Utilising Potential Locality for Managing SME'S Creativity in West Java

Abstract

Creativity is the main driver of today economy. Many research has been done on the development of small and medium entreprises (SMEs) which pioneered by young entrepreneur using their creativity. However, few have emphasized on local potential when managing creativity in their SME research. This research was conducted to fill the gap regarding how young entrepreneur managing their small-medium businesses using their creativity and locality. This research has conducted during 2015-2016 using mixed method at 388 SMEs in West Java. Using survey and statistic, quantitative methods have been done in the first year. In-depth interview and focus group discussion were conducted in second year. The difficulty to presenting entrepreneurs from Cirebon in the second year makes the interpretation only made for three cities. The results showthat all entrepreneurs have different uniqueness in managing creativity to run their businesses. Entrepreneurs in the city of Garut, Cirebon, and Tasikmalaya have advantages in terms of rich experience, more mature age, and financial capital. While entrepreneurs in Bandung has a uniqueness in social capital or networking, they also more enthusiastic to create new design and product. The city of Bandung has open atmosphere more than the other city in West Java, due to many creative communities there. Using four types of entrepreneurs to analyse the findings, entrepreneurs in Bandung are classified as Innovative Entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs in Garut are categorised as Fabian Entrepreneurs, and them in Tasikmalaya categorised as Imitative Entrepreneurs.