ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES AND SURVIVAL OF SMALL-SCALE BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IN AKWA IBOM

ABSTRACT

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in almost all national economies ranking them as the key drivers of economic growth. There has been concerted efforts directed towards enhancing their survival and eventual growth of which researchers, policy makers and governments alike tend to put more emphasis on. The threat to survival is real and unless there is intensive effort from concerned parties, the situation might become out of control. The collapse ration of SMEs is alarming for developing countries as well as developed countries and Nigeria is no exception. Their survival is not optimistic the world over. Given this minimal survival rate, it becomes vital to research on the factors/characteristics/management abilities that are required to enable SMEs to survive and indeed progress to the growth phase of the organizational life cycle. The threat to survival is real and requires a concerted effort from both policy makers and the entrepreneurs themselves. This study, therefore, sought to examine the effect of entrepreneurial competencies (innovation, leadership, networking and risktaking) on the survival of SMEs in Nigeria. The study is geared towards assessing survival prospects of SMEs in Nigeria should they opt to use appropriate entrepreneurial competencies. The study was guided by the following research objectives which include; finding out what role is played by entrepreneur’s innovation, leadership, networking and risk-taking competencies on the survival of SMEs in Nigeria. The study reviewed past activities and this was explained by the literature review. The literature review evaluated the relationship between each of the various entrepreneurial competencies and their effect on survival of SMEs worldwide. The study therefore opted to adopt a descriptive research design. The target population was 268,100 registered SMEs who are operating under single business permit (SBP) in Akwa Ibom where a stratified random sampling was applied to identify 400 SMEs. Data analysis was by way of descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages), tables and graphical presentations, and multiple linear regression model where survival was regressed against the four variables of entrepreneurial competencies to make statistical reference. The findings revealed that entrepreneurial competencies (innovation competency, leadership competency, networking competency and risk-taking competency) of the SME owner-managers (entrepreneurs) have a positive and significant effect on the survival of SMEs in Nigeria thereby increasing their chances of survival. The study therefore recommends that SMEs through the management should embrace innovation competency as a means of enhancing their survival, enhance leadership competency which is a key aspect in firm survival and performance, ensure that they embrace networking competency as a way of gaining competitive advantage and widening their customer base and adopt calculated risk-taking strategies in their operations.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in almost all national economies ranking them as the key drivers of economic growth. The idea that SMEs and economic growth are very closely and positively linked together has undoubtedly made its way since the early works of Schumpeter (Adeoye, 2015). They are considered as the engine of growth and development of countries due to their immense contributions to the manufacturing subsector, diversification of output, and reduction of unemployment (Iorun, 2014). They create employment not only to the business owners but also to others since the sector is characterized by ease of entry, small scale operations, adaptive technology, and are found in every part of a country.

The SME sector is expanding fast and wide to include entrepreneurs bent on solving societal problems. These new crop of entrepreneurs are thus widening the importance of SMEs beyond what is traditionally known (Lam, & Harker, 2015). Ormiston & Seymour (2011) noted that within the last decade more and more entrepreneurs through their SMEs are focusing their work on resolving social problems.  Whether it is poverty or climate change, these important issues deserve the efforts of these eager entrepreneurs, and their work benefits the society not just through the jobs they create or the sleek product they deliver, but by the people they help. In doing so, they often act with little or no intention of gaining personal profit.

There is arguably high mortality rate of SMEs within the first three years of operation. Efforts directed towards enhancing their survival and eventual growth has been a concern to researchers, policy makers and governments. Many SMEs encounter problems that limit their survival. Ng and Kee (2013) argue that in order to survive and become successful in today’s competitive and rapidly changing market environments, SMEs need to continuously acquire and enhance their entrepreneurial competencies. They believe that entrepreneurial competencies play a pivotal role in ensuring survival and success of business. The focus here is on the entrepreneur because it is him who makes the difference: he sets the conditions, the boundaries, the characteristics and ultimately the value creating ability of the enterprise (Sanchez, 2012).

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) cover a variety of enterprises providing goods and services. They encompass sole proprietorship or entrepreneurship, family business and partnerships, and may be incorporated or unincorporated. Small and Medium

Enterprises come in many different shapes and sizes; however, in today’s complex business environment they may have close financial, operational or governance relationships with other enterprises. These relationships often make it difficult to precisely draw the line between an SME and a larger enterprise. Small and medium enterprises are named by adjectives indicating size, thus economists tend to divide them into classes according to some quantitative measurable indicators. The most common criterion to distinguish between large and small businesses is the number of employees (Hatten, 2011).

The definition adopted by regulators recognizes the number of employees, sales and/or turnover size. The commonest among the three is the number of employee’s criterion. European Commission lends support to this as the main criterion (Ardic, Mylenko & Saltane, 2011). In Nigeria, SMEs are officially defined according to employment size: Micro enterprises (1-9 employees), Small Enterprise (10-49 employees), Medium

Enterprise (50-99 employees). Use of the term “employment” here does not necessarily imply partially or fully paid employment; but refers to the total number of people working in the business whether they are partially, fully paid or not (RoK, 2016). This study is therefore restricted to firms with less than 100 employees.

1.1.1 Global perspective on SMEs

It is estimated that SMEs make up more than 90% of all new business establishment worldwide. They have been identified by the Western economies as a significant strategy of job and wealth creation. In the developing countries, interest in the role of SMEs in economic growth is considerably high, regeneration in general and the creation of employment opportunities in particular. They are widely recognized the world over for their role in the social, political and economic development (World Bank, 2014a).

Empirical studies show that SMEs contribute to over 55% of GDP and over 65% of total employment in high-income countries. SMEs and informal enterprises account for over 60% of GDP and over 70% of total employment in low-income countries, while they contribute over 95% of total employment and about 70% of GDP in middle-income countries (Nyagah, 2013). The relative importance of SMEs and the informal sector are inversely associated with economic development. In the least developed economies, the contribution of SMEs to employment and GDP is less than that of the informal sector, where the great majority of the poorest of the poor make a subsistence level of living (Okpara, 2011).

The contribution made by SMEs does vary widely between countries and regions. Nevertheless, although they play particularly key roles in high-income countries, SMEs are also important to low-income countries, making significant contributions to both GDP and employment (Dalberg, 2011). When combining the data for those countries for which reasonably good data are available, SMEs account for 52% of private sector value added, this provides a reasonable estimate for the sector’s global economic contribution. The contribution of SMEs to economic fundamentals nonetheless varies substantially across countries: from 16% of GDP in low-income countries (where the sector is typically large but informal) to 51% of GDP in high-income countries (ACCA 2010). Though SMEs play an important role in national economy and provide the majority of job opportunities, the survival of SMEs are not optimistic around the world. According to previous researchers, 68% of all SMEs in the United States of America (USA) made their exit from business within 5 years, only 19% survived from 6 to 10 years, merely 13% survived in excess of 10 years while in Europe, only 65% of SMEs survived for more than 3 years, and 50% survived for more than 5 years (Cao, 2012).

1.1.2 Regional Perspective on SMEs

In middle-income countries, formal SMEs contribute about 20% more to employment and GDP than the informal SMEs (Nyagah, 2013). Thus, in these countries, eliminating factors that discourage informal enterprises from entering the formal SME sector would also bring about gains in economic terms. This is witnessed by the fact that SMEs as compared to informal sector contribute over 3 times both in total employment (approximately 65%) and GDP (approximately 55%) in high-income countries and that these countries are also taking initiative to bring as many informal enterprises as possible into the formal sector (IFC, 2006; Ngugi & Bwisa, 2013).

In Africa SMEs play a momentous role in the macro economy. There has been an obvious rise in the widespread emergence of SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa (Okpara, 2011). In considering the SMEs’ economic contribution in some selected Africa countries, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI, 2012) of South Africa indicates that there are more than 800,000 SMEs and has estimated that total economic output of SMEs in South Africa to be 50% of GDP. It is also estimated that they provide employment to about 60% of the labour force. In Nigeria, SMEs are extremely imperative and contribute significantly to economic growth, principally in the manufacturing sector. Small and Medium Enterprises constitute between 70% to 90% of the business establishment in the manufacturing sector (Eniola & Ektebang, 2014).

However, the mortality rate of SMEs in Africa remains very high; it is posited that five out of seven new SMEs fail within the first year of operation. For instance, in South Africa, it is said that five out of seven new SMEs fail within the first year of operation (Entrepreneur, 2014). This would mean that only two out of seven new SMEs will survive in their first year. The same case is replicated in almost all the African countries.

1.1.3 Small and medium enterprise in Nigeria

Small and medium enterprises cover more than 95 percent of all firms in Sub- Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, a number of factors have contributed to the rapid expansion in the sector. One of the factors is the general decline in the economic performance of the Nigerian economy as a result of recession and liberalization of the 1980‟s. This resulted in a number of large companies to adjust to the economic realities by becoming lean through retrenchment and downsizing. The effect of this was massive job losses and reduced employment opportunities in the formal sector which resulted in people venturing into small businesses (RoK, 2013). In the last three decades, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of developing entrepreneurship and small business management in Nigeria for sustained economic growth, rapid employment generation and poverty eradication (RoK, 2013; World Bank, 2014a).

Ngugi and Bwisa (2013) noted that SMEs accounted for a significant proportion of economic activities in Nigeria’s urban and rural areas; generating over 70% of all new jobs annually. They further indicated that the role of SMEs in terms of employment creation, income generation, economic diversification and growth, make the sector an important factor in future industrial development for the country. Small and Medium Enterprises form one of the fastest growing and most dynamic sectors of the Nigerian economy. In 2014, the sector had the largest share of employment accounting for 82.7% of the total jobs. It employed 11.8 million people as opposed to 2.4 million people employed by other sectors (RoK, 2015).

In Nigeria SMEs are easy to start since Nigerians are creative, innovative and full of business ideas the reason why they are quite many. The biggest problem faced by these enterprises is that they don’t last in the market for a considerable good time before being faced out by well-established businesses. As much as the number of SMEs grow by the day, a number of them have had shorter lifespan due to the many challenges they are facing. The collapse ration of SMEs is alarming for developing countries as well as developed countries. In Nigeria, they have been found to have very high mortality rates and as a result, measures to cope with this mortality are vital (Ochanda, 2014). They are therefore threatened for survival as competitive enterprises. Just like in many developing countries, in Nigeria the survival rate of SMEs is only 10-20% (Ruhiu, Ngugi & Waititu, 2014).

1.1.4 Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Akwa Ibom

According to the Micro, Small and Medium Establishments Report (RoK, 2016) there are an estimated 268,100 SMEs are located in Akwa Ibom trading under single business permit making Akwa Ibom to have the lion share of SMEs in Nigeria. The highest proportion of employment in licensed SMEs was recorded in Akwa Ibom, which accounted for 27.8 per cent of the persons engaged. Akwa Ibom had the highest proportion of small sized establishments at 14.8 per cent (RoK, 2016). All these are attributable to the fact that Akwa Ibom is the business, industrial and financial hub of Nigeria.

The County receives the highest revenue allocation to counties accounting for approximately 10% of the total national allocation (RoK, 2015). Majority of both licensed and unlicensed establishments are concentrated in Akwa Ibom. There is, however, a wide gap between the high number of SMEs in Akwa Ibom and the other counties. This can be explained by the high population in Akwa Ibom as compared to other counties. High population translates to high demand for goods and services and by extension, business opportunities for the SMEs. With services concentrated in Akwa Ibom, several SMEs and companies have their bases located in the county or at its immediate hinterland and commuter zones. This gives Akwa Ibom an advantage over other counties as more jobs and wealth is created thereby forming an attractive investment hub for investors and a job haven for job seekers. The pull factors for both investors and job seekers serve as a catalyst for entrepreneurial growth and development (RoK, 2016).

 

1.1.5 Small and medium enterprises survival

According to Akindele, et.al. (2012) business survival is the ability of a firm to continuously be in operation despite various challenges i.e. the managerial process of directing the affairs of a firm regularly on a going concern basis and meets the needs of all stakeholders. In order to survive, firms always keep a close tab on the various activities that determine their continuity. Hurst (2010) concurs but hasten to add that it is the ability to resist business collapse and evolve as a worthy, strong and stable success. Of course, some surviving businesses do not grow by any significant margin as they start small and stay small throughout their entire lifecycle but the fact remains they are surviving (Hurst & Pugsley, 2011).

Entry to markets is relatively easy but survival is not to some firms (Kiveu & Ofafa, 2013). Much of the work has argued that productive and efficient firms will survive and inefficient firms will not (Shiferaw, 2009). The high failure rate is a course of concern to many countries. Therefore, the academic literature recognizes the need to study further factors that may favor the probability of survival of firms (Ejermo & Xiao, 2014). According to the research-based view, one of the most important intangible resources for predicting business survival is entrepreneurial experience which in this paper is analysed in the context of entrepreneurial competency.

Survival was measured in terms of the length/duration of time the enterprise has continuously been in business without interruptions. For an enterprise to survive longer its liquidity, profitability and diversification strategy have to remain strong as brought about by entrepreneurial competency (Sanchez, 2012). In entrepreneurship, liquidity constraints force start-ups to join a competitive market with limited capacity (weak and small) and that this initial cash hiccups would impact negatively on the firm’s survival probabilities. As noted by Barbosa 2016) such liquidity constraints may block SMEs from creating buffers against random shocks, thereby affecting investment projections negatively and having an impact on such firms’ survival probabilities.

This is also associated with working capital where judicious cash projections, balances, inventories and associated cash receivables should take a leading role.

Basic economic theory stipulates that firms can only stay in markets when they are profitable as opposed to when they are making losses (Barbosa, 2016). Kumlachew (2012) lends support to this basic economic principle. According to him, high firm profitability can be can be construed to be a sign of efficiency and market power. Should higher profitability be as a result of higher efficiency which then means higher productivity then survival prospects is enhanced but if such high profitability emanates from market power, longer lifetimes are envisaged from SMEs that are more profitable. The asset base of a firm is widened by profits attributable to innovation and advertising which in turn ease such firm’s survival. Profitability is therefore advocated as a precondition to longevity (Barbosa, 2016).

Diversification is also said to impact positively SMEs survival probability because in such circumstances variation of earnings is vehemently reduced (Sohl, 2012). However, for SMEs the argument is in favor of a posited negative relationship based on the fact that small firms’ economic viability relies so much on finding niche markets to service through specialization and concentration of efforts but being extremely careful not to disperse scarce resources out of the primary line of business to other avenues that are remotely understood by the enterprise (Barbosa, 2016). Such diversification can include corporate diversification where interrelated activity complements the main activity, market diversification by invading new markets, and product diversification by coming up with new products.

1.1.6 Entrepreneurial competencies and SME survival

There is widespread acknowledgement that the success, performance, survival and growth of a SME is heavily dependent on the competencies of the entrepreneur (Mitchelmore & Rowley, 2013). Mitchelmore and Rowley (2010) however point that there is an overall consensus on the discussion of, presumably, the individuals who start and transform their business to possess given entrepreneurial competencies. The authors state that these entrepreneur’s competencies can be described as a certain group of competencies which is relevant to the successful performance of entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneur’s competencies relate to their survival and success. In their study, the researchers summarize that the entrepreneurial competencies can be defined as higherlevel characteristics which represent the total entrepreneur’s ability to successfully perform a job role and as comprising of knowledge, skills and personality traits which are influenced in turn by the education, training, family background, experience and other demographic aspects of the entrepreneurs. Training has the ultimate effect of shaping entrepreneurial competency or orientation and therefore contributes to entrepreneurial survival and performance (Mukulu, 2012).

According to Vijay and Ajay (2011), a competence is an underlying characteristic of persons, which results in effective and/or superior performance in a job. A job competence is the underlying characteristics of a person, in that may be motive, traits, skills, aspects of one’s self-image, a body of knowledge, set of skills and cluster of appropriate motives/traits that an individual possess to perform a given task. Entrepreneurs especially those operating in the SME context, face numerous situations that require them to make quick decisions, therefore having the abilities to undertake high level of conceptual activities are important for the survival and success of their business. They posit that competency model could shed some light into ways to increase the likelihood of business survival and success especially in the context of a developing country.

The complexity in business operation in a continuously changing competitive business environment which results from fast technological advancements requires quick remedial action (Otieno, Bwisa & Kihoro, 2012). An entrepreneur is expected to interact with these environmental forces which require him to be highly competent in different dimensions like intellectual, attitudinal, behavioral, technical and managerial aspects (Penchev & Salopaju, 2011). Entrepreneurs are therefore challenged to deploy a set of competencies to succeed in their entrepreneurial endeavors (Kochadai, 2012). In fact, the competency is a wider concept which includes the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills which help a person capable of transforming his ideas into realities with an excellence in its performance in a given context. It does not refer to those behaviors which do not demonstrate excellent performance.  Finally, competencies are not work motives, but do include observable behaviors related to motive (Mitchelmore & Rowley, 2010).

Endi, Suracham, Armanu and Djumilah (2013) found that entrepreneurial competencies propel business performance, the higher the competence that SME owners portray the higher the likelihood of good business performance. Most of the business failures are due to SME owner-manager’s incompetence, inadequacy and inexperience in managing their business and taking quick remedial action in crisis situations. Entrepreneurial competencies portfolio has a positive impact on the organizational performance as such are positively related to entrepreneurial survival and specifically, high entrepreneurial competencies and high managerial competencies are linked to satisfaction on financial performance whereas high managerial competencies and high technical competencies are linked to satisfaction on non-financial performance. Entrepreneurial competencies are a predictor of SMEs business survival and success (Ahmad, Ramayah, Wilson & Kummerow, 2010; Gerli, Gubitta & Tognazo, 2011; Griffin, 2012; Ropega, 2011).

1.2 Statement of the problem

The Micro, Small and Medium Establishments report (RoK, 2016) indicates that there is high mortality rate of SMEs in Nigeria with a total of 2.2 million businesses having closed from 2012 to 2016. It is argued that in Nigeria, just like in many developing countries, the survival rate of SMEs is only 10-20% (Ruhiu, Ngugi & Waititu, 2014). It is this minimal survival rate that continues to attract the attention of researchers with a view to putting more emphasis to survival and growth-oriented parameters. Several researchers (Abdul & Ngugi, 2015; Martin & Namusonge, 2014; Namusonge, 1999; Ngugi & Bwisa, 2013; Nyagah, 2013; Ochanda, 2014) have attempted to uncover the primary determinants of new venture success/failure and trying to come up with a comprehensive catalogue of factors which leads to such success/failure of new ventures. The high mortality rate is raising concern over sustainability of this critical sector. The SME sector has great potential as we realize that while many SMEs fail, others survive beyond infancy and adolescence, becoming major success stories, creating wealth for their founders and jobs for the communities they serve (Vijay & Ajay, 2011).

Could poor entrepreneurial competencies or lack thereof be the driving force behind this minimal survival rate of SMEs in Nigeria? Previous studies (Ahmad, 2007; Ahmad, Halim & Zainal, 2010; Madatta, 2011; Kochadai, 2012; Ng & Kee, 2013; Sanchez, 2012) conducted in other countries have found positive relationship between existences of competencies and SMEs survival. For instance, in Spain entrepreneurial competencies have not only direct impact, but also indirect impact on SME firm performance via the mediating effect of organizational capabilities (Sanchez, 2012). In Tanzania, Madatta (2011) found out that entrepreneurial competencies are directly associated to business success.

Since each market and economy has its own features that provide a unique environment for SMEs to develop and operate, the Nigerian scenario requires its own analysis. In Nigeria, most studies relating to SMEs failure rate have mainly concentrated on the growth aspect (Abdul & Ngugi, 2015; Bernadette, 2012; Ngugi & Bwisa, 2013; Njama, 2013; Nyagah, 2013; Ochanda, 2014; Ong’olo & Awino, 2013). There has been little attempt to explore survival prospects and more specifically examining the effect of entrepreneurial competencies on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria as in this case. This study, therefore, seeks to address this knowledge gap.

1.3 Objectives

1.3.1 General objective

The study sought to examine the effect of entrepreneurial competencies on the survival of SMEs in Nigeria.

1.3.2 Specific objectives

The Specific objectives of this study are as follows:

1. To establish the effect of innovation competency on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
2. To examine the effect of leadership competency on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
3. To explore the effect of networking competency on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
4. To determine the effect of risk-taking competency on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
5. To examine the effect of entrepreneurial competencies (combination of innovation, leadership, networking and risk taking) on the survival of SMEs in Nigeria.

1.4 Research hypotheses

The study aims to test the following research hypotheses: –

Hypothesis 1

H_a1: Innovation competency has significant effect on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria 

Hypothesis 2

H_a2: Leadership competency has significant effect on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

Hypothesis 3 

H_a3: Networking competency has significant effect on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

Hypothesis 4

H_a4: Risk-taking competency has significant effect on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

Hypothesis 5

Ha₅: Entrepreneurial competency (combination of innovation, leadership, networking and risk taking) has significant effect on the survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

1.5 Justification of the study

1.5.1 Aspiring entrepreneurs

The study is important to start-ups so that they can be able to evaluate their competencies that will enhance their chances of survival and eventual growth. It will serve as a resource for personal decision-making as a self-evaluation aid that can be used to increase prospective entrepreneur’s awareness of their strengths and weaknesses with regard to future business endeavors. Having the right idea early on about which competencies are necessary, a person can focus more effectively on developing them and thus avoid the unproductive wondering where to concentrate the so valuable personal time and efforts.

1.5.2 Business consultants

These professionals would thus be more aware of the competencies which the entrepreneurs need to master and be trained on thereby be able to offer proper guidance and assistance.

1.5.3 Current entrepreneurs

As for existing SMEs, it is time to re-look at their competencies and in the event of any deficiency then think of how to enhance the same either through training or education. Knowing which of their personal competencies (existing and to be developed) might positively affect their business, entrepreneurs can thus act with greater accuracy and confidence towards the accomplishment of their goals.

1.5.4 Policy makers

The rate of new firm formation is critically important for economic development as policy makers increasingly acknowledge the substantial contribution that SME’s can make to an economy in terms of employment creation, acceleration of usage of factors of production, economic growth, social good, business linkages and more importantly as a major contributor to gross domestic product (GDP). It is however rather worrying if their survival rate is threatened. This research would therefore help policy makers formulate policies that are geared towards ensuring SME’s survival based on what would increase their entrepreneurial competencies.

1.5.5 Scholars

The study is in my opinion of great importance to scholars as they are able to gain both theoretical and practical knowledge on how entrepreneurial competencies affect survival of SMEs in Nigeria. Other than providing empirical evidence, this study will not only add value to existing stock of knowledge in the literature of entrepreneurial competency and survival of SMEs but also provide a milestone for future research in this area of SME survival particularly in Nigeria.

1.6 Scope of the study

The study focused on the role played by entrepreneurial competencies on the survival of the SMEs in Nigeria. The study captured SME owners in Akwa Ibom as a representative of the country by virtue of being the business, industrial and financial hub of Nigeria. Again in terms of the number of SMEs, Akwa Ibom tops the list as compared to other counties. Out of 1,506,500 licensed SMEs, the top ten counties in terms of numbers include Akwa Ibom 268,100, Nakuru County 118,200, Meru County 95,100, Kiambu County 92,400, Uasin Gishu County 57,600, Kakamega County 53,000, Homabay County 48,500, Kajiado 46,100, Mombasa 41,900 and Kisumu 40,200 (RoK, 2016). The study was undertaken to research on the issues contained in the research objectives. The study was conducted from September 2016 to March 2018.

1.7 Limitations of the study

The major limitation in this study was that some SME owners considered part of their information as confidential and hence were not readily willing to share such. To address this limitation, the study was assisted by a letter of introduction from the university that assured the respondents that the information provided would be used purely for academic purpose and would thereby be maintained as confidential and anonymous as the case may be. In addition, the researcher also promised to share the findings with those respondents who made such requests. The data collection was undertaken at a time when there was high political tension occasioned by electioneering period. This was overcomed by extending the data collection period past the election period. The study depended on questionnaires which were hand-delivered to the respondents for immediate response. However, given the nature of their business and other engagements, some respondents lacked time to immediately participate in the study. To this end the questionnaires were left behind with them to fill and collected later at an agreed time/ date/day.  

ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES AND SURVIVAL OF SMALL-SCALE BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IN AKWA IBOM

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