Application of information and communication technology for internationalization of Nigerian small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises

Information and communication technology (ICT) has fundamentally transformed business transactions. While its uses have become ubiquitous in the advanced economies, emerging and developing economies are still struggling with the mode and manner of the deployment of ICT for business. Thus, this study seeks to investigate how small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) utilize ICT in Nigeria for business internationalization. To achieve the goal of the study, a mixed‐method was employed. A questionnaire was administered to 265 people consisting of SMEs staff, managers, and owners. Similarly, interviews were conducted with seven SME decision makers. Findings revealed that Nigerian SMEs used ICT tools, such as websites and social media platforms, for internationalization. The findings also revealed that the challenges of ICT did not affect its application by these SMEs, which contrasts with many previous studies. Furthermore, this study identified privacy concerns, internet problems, cyber insecurity, trust, and system anxiety as new challenges facing the application of ICT tools by SMEs. Similarly, the findings showed that lack of ICT competence and strategic focus of ICT applications are internal problems facing Nigerian SMEs. These findings provide insight for practitioners and academia on the internationalization of Nigeria SMEs and the application of ICT to promote business growth.</p

The need for green companies in Nigeria:a study of electronic invoicing

Abstract Manual invoicing is a major business document that the supplier uses to request payments from a purchaser for services rendered. It contains the contact information of the seller, the list of goods or the services provided and the payment instructions. Attention is being shifted from manual invoicing these days because of some factors like increased man-hours, risks of human error and risks of high carbon footprint. The study applied Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to investigate the need for green Companies in Nigeria. Empirical data were collected from Nigerian companies to measure intention-behavior for electronic invoicing and structural equation modelling was used for data analyses. This study provides some useful guidelines for industry players such as the einvoicing service providers (EISPs), policy makers and the marketers. With the newly integrated framework, a greater level of comprehension can be achieved about e-invoicing acceptance among Nigerian companies

Preparation for future learning:the case of rural communities in Nigeria

Abstract Preparation for future learning is crucial to economic development and poverty eradication because ignorance is the modern slavery of backwardness. Nigeria’s population is increasing daily. With this growing population, there is a need for self-study, home study, Internet, or online study to meet the pressing worldwide demands for literacy training employing distance instruction. Internet use is linear in Nigeria, with forecasts of Internet users reaching 187.8 million in 2023. This study examines the preparation of rural communities in Nigeria for future learning; examines infrastructures and resources available that can facilitate future learning; and also explores the means and approaches to changes future learning systems through the lens of education learning theories. The theory of connectivism was employed. Based on the quantitative approach, this study used a questionnaire to collect data from rural residents of 2,377 samples and utilized SPSS v. 25 for descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Internet availability and affordability are central to future learning, especially in the angle of emerging technology intervention in future learning systems. This result shows that the location of the Internet user’s residence and the frequency of Internet use depend on the Internet’s cost. The excluded rural areas can leverage the Internet for flexible online programs and courses to reduce the alarming illiteracy rates

Sentiment analysis of social commerce:a harbinger of online reputation management

Abstract Social media, a combination of socialisation and media is diffusing and impacting different business sectors and non-governmental organisation globally. Social media coalesce traditional print and electronic media, and it is advancing the marketing mix most especially the communication marketing mix. Online reputation management is an extension of public relations, a long-time practice of organisation image laundering through print and online media. This study argues that sentiment analysis of product or service evaluation is an antecedent of online reputation management. This study applies the hybrid technique to sort out social commerce customers’ reviews, appraise the quality of the extracted data and identify the opinion that transpired between online retailing merchants and online customers. The framework proposed in this study will serve as a foundation and precedent for an effective online reputation management and stands to improve customer service. This study offers some managerial implications and indicates future research

Actual use and continuous use of retail mobile app:a model comparison perspective

Abstract A mobile retail app is a growing innovation in a retailing setting and there is an argument on the prominent status of a mobile application in contrast with a mobile website and web applications. The study used quantitative data to run multiple regression analysis with keen attention to linear regression assumption and compare four models for mobile retail app use and continuous use based on mobile retail app technology, trust, and gratification. Theoretically, the study integrates the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), trust and gratification and expand the technology acceptance model with the trust and gratification elements. To have a better understanding of the hypothesized theory and clearer perception of the model that have explanatory power, the study employs SPSS linear regression and general linear regression to look at the relationship of mobile app technology, trust and gratification predictors and the outcome variable. The study emphasized the importance of trust, privacy assurance, learning and relaxation features in a mobile retail app as an antecedent of its use and continuous use. This is a novel contribution to the literature on technology acceptance and retailing. This study also shed more light on the importance of age as a moderator of gender and marital status regarding mobile retail app use and continuous use. Further, it also explicates the managerial implication of mobile app and makes a necessary future recommendation

Teaching experiences during COVID-19 pandemic:narratives from ResearchGate

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has remarkably affected every sphere of our lives and education inclusive. It greatly disrupted the teaching and learning process, necessitating alternative approaches at different times to ameliorate the situation. In the new normal, various pedagogical tactics and teaching strategies are employed for content delivery. More so, different platforms are utilized to enable learning as well as assessment techniques. This study, therefore, sought to explore the teaching experiences during the pandemic. It also highlights the success factors of online teaching during the COVID-19 semester and the best assessment strategies used during the pandemic. The methodology adopted in the study is narrative and, precisely, the Naturalist narrative. The data utilized are the discussions and responses from questions posed on ResearchGate. The retrieved responses reveal both positive and negative experiences, but more of the challenges encountered dominated the reviews. Many factors account for the negative experiences such as internet issues including its cost, student’s participation rate, insufficient media instructions, lack of students preparation, and preference for face to face class. The responses further show that various platforms enable teaching to continue remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the preference of tools used by individuals differs based on interest, audience, location, the content of the course, accessibility, among others. We gave a conclusion and offered a useful suggestion for future study

Nigeria social enterprise perception on social issues, profit maximization, innovation, and knowledge sharing for poverty eradication

Abstract Poverty alleviation is one of the significant problems that social enterprise wants to solve. It could beabsolute, relative, generational, situational, urban, or rural poverty in Africa. There are scanty literature and a shallowunderstanding of how technology intervenes for social entrepreneurship in a developing context. This study wasconducted to address the identified gap. Quantitative method was used to gather data from the respondents utilizingNigerian samples. This study used SPSS ver. 26 and Python for the descriptive statistics and 5 Likert Scales dataanalysis for 33 measurement items. The result shows that Nigeria’s social enterprise focused on social issues such associal vision, social need, social change, social goal, social value, social mission, and social efforts. The knowledge ofSME owners’ insights on business start-ups in Nigeria and how social entrepreneurship could facilitate business growthand renewal is essential for future pursuit of social entrepreneurship. The importance of communication, operational,social, and collaborative technology was highlighted, and the study concluded with limitations and future researchopportunities

Bibliometric structured review of mobile information systems

Abstract This study attempts to fill the identified research gap in the existing literature through a bibliometric analysis and discovered 20 highly global cited papers with 1376 citations and yielded eight (8) core categories of knowledge in MobIS: (1) Information Systems, (2) Adoption, (3) Acceptance, (4) Satisfaction, (5) Information Systems Success and (6) Information Systems continuance. The results show that the distribution of the annual papers flows along the downslope. It was a bit stable in 2016 and since then descend from 2017 to 2020. As a young discipline, there is a need for more productivity, impact, and collaboration in the field of MobIS

Evaluation of Nigeria universities websites quality:a comparative analysis

Abstract The use and continuous use of the website in the developed countries universities are predominant, and the developing countries universities are heightening their effort in the aspect of education technology. The reason why one university website is better than the other concerning quality and accessibility is the focus of this study and this prompt evaluation of 141 Universities in Nigeria across the Federal, State, and the Private ownership. We opted for a hybrid approach to cover the gap in the previous studies. WebQual and SITEQUAL as a framework is adopted based on the web analytical tools. The study contributes theoretically by combining two website quality theories to explain the inhibitors, improvement, quality and future updates of Nigeria Universities websites based on ease of use, processing speed, aesthetic design, interactive responsiveness, entertainment, trust and usefulness and come up with a new WebFUQII model. The contributes to methodology by using web diagnostic hybrid tools that gives more explanatory power. The study also gives managerial implications and guides future direction

Customers’ loyalty to tablet commerce in Nigeria

Abstract Consumers’ use of a variety of devices, for example desktops, laptops, tablets, and/or smartphones to conduct intelligent site searches, is advancing mobile commerce. Consumers’ choice of devices to use depends largely on their perceptions of value. Given the importance of human, cultural and personal values, this study purposefully selected Nigerian tablet consumers to better understand the factors that impact on the adoption of mobile and tablet commerce in a developing economy. A paper survey was administered to the academic community in Nigeria with (n = 312) responses. To measure the hypothesized latent constructs through the indicators that represent each of the underlying constructs, the authors embarked on three steps: a confirmatory factor analysis, partial least squares-structural equation modelling and probing the tablet commerce structural relationship by running a bootstrapping. This study filled a vacuum in the existing studies in developing countries by taking into cognizance the prominent status of mobile devices, especially tablets. Further, this study integrates the theory of trust, privacy, reputation, ease of use, and loyalty with gender moderation. The study also gives future direction to tablet commerce practitioners