Factors influencing business performance of small and medium enterprises: a case study in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study aims to investigate variables affecting the business performance of Muslim women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. A multidimensional analysis was proposed with five potentially defined antecedents of business performance which included psychological characteristics, human capital, social capital, industrial factor, and cultural factor. Data was collected from 286 respondents through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. The results of structural equation modeling indicate that the model meets the goodness-of-fit indices and that generally, all five factors have significant positive relationships with business performance. Amongst the dimensions of psychological characteristics, only risk-taking had a notable effect on business performance. Amongst the dimensions of human capital, two of the three dimensions (business experience and business skills) were significantly associated with business performance; in the case of social capital, one of the two dimensions (non-familial affiliations) was significantly associated with business performance; and in the case of industrial factor, resource accessibility was significantly associated with business performance. A strong positive correlation with business performance has also been demonstrated by the cultural factor which was a new concept to the paradigm as a whole. This study has broadened the understanding of existing literature on Muslim women entrepreneurship and contributed practical implications to government, policymakers and other related agencies, chambers of commerce, the general public, as well as the Muslim women entrepreneurs themselves.