The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between training and organizational performance of manufacturing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria, specifically focusing on how employee skill development and continuous learning influence operational and productivity performance. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted for the investigation. The accessible population consisted of 580 employees drawn from selected manufacturing firms in Rivers State, from which a sample size of 237 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane (1967) formula. A stratified random sampling technique was utilized to ensure balanced representation across the firms. Data collection was executed using structured questionnaire, yielding 212 validly retrieved copies, which represents an 89.5% response rate. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed as the methods of data analysis. The empirical findings revealed that employee skill development exerts a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship with both operational performance and productivity performance. Similarly, continuous learning has a positive and significant influence on operational performance and productivity performance. Together, these dimensions explain 55.3% of the variance in operational performance and 61.9% of the variance in productivity performance. The study concludes that training is a critical, non-negotiable driver of organizational performance, confirming Human Capital Theory premises that transforming raw labour into highly specialized human assets directly mitigates production inefficiencies. Consequently, it is recommended that manufacturing firms should institute mandatory floor-level workshops focusing on advanced machinery operations and strict quality control protocols.
Joy Obo Saka, O. Olulu-Briggs· International Journal of Sci...· 0 citations
The construction firms are plague with projects, cost overrun, fall in quality, and operational inefficiency. Aa a result, this study examined the relationship between project management strategies and operational efficiency of construction firms in South-South, Nigeria. The study was built on systems theory, resource-based view theory and project management theory. The study adopted the cross-sectional research design and followed the positivism approach. The population of the study stemmed from 792 employees selected from eight construction companies. Using the Taro Yemane formula, the sample size was determined as 266. The simple random sampling technique was used. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the primary data. Descriptive statistics and Spearman rank correlation coefficient were used as methods of data analysis, which was carried out with the help of SPSS version 28 at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that operational efficiency was positively and significantly related with project planning (r = 0.346, p < 0.05), project cost management (r = 0.563, p < 0.05), project risk management (r = 0.436, p < 0.05), project time management (r = 0.355, p < 0.05), and project quality management (r = 0.720, p < 0.05). The study concluded that the effective project management strategies were very effective in the operational efficiency of construction firms in South-South, Nigeria. The study recommended for resilient planning, cost control, risk management and scheduling and institutionalization of quality assurance systems. The study contributed to knowledge as it has generated empirical evidence of the relationship between project management strategies and operational efficiency of construction firms in South-South Nigeria.
Sobomabo Ibiene Horsfall, O. Olulu-Briggs· International Journal of Sci...· 0 citations
With the new dynamic and competitive banking environment, commercial banks now have to think in term of marketing innovations to develop its performance in order to remain profitable. This study examined the relationship between strategic marketing innovations and commercial banks' performance in South-South, Nigeria with the moderating effect of environment dynamism. This study was conducted using the theories of resource-based view theory, dynamic capabilities theory and the contingency theory. The research design adopted was the cross-sectional survey research and positivist approach. The population of respondents were the employees of selected commercial banks in the country who were sampled using Taro Yamane formula to obtain the size of 370 respondents, the sampling technique was proportionate stratified and simple random sampling technique. The data for the primary data were taken by using structured questionnaires. Descriptive data, Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient and Partial Correlation Coefficient were used to analyse the data at 0.05 level of significance. There was a positive and significant relationship between operational efficiency and price innovation (r = 0.216, p< 0.01), product innovation (r = 0.484, p< 0.01), promotion innovation (r = 0.396, p< 0.01) and distribution innovation (r = 0.451, p< 0.01). The study also found that strategic marketing innovations were positively and significantly correlated to the organization performance and the positive relationship between strategic marketing innovations and the organization performance was mediated by the environmental dynamism. Results showed that the strategic marketing innovations play an important role to improve the operation's efficiency concerning with environment. The study recommended that commercial banks need to reinforce the marketing strategy based on innovation and closely watch environmental changes. The study yielded empirical findings on the moderating effect of environmental dynamism in the strategic marketing innovation – organizational performance relationship in the banking sector of the Nigerian economy which added to knowledge.
Ellen Boma Kalio, O. Olulu-Briggs· International Journal of Sci...· 0 citations