ARCHIVES
VOL. 11, ISSUE 1 (2026)
Entrepreneurial networking, competitive environment and performance of small and medium enterprises in blue economy sector in Kenya
Authors
Ronald Kenyanya Nyamosi, Dr. Jane Omwenga, Dr. Joseph Ndururi
Abstract
Kenya’s blue economy holds significant potential for driving national
economic growth, yet its SMEs face major performance challenges; culminating
into high collapse rate of SMEs in this sector. Although entrepreneurial
networking is emerging as a key strategy to improve SME performance, existing
research highlights methodological, contextual, and geographical gaps. To fill
these gaps, the current study assessed the influence of entrepreneurial
networking and internationalised
SME performance in Kenya's blue economy sector and then assessed moderating
effect of competitive environment on the relationship between entrepreneurial
networking and performance of internationalised
small and medium enterprises in blue economy sector in Kenya. The research
employed exploratory research design, with a target population being 221 SME in
blue economy in Kenya. The unit of observation was 663 managers of those
enterprises from where a sample size of 258 respondents was obtained using
proportionate sampling. Data was collected from primary sources using a
semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using both quantitative analysis and
qualitative data analysis methods. An estimation model was predicted using
multiple regression analysis. The analysis showed that entrepreneurial
networking, significantly influences performance (p < 0.001) accounting for
43.2% of change in performance of internationalised
small and medium enterprises in blue economy sector in Kenya. The competitive environment
has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between entrepreneurial
networking and performance of small
and medium enterprises in blue economy sector in Kenya.
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Pages:38-45
How to cite this article:
Ronald Kenyanya Nyamosi, Dr. Jane Omwenga, Dr. Joseph Ndururi "Entrepreneurial networking, competitive environment and performance of small and medium enterprises in blue economy sector in Kenya". International Journal of Academic Research and Development, Vol 11, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 38-45
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