Innovation in Nigerian SMEs: types and impact

This paper seeks to explore the types of innovation that are predominant in SMEs in developing countries and to investigate the impact of these innovations on different dimensions of firm performance based on an industry-wide innovation survey carried out in Nigeria in 2007. Although innovation is important for superior firm performance, our result found that the type of innovation that SMEs pursue is not a critical consideration in their performance. While there was no difference found in the focus of SMEs on either of product or process innovations, evidence showed that SMEs would focus more on incremental product and process innovations. Incremental innovation was found to be very important for Nigerian SMEs and a significant predictor of product quality and not of revenue. The authors conclude that SMEs chooses to pursue such innovations that most fit their strategies and available resources. Such level of innovation affords Nigerian SMEs to more extensively exploit the domestic market but cannot support extensive new product development required to enter export markets.innovation; small and medium enterprises; Nigeria; impact

Determinants of foreign reserves in Nigeria: An autoregressive distributed lag approach

On global scale, central banks' holdings of foreign reserves have escalated sharply in recent years. World international reserves holdings have risen significantly from US$1.2 trillion in 1995 to nearly US$10.0 trillion in June 2011. Dominant among these reserves are concentrated in the hands of few countries. Ten major holders of foreign reserves are mostly from Asia. Oil exporting countries in Africa and the Middle East are not left out in this trend. Nigeria's foreign reserves rose from US$5.5 billion in 1999 to US$62.40 billion in July 2008, making Nigeria the twenty-fourth largest reserves holder in the world. This pace of reserves accumulation is occurring without regard to its diminishing marginal benefits and rising marginal costs. This study used an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to run a slightly modified econometrics "Buffer Stock Model" of Frenkel and Jovanovic (1981) to estimate the determinants of foreign reserves in Nigeria with focus on income, monetary policy rate, imports and exchange rate. The results debunked the existence of buffer stock model for reserves accumulation and provide strong evidence in support of income as the major determinant of reserves holdings in Nigeria

What Drives Innovation?: Inferences from an Industry-Wide Survey in Nigeria

This chapter seeks to make some contributions to the literature on firm-level innovation in Africa by attempting to identify the significant factors that explain the capability of firms in Nigeria to innovate using the results of an industry-wide study. We focused on the product and process innovation activities of firms between 2003 and 2006 and found differences in the factors that drive them at the firm level. Our results further show that interactions matter more than most innovation-related variables and that the most important actors that influence a firm’s innovation efforts are its customers and suppliers. We conclude that product and process innovations are not mutually exclusive and that a major key to successful innovation is how and with whom a firm collaborates. The implication of this for firms and policy makers is that an effectively wired innovation system where all stakeholders are active is critical for firm-level innovation capability.innovation; drivers; manufacturing industry; Nigeria; determinants

Leadership and Effective Administration in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council

This article present leadership and effective administration in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council. The study relies on data from a questionnaire administer to 100 respondents from the council. The findings suggests that there is no effective leadership in the council. It also reveals element of suspicion and corruption, religious bigotry, indiscipline among the leadership and administration of the council based on the findings, some recommendations are also put forward in order to improve the activities of leadership in the council. Keywords: Leadership, Effectiveness, Administration, Organization

COMPENSATION AND REWARD SYSTEM OF EMPLOYEES IN A BUSINESS ORGANIZATION A FOCUS ON TOTAL NIGERIAN PLC

The objective of the study is to find out how much impact the reward system of TOTAL Plc Asaba has on its employees.  The theories assumes expectancy theory according to Victor Vroom and Remuneration method with a sample size  drawn from a population of 200 obtained from 2006 National census figures.  The sample size was determined using Yaro Yameni’s random sampling technique.  The questionnaire was the major instrument used to obtain data.  All the hypothesis tested received statistical significance findings for His research indicated that a significant relationship exist between fair reward system and improved employee performance in Nigeria Asaba Plc.  The study recommends a develop reward policies and practices that support the achievement of business goals

Evaluation of the effects of intravenous anaesthesia using a combination of ketamine - medetomidine in Sahel goats

The anaesthetic and cardiopulmonary effects of the combination of ketamine-medetomidine for total intravenous anaesthesia were evaluated in six sahel goats. The goats were administered a combination of  ketamine (5mg/kg) and medetomidine (0.01mg/kg) intravenously. Baseline measurements of heart rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature were taken prior to drug administration and repeatedly, at ten minutes interval after induction of anaesthesia until the end of anaesthesia. Heart rate decreased from baseline value of 73.5±5.7 beats/minute and reached its lowest value at 40 minutes (57.1± 4.8 beats/minute). Also respiratory rate decreased significantly from baseline value of 27.7±3.7 breaths/minute reaching its lowest value of 19.0 ± 4.6 breaths/minute at 50 minutes. Onset of anaesthesia was fast (1.2 ± 1.5min) and mean anaesthesia time was 97.1 ± 21.9min. Ketamine - medetomidine intravenous injection produced effective anaesthesia, muscle relaxation and immobilization in sahel goats. Recovery from anaesthesia was without complication.Keywords: Anaesthesia, Goats, Intravenous, Ketamine, Medetomidin

Sustainable decommissioning plan and corporate social responsibility in the Global South: a case study of a matured province (Bahrain oil field)

This paper discusses sustainable decommissioning plan and corporate social responsibility (CSR) for a matured province in the Global South (GS) using Bahrain field in Bahrain as a case study. Crude oil remains a strong source of revenue (80%) in Bahrain while the majority of the government budget is funded by the oil and gas industry]. Matured province is a field attaining its economic limit after primary and secondary recovery effort. It involves high cost of operations for a given output. This paper proposes a holistic view of the relationship and interconnection of system within the oil and gas industries. Decommissioning occurs when the operational cost of operating the oil and gas platform is greater than revenue. Bahrain oil field has tentatively reached its limit of 217 x106 boe/day. This amount to 88% of its total recoverable reserves in 2022 and hence the need for a viable decommissioning plans. Despite a high level of stakeholders’ involvement in decommissioning, the level of disclosure was set to be very low. An innovative PESTLE is said to be essential in any decommissioning of a matured province. Considering the age of the Bahrain field and the use of different technologies to enhance the recovery of oil, the infrastructures might be dilapidated. There is no clear evidence of oil and gas decommissioning legislation in Bahrain, however, there are international laws guiding oil and gas operators. Bahrain is a mature field given the age of the oil fields, and production projected decline. This paper reinforces the need for every oil and gas company to carry the stakeholders along in their operation and ensure that their basic needs are provided in ethical manners and also improving the lives of the workforce, families and society at large which has been revealed to have significant relationship with organisational performance Future work in respect of decommissioning plan and CSR will include visitation to various sites in the Global South in an attempt to produce a viable and sustainable plan that addresses the specificity of various regions

Use of FT-IR and NMR Spectra of the THF Extracts of Mid-Rank Bituminous Coals to Predict Plasticity

Plasticity, which typically develops at 380-420°C, is a unique property of mid-ranked coals. The phenomenon of plasticity in coals has been known for a long time but is still poorly understood. Even among coals of identical subrank and chemical composition, large differences in plastic behavior are commonly encountered. Plastic coals go through a softening and swelling state upon heating before they resolidify. Concurrent with the plastic state of the coal, thermal decomposition of the coal takes place. The coking ability of a coal can be directly related to the plasticity of the coal. In liquefaction reactions, plastic coals tend to give higher yields than nonplastic coals, a fact very useful in the synfuel industry. Plastic coals, however, tend to agglomerate in fluidized bed reactors thereby impairing their function. Currently, the ASTM approved method used to determine plasticity is by means of a Gieseler plastometer. Gieselers are inconsistent; therefore, an easier and more efficient method is needed. A current and widely accepted idea is that the extractable portion of the mid-ranked coal is responsible for initiating the plasticity mechanism. It has been shown that plasticity can be correlated to the total aliphatic C-H content of a bituminous coal. This extractable portion is the bitumen in the coal. It is logical, then, to assume that the bitumen in the coal could be analyzed for the aliphatic content and be used as a predictor of plasticity. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) was used as the solvent for the Soxhlet extraction of 40 highly characterized bituminous coals. The extracts were purified and analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Innovation in Nigerian SMEs: types and impact

This paper seeks to explore the types of innovation that are predominant in SMEs in developing countries and to investigate the impact of these innovations on different dimensions of firm performance based on an industry-wide innovation survey carried out in Nigeria in 2007. Although innovation is important for superior firm performance, our result found that the type of innovation that SMEs pursue is not a critical consideration in their performance. While there was no difference found in the focus of SMEs on either of product or process innovations, evidence showed that SMEs would focus more on incremental product and process innovations. Incremental innovation was found to be very important for Nigerian SMEs and a significant predictor of product quality and not of revenue. The authors conclude that SMEs chooses to pursue such innovations that most fit their strategies and available resources. Such level of innovation affords Nigerian SMEs to more extensively exploit the domestic market but cannot support extensive new product development required to enter export markets