Personal initiative, Individual Adaptability and Cross Border Trading Behavior (CBTBEV) Among Females in Uganda

Abstract

This paper explains the behaviour of a female trader who achieves success in cross-border trading, with the intention of scaling up our findings to the empowerment of other female entrepreneurs. The study further examined the mediating effect of individual adaptability in the relationship between personal initiative and cross-border trading behaviour among female traders in Uganda.The study adopted a correlational and cross-sectional research design. A survey consisting of a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 288 female traders. The data gathered was subjected to analysis using SPSS Version 26. Additionally, a regression analysis was conducted using structural equation modelling (SEM) through Analysis of Moment of Structures (AMOS).The findings show that Personal initiative, is partially mediated by individual adaptability, controlled by tenure in business and the age of a female in crossborder trading. This has a substantial impact on cross-border trading behaviour among female traders in Uganda. The findings further indicate that the success of females in cross-border trading is influenced by their personal initiative and individual adaptability, controlled by their tenure in business of 5 years and females’ age at 30 years old. It is therefore recommended that to enhance the economic autonomy of female cross-border traders in developed, local, and regional economies, there is a need to consider female-sensitive cross-border trading policies by trade policy makers.