Manajemen Operasional UMKM: Peran Sistem Pembayaran, Inovasi dan Kinerja Operasional terhadap Kemampuan Bersaing

This study aims to analyze the effect of payment systems and innovation on the operational performance and competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Makassar City. The study found that an efficient payment system impacted competitiveness, although not directly through increased operational performance. This underscores the importance of a well-functioning payment system in SMEs' competitiveness. Data were collected from 156 SMEs in Makassar through questionnaires and analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method. The results showed that payment systems did not have a significant effect on operational performance but had a significant impact on competitiveness. Conversely, innovation significantly affected operational performance but did not directly increase competitiveness. In addition, operational performance was shown to be an essential mediator in the relationship between innovation and competitiveness but not in the relationship between payment systems and competitiveness. The conclusion of this study emphasizes the importance of innovation in improving the operational performance of SMEs, which ultimately contributes to increased competitiveness. The implications of this study provide recommendations for SMEs in Makassar to prioritize innovation in operations while improving payment systems to achieve better competitiveness in a competitive market.