Outsourcing and Organizational Performance: A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria Bottling Company Plant and Camela Vegetable Oil Company, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Achievement of organizations’ already set out goals and the level of attainment of those goals measure how successful the organizations are. They seek numerous strategies to help them in this quest. One of such strategies is outsourcing. Outsourcing is a management strategy where an organization delegates her major non-core functions to a specialized and efficient service provider enabling her to save both time and money. This research took a holistic look at outsourcing as a strategy and its effect on organizational performance using Nigeria Bottling Company Plant and Camela Vegetable Oil Company both situated in Owerri, Imo State as focal points. Core competency theory was used as theoretical framework.  The survey research design was used, utilizing questionnaire and interviews as instruments of primary data collection.  Library research was source of secondary data used for the analytical discussion. It was observed that outsourcing back office, primary and support activities have significant positive effect on organizational performance. The research therefore, recommends outsourcing as a strategy for improved performance in organizations. Key words: Outsourcing, Organizational performance, Back office activities, Primary activities, Support activities, Core competency theory DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-12-09 Publication date:June 30th 202

Outsourcing as a Leveraging Strategy for Organizational Productivity in Covid-19 Era

The year 2020 was notably one of the most very challenging years in recent times, with the whole world responding and looking to recover from the health and economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic which impacted hard on every sphere of life. Considering the ferocity of global competition, most businesses have been caught up in revising many operational matters and strategies so as to be able to manage the effects of the pandemic. This they have done by striving to take advantage of areas that they can exploit for improved efficiency as well as reduce costs in order to avail more time for activities that generate revenue. This paper, which adopted analytical discussion of secondary data and anchored on transactional cost economics as its theoretical framework, evaluated the efficacy of outsourcing as a management and production strategy which not only helps companies to overcome productivity challenges by providing unlimited opportunities in this Covid-19 era but equally helps them streamline operations by adding additional resources and value that may have been lacking in-house. This, most business organizations did by re-adjusting and appraising their production and management strategies with regards to their opportunities and strengths; and relinquishing by contracting those activities that challenged their competencies to other third-party professional organizations that performed their hitherto in-house activities for them. It is recommended that in current times, going for an outsourcing partner may be the best thing an organization can do to retain optimal productivity. Keywords: Outsourcing, Covid-19, Transaction cost economics, Pandemic DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-6-14 Publication date:March 31st 202

FLEXIBLE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS (FWAS) AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PRODUCTION COMPANIES

This comparative analysis seeks to ascertain the extent to which Flexible Working Arrangements FWAs have been adopted in the Nigerian work environment and equally uncover if the acclaimed efficacy of these Flexible Working Arrangements in ensuring sustained optimal performance is as realistic in the Nigerian work environment as it is in advanced countries using two production companies, Nigeria Bottling Company NBC- a multi-national company and Camela Vegetable Oil Company- an indigenous company as focal points. The survey research design with questionnaire and interviews as instruments of primary data collection and library research for secondary data was used for the study. The research hinges on Self Determination Theory with simple percentages used for data analysis and chi-square for testing hypothesis. Research findings showed that Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs) are not yet being practiced in these organizations of study thus they are yet to start harnessing the immense benefits of flexibility in work. It is recommended that organizations should re-strategize by upturning some of their archaic and obsolete operational policies and imbibing new ones like the flexible work arrangements which are in accord with current contemporary global practices. Keywords: Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs), Organizational Performance, Self Determination Theory, Flexitime, Work-Life Balance (WLB)

Flexible Working Arrangements and Human Capital Development in Organizations: Key Issues

Employees involved in the production of both goods and services are notably any organization’s most valuable assets. Organizations are continually striving to develop their employees’ human capital. Human capital development involves those activities focused on advancing the most par excellent workforce, to ensure that the organization and individual employees achieve their work goals and is concerned with activities related to the experience, skills, training, knowledge, education, competences and technical know-how contributed by humans to an organization. Hence, human capital development could be in the form of general training which enables acquisition of general or specific knowledge, competencies and skills for the improvement of a particular job, improving the health conditions of employees, or improving working conditions by using more efficient and innovative working arrangements. Flexible working arrangements (FWAs) are atypical work patterns which take into account the demands of employees, particularly in terms of balancing work and personal life and allowing an employee to choose when and where to work normally outside the traditional typical pattern of arriving at the workplace by 8am and leaving at 4pm daily. It includes the following: flexible working hours, flexi-time, part -time work, overtime, job sharing, teleworking etc. This paper looks at key issues that arise from embracing flexible working patterns as forms of improving work condition for human capital development. The ecological systems theory with its two guiding propositions which state that individuals develop through prolonged interaction with others and that immediate and distant environments influence this development is applied as the theoretical framework. Library research involving analytical discussion of secondary data is adopted as the methodology. It is recommended the issues encountered from imbibing flexible working arrangements in organizations should be considered and tackled to ensure that the benefits of Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) for human capital development are properly harnessed.&nbsp