DATA SCIENCE FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES: A STRUCTURED LITERATURE REVIEW

• Published in: South African journal of industrial engineering Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 83 - 95
• Main Authors: Rautenbach, Simon, de Kock, Imke, Grobler, Jacomien
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Bedfordview South African Institute for Industrial Engineering 01.11.2022; The Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering
• Subjects: Bibliometrics; Big Data; Data analysis; Data mining; Data science; Decision making; Developing countries; Engineering, Industrial; Industrialized nations; Internet of Things; LDCs; Literature reviews; Small & medium sized enterprises-SME; Small business; Sustainable development; Trends
• ISSN: 2224-7890; 1012-277X; 2224-7890
• DOI: 10.7166/33-3-2797

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are faced with the challenge of implementing Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies to keep up with larger industry players, and to pave the way for sustainable business development and digital transformation. Data science (DS) specifically has the potential to provide SMEs with the ability to elevate their decision-making processes by making informed data-driven decisions. A vast amount of literature relates to the field of DS and its implementation; however, the literature related to the implementation of DS in the context of SMEs is limited. Consequently, this article presents a structured literature review with regard to the implementation of DS to support sustainable business operations in SMEs, and particularly focusing on SMEs in developing countries. Keywords Data science; Big data; SMEs; Sustainable development; Industry 4.0; Digital transformation