Covid-19 Pandemic Disruptions and Financial Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Thika Sub-County, Kenya

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dc.contributor.advisorFarida Abdulen_US
dc.contributor.authorNjubi, George Njuguna
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-05T09:11:38Z
dc.date.available2024-02-05T09:11:38Z
dc.date.issued2023-11
dc.descriptionA Research Project Submitted to the School of Business, Economics and Tourism in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration (Finance Option) of Kenyatta University, November 2023.en_US
dc.description.abstractCovid-19 pandemic affected most businesses globally and later metamorphosed from a health concern into an economic crisis of unquantifiable proportions, with SMEs affected in a significant way. There was disruption of trade across the globe due to travel restrictions resulting in businesses not accessing the raw materials for their manufacturing activities as well as not accessing the markets for the finished products. Some businesses especially in the hospitality industry had to shut down following the dwindling number of tourists arriving in the country as a result of travel restrictions by various countries. Other businesses had to shut down as regulations were made to maintain physical distance as a way of curbing further transmission of the virus. The study aimed to determine the implication of disruptions brought by the pandemic on financial performances of SMEs. The study specifically sought to determine the effects of Covid-19 business regulations, supply chain disruptions and technological disruptions on the financial performances of SMEs in Thika Sub-county in Kenya. The study was anchored on Stakeholders Theory, Just in Time (JIT), Theory of Disruptive Technologies and The Exogenous Growth Theory. The study applied descriptive research design. The research reached out to one hundred and 122 businesses, as the target population. These are the businesses that were licensed by the County government of Kiambu and have been in operations for more than three years. The researcher used a questionnaire to gather primary data which was administered to respondents through the drop and pick up technique. Data collection was done using questionnaires. During the study, 9 questionnaires were piloted with respondents managing businesses in Thika Sub-county and were not involved in the final research. The study used a Cronbach Alpha coefficient with a threshold of 0.7 to assess the degree to which test scores were consistent. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to evaluate quantitative data. The inferential analysis was carried out to test for the relationship between variables by applying correlation analysis and regressions analysis. Data was presented using tables and figures. Data was analyzed using multiple regression. The study concluded that Covid-19 business regulations, supply chain disruptions and technological disruptions had a significant effect on financial performance of SMEs. The study recommended that there is need for a consultative approach in designing business regulations by all stakeholders. This is largely because the regulations have a direct impact on the profitability of the businesses. There is also a need to have a well-developed and functional supply chain system as this could give a company competitive edge over the others. The study observed that in a world where consumers have access to a broad variety of items to select from anywhere in the world, companies nowadays do not compete with one another, or product with another product but competition turns to one supply chain against another. To remain competitive during the business and economic environment that resulted due to the pandemic, SMEs have to leverage on technology in customer interactions and the entire supply chain system. The study also established that well-capitalized technology SMEs with a large network of users and vast amounts of digital data are better positioned to seize the opportunities offered during a crisisen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipKenyatta Universityen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/27502
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherKenyatta Universityen_US
dc.subjectCovid-19 Pandemic Disruptionsen_US
dc.subjectFinancial Performance of Small and Medium Enterprisesen_US
dc.subjectThika Sub-Countyen_US
dc.subjectKenyaen_US
dc.titleCovid-19 Pandemic Disruptions and Financial Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Thika Sub-County, Kenyaen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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