The Relationship between Opportunity Competence and Business Performance of Graduates with Physical Challenges in Kenya

Abstract

Entrepreneurial competencies are essential to the success of SMEs in the competitive and rapidly changing business environment thus, there is need for SMEs to acquire and improve their entrepreneurial competencies. Existing researches have revealed the importance of entrepreneurial competencies for SMEs in order to achieve business success. The purpose of this research was to establish the relationship between Opportunity Competence and Business Performance of graduates with physical challenges in Kiambu County in Kenya. The research objective was to analyze the significance of Opportunity Competence in Business Performance; and was being moderated by Business External Environment with constructs Access to Finance and Business Location. Participants of the study were graduates of higher education and training with physical challenges owning and managing businesses in Kiambu County in Kenya. The participants had undergone training at higher education and training institutions (both public and private) such as universities and tertiary level colleges. The physical challenges under focus were mobility related impairments categorized as acquired or congenital impairments. The study was longitudinal and utilized descriptive-survey method. It was largely quantitative in nature and was triangulated by some qualitative aspects. It addressed a population of 480 businesses owned and run by graduates with physical challenges of higher education and training in various constituencies within Kiambu County in Kenya. Businesses included in the study were selected through simple random sampling method. A sample of 172 respondents was picked.  To collect primary data structured questionnaires were used which contained closed and open-ended questions. Secondary data was used too. To access discriminant validity, correlations among indicators and constructs was deployed. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha. Data was statistically analyzed through applying the SPSS Statistics 17.0 software.

The research findings indicated that graduates with physical challenges running businesses in Kiambu County in Kenya had well laid down strategies and were able to detect business opportunities in the environment. Business External Environment moderated the relationship between Opportunity Competence and Business Performance since the results were statistically significant at 0.05. The null hypothesis was rejected and the alternative was accepted since a relationship was found to exist.