The study investigated perception of workload balance and employee job satisfaction in work organisations. It sought to find out the extent to which employee perception of workload balance influences job satisfaction. Seven hundred and sixty-four (764) randomly selected employees from 8 multinational organizations and two private universities in Nigeria participated in the study. Structural equation modelling was employed. Results show that comparison of workload with those of colleagues and employees' role alliance with their competencies significantly influence their perception of workload balance and job satisfaction, organisation's staff strength influences perception of workload balance and employees' perception of workload balance significantly influences job satisfaction.

The article examined “managing diversity for organizational efficiency.” It sought to find out the extent to which diversity management influences organizational efficiency through the management of conflict, cultural diversity, and employees’ perception of marginalization as well as teamwork and employee work attitude. The survey design was employed. A sample of 178 respondents from nine multinational companies in south-south Nigeria was employed. Research data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, with diversity management and organizational efficiency serving as latent variables. The results show that the management of cultural diversity, employees’ perception of marginalization, and conflict significantly influences diversity management. Furthermore, diversity management and teamwork significantly influence organizational efficiency. The need for managers of diverse workforces to give priority to diversity management, to ensure its effective implementation, was suggested, among others.

Purpose: The popularity and use of mobile marketing technologies or devices have led to significant interest from researchers and practitioners, particularly in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where these technologies offer significant benefits to SMEs given the poor human capital and financial constraints encountered. The use of mobile marketing devices assists SMEs to boost their sales promotion strategies which aim at increasing the sales of their products and services. However, there has been limited focus on developing a suitable framework that enables the evaluation and shared an understanding of the factors influencing the adoption of mobile marketing technology by service SMEs in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a theoretically grounded framework for exploring these factors and explaining their impact on mobile marketing technology adoption in SMEs in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: The study is qualitative and used both unstructured and semi-structured interviews with a total of 26 participants drawn purposively from NIJA database in Nigeria. Thematic analysis was deployed in analysing the data. Findings: The study developed an extended technology organisation environment (TOE) framework by incorporating the value anticipation context which helped to unveil 16 key factors influencing mobile marketing technology adoption in service SMEs in Nigeria. The finding revealed that factors associated with the extended TOE framework have an impact on SMEs mobile le marketing technology adoption but at different levels. Research limitations/implications: The limitation of this study emerged because of the use of qualitative methodologies about the research design, rigour in the collection and management of the large volume of the raw data, the data analysis and the credibility of the findings. This may lead to unforeseen respondent and research bias in the data analysis, which may lead to a limited understanding of alternatives and insights into the factors influencing the adoption of mobile marketing. Hence, other measures and approaches such as case study and mix-method could be deployed to validate the findings further. Also, one of the limitations of qualitative study has been the issue of theoretical generalizability of the framework. The generalizability of the formwork needs to be established across a broader range of the population. Future studies may apply confirmatory statistical techniques to test and ascertain the validity and reliability of the framework across a broader population of mobile marketing technology adopters in Nigeria. Such studies may be used as a benchmark for the theoretical constructs and the factors that may lead to the success or failure of mobile marketing technology adoption. Originality/value: The study had further enriched TOE framework and provided an analytical dimension for exploring the adoption of mobile marketing technology. It also demonstrates the capacity to provide a reliable explanation of the factors and serves as a tool for evaluating the benefits or challenges of mobile marketing technology adoption in SMEs in Nigeria.

The study examined the impact of COVID-19 on economic growth in Nigeria: Opinions and attitudes. The purpose was to ascertain respondents' perception of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic growth in Nigeria. The cross-sectional survey research design was employed and a mix-method was used in collecting the research data. Content validity index and face validity served to validate the research instrument while Cronbach alpha was used to assure its reliability. The secondary data were analysed using percentage changes while the primary data were analysed using a one-sample t-test and least-squares method. Results of the respondents’ opinion indicated that the COVID-19-induced lockdown has significantly constrained economic activities and the circular flow of income. Lastly, the perceived reduction in the circular flow of income in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown has negatively impacted on economic growth in Nigeria. The need for policymakers to take drastic measures to curtail the pandemic and forestall a recession that may be consequent upon the pandemic was suggested, among others.

Owing to the growing inability of the state to provide employment for citizens globally, SME growth now appeals to many people as the solution to employment generation and by implication, economic growth and development. Flowing from the capabilities based view (CBV) theory, this study investigated SME competitiveness and employment creation to explain how SME competitiveness can contribute to national income through employment creation using SME growth as a mediator. The design was a cross-sectional survey of 93 respondents from SMEs in Nigeria. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect the research data and used structural equation modelling to analyse the data. The results indicate that product innovation and product differentiation have significant relationships with employment generation owing to their capacity to enhance SME growth. Secondly, SME growth mediates the relationship between SME competitiveness (product differentiation, innovation and imitation) and employment generation. This study differs from previous ones through its use of product line, innovation, differentiation, and imitation in a single framework to operationalise SME competitiveness as well as the mediation of the relationship between SME competitiveness and employment generation with the growth rate of SMEs. In addition, the study makes a theoretical contribution through the use of a firm’s activity based capabilities to demonstrate its competitiveness.

The study examined factors that influence customers’ attitude toward electronic banking in Nigeria. It sought to determine whether customers’ knowledge of the Internet influences their adoption of electronic banking in Nigeria; whether customers’ perceived ease of use of the Internet (the ease with which online transaction is effected) influences their adoption of electronic banking in Nigeria; whether customers’ perceived riskiness of the Internet influences their adoption of electronic banking in Nigeria; and whether the nature of transactions influences customers’ adoption of electronic banking in Nigeria. The survey research design was adopted and the population of the study consisted of customers of Zenith bank. Research data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics included frequency tables, while the inferential statistics were the one-sample t test and F test. The research findings showed that customers’ knowledge of the Internet, customers’ perceived ease of use of the Internet; customers’ perceived riskiness of the Internet, and nature of transaction all influence their adoption of electronic banking in Nigeria.