Purpose: The study sought to examine the impact of financial literacy and financial inclusion on small businesses' overall performance with special reference to Southwest Nigeria. Methods: Descriptive survey research sketch was adopted for this study, while the purposive sampling method was employed to choose forty small scale businesses registered with SMEDAN from each state capital of South Western of Nigeria that engaged in petty trading, bakeries, block-making, soup-making, tailoring, and agro-allied, totaling 240 participants as a sample size for the study. Data were collected by using a closed-ended questionnaire designed for the study, while simple percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC), and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) was used to analyze the data. Results: The findings disclose that financial literacy and financial inclusion jointly and independently affect small businesses' performance. It revealed a positive and significant relationship between financial literacy and financial inclusion. However, the study depicts that majority of business operators did not have financial knowledge such as working capital management, accounting records system, financial reporting, cashbook maintenance, income statement, daily cash reconciliation, internal control on cash, and cash budget. Also, the study confirmed that the majority of small business entrepreneurs are financially excluded from micro-financing, emergency loans, employ purchase financing, business bank loans, and micro-insurance plan Services. Implications: The implication of this study is that if the Central Bank of Nigeria partnership with other professional organizations to promote financial literacy and inclusion programs to all business entrepreneurs across the nation, it will motivate more business entrepreneurs in Nigeria to have access to finance.

The study examines the mediating role of employee empowerment in the relationship between employee relationship management and organizational agility. The survey method was used in the study using a closed-end copy of the questionnaire to collect data from three hundred and fifty-eight (358) respondents via the Google Document platform. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data using the PROCESS macro program as a regression-based software package. The results show that employee relationships have a significant impact on organizational agility. It was also found that managing relationships with employees improves employee empowerment because it helps them achieve their organizational goals directly by allowing them to make decisions. Finally, there is a good link between employee empowerment and organizational agility. The results also indicate that employee empowerment has a positive and important relationship with employee relationships and organizational agility. This study establishes a strong role for employee empowerment as an intermediary between employee relationship management and organizational management. This means that all employers have the greatest competitive advantage of always empowering their staff with recognized world-class talent. The study has contributed to the body of knowledge by demonstrating the RBT's adaptability in a pandemic period to optimize employee motivation at the expense of acknowledging the instinct of organizational agility in a challenging era where change occurs without warning.

Trapped in a recurring cycle marked by limited access to quality financial education re-sources and an underestimation of the importance of a positive organizational culture, nu-merous SMEs find it challenging to acquire the necessary knowledge for making well-informed financial decisions, ultimately impeding their overall performance. This study in-vestigates the mediating influence of financial knowledge and organizational culture on fi-nancial behaviour and SME performance. A purposive sampling technique was utilized to select 650 SMEs operating for the past five years and registered with SMEDAN in Lagos State. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, and analysis employed Path Analysis-Structured Equation Modelling (PA-SEM). Results indicate a significant associa-tion between financial behaviour, financial literacy, and SME performance. Moreover, there is a noteworthy relationship between financial behaviour, organizational culture, and SME performance. The study establishes that financial literacy and organizational culture partially mediate the link between financial behaviour and SME performance. Consequently, it is recommended that SMEs should align financial education initiatives, cultural endeavours, and financial practices with long-term business objectives, fostering an environment condu-cive to continuous improvement and success.

Objective: This study examines the mediating effect of financial innovation on the relationship between green finance and environmental performance. Design/Methods/Approach: A targeted sampling technique was used for access bank selection. Copies of the structured questionnaire were sent to 250 branch managers of Access Bank in southwestern Nigeria. A total of 200 questionnaires were completed and returned to researchers. Data were analyzed using the STATA 15 version using structural equation modeling. Findings: The results show that green loans, green training, green investment, and green policy have a positive and significant impact on environmental performance. This means that green finance parameters are the driving force behind Nigeria's environmental initiatives and performance. Furthermore, the study showcases that financial innovation partially mediates green loans, green investments, green training, and environmental performance. The study also confirms that financial innovation does mediate green policy and environmental performance. Originality/Value: Prior studies have confirmed the correlation between green finance and environmental outcomes. However, despite various research endeavors highlighting the influence of green finance on overall ecological performance and introducing financial innovation as a mediator, this aspect remains unexplored in the context of the banking sector. Practical/Policy implication: Given that financial innovation partially mediates green loans, green investments, green training, and environmental performance, the results of this investigation are of importance to policymakers and financial institutions in the area of banks’ environmental performance. This study provides insights on financial innovation and green finance in financial institutions to foster green banking activities to promote environmental sustainability and performance.

Objective: Strategic entrepreneurship provides value that allows companies to compete favourably in the market compared to their competitors, especially in the banking sector, and thus influence their performance. Therefore, this study examined the impact of strategic entrepreneurship on the performance of Nigerian banks.Research Design & Methods: A quantitative approach was adopted for the study, which used a post facto study design. The sample size consists of 10 banks listed before 2009 that were only excluded in 2018 with related data. Secondary data collected from annual reports and financial statements of all sample banks over ten years (2010-2019) were analysed. Panel data analysis was used to measure the relationship between independent and dependent variables at p< 0.05.Findings: The study demonstrates that strategic dimensions of entrepreneurship (strategic renewal, sustainable innovation, and domain renewal) play a key role in joint and significant organizational performance. It has also been confirmed that strategic renewal independently affects business organizational performance, while domain definition has a positive but minor relevance. However, permanent regeneration has the opposite effect on organizational performance.Implications & Recommendations: This finding means that many Nigerian banks have failed to put into practice the knowledge and financial commitment to take advantage of opportunities, which is an important means of strengthening the sector amid the pandemic syndrome and highly turbulent environment. It is therefore imperative that the management of Nigerian banks be financially engaged in formulating innovative strategies and activities.Contribution & Value Added: The study has established that strategic entrepreneurship components jointly and independently influence the performance of Nigerian banks. It was also discovered that strategic renewal, sustainable innovation, and domain renewal are strong predictors of banks’ performance.