Entrepreneurial Skills and Operational Efficiency of Small-Scale Businesses in Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District

Abstract The study examined the influence of entrepreneurial skills on the operational efficiency of small-scale businesses in Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses, derived from the study’s specific objectives, guided the investigation. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised 890 managers of small-scale businesses in the district, from which a sample of 274 was drawn using the Taro Yamane formula. A simple random sampling technique was employed in selecting the participants, and data were collected using a researcher-developed instrument titled Entrepreneurial Skills and Operational Efficiency of Small-Scale Businesses Questionnaire (ESOESSBQ). The instrument was face-validated by three research experts. Its reliability was established using Cronbach's Alpha, yielding a coefficient of 0.85, indicating an acceptable level of internal consistency. Data were analysed using simple linear regression, and the hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The analysis revealed, among others, that marketing skills and innovative skills had a very low level of influence on the operational efficiency of small-scale businesses in the study area. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that the state government should organise seminars and workshops to train and equip managers of small-scale enterprises with marketing skills to enhance the effective operation of their businesses in Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District.