UTILIZATION OF BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR RURAL ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT

(A CASE STUDY OF KADUNA STATE)

By

Author

Presented To

Department of Education

ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to find out about the utilization of Business information for rural entrepreneurial development in Kaduna State. The objectives were to identify the sources of business information, the extent of use of business information, the reasons for using business information, the extent of satisfaction with business information and the extent to which business information has promoted rural entrepreneurial development. The research instruments used were questionnaire and interview. Purposive and Kregcie and Morgan table technique were used to obtain the sample for the study. Three hundred and eighty four (384) subjects were used for the study. Data collected were presented in frequency tables and percentages. Analysis and discussions were made to each table and figure. Findings of this study revealed that most rural entrepreneurs in Kaduna State rely on the customers and mobile telephone as their sources of information. Rural entrepreneurs use business information to improve their business decision making while others indicated that they utilise business information to achieve business operation excellence. Respondents revealed that they are very satisfied with business information because it has helped them in decision making, positively promoted their businesses and have enhanced their profit making. The study concluded that the rural entrepreneurs in Kaduna State require different types of business information to carry out their business activities. This was specifically observed in the areas of trading, marketing survey, price survey, investment opportunities, farming, livestock rearing etc which are their main entrepreneurship. Based on these findings several recommendations were made which include utilisation of local languages by media houses to air business information, use of multi-media approaches like film shows, photographs, pictures, craft displays, audio-visual materials using local dialects, Local Government Authorities in Kaduna State should establish community tele-centres in strategic places especially in rural public libraries and all government economic empowerment programmes such as micro-finance schemes, poverty reduction programmes, small and medium-scale enterprises, loan facilities grant schemes etc should be repackaged and disseminated in local dialects to achieve maximum satisfaction by the users.