Title: THE DETERMINANTS OF ICT USAGE AMONG WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN KENYA: THE CASE OF EMBU TOWN
Abstract: Women entrepreneurs are an integral part of business management in Kenya today. Empirical studies indicate that some of the main business areas where women have intensively invested in can be broadly categorized as; financial, communication, hospitality and manufacturing. This way, women entrepreneurs have contributed important roles in business management and have made significant contributions toward nation building. In fact, women have embraced ICTs in business management so that they can accrue benefits associated with it such as; lower costs, reduced marketing time and increased opportunities for business alliances and networking. The aim of the study was to investigate the determinants of ICT usage among women entrepreneurs in Kenya. The researchers hypothesized that; entrepreneurial orientation, ICT facilities, and nature of business determined the utilization of ICT services among women entrepreneurs. The study adopted descriptive research design. The design was found to be appropriate because it aided in ascertaining and describing the characteristics of the subjects and phenomena under the study. The respondents of the study were women entrepreneurs in Embu town who were grouped according to their business ventures. The study used stratified random sampling method to pick 150 respondents. Data was collected by use of self-administered questionnaires. Out of 150 questionnaires distributed, 139 were retuned. However, 11 of the returned questionnaires were excluded for analysis due to incomplete information. The study established that the cost and maintenance of ICT infrastructure and ICT skills affect women entrepreneurs negatively. Women entrepreneurs also lacked exposure to make use of ICT infrastructure to conduct their numerous activities to enhance business development.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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