A holistic approach to marketing growth of small and medium enterprises: development and application of the HMGI index

The importance of micro and small enterprises for economic growth and poverty alleviation has been recognized by Kenya Government, like many other countries. As a result of this acknowledgement, the Government of Kenya has implemented various policies and programs to support the growth of small and micro enterprises . Only a few small and medium enterprises have managed to develop and expand despite the existence of different programs. In their first three years of service, the majority deteriorated, stagnated or even close down. The high mortality rate and stunted growth trajectory of MSMEs in Kenya was blamed on shortage of operating funds, increased operating expenses, declining income, losses incurred from the businesses and other personal issues. Individuals play a great role in these firms. Several studies worldwide have acknowledged the importance of entrepreneurs for the growth of MSEs. Most of the MSEs depend on the entrepreneur himself/herself for their survival and development. The entrepreneur makes the important decisions concerning products, markets, motivation of employees, expansion plans and other strategic decisions concerning the firm. There is an ongoing argument if internal locus of control of business owner or manager can be related to the growth and survival of the business. The internal locus of control might be affecting the growth of enterprises as internal locus of control of an entrepreneur differ from the characteristics of a non-entrepreneur Some researchers have tried to define success in terms of turnover, sustainability and growth. There are researchers who have observed that the entrepreneurial characteristics are indicators of success. The overall research problem to be addressed in this study is that there are other factors influencing high mortality rate and stunted growth of MSMEs in Kenya and especially Bomet County apart from the overused hindrance of finance and markets. This study will therefore investigate the influence of internal locus of control on the growth of micro and small enterprises in Bomet County. The target population was micro and small enterprises in Bomet County which were 14,574 in number in 2016. The unit of observations were the managers and owners of these enterprises. The unit of analysis are the micro and small enterprises in Bomet County and their growth over the last five years. The study used stratified sampling technique to pick the respondents from the manufacturing, trade and services strata of micro and small enterprises. The sample size was 384 micro and small enterprises. Data was collected using a questionnaire. Data collection was done by administering the instrument to the owners or managers of the enterprises. The data was processed using the computer software. Multiple regressions model was used to establish the relationship between the entrepreneurs’ internal locus of control and growth of enterprises. The key findings were that internal locus of control influences the growth of enterprises in Bomet County, Kenya. The major recommendation of the study is that there is need for the key players in the MSMEs to build the characteristics of the owners and managers through training. It is also the recommendation of this study that it is not everybody who can become an entrepreneur. Methodology and resources should be avail to identify the potential entrepreneurs. It is only after identification that the required resources can be availed.

According to the Government of Kenya (2004), the Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) sector generated over 90% (or roughly 500,000) of all new jobs created outside of agriculture in 2003, accounting for 30% of the country's GDP. The majority of Kenyans still live in rural areas, which also serve as the centre for micro and small businesses. In order to take advantage of this chance, Kenya has created a national policy through rural electrification programmes that aims to strengthen the capacities of micro and small businesses (Abdullah & Markandyab, 2012). The objective of this research study was to establish the effects of household skills utilization due to rural electrification on the growth of small and medium enterprises in the coastal region of Kenya. The study area was the coastal region. This study adopted an exploratory research design. The target population for this study was small and medium enterprises (SMEs) registered in Kenya. Multi-stage sampling, systematic and simple random sampling techniques were applied, and the 95.5% response rate was 95.5%. This study found that there was an extent of revenue level on growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the coastal region of Kenya. Further, the study found that there is a strong positive correlation coefficient of 90.4% (0.904), which is statistically significant (p<0.05), meaning that for every one unit of household skills utilization applied on SME's economic environment, there is a significant effect of household skills utilization due to electrification on the growth of small and medium enterprises in coastal region of Kenya. This also implies that household skills utilization is positively affecting the growth of small and medium enterprises in the coastal region of Kenya. The study recommends that SME stakeholders institute their economic operationalization more on household skill utilization since knowledge and skills acquired through electronic media are necessary for business record keeping.

Rural electrification is a very important process to provide access to modern energy, especially to the poor people in developing countries like Kenya. Rural electrification programs in Kenya focus on providing development assistance through the supply of electricity services to stimulate economic productivity and enhance the quality of life in rural areas. These projects do not start with an assessment of the needs of the people that they are meant to serve. The rural electricity evaluation programs at present are confined to measuring only quantifiable variables, such as the number of households electrified. Moreover, the impact of electrification on rural SME operations is also seldom evaluated. The objective of this research study was to establish the effects of household revenue levels due to rural electrification on the growth of small and medium enterprises in the coastal region of Kenya. The study area was the Coast region. This study adopted an exploratory research design. The target population for this study comprised 172,556 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) registered in the coastal region by 2023. The study adopted multi-stage sampling, systematic and simple random sampling techniques due to the large target population involved. A total of 381 responses were received out of a target population of 399 respondents. This represented a 95.5% response rate from these study results. The majority of the respondents agreed that there was an extent of revenue level growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya, and the majority of the respondents agreed that there was an extent of revenue level growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the coastal region, Kenya. The results show a strong positive correlation coefficient of 0.944, which is statistically significant (p<0.05), showing that there is a significant effect of the revenue level of the household due to electrification on the growth of small and medium enterprises in the coastal region of Kenya. Further, the overall revenue level is positively affecting the growth of small and medium enterprises in the coastal region of Kenya. The study recommends that SMEs emphasize the use of machines as it enhances income due to improved quality products and services.

Small-scale enterprises highly influence the growth of a country. Small-scale enterprises are fundamental in creating employment opportunities for many people, notably in rural areas. Consequently, the study was determined to examine the role of financial institutions in the growth of small and medium enterprises in Japan. The study did a literature review to explore the findings from the preceding studies. The study findings from the majority of the studies showed that financial institutions play a critical role in the growth of small and medium enterprises. The financial institutions provide services and loans that spur the growth of small and medium enterprises. In addition, the financial institutions are involved in providing the startup capital and this increases the sustainability of the small firms. In some instances, the financial institutions provide capacity building to the small enterprises, increasing their skills and knowledge in the management process. The small-scale enterprises encounter many difficulties and the financial instructions become a channel for accessing funds. The factors that limit small and medium enterprises from accessing the loans from the financial institutions is mainly lack of collateral. The study concluded that financial institutions determined the growth of small and medium enterprises in Japan to a large extent. The study recommended that drastic and effective financial policies which directly increase accessibility to available credits from financial institutions ought to be set in Japan. The government needs to sale up a framework that will make the financial institutions increase their lending to the small and medium enterprises. A specialized borrowing system needs to be developed in the financial institutions to carry out small-scale lending functions. Keywords: Financial institutions, growth, small scale enterprises, Japan

Medium and Small Enterprises (MSEs) are engines of economic development through contribution of jobs and poverty reduction. Currently, the MSE sector in Kenya contributes over 70% of the country’s GDP. Despite this importance, 3 out every five of MSEs in Kenya collapse within 3-5 years of operation leading to loss of jobs, increased poverty and low GDP. Innovation has been termed as one of the most crucial elements in today’s globalized and competitive environment. Remaining competitive in today’s modern world require organizations to pursue innovation the objective of the study was to determine the influence of innovation on growth of micro and small pharmaceutical enterprises in Kenya. To achieve this objective, a descriptive survey study design shall be adopted. The target population of the study was the pharmaceutical MSEs in Nairobi County. Random sampling technique was used to get sample size of 30 .The research study adopted a questionnaire as a research data collection instrument. Both open and closed ended questions shall be used to elicit responses from respondents. The research data collected was analyzed using the statistical package for social scientists software and the results presented using charts and tables. Descriptive statistical data was used for analysis and reporting. The reliability of the test instrument shall be done using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between growth and the types of innovation applied in pharmaceutical Mses. The study results were presented through tables and figures. The study concludes that open innovation has a positive and significant effect on growth of micro and small pharmaceutical enterprises in Kenya. In addition, the study concludes that process innovation has a positive and significant effect on growth of micro and small pharmaceutical enterprises in Kenya. Further, the study concludes that front end innovation has a positive and significant effect on growth of micro and small pharmaceutical enterprises in Kenya. The study also concludes that market innovation has a positive and significant effect on growth of micro and small pharmaceutical enterprises in Kenya. Based on the results, this study recommends that the management of micro and small pharmaceutical enterprises should encourage open innovation to ensure maximum utilization of resources and minimize wastage. Further, the management of micro and small pharmaceutical enterprises should formulate and implement effective marketing strategies to increase the sales of their firm. Keywords: Innovation, Leadership Skills, Pharmaceuticals, Micro and Small Enterprises

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of entrepreneurial marketing skills on growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises in Nigeria.
 Methodology: Descriptive research design was applied by the study. The study target population was 18,476 plastics manufacturing SMEs in LAGOS State, Nigeria. Based on Yamane Formula adopted the sample size for this study was 397 respondents. Random sampling was used to select the 392 plastics manufacturing SMEs. The study therefore randomly selected 392 plastics manufacturing SMEs from a list of total lists of these is 18476 plastics manufacturing SMEs in LAGOS State, Nigeria. The study used semi structured questionnaires to collect primary data. The study used SPSS version 27 software to analyse the data. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out. Results from analysed data were presented in tables and figures.
 Results: The inferential statistics results revealed a positive and significant relationship between entrepreneurial marketing skills on growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises in Nigeria at p<0.05. Entrepreneurial marketing g skills on growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises had a Pearson’s correlation of r=0.808 (p=0.000). The correlation results implied that implied that entrepreneurial marketing skills had very strong positive correlation with growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises in Nigeria. The finding implied that improving the marketing skills for SMEs entrepreneurs would results to high growth of heir enterprises. The R2 for the model was 0.653 indicating that 65.3% of growth of SMEs is explained by entrepreneurial marketing skills other factors held constant. This was a sign that the model was appropriate for establishing the relationship between entrepreneurial marketing skills on growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises in Nigeria. 
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Life Cycle Theory used in this study may be used to anchor future studies on describing the different stages of corporate life. The study recommends that SMEs owners should invest in capabilities that will enable gather market information in the industry they operate. This will ensure that marketing approach and their entire growth model is streamlined to optimize market segment that have the largest potential for growth. According to the study, policy makers should formulate policies that will ensure that SMEs are trained on entrepreneurial marketing skills and financial management to equip them with adequate skills need to grow their businesses.

The study examines the effect of government policy on the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Anambra State. The study was anchored on the business growth theory. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The Population was 1,200 SME operators in Anambra State. The sample size of 300 SMEs was employed using Yamane’s formula. Questionnaire was the major instrument of data collection used in the study. Regression was used to analyse the formulated hypotheses in the study. The study discover that government credit policy granted, government tax policy and government licensing policy has a significant positive effect on the growth of small and medium enterprises in Onitsha North Local Government area, Anambra State. The study concludes that government policy has a positive significant effect on the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. The study recommends among others that government should reassess its various policies put in place to alleviate negative effect on credit policy on the growth of SMEs in Anambra State, Nigeria. Government should develop a system for tax payment so as to enhance efficiency in tax collection and payment

This study aims to determine and analyze effect of financial literacy and access to capital on the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. This study applies a quantitative research design. Population in this research is Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Medan City. Sampling technique used purposive sampling with a sample of 50 respondents from Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Medan City. Testing the hypothesis in this study using multiple linear regression. The results show that financial literacy has a positive and significant effect on the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. Access to capital has a positive and significant effect on the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.

Small and medium enterprises (SME) play a very important role in our day to day lives; they drive a countries economy, shape the world’s economy and as a result make life easier, as a matter of fact flourishing organizations show how well a developing nation is doing. The purpose of this study was to uncover the effects of strategic management Practices on growth of Small and medium enterprises in Kitui south sub county. The study assessed the effect of corporate governance, strategic planning, corporate social responsibility and innovation and technology on growth of Small and medium enterprises in Kitui south sub county. The study is grounded on agency theory, resource-based theory, stakeholder theory and innovation diffusion theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was owners and employees of Small and medium enterprises operating in Kitui south sub county. The sample frame for the study was drawn from Small and medium enterprises operating within Kitui south which are 418 registered SME’s. From this a sample size of 83SME’s was chosen using simple random sampling technique. To facilitate the process of data collection, questionnaires which contain structured and opened ended questions, were issued to the respondents and informal interviews was also conducted so as to ensure data accuracy. The data collected was then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with Statistical Package for Social science (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel as tools of analysis. The data analysis involved tables, charts, frequency distribution charts, percentages, regression analysis and standard deviations and the data was presented inform of tables and figures. The study findings revealed that, all the four elements of strategic management practices considered in the study that is; Innovation and Technology (IT), Strategic Planning (SP), Corporate Governance (CG), Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), explain about 47.6% of the growth of small and medium enterprises in Kitui South Sub County, as represented by the Adjusted R Square coefficient of multiple determinant = 0.476. The study further found that innovation and technology had the greatest influence on growth of SME’s in Kitui county, it iterates that corporate governance has a positive influence on and that there is a strong relationship between corporate social responsibility and growth of SME’s. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that SME owners should consider having a well written down strategy for their SME to grow and their CSR activities to be enhanced in order to have a positive influence on the growth of the SME and business. This study recommends that further research be carried out targeting the small owner-managed companies as well as other organizations in Kenya to enable generalization of findings.

This quantitative research design aims to determine the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) on labor absorption by taking the research location in Central Mamuju Regency. This research aims to discover more about the growth of MSMEs and their influence on the number of workers who can be absorbed. This research uses a simple linear regression analysis method and a data collection method through documentation. From the t-test results, the calculated t value for the growth variable for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is 6.598, greater than the t-table value of 2.570 with a significant value of 0.001, which is smaller than 0.05. So the first hypothesis is that the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) significantly affects labor absorption in Central Mamuju Regency. Meanwhile, the results of the correlation coefficient analysis obtained a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.947 which is included in the powerful correlation category so that the second hypothesis is that the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) has a robust correlation or relationship with labor absorption in Central Mamuju Regency, accepted.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of entrepreneurial networking skills on growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises in Nigeria.
 Methodology: Mixed methods research design was applied by the study. The study target population was 18,476 plastics manufacturing SMEs in LAGOS State, Nigeria. Based on Yamane Formula adopted the sample size for this study was 397 respondents. Random sampling was used to select the 392 plastics manufacturing SMEs. The study therefore randomly selected 392 plastics manufacturing SMEs from a list of total lists of these is 18476 plastics manufacturing SMEs in LAGOS State, Nigeria. The managing director/CEO of these enterprises were the main respondents therefore the study administered 392 questionnaires. The study used semi structured questionnaires to collect primary data. The study used SPSS version 27 software to analyse the data. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out.
 Results: The inferential analysis results revealed that entrepreneurial networking skills had a significant and positive influence on the growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises in Nigeria at p<0.05. This indicates that strategic question asking, ability to get referrals and value adding skills are crucial drivers of growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises. The Coefficient of determination R2 of 0.470 showed that 47.0% of Growth of SMEs is explained by entrepreneurial financial skills. The R value for the model was 0.686 and the R2 was 0.470. This was a sign that the model was appropriate for establishing the link between entrepreneurial networking skills and the growth of small and medium plastic manufacturing enterprises and, as a result, for drawing the conclusions and suggestions from the study. 
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: While the existing Social network entrepreneurship theory used in this study was validated, the study recommends that SMEs in Nigeria should form quality networking which will enable them to create social communities shared by stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, other enterprises. According to the study, policymakers and state regulatory organizations should take the lead in formulating favourable legislation and policies that will provide friendly operating environment to enhance the growth of SMEs.

Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) have been recognized to be the economic drivers in both developed and developing nation. Despite their economic importance, SMEs have been experiencing poor performance and do not survive beyond five years of inception. SMEs in Nigeria encounter challenges in developing creative ways of acquiring resources in non-traditional ways through owner’s financing, subsidy financing, delayed payment, joint utilisation, and social capital result into persistent decline in sales growth, market share growth, productivity growth, profitability and increase in employee turnover. This study investigated the effect of Bootstrapping dimension on sales growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in South-West, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. The population of the study comprised 14, 527 owner/managers of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) enterprises in Lagos and Oyo States. The study utilized stratified simple random sampling technique. A sample size of 750 owner/managers of SMEs were enumerated using Cochran’s (1977) formula. Adapted questionnaire was used and 86.4% response rate was achieved. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential (regression) analyses. The findings revealed that bootstrapping dimensions had significant effect on sales growth (Adj. R2 = 0.055; F(5, 642) = 8.542, p < 0.05). The study concluded that bootstrapping improved sales growth of SMEs in South-West, Nigeria. It was recommended that management of small and medium scale enterprises in South-West, Nigeria should pay more attention on subsidy financing, delayed payment, social capital with less attention on joint utilization in order to improve their sales growth. Keywords: Bootstrapping, Delayed Payment, Sales Growth, Small & Medium Scale Enterprises, Social Capital, Subsidy Financing

The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting the growth of micro and small enterprises operating in Daro Lebu and Hawi Gudina districts of west hararghe zone, oromia region, Ethiopia. The study adopted both Quantitative and Qualitative research designed with arrangement of primary data collection via a cross-sectional survey. Survey Data collected through structured questionnaires from a sample of 197 MSEs selected using stratified sample techniques. The result of regression analysis revealed that access to credit, government support, Education, gender and enterprises’ age were positively significant effects on MSEs' growth. But, Initial capital and infrastructure were negatively associated with capital growth rate of MSEs. However, Recordkeeping, access to technology, access to market and labor found to be insignificant variable in determining enterprises’ growth. More evidence desired on factors affecting the growth of micro and small enterprises before any generalization of the results can be prepared. In addition, the empirical tests conducted only on 197 sampled enterprises employee in Daro Lebu and Hawi Gudina Districts since 2024. Therefore, the results cannot be taken as uniform to generalize for MSEs in the country. The study might help the entrepreneurs, donated to the body of knowledge on the factors affecting the growth of micro and small enterprises to take some corrective action for both planners and policy implementation in government organizations toward developing their performance and in turn contribute to employment creation, poverty alleviation, and economic development. This paper adds to the literature on factors affecting the growth of micro and small enterprises. In particular, it tests the influence of access to credit, government support, Education, gender, enterprises’ age, Initial capital and access to infrastructure on growth of enterprises. The result forward key policy implications to take a corrective action that alleviates the existing challenges of the sector and calls for further MSEs bearing evaluation research.

Microfinance banks are key to the growth and development of small and medium enterprises most especially in the wave of turbulence and unfavorable business environment, this is due to the fact that they provide short term facilities to SMEs. The study examined the relationship between micro finance bank and the growth of small medium enterprises in Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consists of 100 selected SME’s operators within Wuse business area Abuja, Simple random sampling technique was use to arrive at a sample size of 100. In other to address the objective of the study, structured questionnaire was employed as the research instrument used to obtain relevant information from 100 respondents and were all filled and returned. Descriptive statistics, cross tabulation and simple linear regression were used to analyze the data collected. Findings revealed that micro finance banks domestic fund transfer services contribute to the growth of small and medium enterprises, this is revealed by the regression result (Beta =0.500; P = 0.000 < 0.05). Also, the study also discovered that repayable loans provided to small medium enterprises enhances the development of their businesses as revealed by the regression result (Beta = 1.074; P 0.000 < 0.05). The study concludes that there exists a positive relationship between micro finance bank and small medium enterprises. The study recommends that customers and beneficiaries of micro finance loans should avoid default in the repayment of loans. Furthermore, Microfinance banks should avoid charging high interest and much collaterals when granting loans.

The study endeavored to determine the role of entrepreneur’s competence on growth of small and medium enterprises. The specific objectives of the study were to; establish entrepreneur’s competence small and medium enterprises in Bungoma County, examine the growth of small and medium enterprises in Bungoma county and to determine the relationship between entrepreneur’s competence and growth of small and medium enterprises. The study used a combination of descriptive, cross-sectional and correlation research designs and data was gathered using a self-administered questionnaire on 201 SMEs. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The resource-based theory was used to guide this research. The study findings indicated that the grand mean for entrepreneur’s competence was low with a mean of 2.23 with a SD of 0.50. The implications of the findings is that SMEs operators in Bungoma county lack the prerequisite entrepreneurial skills and knowledge affecting their growth save for resource mobilization. It was also found that the grand mean for growth of SMEs was low with a mean of 1.96 and SD of 0.58. The implication of the findings was that SMEs were performing dismally affecting their graduation/transition to the next higher level. The study results also found that there was a significant relationship between entrepreneur’s competence and growth of SMEs with p. value 0.000. The study concluded that SMEs should embrace relevant competence skills to enable them operated growth oriented enterprises which can graduate to higher levels thereby contributing to improved social and economic life of the operators and the nation at large. The study recommended that owner managers of SMEs to attend trainings on resource mobilization and innovation so as to acquire adequate resource mobilization and innovation skills and differentiate themselves in the market place to grow their enterprises. The study further recommended that government to put in place entrepreneurship policy to nurture business startups through mentorship, motivation and attitude change as they walk through entrepreneurship journey.
 Keywords: Entrepreneur’s Competence, Growth, Small and Medium Enterprises