Social Media Sentiment Analysis of Intangible Assets in SME Success: The Role of Connection, Ethical Principles, and Partnerships

Abstract

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been the subject of various practitioner and academic research to better understand the underlying reasons for success and failure. In the Malaysian context, focusing on non-financial factors, three key themes emerge that are associated with SME success: connections, ethical principles, and partnerships. This study explores their individual and collective roles in SME success by capturing real-time perceptions from identified stakeholders through sentiment analysis of social media comments. Based on a curated sample of 58 comments from the Entrepreneurship and Startups in Malaysia Facebook group, the research integrated Natural Language Processing (NLP) models to detect expressions such as sarcasm and irony, along with manual thematic validation. This study revealed distinctive sentiment patterns among SMEs, with positive sentiment concentrated in themes related to employee reliability and intrinsic motivation, the integration of ethics into everyday operations and systems, and collaboration with complementary partnerships. This study demonstrated the strength of sentiment analysis of organic digital communications as a means of scaling, unobtrusively, and continuously diagnosing the health of an SME’s vital intangible ecosystem. The resulting framework proactively monitors and fosters relational pillars, enabling a shift from intuitive management to evidence-based interventions.