Identifying and Prioritizing the Factors Affecting and Affected by the Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises by using Dematel Technique (The Case Study of a Province in Iran)

Background/Objectives: The purpose of the present study is to identify the factors affecting and affected by the performance of small and medium enterprises (the case study of a province in Iran). Methods/Statistical Analysis: The research method used in this study, in terms of target, is of applied type and in terms of data collection it is a descriptive survey; the method utilized for data analysis is Dematel technique. Findings: The present article seeks to answer questions such as: what is the most effective factor on the performance of small and medium enterprises in Semnan? Which factor is mostly affected by the performance of small and medium enterprises in Semnan? How are the factors affecting and affected by SMEs performance in Semnan ranked? Therefore, after studying literature of the review and investigating viewpoints of SMEs experts and scholars, after refining the indices, seven factors were identified as the key factors affecting SMEs performance. Then by using Dematel, a powerful technique in this field, the seven factors were classified into two groups of affecting and affected factors. Conclusion/Improvements: The results indicate that the amount of financial resources to guarantee financial contracts is the most effective factor and the amount of entrepreneurs’ abilities is the most affected factor.