Document is current

Article History

Received: 27 September 2025

Accepted: 19 January 2026

First Online: 11 February 2026

Declarations

:

: Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the ethics committee of Apeejay School of Management—(protocol code 2025-IRB-00134 and date of approval: 2025-5-17). Oral consent was obtained from all SME participants after explaining the study’s purpose, voluntary participation, confidentiality, and data use. Participants freely agreed to share information for academic research purposes. This study followed ethical research standards. Oral consent was obtained from all SME participants after explaining the study’s purpose, voluntary participation, and confidentiality. No personal identifiers were collected, and all data were used solely for academic research, ensuring minimal risk and participant rights.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.