Self-Reliance Improvement Model for Women Batik SMEs

The aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness of Self-Reliance Model for Women Batik SMEs at Sragen Regency Batik Industrial Center, Central Java Province. For the purpose of this research, 95 women batik enterprise owners in Batik Industrial Center at Kliwonan Village were selected as respondents through purposive sampling. Qualitative descriptive analysis was applied to describe the profile of the business and development model of Women Batik SMEs in the research. There were 30 respondents or about 32% who had been very successful in running their business. About 40% of them were almost success (38 respondents). Beginning to show the results were 23 respondents (approximately 24.2%). More than half of them still needed serious attention. Therefore, it was necessary to improve self-reliance of Women Batik SMEs in order to survive and have competitiveness in global level. Therefore, a model to improve their self-reliance was structured namely Self-Reliance Improvement Models (SRIMs). This model was structured through eight stages. They were Screening, Profiling and Selection, Implementing Training Programs, Business Planning, Mentoring and Counseling, Funding Access, and Final Assessment. It was expected to be very helpful to improve the ability of Women Batik SMEs to gain useful knowledge on how and where they could get an access of business financing, catch network building opportunities, and solve problems more efficiently. Other valuable advantages of SRIMs were to increase sustainable competitive advantage, improve knowledge on financial elements in the business, increase business skills, understand the signs and causes of failure in business, and improve entrepreneurial skills (risk orientation, creativity and innovation, and identifying business opportunities). Government support from related agencies (Industry and Trading Agency) in implementing Self-Reliance Improvement Models was also needed. Another support needed was forming the organization as a means of information exchange to expand social network. Social network is always very important to get useful information about the more prospective and marketable batik design or motives, the latest manufacturing technology and marketing network.