The Challenges of Managing Small Businesses in these Era of Emerging Technologies and the Way Forward in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

The need to instill and engender efficiency and effectiveness of leadership and management in the implementation of the current technological advancement calls for lots of concern. Adopting new technology isn’t all profit and efficiency, there are numerous challenges faced by leadership and management of organizations when it comes to technological advancement. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges faced by the leadership and management of small businesses in these era of emerging technologies in Anambra State. Also, the study determined the factors that can proffer solutions to the challenges faced by small businesses in the era of emerging technologies in Anambra state. Two research questions and two hypotheses posed in line with specific objectives guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey design to study a population of 1260 small businesses in Anambra state out of which 164 samples were taken from small businesses in Anambra. The instrument for data collection is the Extent of acceptability of the emerging technologies, challenges and way forward Questionnaire (EAETCW)structured in Likert scale format. The population of the study comprises of 1260 registered owners of small businesses in Anambra State. The sample size consists of 164 small-scale enterprises in Anambra State. The instruments were subjected to face and content validity and have reliability of 0.9266 using the test-retest and Cronbach’s alpha. Simple percentage and ANOVA analysis were used in addressing the research questions. Hypotheses for the study were tested using F –statistics and P-value. The findings of the study showed that lack of technical skills and inadequate infrastructure are significant obstacles to technology adoption. Training programs were identified as the most critical support aspect, underlining the importance of skill development. it was recommended that the leadership and management of small businesses in Anambra state should prioritize needs, seek expert advice, invest in training and encourage a culture of innovation.