Strategic Leadership and Organizational Performance in Nigeria: An Empirical Investigation

This paper dealt with the activities of strategists in the behavioural implementation of strategy and stated that the future of strategy is leadership. It contended that the activities of the strategists in leadership positions should be rather seen and appreciated from the standpoint of the varied strategic leadership activities at the beck and call of strategic leaders during turbulent times. This study examined the relationship between strategic leadership and organizational performance in selected manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Primary and secondary data were sourced for this study. Primary data were collected through administration of questionnaire to employees of 31 purposively selected companies out of 45 quoted manufacturing companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting respondents from these companies, using the three levels of management for stratification. The data generated was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study show that strategic leadership have strong significant relationship with the organization performance of some selected manufacturing companies in Nigeria (r = 0.733, p<0.05). Furthermore, the result also indicate a moderate linear relationship established between performance and:  ‘workforce understanding performance goals’ (r=0.386, p = .002); and, ‘rewards aligned with goals/creativity’ (r = 0.324, p = .002). The study recommends that boards of directors of organization should avoid high CEO turnover to allow for the minimum period of time required for implementation of strategic plans as well as manage new business strategies Keywords: Strategists, Strategy, Behavioural Implementation, Performanc

Effect of Information Technology Investment on Organisational Productivity and Growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Developing Countries: A Case of Sachet and Table Water Industries in Lagos State, Nigeria

The objective of this paper is to determine the effect of information technological investment on employee’s output performance. Subject for the study consisted of seventy employees of sachet and table water manufacturing industries, Lagos, Nigeria. Data for the study were collected through a well-structured questionnaire delivered to the workers of the sachet and table water companies. We used F test, T test, regression and correlation to test our hypotheses whether information technology usage in production processes , work environment and management style boost up  the output performance  of an employees. The findings of the study showed that there exist strong positive relationship and significant effect between aggregate output, technology usage, work environment, and management style and that the technological usage in production processes has the highest contribution to boost aggregate output performance of an employees in sachet and table water manufacturing companies. Keywords: Information Technology, Output, Performance, Manufacturing Companies, Work Environment, Management Style

The current state-of-the-art of spinal cord imaging: methods.

A first-ever spinal cord imaging meeting was sponsored by the International Spinal Research Trust and the Wings for Life Foundation with the aim of identifying the current state-of-the-art of spinal cord imaging, the current greatest challenges, and greatest needs for future development. This meeting was attended by a small group of invited experts spanning all aspects of spinal cord imaging from basic research to clinical practice. The greatest current challenges for spinal cord imaging were identified as arising from the imaging environment itself; difficult imaging environment created by the bone surrounding the spinal canal, physiological motion of the cord and adjacent tissues, and small cross-sectional dimensions of the spinal cord, exacerbated by metallic implants often present in injured patients. Challenges were also identified as a result of a lack of "critical mass" of researchers taking on the development of spinal cord imaging, affecting both the rate of progress in the field, and the demand for equipment and software to manufacturers to produce the necessary tools. Here we define the current state-of-the-art of spinal cord imaging, discuss the underlying theory and challenges, and present the evidence for the current and potential power of these methods. In two review papers (part I and part II), we propose that the challenges can be overcome with advances in methods, improving availability and effectiveness of methods, and linking existing researchers to create the necessary scientific and clinical network to advance the rate of progress and impact of the research