Small-scale Business Research Articles

Socio-Economic Influences on the Ease of Doing Business in the Niger Delta: Evidence from Small Business Owners and Managers

Doing business with ease depends on many factors. For Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, the ease of starting and running a small scale business depends on so many factors. This paper leverages the experiences of 103 small business owners and managers to examine the socio-economic factors influencing the ease of doing business in the Niger Delta region. Data collection was via the structure questionnaire administered via Google form. Data analysis involved simple percentage, mean and ranking. The findings reveal that lack of power supply; getting credit and starting a business are the major hindrance to the ease of doing business in the region. The study recommends setting up effective policies and programs in the areas of attracting investment to the energy sector. The government should enlighten the masses about National Collatery Registry and its importance to business owners. There is also the need to embark on reforms targeted at restructuring the various indicators in the region to ensure the ease of doing business

Risk Aversion and Self Insurance Utilisation: Evidence from Small and Medium Scale Business Owners in Lagos State

This study is to examined the influence of risk aversion on the adoption and utilisation of self-insurance among Small Medium Enterprises (SME) owners in Lagos State. This study employed cross sectional class of survey research design. Three hundred and fifty SME owners were selected using Taro Yamane formula and the data obtained was analyzed using correlation and t-test inferential statistics. Questionnaires were administered through convenience sampling method. The result of the study revealed a significant relationship between risk aversion and self-insurance utilisation among SME owners in Lagos State. Additionally, the result of this study also revealed that there is no significant difference between preference for conventional insurance and self-insurance among Lagos State SME owners. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that conventional insurers should endeavour to develop products that address the actual needs of SMEs. It is also recommended that SME owners should be highly disposed to risk improvement measures as this would help to reduce the cost of market insurance and self-insurance even if both are taken up contemporaneously.

A Statistical Survey on Small Scale Business Development in Nigeria

In this paper, we examined the development of small-scale business in Nigeria. Primary data were obtained using structured questionnaires to elicit information from the study population. Data were analyzed using simple percentages and non parametric test statistic. The result showed that there is significant relationship between Entrepreneurship and development of small-scale business in Nigeria. It also shows that there is significant role of government in the development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria. The study recommends that there should be compulsory inclusion of entrepreneurship development modules in the academic programme of Nigeria institutions of learning so that entrepreneurial skills can be nurtured from the cradle. The study also recommends that government should provide technical facillities and services for Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.

STUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING-PARTIAL LEAST SQUARE-UNTUK PERMODELAN PENGARUH KOMPETENSI KEWIRAUSAHAAN TERHADAP KINERJA USAHA KEDAI KOPI SKALA KECIL DI KOTA PADANG

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth of small-scale coffee shops has increased in Padang city. This condition indicates the high level of coffee consumption and the increased competition of coffee shops. A good entrepreneurship competency is needed to improve business performance. This research aims to analyze the influence of entrepreneurial competency on small-scale coffee shop business performance in Padang City. This research used an Entrepreneurial competency model influenced by psychological characteristics (indicated by motivation, achievement, socialize need) and environmental factors (characterized by social net, government policy, and supply). The business performance model is influenced by entrepreneurial competency (managerial skill, conceptual skill, social skill, decision-making skill, and time managerial skill) and environmental factors. This research used a snowball sampling method of 100 data samples of small-scale coffee shops (owner and barista) in Padang City from April until May 2021. The data was then analyzed by SEM-PLS analysis with SMART PLS 3.3 software. The result showed that psychological characteristics and environmental factors influenced the entrepreneurial competency in small-scale coffee shops. The business performance was influenced by entrepreneurial competency and environmental factors in the small-scale model. The results also show that the model was used in this research has a Model Fit of 84%.

Design and Fabrication of a Semi- Automatic Shoe Polishing Machine for Small Scale Business

Shoe is generally made from leather which requires extreme care and regular polishing to maintain its shiny appearance. This work attempts to develop a semi-automatic shoe polishing machine for small scale enterprises. The machine is intended to grip the shoe at the right place, apply a layer of polishing wax all around the shoe and perform buffing action to obtain a shiny and assure minimum damage to the shoe. This semi-automatic shoe polishing machine is designed to consist of screw mechanism, a shaft, two bearings, two pulleys, belt, two fibred brushes, an electric motor and springs for gripping the shoe. The developed machine is limited to standard shoe sizes and capable of polishing a pair of shoes in 175 seconds.

Crisis-resilience of small-scale tourism businesses in the pandemic era: the case of Yazd World Heritage Site, Iran

ABSTRACT Resilience to severe crises like COVID-19 is critical for small businesses. However, little empirical research has been conducted to examine the crisis resilience of small businesses to the pandemic from the perspective of business operators. This research note aims at exploring the resilience of small tourism businesses to the COVID-19 crisis in a world heritage city. In-depth interviews with 25 operators were conducted and the results showed that the operators considered the pandemic crisis as a flame to the previous political and economic crises. Different resilience strategies such as business closure, survival, adaption and innovation were applied by different business operators. The results also confirmed that integration and togetherness helped businesses find better resilience when they share pains. The study further found that despite negative impacts, the pandemic created positive social impacts such as cohesion and solidarity among small businesses. In addition, the government supportive policies were not healing, and their plans in dealing with the crisis were not transparent and professional.

URBAN AGRICULTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD OF LOW INCOME PEOPLE IN KHULNA CITY CORPORATION, SOUTHWEST BANGLADESH

The study elaborates the contribution of agriculture as the livelihood means of urban people. Three hundred and sixty one household heads from Tutpara, Banorgati, Rupsha and Khalishpur in Khulna City were surveyed to identify the livelihood outcome where the respondents are mostly employed in self-managed low paid jobs in the informal sectors like rickshaw pulling, day labor, factory work, agriculture, small-scale business. Vegetable cultivation, livestock rearing, aquaculture, crop cultivation and innovative gardening have been observed as agricultural activities. Index of Agriculture for Sustainable Livelihood (IASL) has been calculated and seven indicators such as income, food, health, education, clothing, interpersonal relations and fulfillment of market demand are considered. Landowners are involved in more sustainable activities. The level of sustainability increased by 0.218 units for changing 1 decimal amount of land which is statistically significant. Male respondents can contribute more in agricultural activities than the female respondents. The respondents whose main occupation is agriculture, especially involved in livestock, are more sustainable than those whose main occupation is not agriculture. Based on empirical result, it can be concluded that agriculture can contribute in fulfilling the basic need of the low income people in urban areas of Bangladesh. However, the respondents show enthusiasm for increasing potted plants in their neighbourhoods that help enhance self-sustenance.

Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium Enterprises

This article analyzes diverse aspects of human resource management as practiced in small and medium scale businesses. The significance of human resource management has increased with the expansion of businesses at different levels due to the liberalization of market and trades across the world. The role of human resources in corporate organizations is crucial in the sense that the strength of people determines the growth of businesses. Human resources are taken as the most precious asset of SME. To reach its values the business must pay a huge importance in human resource management. The implementation of enterprise strategy relies on the employee’s quality as reflected in the entire process of engagement in the world of business. This paper has aimed to demonstrate the implementation of human resource practice and their impact in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) performance. The data used in the paper have been from secondary sources including articles, reports and dissertations. The existing literature demonstrates the management of human resources is aspiring in the business world. Both management and implementation of human resources has influenced the success of small and medium enterprises. Indeed, the commendable management of human resource helps three fundamental intents of each enterprise: surviving, increasing and raising their incomes. The paper investigates into the role of Small Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector that contributes to the growth of economy. Indeed, small-scale enterprises are important for modern economy as it widely contributes to employment growth as well. The development of a country depends on economic prosperity. Managing human resources in businesses can help to enhance the status of corporate world that aims to multiply economy of all aspects of society. As business establishments are human organizations, people are very indispensable in its existence and success. The study has explored that human resource development is significant to any organizations ranging from small to large scale enterprise because it is well known that no business can exist without human beings. It is recommended that SMEs business should clearly define recruitment policies in consistency with the existing laws of a particular nation. Besides, there should be consistency in training activities, the owners of SMEs business should ensure that training offered to employees at all levels is pertinent to their needs. Overall, human resource management practices play a significant role in affecting labor productivity in manufacturing companies.

The The Liquidity Issues and the Profitability Index of Small-Scale Business Entities in Sorsogon Province, Philippines

This research was conducted to determine the liquidity issues and profitability index of small-scale businesses operating in the Second District of Sorsogon Province, Philippines as well as to establish the relationship of these two variables. This study used mixed design. A total of 223 small-scale business owners engaged in trading in the Second District of Sorsogon Province, Philippines were the primary respondents of this research. Vertical analyses and stepwise linear regression analyses were utilized.
 This study concludes that small-scale business entities in the Province of Sorsogon are highly liquid and profitable depicting their ability to pay short-term maturing obligation. Limited and unavailability of capitalization, Absence of Credit Policy, High Finance cost for debt financing, Inventory obsolescence, Shortage of resources and Lack of markets of measure and scope are the identified liquidity issues by small-scale business owners. To address the issues, the Use equity financing than debt financing, Strengthen the company’s policy of extending loan, Minimize the purchase of inventory or stocks, financial suffering by staying well-informed of your finances and Hiring Bookkeepers are highly recommended by the respondents.

Navigating the digital informal economy during the COVID-19 pandemic: vignettes of Sri Lankan micro- and small-scale entrepreneurs

ABSTRACT Globally, women have been disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the impact has varied between groups of women, women in the informal sector, mainly those managing micro- and small-scale businesses, have been severely affected. Drawing on the case of urban Sri Lanka, this paper explores the challenges that women owners of micro- and small-scale businesses faced during the pandemic and how they leveraged digital technologies to overcome these challenges. The paper adopts a feminist intersectional lens, which examines the everyday experiences of women in gendered economies through semi-structured interviews conducted in three phases during the pandemic. The first section of the paper details the challenges that women faced during the pandemic, including issues of mobility, competing care responsibilities, lack of institutional support, financial security, and health. The second section discusses how women used digital tools such as social media to overcome these challenges. The paper argues that although digital tools were initially used in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic, they have been permanently incorporated into everyday entrepreneurial practices of women.

Review: Building Socialism: The Afterlife of East German Architecture in Urban Vietnam

Review: <i>Building Socialism: The Afterlife of East German Architecture in Urban Vietnam</i>

건설업 업무상 사고사망자 특성의 연도별 비교

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the characteristics of industrial accident deaths in the construction industry from 2015 to 2020 by year. Methods: The results were analyzed using the results presented in the ｢Industrial Accident Status Analysis｣ published by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Results: First, while the number of deaths at large-scale workplaces decreased, the number of deaths at small-scale workplaces increased significantly from 71.6% in 2015 to 81.0% in 2020. It is necessary to find a way to provide direct safety and health services necessary for small-scale construction sites by raising funds by collecting the budget required for inspection of small-scale business sites. Second, the number of accidental deaths over the age of 60 significantly increased to 41.9% in 2020 compared to 32.0% in 2015. It is necessary to place older workers at an appropriate work intensity and to promote accident prevention activities in terms of occupational health. Third, the number of industrial deaths among those with less than 5 years of work experience increased from 96.6% in 2015 to 97.2% in 2020. It is necessary to provide sufficient education to unskilled workers on work methods and working postures. Conclusion: It is meaningful in that by analyzing the factors that affect the accidental death of construction workers, the necessity to change to a disaster prevention policy centered on practical and continuous support rather than a one-time supervision or inspection centered policy was confirmed.

Technical efficiency of beef cattle production in the regency of Minahasa Tenggara, province of North Sulawesi, Indonesia

A fattening cultivation of beef cattle in the Province of North Sulawesi is managed by the backyard farming, characterized by a lower productivity, small-scaled business, and traditional management. This type of business has become priority to satisfy the need of beef consumption. Then, the objective of this research is to analyze the extent of technical efficiency of beef cattle fattening. In detail, data collection was conducted in both Districts of Belang and Tombatu Timur, Regency of Minahasa Tenggara on January-February 2022. Two villages of the respective District were selected purposively as the sampling village. Additionally, the research used primary data, obtained from 60 farmers and selected by purposive sampling method. The data, then, was analyzed using the production function of the Stochastic frontier. In sum up, the results of analysis demonstrate that the fattening industry of beef cattle was feasible to perform, but the output of technical efficiency of beef cattle industry was still low, by its average of efficiency index value of 0.670. Meanwhile, the determining factors of beef cattle production were labor, green feed, and weight of feeder cattle. The access, therefore, to information sources, such as technical training and access to the improvement of total beef by capital increasing, is necessary to be developed.

Strategic Orientation of Homestay in Lima Puluh Kota Regency: Market and Technology Perspective

&lt;span&gt;There are numerous small-scale homestay businesses in the Lima Puluh Kota Regency along with the development of tourist destinations in this region. Several studies have found that small-scale businesses could grow in terms of competition and performance if they have market and technology orientation. This article aims to investigate whether the homestay business in Lima Puluh Kota Regency is market and technology-oriented. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;This study utilized descriptive analysis research design. The investigation was conducted using questionnaire and interviews on consumer orientation, competitor orientation, technology policy, and position and adoption, which were randomly distributed to 55 homestay business owners as the sample. The questionnaires adopted the scales of Harerro (2018) and Al Ansari et al. (2013), with sound psycometric characteristics. SPSS v26 was used to process the data. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; This study found that the owners or managers of the homestay in Lima Puluh Kota Regency have been pretty good market-oriented, and nevertheless in few numbers, among them have a technology orientation. These findings are believed contribute to tourism and family business literature especially in homestay business.&lt;/span&gt;

Covid-19 Pandemic: Institutional Trust and Safety Compliance among Owners of Small and Medium Scale Business in Yenagoa, Nigeria

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has unraveled the level of skepticism between governmental institutions and the governed through breaches of confidence and non-compliance with government safety regulations. Despite this, empirical studies on the degree of confidence and compliance with government rules/guidelines in preventing pandemic transmission are still scarce. This study, therefore, examined the relationship between institutional trust and safety compliance with government directives among owners of Small and Medium Scale Business’ (SMBs) in Yenagoa City, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Institutional theory was used as a framework, and a cross-sectional survey was employed. A sample of 346 SMB owners were surveyed, and a structured questionnaire was administered proportionally to randomly selected respondents using Yamane’s (1967) formula. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi Square at 95% significance level. The respondents’ age was 33.39±6.27 years. Half of the respondents (50.0%) engaged in service providing subsector. A high proportion of SMB owners (65.6%) displayed low trust in government Covid-19 rules/guidelines; and this was significantly related to age (x2=119.47), nature of business (x2=61.33), religion (x2=38.82), monthly profit (x2=55.67), and educational level (x2=55.67). While the majority of SMB owners (59.8%) claimed a high degree of compliance with Covid-19 rules/guidelines, 40.2% did not; and this was significantly related to age (x2=54.79), nature of business (x2=20.34), religion (x2=34.55), monthly profit (x2=31.83), educational level (x2=32.58) and underlying health conditions (x2=92.82) of SMB owners. This finding suggests that there should be a need to enforce stringent compliance rules on SMB owners, while palliatives are provided to cushion the effects of the guidelines.

PENGARUH DINAMIKA DAN KEMANDIRIAN KELOMPOK PEMBUDIDAYA IKAN (POKDAKAN) TERHADAP KEBERHASILAN USAHA BUDI DAYA IKAN NILA (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS) (Suatu Kasus Di Kota Sukabumi)

Aquaculture business in Sukabumi City is a small-scale business, so there are still various problems that can hinder business development. By joining the group, it is hoped that it will have a real influence on the empowerment of fish farmers, especially in increasing production and independence of fish farmers in making decisions. This study aims to determine the combined effect of group dynamics and independence, the influence of each, as well as the relationship between group dynamics and independence on the success of tilapia aquaculture in the Fish Farmers Group (Kelompok Pembudidaya Ikan) in the city of Sukabumi. The study was conducted in Sukabumi City in November 2021 - March 2022 with the subject of the analysis being Pokdakan which farming tilapia as many as 49 people. The research variables are Group Dynamics (X1), Group Independence (X2) and Business Success (Y). The results shows that the direct influence of group dynamics and group independence on business success was 34%. Group dynamics have no significant effect on business success, the direct effect is only 3.13%. Group independence has a significant effect on business success, with an effect of 20.89%. Group dynamics and group self-reliance have a significant and positive relationship.

Microcredit and the Financial Frontiers of Racial Neoliberalism

Over the past decades of neoliberal globalization, microcredit has been a widely supported project that claims to address global poverty, inequality, and uneven development through debt-based solutions involving small interest-bearing loans that can be used to fund small-scale business entrepreneurship. Microcredit’s promise, though never fulfilled, reflects an approach to development within a broader shift toward financial capitalism, privatization through individualized debt creation, and shrinkage of the social state. Moreover, microcredit (more broadly, microfinance) seeks legitimation in narratives of inclusion, participation, and gender empowerment. In fact, social capital belonging to the targeted populations of microcredit programs in the “global South” is itself often tapped in the service of value extraction. This article forwards a view of microcredit as operating within a logic of racial capitalism. The approach seeks to ground critiques of microcredit’s core neoliberal elements within a longer history and broader appreciation of racialized and colonial structures of finance.

Agropreneurship Development in the Post COVID-19 Era; Challenges and Panacea: Views of Selected Small-Scale Poultry Farmers in Idemili North Local Government of Anambra State, Nigeria

This study x-rayed the challenges of Agropreneurship development since the outbreak of Coronavirus with views of selected small-scale poultry farmers in Idemili North Local government Area of Anambra State Nigeria. The potency of small-scale businesses in driving the socio-economic growth and development of nations particularly developing nations with emerging economy is incontrovertible. The owners of small-scale businesses are also known as entrepreneurs who are usually faced with challenges (lack of start-up and running capital, insecurity, natural disaster, paucity of business skills, etc.) which affect the business growth or total closure of the business. These challenges have been compounded by the outbreak of Coronavirus globally at the end 2019. The study employed descriptive survey design and thematic method of analysis was adopted to analyze generated data. The study found out some challenges facing the small-scale poultry farmers to include hick in prices of chick, feed and drugs, drastic drop of sales and unhealthy competition in the market from large scale farmers and lack of government support. In line with these identified hurdles, following recommendations were made; concerted efforts by government to avail financial support in terms of easy access to soft loans by small-scale farmers, organization of capacity building exercises to enhance acquisition of entrepreneurial skills by small-scale business owners and regulation of market prices to protect infant businesses.

Trade in the Development of Social Hierarchies in the Dual Epics

Sangam Songs and epics illustrate how the ancient Tamils ​​traded well within and outside the country. In the post-Sangam period, during the period of the Epics, there were bartering methods in the domestic trade. Business flourished in the development of cities. Silappathikaram confirms that every commodity was traded on every street in the cities. From the sale of their products by the common people to the sea trade, evidence could be found. Business activities could also be noticed in Manimegalai following Silappathikaram. Small-scale business practices could be found in the cities. Similarly, professional businesses were also appreciated. People going abroad and doing business using the vessels known as Bengal could correspondingly be observed. The verses of Manimegalai are a demonstration of the fact that they exported and imported expensive goods.

Land transportation management policy in tarakan public economy

In achieving the development of Tarakan City, the role of land transportation has an important and strategic position, so the policies need to be integrated into a single land transportation management policy and its impact on the economy of the people in Tarakan City. Various policies have been issued, to minimize the problem of land transportation, but no matter how good the policy will not work optimally as long as land transportation management is not improved. This study uses a descriptive-qualitative method because it seeks to find empirical facts with the right interpretation of the actions of existing phenomena. The results of the study: 1. The selection of land transportation in accordance with the characteristics of the City of Tarakan, and taking into account the needs and interests of all different levels of society, is able to support the effectiveness and efficiency of providing city public transportation services. 2. The development of an adequate land transportation network in Tarakan City has been able to increase the growth of the community’s economic sector, increase the value/price of land, the development of the small, medium, and large scale businesses, the occurrence of product specialization between regions, the concentration and urbanization of the population, especially in areas that have opened access roads and transportation. So that there is an increase in the income of the City of Tarakan accompanied by an even distribution of goods between residents, business fields spread over several areas. In addition, there has been an increase in the number and types of finished goods and services that consumers, government, and industry can produce.