INFLUENCE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION ABILITIES ON SUCCESS OF CYBERCAFE OPERATORS IN KANO CITY, NIGERIA

INFLUENCE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION ABILITIES ON SUCCESS OF CYBERCAFE OPERATORS IN KANO CITY, NIGERIA  

ABSTRACT

This study was on the influence of entrepreneurial and electronic communication skills on achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria.  It had five objectives, five research questions and five null hypotheses. The research design adopted for the study was descriptive survey design.  The population of the study was 520 out of which a sample of 226 was drawn using purposive sampling technique. In gathering data for the study, the researcher constructed a 4-point questionnaire tagged: Entrepreneurial, Electronic Communication Skills and Achievement of Cybercafé Operators – EESACO, which was validated by experts in the researcher‘s department. Pilot study was carried out using ten cybercafé operators in Bichi Local Government Area.  Data obtained from the pilot study was used to ascertain the reliability of the instrument using Cronbach Alpha Technique which gave a value of 0.82.The EESACO was administered to the respondents. Frequency tables and percentages were used to analyse the demographic variables of the respondents, while mean and standard deviation were used to answer the five research questions of the study.  Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to test the five hypotheses of the study. The result showed that financial management skills, marketing skills, resource management skills, personnel management skills and electronic communication skills had significant influence on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria. Based on the findings, five recommendations were made among which was that cybercafé operators should acquire marketing skills. Another recommendation made was that cybercafé operators should obtain electronic communication

skills          to          sustain          achievement          in          their          business           operations.

 

 

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Kano is a city in Nigeria and is the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria in the Sahelian geographic region south of the Sahara.  Its metropolitan population makes it the second largest city in Nigeria.  The metropolitan area covers 499km² and comprises of eight Local Government Areas namely Dala, Fagge, Gwale, Kano Municipal, Kumbotso, Nassarawa, Tarauni and Ungogo Local Government Areas and had a population of 2,828,861 at the 2006 Nigerian census. (Kano Investment Handbook, 2013).

Communication is a daily activity that goes on among people in different places and for different purposes. It involves the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another and a sender transmitting an idea, information or feeling to a receiver. It is no wonder that cybercafé operators are also involved in buying and selling of various network recharge cards and data plans all over the country. With the advent of electronic communication, more and more people are communicating over great distances and accessing large amounts of information by electronic system.

As observed by Palmira (2012) electronic-communication was discovered in 1998.  According to him, electronic-communication is a form of communication that is used for the transfer of data, images, signals, signs etcetera through wire, electromagnetic energy, radio, photo-electronic or photo-optical system and that with its growing popularity, more and more people have continued to communicate via e-mail. Khan (2013) observed that as a result of electronic technology, jobs, working locations and cultures are changing and therefore people can easily access worldwide communication without any physical movement.

 

It has been generally observed that prior to the arrival of cybercafés Nigeria Telecommunications (NITEL) and post offices were the major means of communication accept of course, for some few Nigerians, particularly the elite, who had the telephone. According to Ifedigbo (2012), the arrival of internet changed all that. It did not take long cybercafé business started to spread like a virus to all nooks and crannies of major Nigerian cities about 1999. It became a soothing relief to Nigerians thus ending the needless delays associated with mail delivery and epileptic telephone service.  The relevance of the services of cybercafés can therefore not be overemphasized.  People need the services of cybercafés to book their flights with airlines operating in the country; individuals need to process their national identity cards, driver‘s licenses, online registrations (for examinations and academic/secular institutions), gaining access into their private electronic mail and facebook accounts from time to time among other evolving internet-enabled operations.

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2012) described entrepreneurship as an employment strategy that can lead to economic selfsufficiency and that through entrepreneurship education young people learn organizational skills, time management skills, leadership development and interpersonal skills all of which are highly transferable skills sought by employers. Thus, entrepreneurial skill can be defined as the ability to create something new with value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction and independence (Hisrich & Peters, 2002).

Adeyemo (2009) submitted that entrepreneurial skills include sales and marketing skills, financial know how, self-motivation skill, time management skill and administrative skills.  Since entrepreneurship is about the development of a business from the ground up — coming up with an idea and turning it into a profitable business as well as the journey of opportunity exploration and risk management to create value for profit and or social good.  It appears rather logical for entrepreneurs to seek out for those who know (mentors), imbibe the spirit of self-discipline, develop the ability to make quality decision, the talents to analyse complex situation and draw conclusions that will make the business succeed among other factors. It is in line with this background that the researcher is seeking to investigate how entrepreneurial and electronic communication skills could influence the achievement of cybercafés as far as meeting the cyber-information and related needs of consumers in Kano metropolis is concerned.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

In the early years of the internet service in Nigeria cybercafés tended to have provided a window of business opportunity for individuals and corporate organizations. The business began to grow in leaps and bounds as many internet cafés sprang up in several localities in Nigeria. Many Nigerians saw it as a new source of income generation and invested in it. On the part of consumers, it became a relief that put paid to the many worries associated with delay and in some cases, non-delivery of mails and parcels. Rather than channelling letters and correspondences via the telegram and the post office, electronic mail has become a major means of sending letters, attachments and scanned documents between people and organizations all over the globe.

In the case of tertiary institutions in the country, cybercafés serve as the port of call for newly admitted students who need to upload their personal, education and related data into their various institutions‘‘ portals. Returning students of institutions, staff and providers of services to these institutions also communicate needed information on the institutions websites from time to time, using the services of cybercafé operators.

However, increase in mobile technology and rapid innovations in terms of new applications that are introduced into the market on a constant basis poses a challenge to cybercafé operators who may not be at pace with the trend of events in the industry. Other factors such as poor power supply, high data cost, poor network supply by internet service providers and increase operational costs are difficulties facing operators in the cybercafé industry.

Bakare, Akintomide, Ogbodo-Iwuagwu, Ogunshola, Maduforo, Olaminkan, Arubi, and Ukwu (2014) observed that smart, tablet and android phones are employed by cybercafé users and operators in carrying out personal and commercial electronic communication activities. New features are being added to these devices by the manufacturers from the point of purchase. Besides the already installed features, other newer applications could be installed online even after purchase, leaving cybercafé with the challenge to stay ahead in their usage.

Beside the electronic communication skill challenge, the keen competition in the cybercafé industry is another hard nut for operators to crack. Are cybercafé operators able to compete for the attention of consumers in delivering the services and information they want through entrepreneurial skills and user-friendly applications and relationship building tools? It is for these reasons that the researcher is interested in finding out whether entrepreneurial and electronic communication skills influence the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, in Kano state, Nigeria.

             

1.3       Objectives of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to determine whether entrepreneurial and electronic communication skills have influenced the success of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.  The specific objectives of the study however are to:

• determine the influence of financial management skill on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.
• assess the influence of marketing skill on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria
• determine the influence of resource management skill on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.
• establish the influence of personnel management skill on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.
• determine the influence of electronic communication on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.

1.4       Research Questions

Five research questions were raised in this study as follows:

1. What is the influence of financial management skill on the achievement of

Cybercafé Operators in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria?

2. What is the influence of marketing skill on the achievement of Cybercafé

Operators in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria?

3. What is the influence of resource management skill on the achievement of

Cybercafé Operators in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria?

4. What is the influence of personnel management skill on the achievement of

Cybercafé Operators in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria?

5. What is the influence of electronic communication skill on the achievement of

Cybercafé Operators in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria?

1.5       Research Hypotheses

Five null hypotheses were formulated to guide this study as follows:

1. Financial management skill has no significant influence on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.
2. Marketing skill has no significant influence on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.
3. Resource management skill has no significant influence on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.
4. Personnel management skill has no significant influence on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.
5. Electronic communication skill has no significant influence on the achievement of cybercafé operators in Kano metropolis, Nigeria.

1.6       Significance of the Study

The findings of this study are expected to benefit the following:

Curriculum planners: This work will inform curriculum planners on the need to step up entrepreneurship programmes in the nation‘s tertiary institutions to include entrepreneurship skill development modules for Nigerian students.

Job-Seekers: The outcome of this study will expose unemployed Nigerians to evolving non-traditional job patterns that are enabled by electronic communication skills and electronic gadgets.

Existing Entrepreneurs: Cybercafé operators and other entrepreneurship based venture owners are going to find this study to be helpful as they will be able to see empirical evidence of the influence financial management skill, personnel management skills, marketing skills, resource management skills and electronic communication skills have on the success of cybercafé operations.

Entrepreneurship Instructors: Tutors and conveyers of entrepreneurship knowledge will gain from the findings of this work, which would augment their teaching both within and outside the classroom.

Institutions of higher learning: Tertiary institutions running entrepreneurship programmes might see the need to evolve electronic communication facilities and gadgets within the institution environments that will enable students to acquire basic knowledge of computers, ability to use electronic mail programmes and a working knowledge of the World Wide Web, where these may be lacking.

Future researchers: Persons who might be interested in researching into related areas of entrepreneurship and electronic communication skills will find this work a useful reference.

To facilitate access to the findings and recommendations of this work in the interest of the beneficiaries listed above, the researcher intends to publish the findings of the study in high impact journals on entrepreneurship and related studies.

1.7       Basic Assumptions of the Study

 In this study it was assumed that financial, marketing, resource management and personnel management skills which translates into entrepreneurial skills in the context of this study as well as electronic-communication skills, had the same effect on the success of cybercafé operators in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria.

             

1.8       Delimitation of the Study

This study was delimited to all the eight Local Government Areas in Kano

Metropolis, Nigeria that is, Dala, Fagge, Gwale, Kano Municipal, Kumbotso, Nassarawa, Tarauni and Ungogo Local Government Areas.  This study was also confined to four entrepreneurial skills out of the numerous skills theorized by various entrepreneurship authorities. The four entrepreneurial skills this study is delimited to are financial management skill, marketing skill, resource management skill and personnel management skill. These four chosen entrepreneurial skills are not chosen because they are in any way superior to all others but simply for the purpose of proper data handling and guided direction for the researcher. The study is further delimited to cybercafé operators only within Kano metropolis and not all the forty-four local government areas in the state due to limited resources and logistics at the disposal of the researcher.  Also, the study is delimited to five research objectives, five research questions and five null hypotheses as

stated above.

INFLUENCE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION ABILITIES ON SUCCESS OF CYBERCAFE OPERATORS IN KANO CITY, NIGERIA  

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