The effect of mentorship program on business performance amongst Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Nairobi County
Abstract
Mentorship is defined as supporting and encouraging people to manage their own
learning in order to maximize their potential, develop their skills, improve their
performance and become the person they want to be. This simply means helping another
individual be the person they want to be and achieve their goals and objective. Kenya is
today faced with high level of unemployment especially amongst youth; the government
has set up financial mechanism to help the youth set up business that can help them be
more productive. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of mentorship
programs on business performance amongst micro, small and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) in Nairobi County. The researcher reviewed related literature and found out
that a gap still exists on studies on the effect of mentorship programs on business
performance. The literature reviewed revolved around the two constructs. The study used
cross-sectional descriptive survey design targeting mentees. A simple random sampling
was then be used to select the sample. Descriptive statistics of SPSS version 17 were used
to analyze the data. Chi-square statistical test established that there exists a strong
relationship between mentorship and business improvement however; there was nonsignificant
relationship between the mentorship program and overall firm performance.
Findings also revealed that the entrepreneurs encounter varied challenges which spoke
volumes of the effectiveness on the mentorship program on organizations. The study
concluded that mentorship program is not a significant predictor of overall firm/business
performance. The study recommends that mentorship programmes need to be considered
for the specific business industry/environment for maximum effects. It is also important
to study the interdependent relationships that may exist between the MSMEs unique
characteristics and mentoring programmes as well as barriers if these potential links and
their impact are to be fully established.
Citation
A Research Project Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirement For The Award Of The Degree Of Master Of Business Administration School Of Business, University Of NairobiPublisher
University of Nairobi School of Business