| dc.description.abstract | Growth of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) had been identified as a key strategy in Kenya's economy through creation of employment, development of new ideas and technology. However, existing studies shows a serious weakness in strategies employed in management of enterprises. This study therefore sought to establish the influence of continuous improvement strategy on performance of MSEs in Kisii Soapstone industry. Like other MSEs in the country, the Soapstone enterprise faced a number of constraints which limited performance and ability of MSEs to exploit their full potential. This raised the issue on how to enhance management capacity so as to achieve growth. Consequently, the study focused on three continuous improvement attributes.
The first objective was to establish extent to which continuous improvement strategy in planning influenced performance of Kisii Soapstone MSEs. Secondly, the study explored extent to which continuous improvement strategy in production influenced performance of MSEs in Kisii Soapstone industry. Lastly, the study examined extent to which continuous improvement strategy in measurement and analysis cycles influenced performance of Kisii Soapstone MSEs. While there had been a number of studies on management of MSEs, there was little evidence on influence of continuous improvement strategy in addressing managerial constraints in the sector.
The study finding may therefore form a basis for improvement of government policies on enterprise management, managers and owners of enterprises may also enhance capacities and quality of artifact through adoption of effective and efficient processing strategies. These continuous improvement strategies were articulated by the Deming's cycles and Kaizen management models. The main constraints to the study was that most enterprises had no records of income and expenditure; the informal nature of MSEs offered some challenges in establishing the number of enterprises and also records pertaining to performance of enterprises.
The findings from review of literature also confirmed and reinforced the place of MSEs in economic development and importance of continuous improvement in production processes. A theoretical framework was developed based on the continuous improvement theories, where planning, production, measurement and analysis were independent variables of the study, on the other hand, performance of Kisii soapstone MSEs was the dependent variable of the study. To address the study objectives, a descriptive survey was carried out on 2192 people involved in the Soapstone industry at Tabaka Township in South Kisii District. Using stratified and quota sampling methods, a sample of 100 retailers, 20 wholesalers, 8 exporters and 30 employees were drawn from the population. Primary data was collected from managers, owners and employees of IYfSEs through questionnaire and in-depth interview schedule.
Data collected was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. A Chi-square CX2) was used to test the hypotheses. ,The findings of the study indicated that application of continuous improvement strategy in management of MSEs had significant influence on growth and general wellbeing of the sector. To spur performance, a number of Soapstone MSEs had adopted effective and efficient production strategies. However, most of them still faced challenges in technology application, marketing of artifacts and application of due diligence in financial management.
The study therefore advocated for training of MSEs managers, and change of attitude towards management strategies and application of modem technology for growth of enterprises. The government should. also take a proactive role by enacting policies which can spur growth in the micro and small enterprises. Lastly, the study contributed to the body of knowledge by linking the performance of MSEs to continuous improvement strategy. | en_US |
