Impact of Owners’ Education and Work Experience On The Growth of Handicraft SMEs in Pakistan

Abstract

The general purpose of this study is to investigate factors that positively affect growth in the small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Preliminary research highlighted the fact that few (if any), past studies had focused on the owners of SMEs and in particular if educational attainment and work experience had had any effect upon business growth. The author had a particular interest in Pakistani SMEs and coming from Sindh, was interested in investigating these factors in Handicraft SMEs currently operating/located in Hyderabad, as (despite being significant local employers), handicraft SMEs in the Hyderabad region have (due to sociopolitical and socio-economic reasons), long been neglected by local and regional government. In this study (after undertaking secondary research and following the literature review stage), the author concluded that a face-to-face structured interview with the owners of SMEs in the handicrafts sector, combined with a short questionnaire approach to data collection, would yield the best results given the limited budget and short timeframe. The results of this (albeit small-scale and limited) study, indicate that there was indeed some evidence of a positive link between the level of education (as well as the experience), of Hyderabad SME owners and business growth. At the very least, this highlights the need for further study, whilst at the same time making Hyderabad’s policy-makers aware of the potential benefits of investing in educational support for owners of local SMEs.