Project Abstract

<p> The research titled “The Impact of Management Style on the Efficiency<br>of Selected Government Owned Companies In Enugu State” started with the<br>introduction, where the researcher discussed the background of the<br>study including finding out the impact of management style on the<br>efficiency of some government owned companies. To find out the<br>management style adopted by the companies under study, to find out why<br>there is poor attitude to work in those companies, to find out where<br>there is poor performance and improper accountability in these companies<br>and to ascertain the causes of the manager’s inefficiency and<br>instability. The significance of the study include that the study will<br>be immense help to the managers to understand the impact of management<br>style on their companies. The companies covered where Enugu State Water<br>Corporation, Enugu State Printing and Publishing Company and Sunrise<br>Flour Mill. Under the literature review, the researcher discussed the<br>theoretical framework of the study, the objective of governments in<br>business, performance of government owned companies in Nigeria etc. The<br>population was 700 and the sample size used was128 employees from the<br>three companies. The sample size was determined using the Yaro Yammani’s<br>Formula. The major instrument of data collection is the questionnaire.<br>The researcher presented the data in tables using frequencies and<br>analysized the data using inferential statistics, the hypothesis were<br>tested using the Chi-Square formula. The summary of findings include<br>that the management style adopted by these three companies were mainly<br>permissive autocratic and directive democratic. The researcher concluded<br>by saying the management style has a great impact on the efficiency of<br>government owned companies. The accommodations included that the state<br>government owned companies should be managed by people who have the<br>necessary experience and training. <br></p>

Project Overview

<p> </p><p>INTRODUCTION</p><p>1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY<br>The problem of management in effectiveness and bad attitude to work<br>among Nigerians is widespread in government owned companies. There has<br>been growing concern among Nigerians on the poor organisational<br>performance and managerial ineffectiveness recorded in these<br>organisations. This concern perhaps is a result of the size of economic<br>and social influence of these government institutions on Nigerian<br>development. (Akpala, 1990:193).<br>Inspite of the huge capital investments in these companies, the results<br>have been extremely poor. As a result of government, as trustees for the<br>ultimate owners of public enterprises have appointed tribunals,<br>commissions and panels to find ways and means to improve the efficiency<br>and effectiveness of the enterprises (CMD, 1985:5).<br>At the managerial and operative performance levels, the problem is also a<br>general one. In an attempt to explain and subsequentlyliniment<br>government owned companies, two schools of thought emerge. One is of the<br>opinion that the problem is from ill implication of the known theories<br>and principles of management in government owned companies. The other<br>holds that the problem stems from not applying management philosophy<br>that is based on Nigerian culture.<br>This takes us to the meaning of management. Management can be defined as<br>the art or science of working in an organisation through being directed<br>by and by directing and co-ordinating the activities of people to<br>achieve one’s personal goals in the context of the goals of one’s<br>organisation (Ejiofor,1985:3).<br>Management involves the performance of all the management functions<br>which include planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling and<br>co-ordinating of activities to attain optimum result with organisation<br>resources. Management is concerned with the achievement of objectives,<br>performances result, success, efficiency and effectiveness.<br>The survival of any company in realizing its objectives, depend among<br>other things in proper management of its human and material resources.<br>No company or organisation can have its activities moving on without a<br>manager. Managers and company goes hand in hand. The need for managers<br>arises because companies exist. One cannot exist without the other.</p><p>Managers have to perform many roles in an organisation and how they<br>handle various situations will depend on their style of management. A<br>management style is an overall method of leadership used by a manager.<br>There are two sharply contrasting styles that will be broken down into smaller subsets later.<br>(i) Autocratic<br>(ii) Permissive<br>Each style has its own characteristics Autocratic:leaders make all<br>decisions unilaterally. Permissive: leader permits subordinate to take<br>part in decision making and also gives them a considerable degree of<br>autonomy in completing routine work activities combining those<br>categories with democratic (subordinates are allowed to participate in<br>decision making) and directive (subordinates are told exactly how to do<br>their jobs) styles gives us four distinctive ways to manage (IEBM,<br>1998:201). Directive democrat: makes decisions participatively i.e.<br>closely supervises subordinates. Directive autocratic: makes decisions<br>unilaterally; closely supervises subordinates.</p><p>Permissive democrat: makes decisions participatively gives<br>subordinates latitude in carrying out their work. Permissive autocrat:<br>makes decisions unilaterally gives subordinates latitude in carrying out<br>their work.<br>Managers must also adjust their styles according to the situation that<br>they are presented with. Below are four quadrats of situational<br>leadership that depend on the amount of support and guidance needed.<br>Telling: work best when employees are neither willing nor able to do the job (high need of support and high need of guidance).<br>Delegating: works best when the employers are willing to do the job and<br>know how to get about it (low need of guidance and low need of support).<br>Participating: works best when employers have the ability to do the job,<br>but need high amount of support (low need of guidance but high need of<br>support).<br>Selling: works best when employees are willing to do the job, but don’t<br>know how to do it (low need of support but high need of guidance).<br>The different styles depend on the situation and the relationship<br>behaviour (amount of support required and task behaviour (amount of<br>guidance required).<br>1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM<br>The effect of management style on the efficiency of government owned<br>companies cannot be discussed without looking into the problems<br>militating against these management styles. These upsetting difficulties<br>and problems are:<br>a) Poor attitude to work/poor performance<br>b) No proper accountability<br>c) Inefficiency<br>d) Wrong management style<br>e) Poor quality service (Norber M. Ile)<br>These problems have attracted incessant criticisms from people. Some managers lack good management capabilities.<br>It is all these that made the researcher to endeavour to determine the<br>impact of the management style on the efficiency of government owned<br>companies.</p><p>1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY<br>The purpose of the study is as follows:<br>1. To find out the impact of the management style on the efficiency of some government owned companies.<br>2. To find out the management style adopted by these companies.<br>3. To find out why there is poor attitude to work in these companies.<br>4. To find out why there is poor performance and improper accountability in these companies.<br>5. To ascertain the causes of manager’s inefficiency and instability.<br>6. To make recommendations.<br>1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS<br>1. What is the impact of management style on the efficiency of government owned companies?<br>2. What management style is adopted in Enugu State Water Corporation and<br>Enugu State Star Printing and Publishing Company Limited?<br>3. Why is there poor attitude to work in these companies?<br>4. Why is there poor performance and improper accountability in these companies?<br>5. What are the causes of manager’s inefficiency?<br>1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY<br>The important roles of government owned companies in our environment<br>cannot be overlooked. This is because of the part they play in solving<br>our social, political and economic problems. The study will be of<br>immense help to managers, to understand the impact of the management<br>style in their companies and the type to adopt for companyefficiency and<br>growth.<br>The study will be beneficial to the student who may find themselves as<br>managers in government owned companies, after graduation. This<br>researcher will definitely benefit from the study as the project is a<br>condition for graduation. The study will also be beneficial to the<br>university, in the sense that it will increase their data base.<br>Finally, the study will be beneficial to any person, who will further on this research work.<br>1.6 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY<br>In a research project like this, it is always difficult to complete the<br>work, without going through a number of factors which constitute<br>impediments. Some respondents to the questions were not on seat in most<br>cases to give the required information. Some of the respondents were<br>reluctant to air their views.<br>The unwillingness by some managers to release some vital information<br>regarding the management and operations of the companies is one of the<br>factors that did not allow the researcher gain access to vital and<br>sufficient information. The time to move from one library to the other,<br>from one cybercafé to the other and the time to type and distribute the<br>questionnaires was another impediment. Finance was another constraint. A<br>lot of money was needed for transport, typing etc.<br>The researcher was a nursing mother during this period. Despite all these, the researcher did her best.</p><p>1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY<br>To extend the impact of management style on the efficiency of all the<br>government owned companies in Enugu State, will be too much for the<br>requirement of the work. The researcher will limit the scope to some<br>selected government owned companies in Enugu State. It involves a survey<br>of selected managers with the companies.</p><p>REFERENCES</p><p>Ackoff, Russel (1963). Managers Guide to Operations Research Chicago; Rank McNally Publishers.<br>Akpala, A. (1990). Economic and Social Influence of Government Institutions in Nigeria Development. Lagos: Guardian Publishers.<br>C.M.D (1985). Mean of Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness of Nigeria Enterprise. Lagos: Heinemann Publishers.<br>Ejiofor, P. (1985). The Integrity Factor in The Management of National Development. Onitsha: African FEP Publishers.<br>I.E.B.M. (1998). Management Thinking. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.<br>Koontz, et al (1980). Management, International Student Edition. Tokyo: McGraw-Hill Inc</p><br> <br><p></p>