| dc.description.abstract | The study reported in this project, investigated
the factors responsible for the growth and those
affecting performances of small scale enterprises
in small urban centres, more specifically those
of the manufacturing sub-sector.
The study also sought to evaluate t.he impacts of
governmental policy and programmes, the non-governmental
programmes and general economic changes; how they
attribute to the growth and performance of small
scale enterprises in small urban centres where
retail and agriculture in the hinterland form. the
main sources of income.
The study sampled from within the manufacturing
sub-sector of the small scale enterprises, namely,
carpentry, metal fabricators, shoe makers, sailors,
and lastly, tin smiths. The quantitative data from
the above were subjected to frequency, Z-test,
t-test and regression analysis, so as to identify
the determining and affecting factors.
The findings from the study, led to the following
conclusions.
1) that the growth of the small scale enterprises
in the centre is as a result of demand resulting
from;
i) the growth of population within the
town and the hinterland;
ii) the growth in the economy of the town,
regional and that of the national
economy that has contributed to an
increased disposable income overtime.
iii) the general government policy of District
Focus for Rural Development has encouraged
the entrepreneurs to invest in
their local areas.
2) that growth is also as a result of supply
related variables, namely;
i) an improvement in the policy environment;that favours the small scale
enterprises;
ii) the availability of infrastructural
services; water, electricity, roads and
telephone have made it possible to trade
i.e. buy and sell.
iii) the growing population has assured
constant supply of labour at affordable
rates and entrepreneural skills too.
iv) the implementation of certain economic
policy more specifically Structural
Adjustment Programme constricts the
economy, ie formal employment, disposable
income and then encouraging
people to try and look for ways of
subsisting; and lastly,
v) that the sub-division of agricultural
holdings is also a factor on the growth
of these enterprises in the centre.
3) performance of the enterprises was notably
affected by lack of institutional credit facilities,
management skills and competition
corning from formal multinational and national
companies. Availability of raw materials and skills are not much of a problem since the
acquisition of capital allowed an entrepreneur to
circumvent them.
Based on the above conclusions, recommendations
on the paper thus, address both external and
internal constraints to the small scale enterprises
as outlined in the recommendation section. | en_US |
