ABUAD Journal of Social and Management Sciences

Impacts of Corporate Structural Changes on Performance of Banks and Non-Bank Financial Institutions in Nigeria, 2005-2019

Festus Oladipupo Olaoye — 2024-06-28

This study investigated the impacts of corporate structural changes on performance of banks and non-bank financial institutions in Nigeria covering a period of 15 years (2005-2019). The capital structural change was captured with absolute change in debt equity ratio, total debt ratio, long-term debt ratio short-term debt ratio while the performance was measured with dividend per share and gross earnings. The study adopted ex-post facto research design which provides empirical solutions to research problems by using already existing data. The secondary data was extracted from the published financial report of the sampled firms. Population of the study included all the 14 quoted Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and 25 Insurance Companies in operation in Nigeria. The sample size of the study is delimited to 10 quoted DMBs and 10 Insurance firms in Nigeria and this was achieved through random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using quantitative econometric techniques such as descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and panel regression analysis. It was discovered that when the model was controlled with firm size and asset tangibility, absolute changes in total debt ratio, absolute changes in long term debt ratio and absolute changes in short term debt ratio have a positive but insignificant effect on gross earnings of deposit money banks and insurance companies in Nigeria. Also, it was
disclosed that there is a significant effect of absolute changes in the components of capital structure on dividend per share.

Non-Linear Causal Links amongst Functional Recurrent Components of Government Spending and Nigeria’s Economic Growth

David Babatunde — 2024-06-28

This research work examined the relationship between components of government recurrent spending and economic growth in Nigeria. Government recurrent spending is split into four categories, namely: economic services, administration, transfers and social services. The aim is to isolate and place emphasis on their individual relationship with economic growth between 1981 and 2022. Within the VAR Toda-Yamamoto specification, nonlinear causal relationships were analysed using positive and negative shocks generated from the ARDL framework. Results from the empirical finding after unit root (all of order 1) and co-integration (at least one co-integrating vector) tests were carried out and indicated that administration has a causal relationship that is unidirectional with economic expansion. Also, all the functional components of recurrent government expenditures are jointly correlated to cause economic growth in Nigeria. These outcomes depict that Nigeria needs to increase its spending on all these functional components in order to have a better and robust growth and development. Capital projects like Ajaokuta Steel and the nation's refineries should also receive priority as it will indirectly increase the causal effects of recurrent components of government spending on the Nigeria’s economic growth.

Are Skincare Brands Turning Gen Z’s Loyalty into Profitable Ventures in Africa? A PLS-SEM Analysis of Deceptive Marketing Practice on Consumer Behaviour

Tajudeen Alaburo Abdulsalam — 2024-06-28

The skincare market reached $154.4 billion in 2023, with projected growth of $262.5 billion in 2032 at a 6.0% growth rate. This led skincare brands to compete for dominance, using deceptive marketing tactics in advertising, labelling, product ideas, and packaging. Despite short-term financial gains, deceptive marketing practices have neglected people and planet considerations. Gen Z, raised by world-marked environmental concerns, prioritises social activism and environmental sustainability in their purchasing behaviour. The Internet has amplified these trends, disseminating deceptive ideas widely and leading to consumer confusion and complex purchase decisions. The study explored how skincare brands exploit Gen Z's loyalty for profitability by assessing the impact of deceptive marketing on consumer purchasing decisions in the cosmetics industry. The study conducted an online survey targeting Gen Z skincare consumers in economically diverse African countries, including Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, and Lesotho, obtaining 352 responses worth 92% of the sample size. The survey, analysed using the PLS-SEM approach, showed high predictive power between research variables, with R2 coefficients of 55.1% for Gen Z's loyalty and 5.9%, 6.9%, and 5.6% for advertising, labelling and packaging, and product ideas, exceeding the 5% threshold. Findings suggest deceptive marketing impacts Gen Z's loyalty as a measure of purchase behaviour in Africa's cosmetics industry. Research recommends prioritising ethics in marketing practices, developing unique labelling and packaging, enforcing regulations, and investing in consumer education to empower consumers to make informed decisions. The study notes biases in data collection due to unequal online access among Gen Z consumers.

Diversity and Inclusion and Team Performance of Oil and Gas Firms in Rivers State, Nigeria

Stella Daso Oruebo — 2024-06-28

The study investigates the relationship between diversity and inclusion and team performance of the oil and gas firms in Rivers State. A survey study was carried out in this study. The population comprised 4520 employees of the oil and gas firms in Rivers State and the samples were 317 employees of the oil and gas firms. The Taro Yamane 1967 formula was used to derive the sample size. The spearman rank order correlation coefficient was used in analysing the stated hypotheses. The findings revealed a positive correlation between the dimensions of diversity and inclusion (diversity training and inclusivity of voices and perspectives) and team performance. The study concludes that diversity and inclusion relate with the team performance of the oil and gas firms. The study recommends enhancing diversity training and inclusivity of voices and perspectives for improved team performance.

Impact of Non-Renewable Energy Consumption and Economic Growth on Carbon Emission in Nigeria

Adama T. Dansofo — 2024-06-28

The study examines the impact of non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth on carbon emission using an annual data spanning from 1980 to 2022. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model was employed. From the analysis, the co-integration results reveal that there is a long-run relationship between the variables under study. Furthermore, both the long-run and short-run Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) estimates unequivocally demonstrate that both economic growth and the non-renewable energy consumption exert statistically significant, and positive impacts on CO2 emissions. In essence, they jointly contribute to the observed increase in CO2 emissions over the study period. Based on the findings, it is recommended that adequate regulations, restrictions and innovative ways in fostering economic growth through energy consumption from non-renewable energy sources are implemented alongside policies from energy regulatory Commission and environmental protection agencies, to explore avenues to invest in, and promote, carbon-reducing technology in production processes to mitigate against the effects and degradation of the environment.

Perceived Impact of Peer Influence on Cohabitation among Youth in Selected Off-Campus Areas in Ilorin Metropolis

Abdussalam Abdulhameed — 2024-06-28

The trend of cohabitation in our contemporary society, especially among the emerging youth, has increased moral decadence, which has caused more danger to the affected youth and culture. The study examined the perceived impact of peer influence on cohabitation among youth in selected off-campus areas in the Ilorin Metropolis. The study employed a survey method, and a sample size of 525 was randomly selected using purposive sampling for selection of the off-campus areas and simple random for the research participants, but only 497 participants filled out and returned the questionnaires. A Peer Influence Scale (PPS) for peer influence (x=0.87), a Self-developed Scale for gender, age and religion on cohabitation (x=0.85). Hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 significance level using a T-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), while frequency counts and percentages were used to analyse the demographic data. The study found no significant difference in the influence of peers on cohabitation among youth in the Ilorin Metropolis based on gender. There was a significant difference in peer influence on cohabitation among youth in Ilorin Metropolis based on age. There was a significant difference in peer influence on cohabitation among youth in Ilorin Metropolis based on religion. Based on the study's findings, it recommended that concerted efforts should be made by the Social Workers, Social Welfare and other relevant stakeholders to engage in a sensitization programme that will re-orientate the teeming youth on the danger cohabitation can pose to their future well-being and welfare.

Analysis of Perceived Effects of Rainfall Variability on Rice Yield in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

Joseph Olaniyi Folorunsho — 2024-06-28

This study analyzes the perceived effects of rainfall variability on rice production in Lokoja using data on rainfall and rice production from 2013 to 2022, and data on demographic and socio-economic characteristics of farmers as well as their perception on the effects of rainfall variability. The study was done using well-structured questionnaire administered in the study area to the 140 selected respondents, and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 was utilized to analyze the data. Results showed that rainfall have significant effects on rice production with varied yield based on rainfall fluctuations in the amount of rainfall with as much rice production of about 4269 tonha-1 when precipitation was suitable between about 1250 - 1350mm, but when less than normal precipitation (<1250mm), it reduces the production yield to about 2361 tonha-1. Similarly, the results revealed that when the rainfall amount was highest, the total rice production was reduced, with cultivated areas having heavy rainfall resulting in flooding. Results further showed that on average 1282mm of rainfall produced 2693 tons of rice in the study years. About 44% of the respondents refuted early rainfall onset affecting rice production with months such as June, July, and September in some of the years with high rainfall intensity having adverse effects on rice farming, with 43% of the respondent noting that it limited the amount of land available for cultivation, while 26% noted that it reduces rice yield while the remaining 31% noted that it destroys rice stands.

The Post-Pandemic World and the Foreign Policy Imperatives

Roseline Oshewolo — 2024-06-28

Considering the destructive and disruptive potential of pathogens, this research identifies new lessons and policy imperatives in the governance of future scenarios of pandemics. Although foreign policy players and other critical stakeholders are beginning to recognise the values of global health in foreign policy thinking and decision-making, there are still major gaps in pandemic response, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed. To plug the observed gaps, this paper calls attention to three political / foreign policy priorities. First, critical actors must enhance their preparedness for future pandemics by building massive health infrastructure, supersizing the health corps, and investing in programmes that will aid their capacity to predict a health emergency before it occurs. Second, foreign policy professionals must prioritize humanity over high politics in global pandemic response. Third, foreign policy actors must place adequate focus on migration health going into the future.

Perception of Tourists on Chatbot Service Usage on Tourism Destination: A Study of Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria

Matthew Attahiru Gana — 2024-06-28

Quest for satisfying tourists and customers’ expectations across the globe led to the development and application of various information communication technologies (ICT) in the hospitality and tourism industry. These information communication technologies have been adopted by tourism enterprises and managers such as Email, Mobile Phone, Social Media Networking (Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom, Artificial Intelligence). Also, the quest for providing friendly interaction among tourists and destination managers further led to the development of one of the artificial intelligence algorithms known as chatbot. Chatbots are Artificial Intelligence (AI) test and/or voice-based virtual assistants that aid customers to get what they ask for quickly and accurately through a conversation in natural human language. Chatbots have been reported to be the technology for hotels, travel agencies, and airlines, however, there is no evidence-based research on the factors that explain consumers’ willingness to interact with chatbots. It is on this basis that this research is carried out. The research examined tourists’ usage of chatbots, focusing on the Kainji Lake Park (Nigeria). It is an exploratory research that utilized descriptive statistics to analyze data collected. The findings reveal that tourists are aware of the existence of chatbots as deployed to tourism industry. Also, it found that chatbots enhance destination information search. As an emerging market, stakeholders and management in the tourism industry should integrate chatbots into their main information communication technologies to enhance customer patronage.

Just-In-Time Inventory Management Practice and Performance of Selected Polytechnics in Southwest, Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Stock Efficiency

Olaniyi Mufutau Gbadamosi — 2024-06-28

This study examined Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory management practice and performance of selected polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria, and the implications for sustaining stock efficiency. The study used descriptive survey research design and a total of one thousand and thirty-six (1,036) store employees from federal, state and private polytechnics in the Southwest, Nigeria. A sample size of five hundred and forty-four (544) determined through multi-stage and stratified sampling technique was used for data analysis. Primary data were obtained through questionnaire while linear regression was employed to determine the effects and statistical significance of the relationships between the study variables. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 was applied to process the data and the hypothesis was tested at p-value of = 0.05 level of significance while descriptive statistical analysis was used to identify frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study showed that JIT inventory management practice cannot be underestimated in determining performance of polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria. The study recommended that management of polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria should develop a policy framework to facilitate faster implementation of the best inventory management practices such as JIT as it has proven to have significant positive effect on employees’ performance.

Boosting Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product with Digital Marketing

Johnson O. Ajayi — 2024-06-28

The most transformative and impactful force in the global socioeconomic landscape including Nigeria is digital marketing. This study analysed the challenges, opportunities, and benefits of digital marketing in job creation in Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. Secondary data which were collected from relevant ministries, departments, and agencies were used for the study. This study exposed the important components of digital marketing against the socioeconomic situation in the country. The study checked mobile usage, the present challenges, and opportunities for digital marketing with its impact in Nigeria. Through relevant digital campaigns, the relationship between digital marketing and job creation opportunities in Nigeria were analysed. The study confirmed that there is a great gap between the required job skills and available job skills; hence, the high rate of unemployment in the country. The study concluded that digital marketing is a good foundation for an improvement in job skills, and job employability through improved school curricula, teaching methods, and soft skills. Therefore, increased job skills will boost employment and productivity within and outside Nigeria, thereby boosting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the short run and long run.