Medium Enterprises Attitude, Behavior and Access to Finance: A Case of Government Credit Programs.
| dc.contributor.author | Bataringaya Herman | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-06-16T07:15:21Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-06-16T07:15:21Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-11-21 | |
| dc.description | This is a masters thesis | |
| dc.description.abstract | Access to finance remains a critical determinant of enterprise growth, competitiveness, and sustainability, particularly for medium enterprises (MEs) operating in developing economies. Despite the existence of government credit programs aimed at improving financial inclusion, many enterprises continue to experience challenges in accessing affordable credit. This study examined the influence of the attitude and behavior of medium enterprises on access to finance through government credit programs among enterprises participating in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) MSME Linkages Project across ten districts in Uganda. The study was guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, which posits that attitudes and behaviors significantly influence decision-making and outcomes related to financial engagement. Literature suggests that positive attitudes toward credit programs, financial literacy, awareness of government financing initiatives, and proactive financial behaviors enhance enterprises’ ability to access formal credit, while negative perceptions, inadequate documentation, and limited knowledge constrain participation. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was adopted, utilizing a quantitative approach. Data were collected from 288 respondents selected from a population of 600 medium enterprise actors comprising owners, supervisors, and staff in the EACOP project districts. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection, and data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression techniques. The findings revealed strong positive and statistically significant relationships between attitude and access to finance (r = 0.901, p < 0.01), behavior and access to finance (r = 0.967, p < 0.01), and the combined effect of attitude and behavior on access to finance. Regression results further showed that both attitude (β = 0.188, p < 0.001) and behavior (β = 0.799, p < 0.001) significantly predicted access to finance, with behavior emerging as the stronger determinant. Together, the variables explained 94.3% of the variation in access to finance (R² = 0.943). The study concludes that access to finance among medium enterprises is not solely dependent on the availability of government credit programs but is significantly influenced by enterprises’ attitudes and financial behaviors. Positive perceptions of credit programs, sound financial practices, financial literacy, and awareness of financing opportunities enhance enterprises’ ability to secure funding. The study recommends strengthening financial literacy initiatives, increasing awareness of government credit schemes, simplifying application procedures, and promoting positive financial behaviors to improve access to finance among medium enterprises in Uganda. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Dr. Nkote Isaac, Makerere University Business School & Mr. Okumu Moses, Makerere University Business School | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Bataringaya, H. (2025) Medium Enterprises Attitude, Behavior and Access to Finance: A Case of Government Credit Programs. Makerere University Business School | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12282/5591 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Makerere University Business School | |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ | |
| dc.title | Medium Enterprises Attitude, Behavior and Access to Finance: A Case of Government Credit Programs. | |
| dc.type | Thesis |