Eco-Fin Compass: a semi-structured protocol for evaluating Malaysian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise ESG integration

While Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting is vital for global sustainability, its adoption among Malaysian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) remains constrained by its non-mandatory status and a lack of specialized evaluation tools. The “Eco-Fin Compass” addresses this gap as a semi-structured interview protocol designed to move beyond binary "yes/no" compliance metrics to explore the nuanced "How" and "Why" of voluntary adoption. The protocol utilises a systematic two-phase framework: Phase 1 establishes researcher readiness through purposeful sampling of MSME owners and financial managers utilizing digital ESG tools; Phase 2 executes a four-phase interview script covering Introduction, Process, Causality, and Validation. This methodology specifically investigates the role of digital financial innovations such as financial apps in building capacity and overcoming traditional resource barriers. The uniqueness of this protocol lies in its Causality phase, which maps specific external drivers, such as bank financing requirements and consumer demand, to internal organisational policy shifts. While limited by a purposeful sampling strategy that restricts broad generalizability, the Eco-Fin Compass provides a replicable roadmap for researchers to evaluate authentic readiness and the longitudinal trajectory of ESG integration in emerging economies.