Effect of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the Growth of women Micro and Small Enterprises in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya

The MSEs are globally the focus of policy makers due to their ability to distribute incomes in both rural and urban areas for poverty reduction. Entrepreneurial orientation is one of the major  determinant of women MSE business start up, growth and graduation in to medium and large scale enterprises. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of Entrepreneurial Orientation on the growth of women owned Micro and Small Enterprises in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya. Questionnaires, interview schedules and observation methods were used to collect data from 170 sampled women group MSE owner managers under Women Enterprise Fund subsidized entrepreneurial credit scheme in Trans-Nzoia County who were licensed by the county revenue department and have been in business between 2009 and 2015.  Growth was measured in terms of change in sales revenue, profit and number of employees before and after Women Enterprise Fund intervention measures. The data was summarised and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics of frequency distribution, mean, percentages, correlation and  linear regression.  The study found out that Entrepreneurial orientation had statistically significant relationship with growth of women MSEs at 0.05 level of significance. It was recommended that the Government in conjunction with County Governments should nurture an entrepreneurial culture through continuous technology upgrading courses in National polytechnics in addition to experiential learning through exchange visits and attendance of  national and international trade fairs. The government should provide modern business infrastructure to women Micro and MSEs in order to spur their meaningful and faster growth. To attain production and marketing economies of scale, clustering of women MSEs with subsequent subcontracting arrangements with medium and large enterprises was also recommended

Assessing Use of Information Communication Technologies among Agricultural Extension Workers in Kenya Using Modified UTAUT Model

Government agricultural extension officers in Kenya are mandated with providing agricultural information to farmers. ICTs have the ability to provide better linkage between agricultural experts and farmers for timely and appropriate technical advice to enhance agricultural productivity. Several models have been developed by various researchers to explain ICT adoption in various fields. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was developed by consolidating eight famous Models/Theories in the Information Systems discipline. This study aimed at investigating the factors that influence use of ICTs by government agricultural extension officers within Kiambu County of Kenya by utilizing the UTAUT model. To achieve this, four hypothesis were proposed to test the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The variables of the study were Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions and Social Influence. The research undertook a survey where a census of agricultural extension officers in Kiambu County was done. Questionnaires were utilized on the target population where 144 questionnaires were distributed and 104 were used in analysis. Correlation analysis was used to analyze the data and determine relationships between variables with the major determining factors being the correlation (R) and the p-value of significance. The results show that there were statistically significant, strong positive relationships between Improved Productivity, Facilitating Conditions and Management support and that of usage of ICTs. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that for success in implementation of ICT projects in the Extension Directorate, the extension workers need to be sensitized on ways ICTs could lead to higher productivity at their work places in addition to training on basic ICT technologies that they could easily utilize in their line of work. Further, it is recommended that the Ministry rolls out appropriate ICT infrastructure and ICT support staff in the Extension offices. This will go a long way in encouraging utilization of ICTs

Effect of Ease of Access to Information on Technology Usability on Household Food Security among Smallholder Farmers in Bungoma North Sub-County, Kenya

Smallholder farming is the livelihood of a large proportion of the population in developing countries, and agricultural innovations have the potential of enhancing productivity. In Sub-Saharan Africa, maize is a major staple; however, farmers experience heavy losses in post-harvest operations, especially storage. Hermetic storage technologies can preserve grain in quality and quantity, thus ensuring food availability while maintaining their exchange value. Extracting benefits from technology is premised on their adoption and use by farmers. Technology adoption is a process that starts with the diffusion of information about the existence of innovation. The study examined the effect of ease of access to information on technology usability on household food security in Bungoma North Sub-County, in Kenya. This study employed a cross-sectional design, where 394 households were sampled from across all the six locations of Bungoma North Sub County and questionnaires administered. From the factor analysis, household food security was loaded onto two components: food availability and food consumption, while ease of access to information on technology usability was loaded onto one component. Simple linear regression was used to estimate the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variables. Ease of access to information on technology usability had a positive and significant effect on both food availability and food consumption. This study is important in strategizing for productivity enhancement among smallholder farmers and recommends increased awareness on the availability of agricultural technologies

Effect of Ease of Access to Information on TECHNOLOGY Usability on Household Food Security Among Smallholder Farmers in Bungoma North Sub-County, Kenya

Smallholder farming is the livelihood of a large proportion of the population in developing countries, and agricultural innovations have the potential of enhancing productivity. In Sub-Saharan Africa, maize is a major staple; however, farmers experience heavy losses in post-harvest operations, especially storage. Hermetic storage technologies can preserve grain in quality and quantity, thus ensuring food availability while maintaining their exchange value. Extracting benefits from technology is premised on their adoption and use by farmers. Technology adoption is a process that starts with the diffusion of information about the existence of innovation. The study examined the effect of ease of access to information on technology usability on household food security in Bungoma North Sub-County, in Kenya. This study employed a cross-sectional design, where 394 households were sampled from across all the six locations of Bungoma North Sub County and questionnaires administered. From the factor analysis, household food security was loaded onto two components: food availability and food consumption, while ease of access to information on technology usability was loaded onto one component. Simple linear regression was used to estimate the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variables. Ease of access to information on technology usability had a positive and significant effect on both food availability and food consumption. This study is important in strategizing for productivity enhancement among smallholder farmers and recommends increased awareness on the availability of agricultural technologies

Exploring Innovativeness Dimension of Corporate Entrepreneurship on Financial Performance of Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

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