Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of supplier selection activities in a service sector organisation in Nigeria. It aims to examine the role of normative forces within the context of Institutional Theory. Design/methodology/approach -A single case study approach was used. Action research utilising participant observation was used in data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS. Findings -Criteria relating to corporate social responsibility (CSR) proved to be a significant weakness for Nigerian suppliers, as most of the bidding organisations were unable to show evidence of, for example, payment of taxes and insurance for their employees. However, suppliers of services, in general, performed better than suppliers of products. Practical implications -Suppliers of products and services in Nigeria need to improve their performance with respect to CSR in particular. As most of these organisations are small businesses, they had previously tended to avoid the costs related to CSR implementation. Furthermore, large customer organisations can utilise their buying power and influence to encourage their suppliers to change their corporate strategies and practices. Originality/value -The selection of suppliers within the study context has previously not been examined. There has been little understanding of the capabilities of suppliers of minor products and services, particularly in relation to fulfilling CSR obligations.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness, usage, perceived effectiveness and potential future use of improvement tools and techniques via two sets of comparisons: between public and private sector organisations and between manufacturers and service organisations. The need for the study was driven by the current lack of understanding of the extent of improvement tools and techniques adoption on a global scale. A questionnaire survey of 453 respondents from over 20 countries was conducted and the quantitative data was analysed through use of the IBM SPSS software package. The study's findings indicated that there are no significant differences between both sets of organisations for the majority of improvement tools and techniques. However, this study has shown that public sector organisations are more likely to adopt some improvement tools and techniques in comparison to their private sector counterparts. Similarly, service organisations are also more likely to adopt some improvement tools and techniques than their manufacturing counterparts. These results contradict the conventional perception that improvement tools and techniques are used more often by the private sector and manufacturing organisations.
This study set out to understand the capabilities of suppliers of high value products and services in Nigeria. Supplier capability data was collected from almost 500 potential suppliers across 28 product categories. The findings indicate that only a small minority of potential suppliers achieved the required levels of performance and that very few companies have suitable operational capabilities or corporate citizenship behaviour.Furthermore, significant differences were found between service suppliers and product suppliers with regard to performance. The findings suggest that the majority of suppliers of products and services in Nigeria need to improve their operational capabilities and corporate citizenship behaviours or else risk losing their ability to compete in a changing market place with new barriers to entry.
Background: Since the past two decades, the Lagos seaports have experienced vessel and storage yard cargo congestion, resulting in dwell times of about 30 days for containerised imports and high trade logistics costs.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the critical factors that impact the operational efficiency of the Lagos seaports with a view to improving liner trade activities.Method: The study adopted an operational-based approach to understand the dynamics of the various interfaces of the port value chain. The research paradigm adopted for the study was therefore a combination of constructivism and post-positivism paradigms, which entailed the exploration and understanding of the various stakeholders in the port value chain. The epistemology of the research relied on the use of the exploratory sequential mixed method research technique (i.e. the qualitative approach followed by the quantitative approach) at the operational level of port operations.Results: The result of the research showed that significant challenges exist and that some of these challenges cut across all functions of port operations. Challenges are experienced in the areas of corruption, trade fraud, transport infrastructure deficits, the absence of a supply chain culture and shortcomings in the execution of the ‘contract of customs’. Additionally, these factors include the deficiencies in services and facilities provided by state agencies and government-appointed service providers and private sector companies such as truckers, inland container depots, Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and terminal operators.Conclusion: Specific recommendations are made to address the issues identified which, if implemented, could significantly address the current inefficiencies observed in the Lagos seaport’s operations.
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