Effects Of Women Enterprise Fund’s Training On Performance Of Women Grocery Micro-Entrepreneurs In Thika Sub-County, Kenya

Master's Thesis , 2016 , 76 Pages , Grade: 72.89

Business economics - Operations Research

There has been a great attention by the government of Kenya on women entrepreneurship over the last nine years. Several policies have been enacted that could support the growth and performance of women entrepreneurship in Kenya. The Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) was established in 2007 to assist women in the development of their enterprises. One condition of funding by WEF is that beneficiaries must first undergo capacity building before getting the funds. However, the effects of WEF’s training remains unexplored in Kenya and in particular Thika Sub-County.

This study sought to bridge the gap by establishing the effects of WEF’s training on performance of women grocery micro-entrepreneurs in Thika Sub-County in Kenya. The study examined the effects of WEF’s training on the indicators of performance that is, sales, profit, labour and capital. It focused on four specific objectives to: identify the effects of WEF’s training on profits, sales, labour and capital among women grocery micro-entrepreneurs. A cross-sectional descriptive survey research design was used. The sampling technique used was simple random sampling, since it produced the most productive sample to test the research hypotheses.

A sample size of 111 women entrepreneurs was used out of a population of 371 women entrepreneurs. Data was collected using structured questionnaires from the respondents. The study was guided by the human capital theory. Paired t-test and ordinate logistic regression were used to analyze quantitative data collected at 5% significance level with the help of STATA software. Validity of the instruments was achieved through expert judgement of the research supervisors and WEF’s officials. Reliability was tested by subjecting the instruments to a pilot study through the test-retest technique.

The study established that the type of training had significant effect on the performance of women grocery micro-entrepreneurs. While the frequency of training had no significant effect on the sales of women grocery micro-entrepreneurs. From the study results, the researcher recommends for the performance of women micro-entrepreneurs to improve drastically WEF has to focus more on providing quality training especially market access skills. It is therefore, hoped that the outcomes and recommendations of this study will be of help to WEF and other women entrepreneurship stakeholders to address the performance challenges in Thika Sub-County and the nation at large.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
• 1.1 Background to the Study
• 1.2 Statement of the Problem
• 1.3 Purpose of the Study
• 1.4 Objectives of the Study
• 1.5 Hypotheses of the Study
• 1.6 Significance of the Study
• 1.7 Scope of the Study
• 1.8 Limitation of the Study
• 1.9 Assumptions of the study
• 1.10 Definition of Terms
• CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Women Entrepreneurs in the World and Africa
• 2.3 Women Entrepreneurs in Kenya
• 2.4 The Women Enterprise Fund in Kenya
• 2.5 Profits Among Women Entrepreneurs
• 2.6 Sales Among Women Entrepreneurs
• 2.7 Labour Resource Among Women Entrepreneurs
• 2.8 Capital Resource Among Women Entrepreneurs
• 2.9 Theoretical Framework
• 2.10 Conceptual Framework

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis investigates the effects of the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF)'s training program on the performance of women grocery micro-entrepreneurs in Thika Sub-County, Kenya. The study aims to bridge the gap in existing research by examining the impact of WEF's training on key performance indicators such as sales, profits, labor, and capital.

• The impact of WEF's training on the performance of women grocery micro-entrepreneurs.
• The relationship between the type and frequency of WEF's training and the performance of women grocery micro-entrepreneurs.
• The influence of WEF's training on key performance indicators: sales, profits, labor, and capital.
• The role of the human capital theory in understanding the effects of WEF's training.
• The implications of the findings for WEF and other women entrepreneurship stakeholders.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter One: Introduction provides an overview of the research problem, its context, and the study's objectives. The chapter outlines the significance of the study, its scope, and limitations. It also defines key terms used throughout the thesis.

Chapter Two: Literature Review explores the existing research on women entrepreneurship, focusing on the global and African contexts. It examines the role of the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) in Kenya and the specific challenges faced by women grocery micro-entrepreneurs. The chapter also discusses key theoretical frameworks relevant to the study, including the human capital theory.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of this thesis include Women Enterprise Fund (WEF), training, performance, micro-entrepreneurs, grocery, Thika Sub-County, Kenya, sales, profits, labor, capital, human capital theory.

• College: Egerton University (Faculty of Education and Community Studies)
• Course: Master of Research and Public Policy
• Grade: 72.89
• Author: Michael Muraguri (Author)
• Publication Year: 2016
• Pages: 76
• Catalog Number: V353191
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668405561
• ISBN (Book): 9783668405578
• Language: English
• Tags: effects, women, enterprise, fund’s, training, performance, grocery, micro-entrepreneurs, thika, sub-county, kenya