THE ROLE OF NETWORKING AND TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Entrepreneurs hold a critical role in the economic growth of any nation because they maximize the use of
the factors of production for the benefit of society, create jobs, foster innovation, raise living standards,
and develop underdeveloped areas. The general objective of this study was to determine how
entrepreneurial training, networking and technology adoption jointly affect performance of SMEs in the
manufacturing sector. The study adopted the positivist philosophy and a descriptive research design. The
population of the study comprised 504 SMEs in manufacturing sector in Nairobi County and surveyed
through a semi-structured questionnaire with the help of key informants in these firms. The researcher used
both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics to analyze the collected data, specifically regression
analysis for hypotheses testing. The joint effect of entrepreneurial training, technology adoption and
networking was found to significantly influence firm performance. The study recommends that, as SMEs in
manufacturing increasingly advances its profile in national economic planning, there is an apparent need
to make sure that maximum attention is given to its long-term production and market expansion potential.
Such an approach necessitates a comprehensive strategic plan for the future of the industry – partly for the
explanations given earlier in the study. Such a study would increase the empirical knowledge in the subject
matter while also extending the generalizability of the study findings.
Key Words: Entrepreneurial Training, Technology adoption, Networking, Firm Performance,
Manufacturing SMEs.