RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES OF SMALL FIRMS IN A DEPRESSED ECONOMY 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  Description Background of the Study

The concept of workers recruitment is the same in all firms. This is because organizations cannot operate without employees who would put other resources into useful outputs. Although the idea of recruitment differs in different firms, unlike small organization or firms. Other methods and strategies would be adopted since in some place due to the nature of the business, very few numbers of staff would be needed based on their available resources.

       It is obvious that firms recruits new employees based on the available requirements and needs of the organization, unlike the civil service where employees are recruited to remain idle in the office small firms only recruits base on the need and available input that enables such firm to survive the market trend and conditions. It is important for survive and realize it needed profits for continuity. Some may have up to 20, depending on the nature of the business involved. Other firms may use members of the family or relatives to cut down expenses which would have occurred during employees contract, small amount are paid to family members to sustain them. Sometimes this happens in a repressed situation with the economy in which this study is envisaged. As a result of this development, individual entrepreneurs develops, recruitment strategies for the purpose of meeting the conditions of their firms which will not be ill fare to the employees but will be profitable to the firm.

 

1.2  Statement of the Problem

The development and growth of small firms shows variation from one country to another. The developed countries strengthens this sector through their own effort on collective basis. Develop countries have official agencies that plans and implement such plans for the development of small firms. Small firms also contribute greatly to the development of the Nigeria economy, therefore, small firms must exist side by sides with large firms because of their professional and technical service to both customers and large organization.

       Small firms in Nigeria have encounter different economic problems such as, management, finance and recruitment problems. This study is carried out to look into the management of small firms, it problems and prospective of a depressed economy taking into consideration and also selected firms in Calabar, Cross River State.

       It has been realized over the year that recruitment strategies in small firms in Nigeria has not been effective and efficient enough to engender development. Recruitment exercise to a reasonable extent determine the realities of what is expected in the firm. The nature of staff and mode of recruitment would eventually be translated into the actual operations of the this ineffective and undertaken to reposition small firms recruitment strategy and ensure general enhancement or productivity in small firms.

1.3  Objectives of the Study

       The main objective of this study is recruitment strategies of small firms in a depressed economy with selected firms in Calabar, Cross River State.

The specific objectives of this study include the following;

1.    To examine the different management strategies obtained by small firms in Cross River State to recruit their employees.

2.    To find out if recruitment strategies adopted by small firms actually meet their objective profitability.

3.    To identify recruitment strategies adopted by small firms in Calabar, Cross River State.

4.    To make suitable suggestions and strategies on recruitment for brighter prospect of small firms in Calabar, Cross River State.

 

1.4  Study Questions

The following study questions were formulated in this study by;

1.    Does the recruitment strategies adopted by those small firms in Calabar, Cross River State meet their objectives?

2.    Do these firms allow the recruitment of employees to the personnel or human resource managers to handle?

3.    Does firms only recruits based on the availability of resources and needs of the employees?

4.    Does the different management style adopted by these small firms affect the recruitment  practice adopted by them?

 

1.5  Significance of the Study

There are many small firms business in Calabar. All business are expected to fulfill it goals and objectives when they set out for themselves and the expectations which they are required to meet in the development of the national economy. But on close look at small firms in Calabar reveals that they have not realized their goals overtime and have failed in their rule to sustain the national economy.

The significance of this study lies on the fact that the study will be of great help to small firms, government functionaries and others who are concerned with the business enterprise in Nigeria.

It will be of benefit to enlighten small firms on the extent to which their staff should be recruited.

It will also help small firms and business men to know how to solve numerous problem of the firms.

This study will be beneficial to managers in respect of personnel to exhibit their talent on the recruitment of employees rather than allowing it to be unlimited by other staff into the firm thereby resulting on the wrong choice of candidate in the organizations.

It will also help managers to recruit qualified personnel that will help the firm or organization in achieving its goals.

1.6  Scope of Study

This study covers recruitment strategies of small firms in Calabar, Cross River State, the selected firms are Bez pharmacy and stores, sparks shop and Dukan water, and are constraints based on lack of finance, time and incorporative attitude of firms. Staff to give useful information to the researcher. Many of them refused to answer questions as a result of firms policy which doesn’t not allow them to give out information to only outsider in view of the fact that the researcher arrives with a letter of introduction from the researchers institution.

1.7  Definition of Terms

Business: It is any human activity that is involved in the production and distribution of goods and services through a socially organized system of exchange.

Capital: It is defined as wealth reserved or set aside for the production of further wealth. Capital means different thing to different people.

Controlling: It is the process of seeing that everything is being carried out in accordance with the plan which has been adopted, the orders which have been given and principles which have been laid down.

Communication: It is the process of sending and receiving messages. In management it is the process of transmitting a message from a sender to a receiver either by using words, memoranda, letters or bulletins.

Entrepreneur: This is a person when accepts the risk of starting and running a business or it is a skilled personnel who identify new product or setting up operation to provide new product to make profit.

Firm: It is defined as the system of relationship which comes into existence when the direction of resources is dependent on the entrepreneur.

Management: This simply means a specific process of planning, organization, staffing, directing and controlling the efforts of the people who are engaged in activities in business organization, in other to achieve the goals or objective of the firm.

Recruitment: This is the process of encouraging individuals with the needed skills to make application for employment with the firm. It is also the process an organization attempt to engage additional human resources for additional purpose.

Strategy: It is simply the system of finding, formulating and  developing a doctrine that will ensure long-term success if followed faithfully.

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