Antecedents of intrapreneurial behaviour of small and medium enterprises in fruit juice processing
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Date
2019
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
As much as intrapreneurship is acknowledged as one of the key factors for firms’ growth and competitiveness, knowledge on how to promote intrapreneurship in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is limited. This study aimed at establishing the effect of potential antecedents of employees’intrapreneurial behaviour of SMEs, focusing on fresh fruit juice processing SMEs in Ghana. Building on existing scholarly works and theories, this study sought to understand owner-managers perspective on the potential antecedents of employees’ intrapreneurial behaviour as well as to ascertain the potential effect of employees’ perceived self-efficacy and motivation on intrapreneurial behaviour. The differences in employees’ self-efficacy, motivation and intrapreneurial behaviour with respect to their demographic characteristics were also focused. To achieve the research objectives, an explanatory research design with survey strategy was employed. Interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative data. The population of the study was workers and owner-managers in fresh fruit juice processing industry. A sample of 290 workers from three regions Greater Accra, Eastern and Central was drawn with 234 respondents fully participating while a total of 09 respondents participated in the qualitative phase. Structured questionnaire and an interview guide were the research tools used in collecting primary data from workers and owner-managers in a divergent mixed method approach. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used to analyse the quantitative data while thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data. Findings on demographic characteristics revealed that differences exist in gender and employee self-efficacy but not motivation and intrapreneurial behaviour. Employee age was indifferent to self-efficacy, motivation and intrapreneurial behaviour while significant difference was found in employees’ level of education and intrapreneurial behaviour but not self-efficacy and motivation. Further analyses also demonstrate that employee self-efficacy and motivation have a potentially significant effect on intrapreneurial behaviour. The results indicate that intrapreneurial behaviour of SMEs in fresh fruit juice processing correlates with employees’ self-efficacy and motivation and that these two could be regarded as antecedents of employee intrapreneurial behaviour. In addition, it was also revealed that firm resources availability may have a significant mediating effect on the antecedents of intrapreneurial behaviour. This study recommends SME owner-managers and other stakeholders’ to develop prudent strategies to enhance and grow the self-efficacy and the intrinsic drive of employees. These could be in turn, used as key factors in designing and targeting the campaigns for the emergence of intrapreneurship in SMEs characterized by innovative and proactive behaviour. Additional antecedents such a culture of continuous improvement, a learning attitude, ego and passion, a sense of belonging, job security, effective communication, education and training and good remuneration were also discovered from the qualitative phase. Further research is needed to identify other factors that could aid in the campaign on how to promote intrapreneurial behaviour in small firms in the Sub-Saharan African context. Again, since this study tested the observational casual effect regarding the antecedents of intrapreneurial behaviour through cross-sectional design, a longitudinal study which goes further to examine an actually casual effect could be conducted.
Description
Available in printed form, East Africana Collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, Class mark (THS EAF HD9340.G4.A474 )
Keywords
Beverages, Fruit juice industry, Fruit juice, Entreprenuership, Small and medium enterprises, Ghana
Citation
Afriyie, N (2019) Antecedents of intrapreneurial behaviour of small and medium enterprises in fruit juice processing.Doctoral dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam.