MMA Theses and Dissertations (2024)

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Browsing MMA Theses and Dissertations (2024) by Author "Gakure, H. N."

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    Influence of innovation on the growth of export business among horticultural firms in Kenya
    (Strathmore University, 2024) Gakure, H. N.
    The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of innovations on the growth of export business among horticultural firms in Kenya. The study focused specifically on product innovations, market innovations, supply-chain innovations and financial innovations and their influence on growth of export business among horticultural firms in Kenya. In addition, the study was guided by the Diffusion of Innovation Theory and New Growth Theory. The research adopted the positivism research philosophy and employed descriptive cross-sectional research designs in data collection and analysis. The target population comprised of 658 registered horticultural firms in Kenya. The study used purposive/judgmental sampling technique and the Yamene (1967) formula to obtain a sample size of 249 managers. Primary data was then collected using structured questionnaires which consisted of closed-ended questions. After data was collected through the questionnaires, the data was edited, categorized and coded in MS Excel. It was then input into the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) v27 which assisted in generating the descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics that were generated included mean, standard deviation and percentages while the inferential statistics comprised of correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results of the study revealed that majority of the respondents agreed product innovations, market innovations, supply-chain innovations and financial innovations are key innovations that have been employed in horticultural firms in Kenya to a good extent. The findings also indicated that product, market, supply-chain and financial innovations had a positive and significant relationship with growth of export business in horticultural firms in Kenya. Additionally, the study also established that product innovations had the most positive and significant influence on growth of export business, followed by financial innovations, market innovations and lastly supply-chain innovations. The study also recommended that the management of horticultural firms should invest in research and development (R&D) to continuously improve the quality, variety, and uniqueness of horticultural products and enhancing post-harvest handling to extend shelf life. Policymakers should also implement policies that foster partnerships between government agencies and private sector stakeholders to create financing programs that support innovation in the horticultural export industry. On the other hand, the study was also restricted to using one quantitative research instrument that is the structured questionnaire and had a limited time and budget scope.