<p> The failure rates of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in developing countries have been very high, with many of them closing down within the first five years of operation. The research method was qualitative. The research design was a descriptive case study design assisted in the exploration of the influence of leadership on SMEs survival in Lagos, Nigeria. The multiple cases involved 20 SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria with a purposive sample of 20 participants. The exploration of the influence of leadership on SMEs survival involved in-depth semi-structured interviews, direct observations, and artifacts for data triangulation. The data collection and analysis provided findings that revealed leadership practices for replication regarding SMEs survival. Data analysis included the use of NVivo 10® software resulting in four major themes and 24 sub themes. Four major themes were: (a) leadership experience perspective on SMEs survival, (b) leadership practices perspective on SMEs survival, (c) business practices perspective on SMEs survival, and (d) sustainable practices perspective on SMEs survival. Five of the 24 sub themes were: (a) listen to learn, (b) performance, (c) recognition,(d), skills renewal, and (e) value-driven. The recommendation for SME owners/managers and leaders in the private, public, and academic sectors is to embrace leadership styles and leadership development practices that will assist in SMEs survival. The diverse perspectives from males and female leaders provided multiple data sources achieving triangulation. The study revealed that SME owners/managers should have leadership experiences, demonstrate leadership practices, develop and employ business practices, and sustainable leadership practices.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10255399 |
| Date | 24 February 2017 |
| Creators | Fajuyigbe, Kolade Elijah |
| Publisher | University of Phoenix |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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