Thesis Abstract

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

Thesis Overview

<p> INTRODUCTION<br>1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY<br>The problem of management in effectiveness and bad attitude<br>to work among Nigerians is widespread in government owned<br>companies. There has been growing concern among<br>Nigerians on the poor organisational performance and<br>managerial ineffectiveness recorded in these organisations.<br>This concern perhaps is a result of the size of economic and<br>social influence of these government institutions on Nigerian<br>development. (Akpala, 1990:193).<br>Inspite of the huge capital investments in these companies,<br>the results have been extremely poor. As a result of<br>government, as trustees for the ultimate owners of public<br>enterprises have appointed tribunals, commissions and panels<br>to find ways and means to improve the efficiency and<br>effectiveness of the enterprises (CMD, 1985:5).<br>At the managerial and operative performance levels, the<br>problem is also a general one. In an attempt to explain and<br>subsequentlyliniment government owned companies, two<br>schools of thought emerge. One is of the opinion that the<br>problem is from ill implication of the known theories and<br>2<br>principles of management in government owned companies.<br>The other holds that the problem stems from not applying<br>management philosophy that is based on Nigerian culture.<br>This takes us to the meaning of management. Management<br>can be defined as the art or science of working in an<br>organisation through being directed by and by directing and<br>co-ordinating the activities of people to achieve one’s personal<br>goals in the context of the goals of one’s organisation<br>(Ejiofor,1985:3).<br>Management involves the performance of all the management<br>functions which include planning, organizing, staffing,<br>directing, controlling and co-ordinating of activities to attain<br>optimum result with organisation resources. Management is<br>concerned with the achievement of objectives, performances<br>result, success, efficiency and effectiveness.<br>The survival of any company in realizing its objectives, depend<br>among other things in proper management of its human and<br>material resources.<br>No company or organisation can have its activities moving on<br>without a manager. Managers and company goes hand in<br>hand. The need for managers arises because companies<br>exist. One cannot exist without the other.<br>Managers have to perform many roles in an organisation and<br>how they handle various situations will depend on their style of<br>management. A management style is an overall method of<br>leadership used by a manager.<br>There are two sharply contrasting styles that will be broken<br>down into smaller subsets later.<br>(i) Autocratic<br>(ii) Permissive<br>Each style has its own characteristics<br>Autocratic:leaders make all decisions unilaterally.<br>Permissive: leader permits subordinate to take part in decision<br>making and also gives them a considerable degree of autonomy<br>in completing routine work activities combining those categories<br>with democratic (subordinates are allowed to participate in<br>decision making) and directive (subordinates are told exactly how<br>to do their jobs) styles gives us four distinctive ways to manage<br>(IEBM, 1998:201).<br>Directive democrat: makes decisions participatively i.e. closely<br>supervises subordinates.<br>Directive autocratic: makes decisions unilaterally; closely<br>supervises subordinates.<br>Permissive democrat: makes decisions participatively gives<br>subordinates latitude in carrying out their work.<br>Permissive autocrat: makes decisions unilaterally gives<br>subordinates latitude in carrying out 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<br>needed.<br>Telling: work best when employees are neither willing nor able to do<br>the job (high need of support and high need of guidance).<br>Delegating: works best when the employers are willing to do the job<br>and know how to get about it (low need of guidance and low need of<br>support).<br>Participating: works best when employers have the ability to do the<br>job, but need high amount of support (low need of guidance but high<br>need of support).<br>Selling: works best when employees are willing to do the job, but<br>don’t know how to do it (low need of support but high need of<br>guidance).<br>The different styles depend on the situation and the relationship<br>behaviour (amount of support required and task behaviour<br>(amount of guidance required).<br>1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM<br>The effect of management style on the efficiency of government<br>owned companies cannot be discussed without looking into the<br>problems militating against these management styles. These<br>upsetting difficulties 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.<br>Some managers lack good management capabilities.<br>It is all these that made the researcher to endeavour to determine<br>the impact of the management style on the efficiency of government<br>owned companies.<br>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<br>efficiency of some government owned companies.<br>2. To find out the management style adopted by these<br>companies.<br>3. To find out why there is poor attitude to work in these<br>companies.<br>4. To find out why there is poor performance and improper<br>accountability in these companies.<br>5. To ascertain the causes of manager’s inefficiency and<br>instability.<br>6. To make recommendations.<br>1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS<br>1. What is the impact of management style on the efficiency of<br>government owned companies?<br>2. What management style is adopted in Enugu State Water<br>Corporation and Enugu State Star Printing and Publishing<br>Company Limited?<br>3. Why is there poor attitude to work in these companies? <br></p>