Employee Motivation

Background of the study Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME) have played important roles in the development process in most of the developed economies, and proven to be one of the most viable sectors with economic growth potential. The successes recorded by these countries were because of serious consideration of the future rewards from sustained investment in this sector. Due to their size and scope of operations, these enterprises require relatively small capital investment to start, thereby offering a relatively high labour-to-capital ratio. They also demand low technology and managerial skill, which are readily available within the society. The extent to which the opportunities offered by SMEs are exploited and their contributions maximized in any economy depends on the enabling environment created through the provision of requisite infrastructure facilities. These include roads, telecommunications, power, ports, etc. and the introduction and pursuit of policies such as concessionary financing that encourage and strengthen the growth of SMEs. SMEs have such a crucial role to play in the development of an economy that they cannot be ignored. There is growing recognition of the important role small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play in economic development. They are often described as efficient and prolific job creators, the seeds of big businesses and the fuel of national economic engines. Even in the developed industrial economies, it is the SME sector rather than the multinationals that is the largest employer of workers (Mullineux, 1997). Interest in the role of SMEs in the development process continues to be in the forefront of policy debates in most countries. Governments at all levels have undertaken initiatives to promote the growth of SMEs (Feeney and Riding, 1997). SME development can encourage the process of both inter and intra-regional decentralization; and, they may well become a countervailing force against the economic