Potential Entrepreneurship in Urban Informal Sector Microenterprises in Sri Lanka (Published)
Microenterprises and also the attached entrepreneurs in the developing countries are very diverse. Therefore, issues and barriers related to microenterprises are at a wide range. It is crucial in identifying underlying segmentation stories beforehand any policy intervention that direct to improve micro entrepreneurship. This study aims to identify de facto typologies and potential entrepreneurship in urban informal sector in Sri Lanka. Data were drawn from a sample of 300 micro entrepreneurs chosen under multi stage cluster sampling method. Ward’s hierarchical clustering method identified five main segments considering demographic, socioeconomic, business related and also psychological factors related to entrepreneurs. According to the characteristics recorded, identified five clusters were labeled as survival, potential, survival-forever, transitory and self-sufficient for cluster 1 to 5 respectively. Survival or survival-forever groups were not operatable for a growing firm due to their setup and other related characteristics while self-sufficient group had least capacity to expand within micro basis. Cluster two and four had growth oriented characteristics and hence potential groups that were finalized as the viable micro entrepreneurial blocks which have greater potential to grow with complementary assistances.
Keywords: Micro Enterprises, Q Analysis, Urban Informal Sector, Ward’s Hierarchical Clustering
Entrepreneurial Orientation Dimensions and Profitability Nexus: Evidence from Micro Enterprises in the Retail Sector in a Developing Country (Published)
This study examined the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (proactivity, risk-taking and innovation) and profitability of micro enterprises in the retail sector in a developing country. The data for the study were obtained from micro enterprise owners who operate retail businesses in Madina-Accra in Ghana. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design, and employed quantitative technique in the collection and analysis of the data. The researchers used convenient and purposive sampling techniques to select 110 research participants for the study. The study employed descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation and hierarchical regression to analyse the data. The study found a significant positive effect of proactiveness and risk-taking on profitability of micro enterprises that operate in the retail sector in Ghana. However, no relationship was found between entrepreneurial innovativeness and profitability. The implications of these findings and recommendations for research, practice and practice were also discussed.
Keywords: Developing Country, Entrepreneurial Orientation, Micro Enterprises, Profitability, Retail Sector