Abstract
This study was descriptive survey to establish the entrepreneur management competencies required of business education graduates for small business operations in Awka south local government Area. Four research question were formulated to guide the study the population comprised of 111 registered small scale business owners in Awka south Local Government Area. 45 respondents were selected because of the scattered location using purposive sampling technique. Mean was used to analyze the data collected with the aid of structured questionnaire developed from the review of related literature. Finding of this study showed that the following: Planning competencies, controlling competencies, Technical competencies, Public relation competencies are needed by business education graduates for successful small scale business. It was recommended among others that entrepreneurship should create opportunities for students to participate in social entrepreneurship contests. Government should give loan to business education graduates to start their own business after graduation.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Nigeria as a developing country has unconsciously nurtured negligence in the provision of basic human needs. The government provision of human needs today is no longer reliable due to the declining state of Nigerian economy. Today in Nigeria, public can no longer depend on government for the satisfaction of physiological needs, safety needs, esteem needs, belonging and love needs, self-actualization needs etc.
In a rapidly changing economy, unemployment is one of the greatest problems and also current state of economy in Nigeria has not been encouraging. The massive unemployment of youths who are mainly university graduates has called for need of every Nigerian adult to strive for self-reliance through self-employment due to the unprecedented level of unemployment in Nigeria. It is therefore in reaction to this perplexity that Nigerian Government has laid emphasis on the acquisition of entrepreneual competencies through Business Education programme.
According to Iwu (2006), business education is a branch of vocational education that provides the students with information and competencies which are needed in managing private business and working in public offices.
Also previous researchers made clear that effective business education programme is a key to the production of skilled man-power they would be able to utilize the resources available to start up small-scale business which could mature to a large-scale business employer of labour and contribute to national development.
Business education program has in its curriculum planning the contents which reflects the demand of the work place and prepare prospective graduates to face the challenges of unemployment and rapid occupational charge.
Anoa(2006), gave the goal of Business Education as the production of man-power who possess the requisite knowledge, competencies and aptitude for harnessing other resources and bringing them into a cooperative relationship yielding the goods and services demanded by the society for the satisfaction of their wants and needs.Anoa(2009) also included the sum total of the knowledge, skills and aptitude that are required for successfully promoting and administering business enterprises. Business Education is synonymous with any form of education for entrance into the business world, therefore it is one of the core vocational subjects which help to educate its students and equip them with competencies to face the challenges of life.
Entrepreneurship is the willingness and ability of an individual to seek out investment opportunities establish and run enterprise successfully. It is also the process of learning the skills needed to assume the risk of establishing a business.
Entrepreneur competencies are the ability of an entrepreneur to perform a business properly. It is also seen as the combination of knowledge skills and behavior used to improve performance in business (Okoli,2012). Some of these competencies are, problem solving skill, resourcefulness, risk management skill, strategic planning etc. These competencies are very vital for setting up a small scale business.
In the pursuit of self-reliance, there has been a proliferation of small-scale enterprise which due to their lack enterprise competencies face challenges like poor planning, poor management of available resources, poor technical knowledge which can make them loose some business opportunities due to inability to operate some modern gadgets, poor public relation competencies, inability to introduce fund and financial management, inability to introduce business ideas and products, inability to manage strong market competition.
Therefore,there’s need to enforce entrepreneurial competencies among the business education graduates.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Business education graduates run the advantages of escaping the massive rate of unemployment in Nigeria today, but large number of Business education graduates tends to be trapped in the massive rate of unemployment due to their inability to acquire entrepreneur competencies like managerial skills, marking skills accounting skills and these lack of competencies hinders them from starting up a small scale business, and most of them when they start up the business faces failure.
It is therefore the aim of this research work find out the entreprenuaul competencies needed by business education graduates forstartingup a small scale business operation.
1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The main purpose of this study is to identify entrepreneurial competencies needed by business education graduates In Awka south for successful operations of small scale business. Specially, this study is intended to determine;
- The management competencies needed by business education graduates for starting small-scale business.
- Planning competencies needed by business education graduates for starting small-scale business.
- Technical knowledge competencies
- Public relation competencies needed by business education graduates for starting small scale business.
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The beneficiaries of this study must be graduates and undergraduates of business education, entrepreneurs, curriculum planners, government and future researchers.
Business education graduates and undergraduates will come to know and acquire entrepreneurial competencies they need to be successful entrepreneurs in those periods of unemployment. Hence they will become job creators {employers} rather job seekers {employees}. The curriculum planners will be able to determine whatshould be the curriculum contents of business education programme. The government will be relieved in her fight against unemployment. Entrepreneurs will be helped to improve their entrepreneurial competencies. This study will also serve as a reference materials for future researchers.
1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research is limited to entrepreneur management competencies required of business education graduates for a small business operation in Awka south LGA.
The study also will cover management competencies, planning competencies, technical knowledge competencies and public relation competencies.
Research questions
The following research questions will guide the study.
- What planning competencies do business education graduates need to start small scale business
- What are the controlling competencies needed by a business education graduates to start small scale business
- What technical knowledge competencies do business education graduates need to start small scale business?
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