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This study assessed the impact of improved urban road network on financial performance of Small and Medium Enterprises focusing in Dodoma, Tanzania. The study employed a cross sectional research design where by a sample of 89 SMEs from the selected three wards in Dodoma city was used to draw the conclusion. Qualitative data collected through questionnaires were analyzed using content analysis while quantitative data analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The key findings from the study include: i) accessible roads to customers toward SME were having positive influence to SMEs performance ii) market accessibility by customers and consumers was the key factor in improving SMEs financial performance in Dodoma city and lastly, an effective time management and improved transportation of goods and services were positive related to the amount of sales revenue generated by SMEs. The conclusion is drawn to improve the urban road networks as among of the key factors in improving the performance of SMEs in Dodoma city by increasing sales and profit. It is therefore recommended that, the government and other stakeholders in the construction sector should continue to improve urban road networks and start offering basic business and financial management skills which would enable SMEs owners to make informed investment decisions as well as enhance their entrepreneurial skills which will facilitate in recognizing and exploiting the available business opportunities.

Firms benefit some external effects resulting from the concentration of economic activities in certain regions. These effects called “agglomeration economies” or “agglomeration externalities” are mainly divided into three categories – MAR, Jacobs and Porter externalities –, and regarded as the determinant factors of regional economic development and growth. This study analyzes the impact of agglomeration externalities on employment growth using Turkish data of 43 sectors operating in 81 Turkish cities between years 2001 and 2007. OLS regression analyses are repeated for each sector. As far as the MAR externalities are concerned, their impact on employment growth is found negative in 23 sectors while Jacobs externalities have significant and positive effects only on 4 sectors, most of which are from service sectors. As for Porter externalities, they prove to have positive effect on the regional employment growth for 16 sectors. Moreover, urbanization externalities are found to affect the regional growth positively in 4 sectors and negatively in 1 sector. While the impact of the initial level of regional labor supply is found positive, the initial level of regional employment level has negative effect on employment growth. Finally, the share of high education level in cities is found to have almost no effect on regional growth.