THE INFLUENCE OF TRAINING ON WOMEN BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN THE NORTHERN STATES OF MALAYSIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of training on the performance of women’s microenterprises in Malaysia’s northern states that are members of the microfinance organisation Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia. A model has been created based on comprehensive literature studies. There have been no conclusive conclusions about the effect of training on the success of women’s microenterprises based on prior studies. The originality of this research originates from the significance of information and knowledge for any microentrepreneur or microfinance institution considering the impact of training on performance. This article undoubtedly added to the amount of knowledge about women’s business performance. The data for this study were gathered by a cross-sectional survey of 221 female micro-enterprises using stratified random sampling. The data are examined using descriptive statistics and regression analysis, which are performed using SPSS and SmartPLS. This study revealed that training has a positive and significant effect on the performance of women microenterprises owned and managed by women entrepreneurs in the Northern States of Malaysia. In order to improve the socio-economic condition of low-income women micro-entrepreneurs and their families, development programmes and policies should place a strong emphasis on enhancing entrepreneurs’ ability to recognize and take advantage of knowledge-generating opportunities and improve their ability to generate income. Micro-enterprises run by women must be recognised for the valuable contribution they make in reducing poverty as well as improving their own performance, which calls for building up relational and commitment skills among the women who run them. KEYWORDS: mentoring, microenterprise, microfinance, micro-entrepreneurs, women business performance and poverty alleviation