SKILLS NEEDED FOR SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES BY ENTREPRENEURS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

This study determined the skills needed for successful management of small and medium scale manufacturing industries by entrepreneurs in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Descriptive survey research design was adopted using a population of 2, 610 entrepreneurs of SMEs in Anambra State. Taro Yamane formula was utilized to select a sample size of 347. A structured questionnaire developed by the researcher was used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha was used to establish the reliability of the instrument. The reliability index obtained was r = 0.79. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. Mean was used to answer the research questions and standard deviation used to explain how the responses of the respondents varied. t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. The results showed that analytical and interpersonal skills are highly needed for successful management of small and medium scale manufacturing industries by entrepreneurs in Anambra State. The results also showed that there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of entrepreneurs on the extent analytical and interpersonal skills are needed for successful management of small and medium scale manufacturing industries in Anambra State on the basis of size of the business. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended among others, that entrepreneurs need analytical skills in order to visualize, articulate, conceptualize or solve both complex and uncomplicated problems by making decisions that are sensible given the available information. Article visualizations