An Action Research Approach for the Development of Cost Management Skills Training Programme among the Owners of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia

Among the important entrepreneurial skills that have been widely discussed in the literature are cost management skills. According to the literature, the owners of SMEs in Malaysia still lack cost management skills, which has hindered them in competing globally. As a developing country, the Government of Malaysia plays a vital role in providing training programmes to the owners of Malaysian SMEs. The continuous and systematic training provided by the government and its agencies will strengthen the cost management skills among Malaysian SMEs owners. Even though the Government of Malaysia through its agencies already provides cost management skill training, it is still not comprehensive. Therefore, based on the pertinent literature, this paper will discuss the action research approach as a tool to develop cost management skill training for the owners of Malaysian SMEs.