Business Education Graduates Research Articles

Workplace Humanization and Job Effectiveness of Business Education Graduates in Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State

This study examined workplace humanization and job effectiveness of business education graduates in tertiary institutions in Rivers State. Two (2) objectives, research questions and null hypotheses were stated, answered, formulated and tested to guide this study. Descriptive survey design was adopted in this study and the population consists of one thousand two hundred and eighty-three business education graduates in public tertiary institutions in Rivers State and the sample size of this study was two hundred and ninety-seven respondents drawn from the population with the use of Taro Yamen formular, hence simple random sampling techniques was adopted in this study. A self-developed questionnaire titled “Workplace Humanization and Job Effectiveness of Business Education Graduates Questionnaire (WoHuJEBEGQu) was used to obtain data for this study. In addition, the said instrument employed face and content validity, which was validated by experts in the study area and a reliability index coefficient of 0.81 was obtained using test-retest method of Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC). Mean and standard deviation was used to answer and analyzed the research questions while independent t-test statistical tool was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of this study revealed that job security and equity in remuneration are the variables of workplace humanization that enhances job effectiveness of business education graduates in tertiary institutions in Rivers State to a high extent. In addition, there is no significant difference in the mean responses of male and female business education graduates on extent job security and equity in remuneration enhances job effectiveness in the aforementioned institutions in Rivers State. It was therefore recommended among others that management of institutions should display equal fairness in the areas of employees’ remuneration so that there will not be room for any marginalization.

Twenty-First Century Skills and Competencies Required by Business Education Graduates for Effective Entrepreneurial Success in Ebonyi State

Twenty-First Century Skills and Competencies Required by Business Education Graduates for Effective Entrepreneurial Success in Ebonyi State

Utilization of Library Resources Among Undergraduate Business Education Students at Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Nigeria

This study was carried out to examine the utilization of library resources among undergraduate business education students at Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin. The study had three specific objectives and research questions. The population of the study consisted of all the 91 students who registered for business education programme in the 2023/2024 academic session at Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin. The entire population was considered for the study. The data was collected with the use of a 44-item structured questionnaire which was designed by the researchers. Ninety-one copies of the questionnaire were administered through a research assistant. Only 80 copies of the questionnaire were returned by the respondents and used for the data analysis. The collected data were analysed using mean scores with a benchmark of 2.50 for accepting or rejecting a questionnaire item. The study revealed that there is availability of library resources for the consumption of undergraduate business education students at Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, the students use them for numerous purposes and the extent of their usage by the students is high. The study concluded that since the university provides the library resources which are needed and the students are utilizing them, it stands the chance of producing competent and qualified business education graduates who can contribute toward repositioning Nigeria to the path of progress. As a way forward, the study among others, suggested that there should be increased budgetary allocation for the library, workshops and orientations should be regularly organized for the students on the use of the library and the students should ensure that they continue to use the library resources for their academic advancement.

ENTREPRENEURIAL MOTIVATION IN BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENT GRADUATES IN PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Universities as centers for the development of science encourage students to carry out entrepreneurial activities. As happened in the Business Education Study Program, State University of Malang, where Bachelor of Education graduates not only work as educators or employees, but also as entrepreneurs. Becoming an entrepreneur, especially for Business Education graduates, is influenced by various motivations. Therefore, this research aims to explore in depth the motivational phenomena that encourage Business Education graduates to become entrepreneurs. The subjects in this research were 5 Business Education graduates from the State University of Malang. Research was carried out in depth using interviews, observation, documentation and audiovisual. Based on research, two main keys to motivation were found, namely internal stimulus and external stimulus

Describing the employer’s satisfaction on college of business education graduates employed in banking institutions

This study evaluates the employer’s satisfaction with the banking institutions in Pagadian City. Employers’ satisfaction will be based on how the graduates show their performance towards their jobs or tasks. Employers evaluate the skills of the graduates that need to be improved in their daily tasks. This study uses the quantitative-descriptive study approach to analyze information about describing the employer’s satisfaction with the graduates. The study’s primary purpose is to find out how satisfied employers are with the performances of the graduates as well as what is needed to improve. It focuses on the employers of the banking institutions as research participants. The findings of the study are as follows: (1) foundation skills, (2) enterprise skills, (3) technical skills and knowledge, (4) adaptive skills, (5) team-working skills, and (6) employability skills where these are used in getting the satisfaction of the employers to the graduates where it garnered an overall weighted mean of 3.34 and a standard deviation of 0.01 with an interpretation of ‘very high’. The results showed that the employers of the banking institution where the graduates are employed are very satisfied with the performance that the graduates showed to them. In addition, the employers highlighted some skills that need to be developed and improved more to become efficient and effective employees. The results of this study can be used as a basis for the development of the graduates to enhance their performance in the future.

Curriculum Development in Business Education: Challenges in Enhancing the Implementation

Business Education programme in Nigeria requires a proactive and effective assessment that can bridge the gap between theory and practice. This will go a long way in ensuring the correlation between skills and competency displayed by graduates of business education and the certificate they obtain to parade looking for white-collar jobs in the world of competition. This can only be achieved through a well-structured and update of business education curriculum. The curriculum development process include: curriculum content with details of what the teachers are expected to teach and each students expected to learn. Business education graduates should be able to put to practice the skills professed by their certificates. The study examines, concept of curriculum development, types of curriculum development models, principles of curriculum development, trends that will shape curriculum development. Some of the challenges in enhancing the implementation of business education curriculum are; Inadequate funding of business education programme, Poor maintenance of business education equipment, unstructured curriculum in business education and inadequate qualified lecturers. Among others, it was recommended that the university authorities should adequately fund Business education Programmes to enable them have a required facilities for effective teaching and learning and employing adequate qualified teachers to teach in business education programme

Societal Perception of Business Education Graduates in Nigeria

Purpose: This paper focused on the societal perception of Business Education graduates in Nigeria. Business Education is a course of study in higher institution of learning that provides specific business-related skills and education which are crucial to graduates of this programme to succeeding in the corporate world.
 Design/methodology/approach: The method used is the Qualitative method.
 Findings: The programme is purposely designed to produce competent, knowledgeable, skilful and efficient workforce who can favourably compete with the dynamics of work environment and also become self-reliant. However, most Business Education graduates are not well recognised by the society because of the negative perception such as less prestigious course of study and low public interest that the society have towards the programme.
 Practical implications: The study thus recommended among others that Business Education curriculum should be made more relevant, updated and tailored towards the development of graduates’ entrepreneurial and employability skills, government should make Business Education programme more lucrative and highly prestigious as it is a known fact that inconsistency in government policies is contributing to the poor perception the public holds towards Business Education programme in Nigeria, teaching and learning should be re-directed from theoretical to practical as this will make graduates of the programme more capable to perform wherever they find themselves and there should be serious public enlightenment on the relevance and prospects of Business Education in Nigeria.
 Paper type: Research paper

Digital Literacy and Entrepreneurial Intentions of Business Education Students in Tertiary Institutions

The advancement in technology is revolutionizing the way activities of the 21 st -century business environment are being conducted. It saddening to note that despite the array of opportunities for jobs provided by technology, the high rate of unemployment among business education graduates has continued to be a course for concern. Therefore in a bid to stem this problem that it becomes imperative to determine the correlation between digital literacy and entrepreneurial intentions of business education students in tertiary institutions. The survey design was adopted for the study and the population of the study comprised 338 three hundred (300) level business education students in the 2022/2023 academic session from the four public tertiary institutions offering business education programmes in Anambra State. Two structured questionnaires were used to collect data for the study. The data was analyzed using the Bivariate Pearson Correlation matrix and simple linear regression techniques. Technology skills, digital communication, digital safety, and media literacy were found to be substantially connected with the entrepreneurial inclinations of business education students.

Resource Management Competencies Required by Business Education Graduates for Engagement in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Delta State, Nigeria

The study examined resource management competencies required by Business Education graduates for engagement in small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Delta State. Two research questions were answered while two null hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population for the study consisted of 129 subjects comprising 95 final students of Business Education, Delta State University, Abraka, and 34 managers of registered SMEs in Ethiope East LGA of the state. Census sampling techniques were used to sample the entire population of 129 respondents. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire on the resources management competencies of graduates for engagement in SMEs. The instrument was validated by three experts. The Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used to ascertain the reliability of the instrument which yielded a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.83 for the entire research instrument. The data for the study were collected with the help of three research assistants. Out of the 129 copies of the questionnaire administered, 116 were retrieved and completely filled representing a 90.0% rate of return. Data collected were analyzed using means for answering the research questions. The null hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics. From the data collected and analyzed, the study identified: 11 financial resource management competencies and 18 human resource management competencies required by Business education graduates for engagement in small and medium-scale enterprises in Ethiope East LGA of Delta State. The results of the hypotheses tested showed no significant (p≤0.05) differences in the mean ratings of Business education students and managers of SMEs on financial resources management competencies whereas, there were significant (p≤0.05) differences in the mean ratings of respondents on human resource management competencies. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others, that the governments of Delta State should help package the identified resource management competencies into teachable programmes for training other University, Polytechnic, and College of Education graduates and retraining existing SME operators for economic success in the state.

Societal Perception of Business Education Graduates in Nigeria

This paper focused on the societal perception of Business Education graduates in Nigeria. Business Education programme is purposely designed to produce competent, knowledgeable, skilful and efficient workforce who can favourably compete with the dynamics of work environment and also become self-reliant. However, most Business Education graduates in Nigeria are not well recognised by the society because of their negative perception towards Business Education as a course of study. The study thus recommended among others that Business Education curriculum should be made more relevant, updated and tailored towards the development of graduates’ entrepreneurial and employability skills, government should make the programme more lucrative and highly prestigious, teaching and learning should be re-directed from theoretical to practical as this will make graduates of the programme more capable to perform wherever they find themselves and there should be serious public enlightenment on the relevance and prospects of Business Educationin Nigeria.

Academic Excellence as Yardstick for Employability in Nigeria: A Review of the Experiences of Business Education Graduates in Public Tertiary Institutions in Enugu State

The main purpose of the study was to ascertain if academic excellence is a yardstick for employability in the Nigerian labour market. The study was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses. The population consisted of 173 Business Education graduates from public tertiary institution offering Business Education programme in Enugu State in the 2019/2020 academic session. No sampling was carried out since the population was manageable. The instrument used for data collection was a 17-itemed questionnaire developed by the researcher. The instrument was validated by three experts and the reliability of the instrument was determined using Crombach Alpha which yielded reliability index of 0.88. The instrument was administered by the researcher. 160 out of 173 copies of the questionnaire were well responded to, returned and therefore, used for data analysis representing 93 percent return rate. Mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis and correlation statistics was used to test the null hypotheses. Findings showed that: High and low achievers get jobs at same rate, Doing well on the job does not depend on grade, High achievers are more creative on jobs, Employers seek skills more than grade, Good grade does not guarantee employability, Job creation is targeted at both high and low achievers are some of the factors to prove that academic excellence is not a yardstick for employability in Nigeria. The null hypotheses showed that no significant relationship exist in the mean responses of high and low achieving Business Education graduates in public tertiary institutions in Enugu State on the itemized variables. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that Attention should be shifted from academic excellence as yardstick for employability in Nigeria so that students are not pressured into dubious means just to graduate with high grades since findings of the study has shown that the both variables has no direct relationship. Employment opportunities should be massively created for all enough for both high and low academic performers since the findings of the study revealed that those with low academic performance can also have valuable skills capable of keeping them on the job for as long as they intend to.

Entrepreneurial Skills Required of Business Education Graduates for Sustainable Livelihood through Investment in Small Scale Business as Perceived by Business Educators in Colleges of Education, Delta State

Entrepreneurial Skills Required of Business Education Graduates for Sustainable Livelihood through Investment in Small Scale Business as Perceived by Business Educators in Colleges of Education, Delta State

Assessment of Entrepreneurship Education as a Strategy for Poverty Alleviation among Business Education Graduates of Universities in South-South Nigeria

This study assessed entrepreneurship education as a strategy for poverty alleviation among business education graduates from universities in South-South Nigeria. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The target population for this study comprised of 200 business education graduates in Federal/State Universities in South-South Nigeria. The entire population was used for the study, since the population is manageable. Hence there was no sampling. The instrument that was used to collect data in this study was a questionnaire. The face and content validities of the questionnaire were determined by the researcher’s supervisor and two other experts in Business Education Department. Cronbach alpha reliability index was used to determine the internal consistency of the items in the instrument. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Mean and standard deviation were utilized to answer the research questions while independent samples t-tests were employed to test the hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05. The findings of the study revealed that on average, undergraduate students possess high ability in the utilization of ICT skills; that on average, business education graduates possess high ability in the utilization of management skills; that on the average, business education graduates possess high ability in the utilization of marketing skills. The study also revealed that there is no significant difference between male and female business education graduates in the mean ratings of their possessed competencies in marketing. The study recommended that educational institutions should provide additional education and training for undergraduate in ICT so that they can possess high ability on how to create website, identify and open spreadsheet in another location, send and receive fast messages.

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING FOR PROMOTING ECONOMIC GROWTH AMONG BUSINESS EDUCATION GRADUATES IN EKITI STATE

The use of technology in the preparation of business education graduates is expected to improve the worth and reduce unemployment among recipients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of technology for economic growth by graduates of this programme in Ekiti State. Descriptive research design was employed. The population of the study was 3,538 business education graduates (Colleges of Education and University) working in public and private organisations in Ekiti State. 354 business education graduates, representing 10% of the population were randomly selected as sample. A validated structured instrument titled “Questionnaire on the Use of Technology for Economic Growth (QUTEG) with 22 items was used for data collection on the two research questions. The reliability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained, using split half and Pearson Product Moment Correlation formula. The findings showed that the use of technology has improved graduates’ productivity, creativity, ICT skills, thereby reducing the cost of retraining by their employers. It was recommended that business education graduates should always acquire technological skills for improved worth as employees and to engage in entrepreneurial outfits for the nation’s economic development.

Problem-Solving and Self-Managemenr Skills Required for Effective Job Performance of Business Education Graduates as Perceived by Business Educators

The study is a survey of problem-solving and self-management skills required for effective job performance of business education students in southeast Nigeria. Three research questions and three null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. A four point, structured questionnaire constructed by the researcher with a reliability coefficient of 0.69 was used to collect data. The entire population of eighty-eight (88) business educators in the public universities in southeast Nigeria was considered affordable by the researcher; therefore, no sampling was made. 88 copies of the questionnaire were administered on the respondents but only 62 were correctly filled and returned thereby stabilizing the number of respondents at 62. Mean and z-test statistics were used to analyze collected data. While mean was used to answer the research questions, z-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results identified nine problem-solving skills and nine self-management skills required for effective job performance of business education graduates. The study also found that setting good examples by the teacher, setting reachable goals with the students, activity based teaching, allowing students direct themselves, teamwork, learner centred approach and guiding students to solve problems are good strategies for teaching problem-solving and self-management skills. Integration of problem-solving and self-management skills into the business education curriculum and setting good examples by business educators were recommended among others.

Exploring Electronic Commerce Technology by Business Education Graduates for Employment Opportunities and Self-Reliance in Nigeria

Exploring Electronic Commerce Technology by Business Education Graduates for Employment Opportunities and Self-Reliance in Nigeria

The influence of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions

The purpose of this study was to explore the antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions among the Tanzanian Higher Business Education Graduates (HBE). The motivation for the study was because, despite the integration of entrepreneurship education (EE) in every degree programme, still many graduates had been unemployed. This cross-sectional study is based on primary data. An in-depth interview was conducted with a sample of 21 HBE graduates from various HBE institutions. Primary data collection was done using in-depth interview guide questions physically done by the researcher. Snowball and purposive sampling approaches were employed to identify respondents for this study. Content analysis method with the aid of NVivo version 11 software package was used to analyse the qualitative data. The study identifies five important antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions, namely, interpersonal traits, EE through competency-based training, planning and focus, successful groups which are close to a prospective entrepreneur, and government support. The findings task entrepreneurship educators, role models, close groups, professional supporters, and the government to concurrently foster the combinations of EE and other factors which were revealed to have the highest predictive power on entrepreneurial intention in the process of nurturing and psychologically developing the students’ entrepreneurial careers of self-reliance and self-employment. This research is novel and contributes to the body of knowledge in the existing antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions: given the emphasis on residual and new antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions essential for promoting the start-ups by the HBE graduates and enabling them to employ themselves.

Soft Skills Required of Business Education Graduates: Perception of Students and Lecturers of Colleges of Education in Oyo State

The study was conducted to assess the level of students’ and lecturers’ perception to soft skills, identify the difference in the perception of students and lecturers in soft skills and as well identify the difference in the perception of respondents in various colleges of education on the soft skills required of Business Education graduates in Oyo state. Descriptive design of survey type was adopted. The target population for the study were the students and lecturers of Business Education department and two federal and state owned colleges of education in Oyo town were purposively sampled. Forty students in the department of Business Education were randomly selected from each of the three levels in the institutions and ten lecturers were equally selected from each school making a total of 240 students and 20 lecturers. Out of the 240 questionnaires administered, 237 were duly returned. Three research questions were answered and tested at 0.05 level of significance. A questionnaire measuring the perception of students and lecturers was used to gather data from the respondents. Methods of data analysis that were used included frequencies, percentages mean and independent sample t-test. Findings indicate that majority of the students and lecturers are highly perceived on the required soft skills for graduates of Business Education. However, the lecturers had more perception than the students probably due to their level of experience. It was recommended that self-development should be encouraged by the students, schools should introduce acquisition of skills to their curriculum and lecturers should also involve their students in solving uphill tasks in a bid to enhance their practical ability.

Perceived Challenges of Start Up of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Among Business Education Graduates in Federal Colleges of Education in North-East, Nigeria

The aim of the study was to determine the Perceived Challenges of Start-up of Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) among Business Education graduates in Federal Colleges of Education in North-East Nigeria. The study was guided by the following research questions: To what extent does Startup capital constitute a challenge in setting up of Small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) among business education students in Federal Colleges of Education in North-east, Nigeria? To what extent does Inadequate Entrepreneurial Skills constitute a challenge in startup of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) among Business Education graduates in Federal Colleges of Education in North-east Nigeria? The design of the study was descriptive survey. The area of the study was North-east, Nigeria; population of the study comprises 639 final year Business Education graduates of Federal Colleges of Education who are trained in Entrepreneurship Education as a course, stratified proportionate random sampling technique was used. The instrument for data collection in the study was a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher. The instrument was validated by two experts from the Department of Vocational and Technology Education, Faculty of Technology Education, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. Reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained which indicates that the instrument was highly reliable. The researchers used a research assistant for administering of the questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed using mean and standard deviation using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, version 23. The result of the study revealed that graduates of Federal colleges of education were faced with the challenges of start-up capital in setting up of Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs), also the study revealed that there are inadequate Entrepreneurial skills training in setting up of SMEs among Business Education graduates. Based on the findings it was recommended that Government should increase support given to federal colleges of education in order to boost training of entrepreneurial skills and to provide financial support to students of Business Education to start-up SMEs after graduation.

Entrepreneurs’ Rating of Entrepreneurship Skills Needed by Business Education Graduates for Effective Management of Small Scale Businesses in Anambra State

Entrepreneurs’ Rating of Entrepreneurship Skills Needed by Business Education Graduates for Effective Management of Small Scale Businesses in Anambra State