PROTOCOL FOR A SCOPING REVIEW ON THE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP LITERATURE

Purpose: Competitive intelligence is a crucial skill increasingly required of entrepreneurs across firms, since guidance to enterprises on this crucial skill has proven to be problematic over the years, owing primarily to a lack of unified understanding of its meaning as well as the erroneous use of the term interchangeably with other close but dissimilar concepts. This paper aims to establish a protocol for a scoping review of relevant literature, to map, compare and synthesize the disparate conceptualizations available and relative theoretical underpinnings, in a bid to systematically derive a more robust and comprehensive definition and terminology that accurately captures all facets of the competitive intelligence concept.Methods and Analysis: This scoping review will follow the methodological recommendations first developed by Arksey and O’Malley, and subsequently refined by Levac and colleagues. A management practitioner as well as a local librarian will be involved in the development of the search strategy, and the search will be conducted in electronic databases (Web of Science, SCOPUS and EBSCO Business Complete).Ethics and dissemination: this scoping review will aid the design of upcoming studies on competitive intelligence using accurate, comprehensive and scientifically conceptualized and operationalized terminology. Results of the review will be widely distributed via journal publications and conference presentations

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

An overview of anti-diabetic plants used in Gabon: Pharmacology and Toxicology

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Ethnopharmacological relevance: The management of diabetes mellitus management in African communities, especially in Gabon, is not well established as more than 60% of population rely on traditional treatments as primary healthcare. The aim of this review was to collect and present the scientific evidence for the use of medicinal plants that are in currect by Gabonese traditional healers to manage diabetes or hyperglycaemia based here on the pharmacological and toxicological profiles of plants with anti-diabetic activity. There are presented in order to promote their therapeutic value, ensure a safer use by population and provide some bases for further study on high potential plants reviewed. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical studies were sourced using databases such as Online Wiley library, Pubmed, Google Scholar, PROTA, books and unpublished data including Ph.D. and Master thesis, African and Asian journals. Keywords including ‘Diabetes’ ‘Gabon’ ‘Toxicity’ ‘Constituents’ ‘hyperglycaemia’ were used. Results: A total of 69 plants currently used in Gabon with potential anti-diabetic activity have been identified in the literature, all of which have been used in in vivo or in vitro studies. Most of the plants have been studied in human or animal models for their ability to reduce blood glucose, stimulate insulin secretion or inhibit carbohydrates enzymes. Active substances have been identified in 12 out of 69 plants outlined in this review, these include Allium cepa and Tabernanthe iboga. Only eight plants have their active substances tested for anti-diabetic activity and are suitables for further investigation. Toxicological data is scarce and is dose-related to the functional parameters of major organs such as kidney and liver. Conclusion: An in-depth understanding on the pharmacology and toxicology of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is lacking yet there is a great scope for new treatments. With further research, the use of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is important to ensure the safety of the diabetic patients in Gabon.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Customer vs. e-tailer:how tablet affects mobile commerce

Abstract The emergence of mobile devices, especially the tablet, has created chances and challenges for mobile commerce vendors across the continents, as they seek to increase their profits and optimize the users’ online shopping experience. This study examines how mobile devices affect mobile commerce with regards to tablet usage for online shopping in developed and developing nations. The intervention of mobile devices in mobile commerce should be aboveboard, so that it can be easily understood by both, customers and e-tailers. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the constructs while structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypotheses based on 550 respondents’ feedback. The findings show that the reputation of an e-tailer’s website is the determinant of trust to use a mobile tablet for online shopping while ease of use colligates with customer loyalty. Future research can concentrate on the impact of using a tablet for sales increase or how social media apps influence mobile commerce by using a tablet, with a focus on generation X and Y of developed and developing countries. This research impacts and extends the growing body of knowledge on usage of mobile devices. This study reveals the need for e-tailers to combine their in-house strategy with emerging technology and create a technology plan that targets consumer interest. Online vendors need to target the tablet users globally when optimizing their websites, for effective visibility and usability. This action plan will facilitate a cordial customer-e-tailer relationship. This study on mobile commerce in the context of tablet usage is paramount to the marketing practitioners and the scholars. This is a scanty research domain, but there is more publicity about the study on practitioner’s electronic and print media. Due to this limitation in academia, this study contributes to filling some research vacuum in mobile commerce

Exploring bibliometric perspectives on data culture in scholarly discourse

Data culture refers to an organization's prevailing attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and practices concerning data and its utilization. It encompasses the organization's data collection, analysis, sharing, and decision-making approach. A robust data culture is achieved over time but requires a concerted effort by leadership and employees. This study overviews data culture, encompassing organizations' and institutions' attitudes, behaviors, and data-related practices. It highlights the study's exploration of data culture's dimensions and significance in driving innovation, informed decision-making, and competitiveness. The study mentions the relevance of theories like Schwartz's cultural values in understanding data culture's perception across diverse cultures. The study employed bibliometric analysis to assess data culture research trends and identify gaps. It emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary, global, and longitudinal studies to advance understanding in this field. This study is a comprehensive resource for researchers and practitioners interested in data culture, offering insights and future research directions

Investigating learners’ competencies for artificial intelligence education in an African K-12 setting

This study aimed to provide insight into the competencies required for students to participate actively and thrive in artificial intelligence education in the K-12 context taking cognizance of ethical concerns. The problem is that AI education is new, and we have not understood the competencies required by students to understand AI effectively. Since research in this area is limited and lacking in African settings, this study focused on Nigerian K-12 students to understand the factors that support a proper grasp of AI content in the context. A quantitative methodology approach was utilized with a hardcopy survey administered to secondary school students, which yielded 605 responses. It was found that cognitive, human-tool collaboration, self-learning, skill competence, and ethics significantly influence the content of AI. It was further revealed that no moderating effect was shown while the mediating effect of ethics was significant between cognitive competence and content of AI. Surprisingly, all the propositions made show that only the relationship between teamwork competence and AI course content was not supported. This result suggests a clear need for activities that promotes collaboration in the AI curriculum. This study's findings contribute to the limited evidence on the significance of learners’ competence in understanding AI through the content provided. The identified competencies could guide the development of relevant content by teachers and other practitioners. Besides, the outcome of this study can empower students to develop the right competencies needed to navigate the world of AI

The Use of mPOS in Mexico

Abstract Economies around the world are migrating to either “cashless” or “less cash” models. Latin America is no exception. Mexico, with its considerable population and large economy, including many small and medium enterprises, already offers a variety of mPOS brands. Despite this, most literature on cashless societies has focused on developed countries and other innovative emerging nations such as Nigeria, leaving the Latin American region out of its scope. This paper presents a model of mPOS use in Mexico based on a survey of graduate and undergraduate students. Using structural equation modelling (SEM) variables such as lifestyle, ease of use and carbon footprint produced interesting results. The study finds that users’ lifestyle is the highest predictor of mPOS in Mexico. Also, carbon footprint predicts mPOS use while the user’s perception of ease of use did not predict the mPOS use. The study also concludes that mPOS in Mexico will promote a green environment and make Mexican society healthy. Managerial wise, this study suggests that the mPOS service providers in Mexico should pay closer attention to mPOS users’ lifestyle. Besides, mPOS service providers should consider the carbon footprint and lifestyle when addressing their product to a specific customer segment

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

Factors influencing mobile banking continuous use in Sub-Sahara Africa : A study of mobile banking users in Nigeria

The ubiquitous diffusion of information and communications technology is fundamentally impacting several sectors. In the financial services sub-sector, the convenience and speed that mobile banking (m-banking) applications offer users have made it one of the most popular applications in use. However, the growth trajectory of the application is questionably different as it has continually seen a decline in the Nigerian market. The aim of this study is therefore to examine the factors influencing m-banking continuous use in an emerging market context by using a hybrid of unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2), uses and gratification, and privacy theories. Survey data were collected from 245 m-banking users in Nigeria. Using structural equation modeling for analysis, the study found that enabling environment is a critical determinant of continuous use. Contrary to some extant studies, we found that the role of social influence is a critical determinant of continuous use, just as embedding hedonic features engenders interactivity. Recommendations are offered.peerReviewe