Small scale businesses: A case study of stagnation amongst street food vendors in Accra
Date
2010-04
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Abstract
Street food vendors make a significant contribution to the lives of the
impoverished in the society and the economy at large. However, it seems the
sector has become stagnant in growth and expansion. A large number of
street food vendors have been operating in the same place for numerous
years with no concrete progress. This reason influenced the choice of my
thesis topic so that the problem can be investigated and appropriate
measures taken to help boost the sector.
The research studies the stagnation in the growth and expansion of street
food vendors. Using a purposive sampling method, a more qualitative than
quantitative questionnaire was developed for a sample size of 72 street food
vendors. This questionnaire is intended to help examine the reasons for the
street food vendor's choice of venture, characteristics of these vendors,
expansion ideas, years of existence and their financial information during
their past years of existence. Answers to these questions will clarify what
hinders the expansion of their businesses.
Finally, the findings from the research indicate that the stagnation of the
street food sector is in part attributed to religious beliefs, family dependency,
small capital outlay, harsh attitudes from government officials but
predominantly caused by the lack of access to credit and managerial skills,
and refusal in building appropriate markets for these vulnerable individuals
who operate from the street.
Description
Thesis submitted to the Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University College, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, April 2010
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Keywords
Ghana, small scale business, street food vendors, Accra