L’impact du profil du propriétaire-dirigeant sur la performance des PME camerounaises : Cas de la région de l’ouest

Abstract

For more than a decade, the SME has been at the center of research in African. Most research questions the sustainability of the latter. In 2013, the Cameroonian government created a special bank for this category of enterprise called BC PME, in order to provide managers with the necessary funds to improve the performance of their structures. However, these enterprises are struggling to grow. Thus, the present study aims to determine the influence of the owner-manager profile on the performance of Cameroonian SMEs. To better understand this study, we opted for a hypothetico-deductive approach based on a positivist posture. For the test of hypotheses, data was collected from a questionnaire over a period from 2016 to 2017 from 60 Cameroonian SMEs; located in West Cameroon. Multiple regression by ordinary least square show that the socio-demographic characteristics of the owner-manager such as: gender, level of education and type of training positively and significantly influence the performance of Cameroonian SMEs. However, competence in the field of activity had a negatively influence on the performance of Cameroonian SMEs. Furthermore, the performance of SMEs is not a function of the owner-manager’s knowledge of a particular activity. It is assessed more by the level of study and the type of training. The Cameroonian State should also take an interest in the training of the owner-manager, in order to ensure the performance, even sustainability of SMEs.