Abstract:
The establishment of enterprises is influenced by various factors identified in the theories of enterprise
establishment. However, most entrepreneurs do not pay particular attention to such factors when establishing
and managing their enterprises. The aim of this study is to examine how enterprise establishment factors
contribute to employment growth of the pineapple industry in Nsawam-Adoagyiri District. The enterprise
establishment factors investigated in this study are the basic tasks identified by the entrepreneur, availability
of funds for enterprise establishment, business information and entrepreneur’s expertise from previous
education and previous work. A survey was conducted using mixed methods research. Data were collected
from 172 entrepreneurs in the pineapple industry from eight farmer based organizations randomly selected
from Nsawam-Adoagyiri District of Ghana. The data were analyzed with SPSS software using Chi square
and multiple regression analysis. The results show that availability of funds for enterprise establishment
contributed significantly to employment growth. The study found that business information did not
contribute to employment growth of the pineapple industry in the study area. While entrepreneurs’ expertise
acquired from educational background did not contribute significantly to employment growth of the industry,
entrepreneurs’ expertise from previous work background contributed significantly to employment growth.
The regression analysis showed that the enterprise establishment factors investigated in this research explain
52% of the variations in employment growth in the pineapple industry in the study area. It can therefore be
concluded that enterprise establishment factors do not only influence the enterprise establishment process
but also contribute to employment growth of the pineapple industry in the study area.
