Business Communication Competencies as Predictors of Entrepreneurial Performance Among Female Undergraduate Entrepreneurs in Ondo State, Nigeria (Published)
This study examined business communication competencies as predictors of entrepreneurial performance among female undergraduate entrepreneurs in selected tertiary institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 60 female undergraduate entrepreneurs operating various small-scale businesses within selected tertiary institutions in Ondo City, Ondo State. Due to the manageable size of the population, all respondents were included in the study using a census sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Business Communication Competencies and Entrepreneurial Performance Questionnaire (BCCEPQ). The instrument was validated by experts in Business Education and Measurement and Evaluation, while its internal consistency yielded a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was proposed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The study was guided by four research questions and four hypotheses. The findings are expected to demonstrate that communication competencies, including oral communication, written communication, interpersonal communication, negotiation skills, listening skills, and digital communication, contribute significantly to entrepreneurial performance. The paper concludes that strengthening communication competencies among female undergraduate entrepreneurs is essential for improving business growth, customer satisfaction, business sustainability, and competitiveness. It recommends that tertiary institutions should integrate practical business communication training into entrepreneurship programmes to equip female students with competencies required for successful entrepreneurial practice.
Keywords: Entrepreneurial Performance, Entrepreneurship education, business communication competencies, female undergraduate entrepreneurs, tertiary in