Business Management Strategies for Sustainability of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises in Public Universities in South-South, Nigeria.

Abstract:

This study investigated business management strategies for sustainability of small and medium-scale enterprises in public universities in South-South, Nigeria. Two specific objectives questions translated into two research questions and were used to formulate to hypotheses to guide the study. Descriptive survey research was adopted for this study. The study population consisted of 1,137 business education final-year students in public universities in South-South Nigeria. The sample size consisted of 400 business education final-year students. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The research instrument was content validated by two experts, one in the Department of Business Education and one in Measurement and Evaluation, all in Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. Cronbach alpha reliability method yielding a reliability coefficient of 0.84 was used to test the instrument. Out of 400 copies of the questionnaire given to business education final year students, 390 copies were properly filled and return. This constituted approximately 96% return rate. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research question, while the hypotheses were tested using independent t-test at the 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that to a high extent business evaluation strategy and customer relationship management strategy are required by business education students for the sustainability of small and medium-scale enterprises in public universities in South-South, Nigeria. The findings also revealed that there is no significant difference in the mean responses of business education students on the extent to which business evaluation strategy and customer relationship strategy are required by business education students for the sustainability of small and medium-scale enterprises in public universities in South-South, Nigeria. Based on the findings and conclusion drawn, it was recommended among others that Business education curriculum planners should provide for content capable of ensuring that business education lecturers should help their students to acquire knowledge and skills for the development of business evaluation strategy capable of enabling them sustain businesses at the small and medium scale after graduation from public universities in South-South, Nigeria.