| dc.description.abstract | This study explored the influence of financial inclusion and enterprise characteristics on
the sustainability of youth-owned enterprises in the western region of Kenya. The specific
objectives were to examine the influence of financial intermediation, financial deepening,
financial innovation, and crowdfunding on the sustainability of youth-owned enterprises
and establish the moderating influence of enterprise characteristics on the relationship
between financial inclusion and the sustainability of youth-owned enterprises. The study
was guided mainly by financial intermediation theory. It adopted a pragmatism approach
and a descriptive survey design. A sample size of 210 respondents was selected using
stratified and purposive sampling techniques. Data was collected through structured and
semi-structured questionnaires, complemented by secondary financial data. Descriptive
analysis was used to summarize data, whereas inferential statistics assessed the nature and
the relationships’ strengths using correlation and regression analysis. The study found
that: financial intermediation (grand mean=3.5858, β = 0.230 (0.090) at p<0.05); financial
deepening (grand mean=3.3943, β = 0.458 (0.116) at p<0.05); financial innovation (grand
mean=3.3307, β = 0.471 (0.125) at p<0.05); and crowdfunding (grand mean=3.5715, β =
0.319 (0.156) at p<0.05) had significant influence on the sustainability of youth-owned
enterprises and that enterprise characteristics (age, size, ownership structure) significantly
moderated the relationship between financial inclusion and sustainability of these
enterprises. The study concluded that financial intermediation measures, financial
deepening parameters, strategic financial innovations, and timely adoption of crowd
funding platforms have a significant influence on the sustainability of youth-owned
enterprises and that timely and dynamic application of feasible enterprise characteristics
significantly moderates the influence of financial inclusion initiatives on the sustainability
of youth-owned enterprises. The study recommends that youth owned enterprises should
understand dynamic feasible financial intermediation measures, access information and
get financial literacy on financial deepening issues, should be conversant with dynamic
and strategic financial innovations that shape financial sustainability of the enterprise,
leverage on unique innovation passion, conducting thorough market research, building a
strong online presence, engaging with their target audience, and seeking advice from
experienced mentors or crowdfunding experts, intertwine flexible size and age
characteristics coupled with feasible ownership structures in their organizations so as to
harness positive attributes of age and size that can enhance the financial sustainability of
the enterprise. | en_US |
