Financial Management Practices and Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis


Book Description

Proper financial management is essential for business survival because firm's inability to identify and implement relevant financial management practices can affect its performance. This study examines financial management practices and their relationship with performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. The financial management practices covered financial records keeping, asset management, receivables management, cash management, inventory management and payables management. A sample of 147 SMEs made up of 133 small firms and 14 medium enterprises were used. Multiple linear regression analysis model was used to test the relationship between financial management practices and SMEs performance. The results show that receivable management, cash management, inventory management and asset management practices influence SMEs performance. Firm's age has a moderating effect on the association between financial management practice and SMEs performance. It is recommended that SMEs should incorporate good financial management practices such as credit management, cash management, inventory management and asset management in their operations.




The Effect of Entrepreneurial Orientation on Financial Performance of Firms


Book Description

Master's Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 4.07, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (School of Business), course: Bsc Accounting, language: English, abstract: The study examined the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on financial performance of SMEs using selected small and medium scale enterprises. The population of the study is made up of SMEs owner/managers of the metropolis. The study was done using an overall sample size of 120 SMEs owner/managers out of which 118 responses were received which constitute 98.3% response rate. Respondents were chosen using both purposive and convenient sampling techniques. The software utilized in data analysis was Statistical Package for Social Science version 20, and data was interpreted using regression, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Risk-taking propensity, innovativeness, and competitive aggressiveness (independent variables) were found to have a significant effect on financial performance of SMEs (dependent variable). This research will educate enterprise managers and entrepreneurs in numerous industries on the elements that influence entrepreneurial behavior, improve company performance, and assist the growth and development of their businesses at the firm level. The research will also give senior executive and management personnel at company’s access to the resources they need to make long-term decisions, allowing them to improve their competitive postures and capacities by improving their financial performance. Another important value of this research is that the findings will give information to the government that can be utilized as inputs for policy creation related to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial orientation. This research will add to the existing body of knowledge by presenting a fresh scenario and dimensions for bridging the gap in entrepreneurial success in developing countries.







Effect of Financial Management Practices on Financial Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Kiambu Town, Kenya


Book Description

Financial management is an important element of the management of any business. This study was therefore, designed to establish the effect of financial management practices on financial performance of small and medium enterprises in Kiambu town in Kenya. Three variables namely Working Capital Management, Investment decisions and financing decisions [independent variables] were used to measure financial performance [dependent variable]. The study used descriptive research design utilizing qualitative data captured using a self-administered questionnaire. The study showed that considered individually, there is a positive relationship between working capital management; investment decisions; financial decisions and financial performance. The study showed that the combined effect of financial management practices [working capital management, investment decision, financial decision] have a moderate positive relationship between financial management practices and financial performance. The study recommends that to enhance financial performance, the organizations [SMEs] should adopt credit policies to guide credit sales. The policies should create a balance between customer retention and adequate the cash flow. Secondly the study recommends that the government should ensure creation of favourable policy and economic environment through legislation that facilitate access to affordable sources of funding for SMEs and attract venture capitalist. Third, developing appropriate strategies and policies that enhance financial decisions will be critical for the SMEs in enhancing their financial performance. Fourth, a study that covers other parts of the country with unique business environments would be welcome.




The SME Financing Gap: Theory and evidence


Book Description

The lack of funding available from the financial sector for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is known as the financing gap. This report analyzes this gap for both credit and equity financing and seeks to determine how prevalent such a gap may be, both among OECD countries and non-OECD economies, and recommends measures to foster an improved flow of financing to SMEs and entrepreneurs. A significant number of entrepreneurs and SMEs could use funds productively if they were available, but are often denied access to financing. This impedes their creation and growth. The "financing gap" was the subject of the OECD Global Conference on "Better Financing for Entrepreneurship and SME Growth", held in Brasilia, Brazil in March 2006. Vol. 2 presents a synthesis of the Conference discussions on the credit and equity financing gaps, as well as on private equity definitions and measurements. It also offers a selection of papers given by some of the key stakeholders (SMEs, government and financial institutions) confronting these issues.--Publisher's description.







Islamic Wealth and the SDGs


Book Description

The SDGs, developed by the UN in 2012, focuses on 17 goals for the betterment of humanity and humanitarian causes. Among the core objectives of Shari'ah in Islamic finance is to offer a helping hand, emphasizing the efforts and scope of the SDGs. This book explores how Islamic ethical wealth is structured to contribute to the SDGs and an overall socio-economic impact within the principles of Maqasid al-Shari’ah. Focusing areas such as Islamic micro-finance, wealth inclusion, corporate and agro-Zakat, Awqaf, SRI Sukuk, and green Sukuk, this book will feature contributions from the leading researchers in sustainability and Islamic finance and will be of interest to scholars, researchers, industrialists, NGOs, UNDP and students studying both areas.




African Small and Medium Enterprises, Networks, and Manufacturing Performance


Book Description

"This paper examines the role of private support institutions in determining small and medium enterprise (SME) growth and performance in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It finds that SMEs in SSA get around market failures and lack of formal institutions by creating private governance systems in the form of long-term business relationships and tight, ethnically-based, business networks. There are important links between these informal governance institutions and SME performance. Networks raise the performance of "insiders" and, in the sparse business environments of the SSA region, have attendant negative consequences for market participation of "outsiders," such as indigenous African SMEs. This is indicated through the determinants of access to supplier credit. Policy interventions will be needed to improve the platform for relation-based governance mechanisms and to address the exclusionary effects of tight networks. "




A Market-oriented Strategy for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises


Book Description

This paper investigates the economic rationale for intervention in support of small and medium scale enterprises, on both theoretical and empirical grounds. It argues that the justification for SME interventions lies in market and institutional failures that bias the size distribution of firms, rather than on any inherent economic benefits provided by small firms. The role of the state is mainly to provide an enabling business environment that opens access to markets and reduces policy-induced biases against small firms. Governments can accelerate the development of markets for financial and non-financial services suited to SMEs by promoting innovation in products and delivery mechanisms, and by building institutional capacity. Improving the development impact of SME strategies will require much more attention to the monitoring and evaluation of intervention outcomes.




World Development Report 2009


Book Description

Rising densities of human settlements, migration and transport to reduce distances to market, and specialization and trade facilitated by fewer international divisions are central to economic development. The transformations along these three dimensions density, distance, and division are most noticeable in North America, Western Europe, and Japan, but countries in Asia and Eastern Europe are changing in ways similar in scope and speed. 'World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography' concludes that these spatial transformations are essential, and should be encouraged. The conclusion is not without controversy. Slum-dwellers now number a billion, but the rush to cities continues. Globalization is believed to benefit many, but not the billion people living in lagging areas of developing nations. High poverty and mortality persist among the world's 'bottom billion', while others grow wealthier and live longer lives. Concern for these three billion often comes with the prescription that growth must be made spatially balanced. The WDR has a different message: economic growth is seldom balanced, and efforts to spread it out prematurely will jeopardize progress. The Report: documents how production becomes more concentrated spatially as economies grow. proposes economic integration as the principle for promoting successful spatial transformations. revisits the debates on urbanization, territorial development, and regional integration and shows how today's developers can reshape economic geography.