Articles
DOI DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18442630

SME Growth in Global Platforms: Governance, Trust, and Reputation

Oana Branzei1
  1. 1 Western University, Ivey Business School, London, Canada

Abstract

Background: Global digital platforms lower entry barriers for small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) by providing access to international customers, payments,
and logistics. Yet they also concentrate power in platform governance and
algorithmic control, shaping visibility, conversion, and even continued market access.
Methods: This review synthesizes research on platform ecosystems, institutional trust,
online reputation systems, and cross-border e-commerce governance. We develop an
integrative model that links governance design (rules, enforcement, data rights) to trust
formation and reputation accumulation, and from there to SME growth trajectories.
Results: SMEs grow when platform rules are predictable, enforcement is transparent,
and reputation signals are credible. Growth can stall under opaque ranking, abrupt
policy shifts, weak dispute resolution, and manipulation of reviews or feedback.
We identify governance levers—verification, escrow and dispute resolution,
transparency and explainability, data access and portability, and multi-homing
compatibility—that shape trust and reputation under cross-border institutional
distance. Recent evidence highlights the role of platform governance in seller trust in
cross-border contexts, and the vulnerability created by algorithmic ranking opacity.
Conclusions: Sustainable SME growth on global platforms is an institutional problem as
much as a marketing problem. Resilience depends on rule literacy, disciplined reputation
strategy, and governance-aware diversification (multi-homing and off-platform customer
development) to reduce exposure to de-ranking and sudden rule changes.

How to Cite

Branzei, O. (2026). SME Growth in Global Platforms: Governance, Trust, and Reputation. Transnational Academic Journal of Economics, 2(2), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18442630
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