Assessment of Post Environmental Disaster on The Marketing Activities of Small Scale Enterprises in South-South Nigeria

In organizational sciences, existing organi zation literature holds that enterprises should match oral ign their marketing practices and strategies with opportunities and threats caused by the environment in which they operate. But this alignment does not necessarily take place in all cases. Organizational sc ience provides the idea that environmental variables may only marginally affect marketing practices. This study attempts to find out how small scale businesses adapted or responded in the post fire di saster situation. The study addresses a gap in literature about the influence of environmental discontinuities (or disaster) on the marketing mix of small scale enterprises (SSEs). 300 responde nts (small bus iness owners) who we re victims of a major fire disaster in Calabar Watt Market were sampled. A five point Iikert scale was used to generate primary data from responde nts. The data analysis cons isted of descriptive analysis and multiple regressions. Four models were exam ined. Findings reveal among other things that organizations (small scale business) realized that the environment changed, and aligned their marketing strategies/practices. Product and place variables were seen as more effective post disaster recovery strategies than price and promotion variables. It is therefore recommended that marketing strategy should be adopted as a tool for post disaster recovery for SSEs

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) AND PERFORMANCE OF FAST-FOOD SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMES) IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

The impact of TQM on the fast-food SME sector in Nigeria is empirically underreported in the mainstream TQM and SME literature, and little is known as to which TQM principle is the strongest predictor of SME performance in the fast-food context. This twin problem triggered this investigation. Based on purposively selected managers' and supervisors' self-assessment of performance, the objective of the study is twofold: (1) To find out the nature of relatwnship between TQM and performance of SMEs in Southeast Nigeria fast-food sector, and (2) to find out those TQM principles that most critically propel successful performance of SMEs in the fast-food sector in Southeast Nigeria. To address this twin objective, the study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. Primary data were collected via a structured five-point Likert scale questwnnaire from a sample size of forty six SME mqnagers and supervisors of twenty-three fast food SMEs in Nnewi, Onitsha, and Awka. Consistent with previous studies, Multiple Regression Analysis was employed to conduct the relevant analysis. The study revealed a very strong posit ive correlation between TQM and SMEs performance and that the f ive examined TQM principles are statistically significant as predictors of SME performance in the fast-food context. Importantly, the study also revealed that customer focus is strongest predictor of SME performance in the fast-food context. The research er made two pungent recommendations: (1) that managers of fast-food SMEs should continue to implement the tenets of TQM as this seem to be the precondition for competiveness and success, and (2) managers of fast-foods in Southeast Nigeria should place stronger emphasis on customer focus (both internal and external customers) and that internal customer focus must precede external customer focus, which can be developed into strategic core competenc

Determinants of bank selection by university undergrads in south east Nigeria: empirical evidence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and ranks factors that influence bank selection by undergrads in South East Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – Totally, 300 undergrads were sampled from two universities. Five-point Likert-type question containing 49 bank selection items was designed to collect primary data. Cronbach’s a was used to test the reliability of the instrument while factor analysis with principal component extraction was used to identify the underlying factors. Findings – Six principal factors were identified and ranked in order of importance. These factors are: bank’s financial stability, available and functional ATMs, professional bank staff, family and friends influence, proximity of bank branch to university campus, and internal and external aesthetics of bank. Practical implications – This study provides insight on the factors that influence the selection of a bank in the emerging and growing undergrads segment of bank market in Nigeria, which has obvious management and theory implications. Originality/value – Reports bank selection criteria from apparently under-researched and under-reported undergrad segment in a typical sub-Saharan African context

Effect of Investment in Human Capital Development on Organisational Performance: Empirical Examination of the Perception of Small Business Owners in Nigeria

Numerous extant studies linking human capital and organizational performance abound, but few focused on the small scale business context. Thus a study towards determining the nature of relationship between the two construct among small scale enterprise owners is thoughtful. Drawn from literature, four variable measures – skills, education, knowledge, and training – were used to predict and explain the human capital effectiveness construct. Thus, four hypotheses (one for each variable measure) were formulated linking each variable measure to the human capital effectiveness construct. The construct, organizational performance, was divided into two sub-constructs, financial organizational performance and non-financial organizational performance to formulate two additional hypotheses linking each to human capital effectiveness. Twenty-five small scale business owners were purposively selected in Awka metropolis of Nigeria. A structured five-point likert type questionnaire was designed and distributed and a 100% return rate was recorded. ANOVA, t-test, multiple regression analysis, simple regression analysis, and pearson’s correlation coefficient were all employed to conduct relevant analyses. While keeping constant other factors that can impact on organizational performance, the study singled out human capital and it was shown that a high intercorelation exist among the four variable measure predictors of human capital effectiveness. A key finding of this study is that, training and skill are stronger predictors of human capital effectiveness over and above knowledge and education. This study, in no small measure, provides penetrating insight for small scale business owners in the area of human resources management. Managerial implications, limitations and opportunity for further research are discussed

Drivers of Bank Loyalty among Students in Nigeria: Positing the 12-Point Student Customer Bank Loyalty Index Model

This paper identifies key determinants of bank loyalty among student customers of banks in Nigeria. Data were collected from a sample of 423 student bank customers from 4 tertiary institutions in southeast Nigeria. Factor analysis was used to reduce 39 variables on student customer loyalty into 12 underlying factors explaining loyalty behaviour among student bank customers, which are collectively labeled 12-Point Student Customers Bank Loyalty Index Model. We recommend that banks located around University campuses should employ the model as an invaluable strategic tool for marketing strategy design, student customers’ bank loyalty assessment, and competitors’ customer loyalty analysis