Barriers to the growth of micro tailoring businesses in Nigeria: assessing socio-economic and socio-cultural environments
ISSN: 1746-5680
Article publication date: 16 September 2020
Issue publication date: 15 December 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to uncover ways to enhance the growth of micro tailoring businesses by assessing the socio-economic and socio-cultural environments at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP).
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a qualitative research design involving a multiple case study with data from semi-structured interview and non-participant observation.
Findings
The study reveals how micro tailoring businesses modify tailoring practices to cope with the religious practice of seclusion and use entrepreneurial actions to deal with unstable electricity, inadequate finance and conditions of extreme poverty that limit the growth of micro tailoring businesses at the BOP.
Research limitations/implications
The qualitative nature of this study with a focus on micro tailoring businesses in BOP context could limit the generalization of findings. However, replication of the study can be done in other contexts to validate the findings.
Practical implications
The study shows the need for entrepreneurial leadership which continually modifies tailoring practices in ways that sustain tailoring businesses and circumvent the possibility of failure in adverse socio-economic and socio-cultural conditions.
Originality/value
This study is the first to unravel the experiences of micro tailoring businesses at the BOP. Past studies have assessed barriers to the growth of small and medium scale enterprises in general, but this study uncovers the distinct aspects of tailoring business in a largely under-researched context.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: No financial support of any sort was received by the author for the research, authorship and publication of this article.
Declaration of conflict of interests: The author declares no potential conflicts of interest concerning research, authorship and publication of this article.
Citation
Akoh, A. (2020), "Barriers to the growth of micro tailoring businesses in Nigeria: assessing socio-economic and socio-cultural environments", Society and Business Review, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 397-414. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBR-06-2019-0081
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited