With this study, we try to explore new evidence about financial innovation in small and medium enterprises (SME) financing impact on SME development in Bangladesh from 1985 to 2016. To bring insigh...

SME financing innovation and SME development in Bangladesh: an application of ARDL

A Research Project Submitted to the Department of Economic Theory in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Masters of Economics in Policy and Management, of Kenyatta University July, 2017

Microfinance Institutions’ Social Intermediation and Micro and Small Enterprises Survival in Thika Town, Kenya

Researchers involved in biomedical community-based projects rarely seek the perspectives of community fieldworkers, who are the ‘foot soldiers’ in such projects. Understanding the effect of biomedical research on community-based field workers could identify benefits and shortfalls that may be crucial to the success of community-based studies. The present study explored the perceptions of community-based field workers on the effect of the Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development Project" (MAL-ED) South Africa on their tangible and intangible capital which together comprise sustainable livelihoods. The study was conducted in Dzimauli community in Limpopo Province of South Africa between January-February 2016. The sustainable livelihoods framework was used to query community-based field workers’ perspectives of both tangible assets such as income and physical assets and intangible assets such as social capital, confidence, and skills. Data were collected through twenty one individual in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion. Data were analysed using the Thematic Content Analysis approach supported by ATLAS.ti, version 7.5.10 software. All the field workers indicated that they benefitted from the MAL-ED South Africa project. The benefits included intangible assets such as acquisition of knowledge and skills, stronger social capital and personal development. Additionally, all indicated that MAL-ED South Africa provided them with the tangible assets of increased income and physical assets. Observations obtained from the focus group discussion and the community-based leaders concurred with the findings from the in-depth interviews. Additionally, some field workers expressed the desire for training in public relations, communication, problem solving and confidence building. The MAL-ED South Africa, biomedical research project, had positive effects on tangible and intangible assets that compose the sustainable livelihoods of community-based fieldworkers. However, the field workers expressed the need to acquire social skills to enable them carry out their duties more efficiently.

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Perceptions of community-based field workers on the effect of a longitudinal biomedical research project on their sustainable livelihoods

The main focus of this study is to ascertain the impact of access to formal credit on enterprise performance. The study uses Nigerian Enterprise Surveys data for 2010 to construct a direct measure of credit constraint. From propensity score estimations, the results show that access to formal credit matters and has a significant impact on enterprise performance indicators. Firms that are credit constrained have significantly lower output per worker, capital per worker, employment of labour and investment in fixed assets for expansion compared to firms that are not credit constrained. This is more pronounced for women-owned enterprises after adjusting for bias in the estimations and controlling for sampling weights. This suggests that one way to support the growth of enterprises in Nigeria is to make access to formal credit less stringent. Also, government and monetary authorities should support credit expansion policies for medium and small enterprises in Nigeria.

Access to Formal Credit and Enterprise Performance in Nigeria: A Gender Perspective

Globalisation, enterprise and knowledge: education, training and development in Africa: Kenneth King & Simon McGrath, Symposium Books Oxford, 2002, ISBN 1 873927 49 5, 230 pages, Cost not given

The Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) sector in Kenya has grown tremendously over the last two decades but its growth is characterized by low productivity and survivalist enterprises. The sector is however very strategic in providing future employment for the economy. This paper reviews the effects of microfinance services on the performance of MSMEs using an explanatory research design. The study targeted 429 MSMEs registered by the Kiambu Municipal Council and sampled 270 enterprises. The study utilized multiple regression analysis set draw inferences on the study using SPSS statistical package. The study found access to savings schemes, managerial training and loan grace period to be statistically significant in determining the performance of MSMEs. This study concludes that increasing provision levels of micro finance will result in increased performance of micro enterprise. The study makes recommendations for microfinance service providers and policy development partners.

	 

	Key words: Microfinance, MSMEs, enterprises, performance, financial services.

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Irene Rotich

Papers

Effects of microfinance services on the performance of small and medium enterprises in Kenya