Search results

This research focuses on the implementation of Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory management, drawing on a case study of a commercial livestock farm located in a swampy area of southern Nigeria.

The research adopts a qualitative approach. Interviews and workshops were used for data collection.

Findings from the study reveal that the commitment on the internal organisational members and skilful collaboration with supply chain partners are required for effective use of JIT, especially in an odd contextual situation such as the case in this study. This also justifies the embraced of additional cost of securing JIT inventory management practices such as the situation in the case study organisation that could not allow conventional inventory management.

It is suggested for further research to consider the topic from a mixed method approach as well as extend the focus on the possibility of legal regulations and government support to exceptional operational practices among organisations, especially those in the context of the food production sector, where this research was based.

This study aims to explore the effect of whistleblowing and interpretation among practitioners in the Nigerian economy. The research puts a premium on understanding the relevance and critical issues in its practices and developing an improved model for the effective practice of whistleblowing and interpretation in Nigeria.

This study adopted a conceptual approach, relying on extant literature to understand the management of whistleblowing incidents and identify the managers’ and other stakeholders’ responsibility in the whistleblowing process. It applied systems dynamics conceptual modelling and presented an improvement approach to addressing the complexities associated with whistleblowing and interpretation among Nigerian organizations.

This study contributed to the extant literature by developing a model for proper management of whistleblowing in the Nigerian context and enhancing the robust practice of whistleblowing and interpretation in Nigeria. The findings highlighted critical factors such as managers’ skills development, legal system support, institutional stakeholders’ function and ethical balance as key factors to effective whistleblowing management and interpretation. This implies that the act of identifying and developing responses to an emerging case of whistleblowing requires a process of developing underpinning assumptions, engagement and consideration of stakeholders’ interests while driving the sustenance of organizational focus.

This study emphasized the departure from absolute best practice to developing idea approaches that reflect stakeholders’ interests and the context of whistleblowing and interpretation. While the study acknowledges limitations in the sole focus on the Nigerian private sector and the Nigerian economic background, it recommends further exploration of whistleblowing and its interpretation on a comparative approach, to improving the current understanding of the topic.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on investigating labour productivity in the agricultural sector of Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) countries between the periods of 2010 and 2017.

The study adopted descriptive design. The sample size for this research includes 43 SSA nations. Measuring SSA nation’s agricultural productivity in this study was based on input and output factors relating to the labour resource utilisation between the periods of 2010 and 2017. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and panel regression analysis were carried out to examine labour productivity within the set periods.

The findings from the study suggest that labour productivity in the agricultural sector of SSA countries can be improved from its presently low state of productivity. The statistical analysis showed that between the periods of 2010 and 2013, only about 34.9 per cent of countries in the region were technically efficient in the utilisation of labour resources for productive use. More disturbing was that, from 2014 to 2017, labour productivity drooped to 11.6 per cent. Meanwhile, employment of labour in the agricultural sector revealed as low as 1.58 percentage to crop production index in the region. Notably, there is the potential of labour employment to derive as high as 80 per cent yield to the gross domestic product of economies in the SSA region.

Considering the strategic role of labour to the agricultural sector of SSA countries, there must be a stakeholders approach to stimulating the interest of the populace of these countries and getting them actively involved in the agricultural sector. This imply that government, investors, support agencies from developed economies and populace of the SSA nations must support the drive towards agricultural productivity of the SSA nations.

This study established a research agenda that involved a paradigm shift from the more rampant literature on foreign investments, agricultural research, rural livelihood and well-being, among others to focusing on issues that pertain to labour productivity for sustainable agricultural yields in SSA countries. Also, the methodology adopted in the study, such as application of DEA and regression analysis to panel data, shows a departure from single units of analysis adopted by existing studies.

This study is focused on achieving operational resilience through the practices of kaizen across the operational structure. The research is based on a case study of a commercial livestock farm in Nigeria. The study views the practice of kaizen from the perspective of the commitment of the members of the case study organisation who are directly involved with the operations of the organisation.

The study applies a qualitative approach to explore the topic, engaging members of the case study organisation in the research to gather relevant data on the implementation of kaizen practices and the drive to attain resilience in the case study organisation. Semi-structured personal interviews and workshops were used for data collection. The study adopts systems theory to explore the topic, identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders.

Parts of the findings relating to kaizen are the issues with the livestock production process, aggressive leadership and the issue of livestock mortality in the case study organisation. These were discussed based on extant literature. The study affirms the importance of organisational members' commitment and adequate leadership support to achieve sustainable kaizen practices. The study highlights the need to align kaizen practices with relevant organisational practices, such as reward systems and contextual requirements for its implementation in an operational process. The study suggests that further study can focus on the dynamics of the legal system on the implementation of kaizen, especially from a developing economic background like Nigeria, where this study was conducted.

The study projects learning about the spatial factors that can affect the practices of kaizen in critical sectors like livestock management.

This paper aims to quantify the trend of variables used for building a theoretical model with the help of analysing bibliometrics data of inventory management (IM) and Total Quality Management (TQM) practices and their effects on firm performance.

Scopus' research database and the Web of Science (WoS) (including Elsevier, Emerald Group Publishing, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, IEEE, Informs and SAGE) were used to find relevant articles. The articles, review papers and conference proceedings were screened from 1993 to 2021. The articles were analysed to explain the different types of IM practices, TQM practices and their effect on the firm's performance. Thematic analysis was done using a bibliometric package of “R” (Biblioshiny) and VOSviewer to identify the key trends, approaches and research agenda.

The research covered 28 years of publications and summarised 497 articles, review papers and conference papers. Researchers concluded that IM highly correlates with the inventory turnover ratio and has no relation to firm performance. Further, TQM positively affects firm performance, but integrating IM and TQM will be a research scope for future study as none of the researchers previously covered this.

Due to the systematic literature review (SLR) and Bibliometric review, the study is limited to the Scopus and WoS (including Elsevier, Emerald Group Publishing, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, IEEE, Informs and SAGE) databases.

Being the research on a bibliometric and systematic review, relating IM practices with TQM practices would be the novelty of this paper.