Globalization and Competitiveness: Challenges of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Accra, Ghana

Elikem Chosniel Ocloo, Selorm Akaba, David Kwaku Worwui-Brown

2014 · 75 citations · 10 references

Concepts

TL;DR

Globalization, heightened competition, and rapid technological change have placed African and Ghanaian SMEs at a critical juncture, forcing them to confront new challenges as they strive to globalize and remain competitive. This study aimed to determine how these challenges impact Ghanaian SMEs’ ability to globalize and compete. The authors used Kendall's coefficient of concordance to assess agreement on the extent to which various challenges affect SMEs’ globalization and competitiveness. The analysis showed that competition level and technological advancement significantly hinder SMEs’ globalization and competitiveness, and the study recommends that SMEs adopt appropriate strategies to adapt to the evolving global marketplace.

Abstract

Globalization, increased competitive pressure and rapid technological changes have brought the business world to a point in history and thus, the Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) sector in Africa and Ghana are the hardest hit and are now experiencing new challenges as they attempt to globalize their operations and become competitive. The objective of this study was to establish the extent to which the challenges affect small and medium enterprises’ globalization and competitiveness in Ghana. The Kendall's Co-efficient of Concordance was conducted in assessing the level of agreement on the extent to which the various challenges affected their enterprises in globalisation and competitiveness. The study revealed that globalisation and competitiveness of the SMEs was affected greatly by the level of competition and increasing technology. The study recommended that the SMEs have to put in place the right strategies in order to embrace the changing circumstances in the world market place.

References

10