| dc.description.abstract | Recently, there has been an explosive growth in world-wide interest in the jua kali sector as a panacea for the problems of poverty and unemployment. This interest is driven by crisis, great and growing need. and a conspicuous lack of viable options, yet the human realities of life in the jua kali sector remain largely a mystery. Many, perhaps most, of the current jua kali sector initiatives are not sufficiently well informed by a clear sense of what support measures are likely to work in future, much less about what has worked in the past. Many mistakes are being made, and many opportunities lost, with much avoidable human suffering.
Within the last two decades a significant number of research works have been carried out on various issues relating to performance of the jua kali sector towards national development. However, few empirical studies on influence of entrepreneurial skills on the performance of jua kali artisans have been established in Kenya. In an effort to contribute to the existing literature on the relationship between entrepreneurial skills and jua kali performance, a study of jua kali artisans in Meru Town was conducted. Specifically, this study examined the influence of entrepreneurial skills on the performance of jua kali artisans in a developing country like Kenya using the current operating jua kali artisans in Meru Town as a case.
The objectives of the study were; Influence of managerial skills on performance of jua kali artisans, influence of Technical skills on performance of jua kali artisans, Influence of IT skills on performance of jua kali artisans and influence of communication skills on performance of jua kali artisans. Performance was based on net profit and sales. The sample purposely consisted of 235 jua kali artisans who were selected using Stratified Random Sampling. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. Data was collected using both open ended and closed ended questionnaires.
The Design for the study was Correlation Research Design where it was established that there was a positive correlation between performance and entrepreneurial skills. The study established that managerial skills had a positive correlation with respect to performance with a correlation coefficient being r=O.204.On technical skills the correlation coefficient was 0.653 indicating a very strong correlation between technical skills and performance. With regard to communication skills the study established that there was a weak positive correlation between these communication skills and performance. The study therefore recommends training of jua kali artisans on entrepreneurial skills to enable them improve and grow their businesses. | en_US |
