The Impact of Accounting and Information System on the Performance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Rivers State, Nigeria

Some scholars have expressed opinions pointing to the fact that the failures of the SMEs (Small and Medium Scale Enterprises) in Nigeria may not be unconnected to the fact that proper accounting system, records and practices are not kept nor followed by the SMEs in their operations. This research is therefore carried out to study the significance of accounting records/information on the performance of SMEs in Rivers State. To guide the study, five research questions were generated. Arising from the research questions, two hypotheses were formulated. The population of the study composed of all the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Rivers State, from which a sample size of fifty-seven (57) SMEs in Obio-Akpor and Port Harcourt Local Government Areas of Rivers State was drawn, through a stratified sampling method. The data used for this study was collected through the questionnaire technique and personal interview as the primary source of data. Also, data was collected from secondary sources, which include Company annual reports, publications, bulletin of the enterprises studied, journals, textbooks etc.. The summary of the findings of the research is that there is a significant relationship between accounting systems and records/information and the performance of SMEs in Rivers State and the country at large; and the study recommends among others, that directors and managers of SME’s in Rivers State and the country at large should ensure that standard accounting records are kept by their organizations and should always analyze and consider their accounting information records elaborately before making short and long-term policies, plans and decisions