Strategic Management Journal, 21(10‐11), 1105–1121. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A. G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Galanakis, C. M., Rizou, M., & Aldaco, R. (2021). Innovations in traditional food systems and consumer acceptance during crisis. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 111, 720–732. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Galla, A. (2008). The bio-cultural heritage framework and community sustainability. International Journal of Intangible Heritage, 3, 10–24. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Geisser, S. (1974). A predictive approach to the random effect model. Biometrika, 61(1), 101–107. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Givan, A., & Pancasilawan, R. (2025). Strategic digital adoption and internationalization of micro, small, and medium enterprises in Southeast Asia. Golden Ratio of Marketing and Management, 5(1), 45–62. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Gössling, S., Hall, C. M., & Maria-Lund-Durlacher, K. (2018). Food, tourism and digital platforms: Social media impact on regional culinary destinations. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(7), 1120–1138. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Grant, R. M. (1991). The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: Implications for strategy formulation. California Management Review, 33(3), 114–135. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Hall, C. M., & Sharples, L. (2008). Food and Wine Tourism: Integrating Food, Travel and Territory. Butterworth-Heinemann. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Ismail, A., Nordin, N., & Rahim, H. (2022). Barriers to digital adoption among agro-food SMEs in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(8), 301–318. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Kamaruzaman, M., Bakar, A., & Ahmad, Z. (2022). Heritage preservation and youth engagement in traditional food manufacturing. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 12(3), 289–305. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Kavitha, S., & Raagha Ravi, V. (2024). Culinary heritage as a sustainable tourism product: A review. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 19(2), 180–198. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Kruger, S., & Viljoen, A. (2021). Innovation and traditional food micro-enterprises: Balancing cultural authenticity with business growth. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 16(4), 412–428. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Mohd Suleiman, N., Arshad, M., & Yusoff, A. (2023). Unfolding key factors in sustainability of Malay traditional food: A systematic analysis. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 7(10), 143–158. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Omar, S. R., Shaharudin, N. A., & Taha, A. Z. (2019). Traditional Malay kuih: A study on sustainable cultural heritage in Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 6(1), 12–21. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Porter, L. (2011). Informal land tenure and urban displacement in developing economies. Urban Studies, 48(13), 2843–2861. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Prayogi, R., & Subriadi, A. P. (2024). The impact of digital marketing capability on SME competitive performance: Empirical evidence from Southeast Asia. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 37(3), 889–912. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Rahim, H., Zainal, M., & Ali, A. (2022). Digital literacy and capability building in small agribusinesses. Asian Journal of Technology Innovation, 30(2), 245–267. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Ramli, N., Hassan, H., & Yaacob, M. (2025). Social commerce as a driver of sales resilience in Malaysian heritage food micro-entrepreneurs. Asian Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 37(2), 412–430. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Becker, J. M. (2022). SmartPLS 4. SmartPLS GmbH. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Senthil Kumar, K., Devi, M., & Sahu, P. (2023). Tribal gastronomy and cultural preservation through sustainable tourism. Tourism Management Perspectives, 48, 101140. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Sharabati, A. A., Al-Haddad, S., & Zaidan, M. (2024). Social media and e-commerce adoption as drivers of SME internationalization and resilience. Sustainability, 16(4), 1532. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Sharma, A., Das, R., & He, X. (2022). Business continuity and digital transformation during supply disruptions: Evidence from food SMEs. Journal of Business Research, 142, 610–625. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Sims, R. (2009). Food, place and authenticity: Local food and the sustainable tourism experience. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 17(3), 321–336. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Sowden, J. (2018). Occupational heat strain and respiratory risks in artisanal biomass food production. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 62(5), 589–601. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Timothy, D. J. (2015). Heritage Cuisines: Traditions, Identities and Tourism. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Tsuji, K., & Tengku, T. A. (2022). Preservation of local food culture and economic sustainability: The case of smoked clam micro-enterprises in Kelantan. Human Ecology, 50(4), 675–688. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. UNESCO. (2003). Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Yoshino, K. (2010). Malaysian cuisine and national identity: Food culture and ethnic boundary maintenance. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 41(3), 401–419. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Zainal, M., Nordin, N., & Ismail, A. (2022). Cost pressures and infrastructure barriers in rural Malaysian small enterprises. Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies, 59(1), 75–94. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Indirect Effect of Liquidity and Activity on Company Value with Profitability as an Intervening Variable
• Effect of Financial Skills, Knowledge, and Attitude on The Financial Behaviour of Clergy
• A Decade of Review: Trends in Budget Execution and Financial Performance of Development Projects in Tanzania (2014/15-2023/24)
• The Influence of Pre-Project Planning on the Budget Absorption Rate of Public Funded Infrastructure Projects in Kenya a Comparative Case Study of Narok, Migori, and Kisii County Government Projects
• Assessment of Factors Influencing Digital Transformation in Hotels’ Facility Management in Abuja Metropolis, Nigeria