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ISSN: 2384-6151 |
International
Journal of Economic and Business Management |
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Vol. 9(3), pp. 47-56, April, 2021. ISSN: 2384-6151 DOI: 10.14662/IJEBM2021.040
Full Length Research
ICT Use and Competitiveness of Nigerian Manufacturing Companies
Prof. Babalola, Y.T., Mrs. Soyemi, O.D. (PhD) and George, A .
Department of Information Resources Management Babcock University, Ilishan, Ogun State, Nigeria
Accepted 20 April 2021
Manufacturing sector dominates world businesses and are estimated to be more than 95% of all businesses worldwide, providing over 60% employment in the private sector. In spite of their immense contributions, literature has established that the Nigerian manufacturing sector including the consumer goods sector have tottered over the years such that many of them find it difficult to compete at the local and global market. This situation could be due to limited use of ICT devices. While studies have linked ICT use to competitiveness of manufacturing firms, none has examined the influence of ICT use on the competitiveness of consumer goods manufacturing companies in Lagos state, Nigeria, hence, this study. Survey design was used. The population for the study was 14,572 employees of consumer goods manufacturing companies operating in Lagos State. The sample size of 394 staff was determined by using Taro Yamane formular. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 394 respondents across all the levels in the manufacturing companies investigated in the study. Data were collected with a validated structured questionnaire. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient for the major constructs in the instrument ranged from 0.90-0.93. A return rate of (99.0%) was achieved. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (simple and multiple regression) statistics. Findings show that ICT use (R2 = 0.059, t(378) = 4.933, p < 0.05) significantly influenced competitiveness. ICT use had significant influence on differentiation (R2 = 0.173, t(378) = 9.012, p < 0.05) but had no influence on cost leadership (R2 = 0.005, t(378) = 1.414, p > 0.05). Findings also revealed that, on a scale of 3 points, level of competitiveness in the manufacturing companies was low (M =1.69). and overall, ICT use was considered to be ‘sometimes’ (M =2.94). The study concluded that ICT use played crucial role in enhancing competitiveness in manufacturing companies in Lagos state. The study recommends that manufacturing companies can improve on cost leadership and differentiation by sourcing capital at low cost and developing products that are tailored to customers’ needs. They should adopt ICTs that can support product development and resource planning to enhance competitiveness . KEY WORDS: Information communication technology use, Cost Leadership, Differentiation Competitiveness, Consumer goods companies, Lagos state
Cite This Article As:
Babalola, Y.T., Soyemi, O.D., George, A . (2021). ICT Use and
Competitiveness of Nigerian Manufacturing Companies. Inter. J. Econ.
Bus. Manage. 9(3): 47-56 |
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