ANALYZING THE ROLE OF DIGITAL MESSAGING PLATFORMS IN AUGMENTING BUSINESS EFFICIENCY AMONG SMALL-SCALE ENTERPRISES IN DELTA STATE
Ojianyaegbu IDOWU
Department of Office Technology and Management Education
School of Secondary Education (Business)
Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, Delta State
Email: ojianyaegbuidowu2021@gmail.com;
Phone: 07043600409
Abstract
This study analyzed the role of digital messaging platforms in augmenting business efficiency among small-scale enterprises in Delta State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided this study. This study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of this study comprised of 12,540 managers whose businesses were registered in Delta State. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 388 respondents. The questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. To ascertain the face validity of the instrument, the draft of the instrument was given to two experts who are lecturers in the Department of Educational Foundations.
Cronbach alpha reliability method was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire items while a reliability coefficient of 0.90 was obtained. The researcher with the help of two research assistants administered 388 copies of the instrument and retrieved 234 copies which were used for analysis. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation while t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.
The findings of the study revealed that to a high extent, WhatsApp and Facebook digital messaging platforms augment business efficiency among small-scale enterprises in Delta State. The study recommended that small-scale enterprises should be provided with targeted training programs that focus on building digital literacy and proficiency in using digital messaging platforms. Workshops, online tutorials, and partnerships with technology training centers can equip small-scale business owners and staff with the necessary skills to leverage these tools effectively.
Keywords
Digital Messaging Platforms, Business Efficiency, Small-Scale Enterprises, WhatsApp, Facebook