PurposeGlobally, women have been recognized as key contributors toward livelihood and poverty eradication, especially in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This is due to their great involvement and participation in micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that create employment and ultimately economic growth and development. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to establish the mediating role of social cohesion in the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Northern Uganda where physical collateral were destroyed by war.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire from 395 women MSMEs who are clients of microfinance institutions in post-war communities in Northern Uganda, which suffered from the 20 years' Lord Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency. The Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software was used to analyze the data and the measurement and structural equation models were constructed to test for the mediating role of social cohesion in the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities.FindingsThe results revealed that social cohesion significantly and positively mediate the relationship between microfinance accessibility and survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. The results suggest that the presence of social cohesion as a social collateral promotes microfinance accessibility by 14.6% to boost survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities where physical collateral were destroyed by war amidst lack of property rights among women. Similarly, the results indicated that social cohesion has a significant influence on survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. Moreover, when combined together, the effect of microfinance accessibility and social cohesion exhibit greater contribution towards survival of women MSMEs in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. Indeed, social cohesion provides the social safety net (social protection) through which women can access business loans from microfinance institutions for survival and growth of their businesses.Research limitations/implicationsThis study concentrated mainly on women MSMEs located in post-war communities in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a specific focus on Northern Uganda. Women MSMEs located in other regions in Uganda were not sampled in this study. Besides, the study focused only on the microfinance industry as a major source of business finance. It ignored the other financial institutions like commercial banks that equally provide access to financial services to micro-entrepreneurs.Practical implicationsThe governments in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where there have been wars should waive-off the registration and licensing fees for grass root associations because such social organizations may act as social protection tools through which women can borrow from financial institutions like the microfinance institutions. The social groups can provide social collateral to women to replace physical collateral required by microfinance institutions in lending. Similarly, the governments, development agencies, and advocates of post-war reconstruction programs in developing countries where there have been wars, especially in sub-Saharan Africa should initiate the provision of group business loans through the existing social women associations. This may offer social protection in terms of social collateral in the absence of physical collateral required by the microfinance institutions in lending. This may be achieved through partnership with the existing microfinance institutions operating in rural areas in post-war communities in developing countries. Additionally, advocates of post-war recovery programs should work with the existing microfinance institutions to design financial products that suit the economic conditions and situations of the women MSMEs in post-war communities. The financial products should meet the business needs of the women MSMEs taking into consideration their ability to fulfil the terms and conditions of use.Originality/valueThis study revisits the role of microfinance accessibility in stimulating survival of women MSMEs, especially in post-war communities as an engine of economic growth in the presence of social cohesion. It reveals the significant role of social cohesion as a social protection tool and safety net, which contributes to economic outcomes in the absence of physical collateral and property rights among women MSMEs borrowers, especially in post-war communities.

This study represents a novel attempt to investigate the cascading effects of COVID-19 perceptions onto behavioural patterns towards fashion brands on Instagram and across two generations technative vs tech non-native) in a Sub-Saharan African context. We drew our study on a sample of 338 Instagram users that experienced fashion brands on Instagram in two Sub-Saharan African countries: Uganda and Nigeria. We used partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothetical model. We found that COVID-19 perception positively predicted enjoyment and usefulness, leading to more satisfaction with fashion brand accounts on Instagram and hence greater intention to follow and recommend those accounts. Finally, running a multigroup analysis (MGA), we found the effects of COVID-19 perceptions pronounced into both intentions to follow and intention to recommend via the sequence of mediators: enjoyment and satisfaction were only valid amongst the tech-native generational cohort. Our research suggested a new generational categorisation based on technology nativity -offering a new direction of generational studies in digital marketing communications.

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The major objective of this study is to examine the combined influence of internal marketing and job satisfaction on quality health service delivery in Greater Iganga Local Government. A case study research strategy is used in which data are collected using self-administered questionnaire administered to 635 respondents. A sample of 127 health centres was drawn from a population of 205 health facilities from the Ministry of Health. Health directors, head of health facilities, district health inspectors, health educators, drug inspectors, laboratory administrators, human resource directors and drug inventory managers formed the unit of inquiry on internal marketing and job satisfaction while health service clients formed the unit of inquiry on the quality of health services offered. The responses were aggregated to the respective units of analysis. The time horizon of this study was two years spanning from 2016 to 2018. SPSS was used to perform correlation and regression analysis. The correlation results indicate that independently internal marketing and job satisfaction are positive and statistically significantly associated to quality health service delivery at r=0.695; p<0.001 and r=0.720; p<0.001 respectively. Furthermore, the combination between internal marketing and job satisfaction is positively and significantly associated with quality health service delivery (r=0.728; p<0.001). Results of the correlation analysis which showed that the relationship between the three study variables (internal marketing, job satisfaction and quality health service delivery) were positive and statistically significant were supported by results of the regression analysis. This resulted in the acceptance of the three research hypotheses.