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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that hinder the growth and survival of small businesses in Nigeria.

A survey method was used to gather data from 211 small business owners and managers located in selected cities in Nigeria. Several statistical analyses were conducted to identify the factors constraining the growth and survival of SMEs in Nigeria.

The results of the study reveal that the most common constraints hindering small business growth and survival in Nigeria are lack of financial support, poor management, corruption, lack of training and experience, poor infrastructure, insufficient profits, and low demand for product and services.

The instruments used for this study need to be subjected to more statistical tests in order to establish a more robust validity and reliability. Based on what we have learned, the instruments could be further refined to more closely capture each of the problem areas identified in the literature. Replication of this study using larger samples and a broader geographic base is suggested for cross‐validation purposes.

Understanding the factors hindering the growth and survival of SMEs in Nigeria will help policy makers – governments (federal, state, and local), NGOs, and other stakeholders – to design targeted policies and programs that will actively stimulate innovation, as well as helping those policy makers to support, encourage, and promote SMEs for poverty alleviation in Nigeria. For SMEs, this study offers alternative models to counteract the problem of collateral and lending issues. Strategic alternatives on how to address issues such as poor management, poor infrastructure, and corruption are discussed.

The significance of this study stems from the fact that very few studies have explored the issue of factors constraining the growth and survival of SMEs for poverty alleviation in Nigeria. The results provide additional insights into operations of SMEs in Nigeria, a sub‐Saharan African country. Sub‐Saharan Africa has been negated and, therefore, has been less researched. Also, the insights gained from this study to contribute the future development of this line of research, particularly in a non‐Western context.

One of the most important issues multinational corporations (MNCs) face in their global operations is expatriate failure. It is estimated that between 10 and 80 percent of expatriates sent on overseas assignments return home early. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of cross-cultural training (CCT) on different facets of expatriate managers’ adjustment in Nigeria.

A sample of 212 western expatriate managers working in Nigeria was surveyed. Respondents were selected from four cities where they had been working for at least one year.

The main finding of this study was that expatriates’ adjustment could be predicted from different types of CCT. The findings of this research confirm the view expressed by researchers over the last two decades that both conventional and specific experimental CCT have positive effect on the facets of cross-cultural adjustment.

Given that the authors did not collect their data over time, the cross-sectional nature of the design limits them from making definitive causal statements. In the future, more resources and efforts could be applied to safeguard larger samples of respondents, thus potentially resulting in better statistical power. A longitudinal approach could be used; such an approach may have generated a richer data source, where different patterns of adjustment could have been identified and compared over time. Data for the study were collected through questionnaire, thus any observed relations might be due in part to common method effects. Since the data were collected from four cities, there may be some concern as to the generalizability of the findings to expatriates working in other cities in Nigeria.

MNCs should pay more attention to CCT and management development. Ineffective CCT and management development have an adverse impact on MNCs’ effectiveness. Developing CCT programs could add value to corporations and employees especially employees who are destined for foreign assignments. In addition, developing CCT for expatriates’ spouses and children would facilitate adjustment process and may reduce failure rate.

Once corroborated by further studies, this exploratory research may contribute to the understanding of the adjustment of western expatriates in Nigeria. Few, if any, prior studies, have examined CCT and expatriate adjustment in Nigeria.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between culture and managers attitude towards business ethics in Nigeria. Several studies have recognized that culture affects ethical behavior. However, very few studies have been conducted on how culture affects managers' attitudes towards business ethics which may predict their ethical behavior especially in developing African countries. The focal point is that this study is to address this knowledge gap in the literature.

The author collected data from 351 managers in selected firms in Nigeria. Two instruments were used to measure Hofstede's five cultural dimensions and attitudes toward business ethics. Correlation and regression analysis were used to test and predict the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables in the study.

Results show that culture has a significant influence on ethical attitudes of managers. The findings also specifically revealed that relationships exist among Hofstede's cultural dimension of power distance, collectivism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, short-term orientation and the dimensions of attitudes towards business ethics.

The generalization of the findings may be limited by some of the sample characteristics. First, the study was limited to six cities in Nigeria; as a result, broader geographic sampling would better represent the national profile. Second, the drop off and pick up method used in data collection and the usual social-desirability bias associated with survey research could be limitations for the study. However, the author took extreme measures to protect the identities of the respondents. Finally, replication of this study using larger samples and a broader geographic base is suggested for cross-validation purposes.

Understanding that ethical beliefs and moral decision-making are dependent on culture and play an important role in managing and developing a successful ethics program. The results can help multinational corporations in developing effective culturally based ethical codes of conduct; as well as to design and manage targeted ethical policies and programs that will actively motivate, stimulate, support, encourage, and promote an outstanding ethical organization in Nigeria.

There have been very few previous studies on how culture affects managers' attitude toward business ethics within the sub-Saharan African context. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first empirical study on this topic in Nigeria, a sub-Saharan African country. The results provide insights on how culture can influence ethical attitude of managers in Nigeria. As a ground-breaking study on this topic in Nigeria, the findings may provide managers and scholars with an understanding of impact of culture on ethics. The insights gained from this study will contribute to the future research development on this topic in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the study is of significant value to practitioners and scholars alike.

The impact of information technology (IT) on society is tremendous. Globalization of trade, the emergence of information economies, and the growth of the Internet and other global communications networks have recast the role of information systems in managing global corporations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which personal characteristics such as gender, age, education, income, and experience predict IT managers' job satisfaction in Nigeria. A sample of 360 IT managers selected from business organizations in Nigeria were used for this research. The results of this study suggest that IT managers were satisfied with their job, co‐workers, and supervision, whereas they were dissatisfied with their pay and the promotion system. The results of regression analyses also showed that personal characteristics were significant predictors of job satisfaction.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of ethical climate on job satisfaction and organizational commitment in Nigeria, and to discover the extent to which unethical practices among managers have impacted upon managerial practices in Nigeria.

The study followed a descriptive research design using survey methods with statistical treatment. Using the business directory of companies in Nigeria, a sample of 409 managers was drawn using a systematic random sampling technique. Multiple regression analysis and Pearson's product moment correlation were used to assess the influence of ethical climate types on job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

The findings revealed that there was a relationship between organizational ethical climate and facets of job satisfaction. It was also found that ethical climate types explained 58 percent of the variation in overall job satisfaction. Also, the correlation between ethical climate types and organizational commitment was positive and significant. This implies that favorable organizational ethical climate would encourage commitment and job satisfaction.

This research is limited to four business enterprises – banks, manufacturing, transportation, and construction companies. Thus, the results cannot be generalized to other industrial sectors that were not part of this study. In addition, the assessment of job performance and productivity are beyond the scope of this study.

The paper offers practical suggestions of how management can improve job satisfaction and organizational commitment by improving the ethical climate of the organization.

The paper examines the impact of ethical climate on job satisfaction and organizational commitment in Nigeria, a sub‐Saharan African country in a sub‐continent that has been neglected and under‐researched. The study draws management practitioners' attention to the fact that they should adopt behavior that can help to improve employees' ethical behavior. From an academic perspective this study provides insight into the relationship between ethics, job satisfaction, and commitment, which should contribute to the future development of this line of research, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria. Furthermore, this topic has not been tested empirically in Nigeria. Therefore, the present study is of significant value to practitioners and scholars alike.

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which organizations in Nigeria use various human resource management (HRM) practices, and the perceived challenges and prospects of these practices.

A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was employed to gather information. Specifically, data were collected from 253 managers in selected firms. Descriptive data analysis is presented with respect to the use and execution of HRM practices such as recruitment, selection, performance appraisal and training and development. In addition, information was collected and analyzed with regard to the challenges and prospects of HRM.

This study provides significant current information on HRM knowledge and practices in Nigeria. The findings reveal that HRM practices, such as training, recruitment, compensation, performance appraisal and reward systems, are still in place. However, issues of tribalism, AIDS, training and development and corruption are some of the challenges identified that need to be addressed.

The study was limited to 12 companies in ten cities. A broader geographic sampling would better reflect the national profile. Another limitation could stem from the procedure used in data collection method (drop off and pick up). However, extreme measures were taken to protect the identity of the respondents.

The study identified challenges and prospects of HRM in Nigeria. Organizations should employ requisite HRM practices to achieve excellent organizational performance. Furthermore, the government may create policies to promote the above practices, since, in the long term, achieving organizational excellence will reflect positively on the economy. All these may be facilitated through proactive organizational and national human resource development initiatives.

The significance of the present study stems from the fact that very few studies have explored the impact of human resource challenges and prospects in Nigeria. The results provide additional insights into HRM practices in Nigeria, a sub‐Saharan African country. A region that has been neglected by management researchers and has therefore been less researched. Also, the insights gained from this study contribute to the future development of this line of research, particularly in a non‐Western country like Nigeria.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of gender on the job satisfaction of US academics.

The population for this study consisted of full‐time college and university teachers listed in the “Brain Track University Index Directories of the United States Colleges and Universities”. A sampling technique was used to select the respondents surveyed for this study. A total of 1,100 questionnaires were administered to respondents chosen from 80 universities. A total of 560 usable questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 51 percent.

The findings of this research show that there are gender differences apparent in the job satisfaction levels of university teachers surveyed for this study. Female faculty were more satisfied with their work and co‐workers, whereas, their male colleagues were more satisfied with their pay, promotions, supervision, and overall job satisfaction. Results also indicated that ranks were significant in explaining gender differences and job satisfaction of the respondents.

This research is delimited to 4 year colleges and universities. Thus, the results of this study cannot be generalized to 2 year and community colleges.

Findings of the study provides institutional leaders, university and college administrators, and human resources professionals with key information that would enable them to recruit, reward, promote, and retain women faculty. The finding would also enable the government address the issues concerning female academics.

This paper offers practical recommendations to higher education administrators and human resources professionals on how to enhance job satisfaction of female faculty. It also offers suggestions to how to maintain more balanced gender equity in higher education.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived gender differences in pay and promotion of bank managers in Nigeria, and how these differences affect job overall satisfaction of male and female bank managers in selected banks in Nigeria.

The population for this study comprised bank managers who were members of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. A total of 800 questionnaires were sent to potential respondents chosen from 50 banks. A total of 512 usable questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 64 percent.

Results of this study indicate that a salary differential does exist between male and female bank managers in Nigeria. Male managers were more satisfied with their salary than their female colleagues. Results also indicated that there were gender differences in promotion. Male managers were overall more satisfied with their company promotion policies than their female counterparts.

This research is limited to the banking industry. Thus, the results cannot be generalized to other industrial sectors of the economy. This study needs to be replicated in other organizations using the same method.

The study offers practical suggestions to the banking industry and human resources managers on how to recruit, pay, promote and retain women managers as well as to maintain gender equity in the industry.

The study examines gender related issues in a developing economy this is under‐researched area. It offers recommendations on how to provide opportunities for women to excel in the banking industry in a developing economy.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial export orientation on the performance of SMEs in Nigeria.

The study follows a quantitative research design using survey methods with statistical treatment. Several t‐tests and correlation tests were used to ascertain whether differences exist between proactive export orientation and conservative export orientation and performance.

The findings indicate that proactive entrepreneurs were more engaged in the export market than conservatives. The findings also suggest that firms that adopted proactive orientation achieved higher performance, profitability, and growth compared with those that adopted a conservative orientation. It was also found that proactive entrepreneurs allocated more financial resources for export activities than conservative entrepreneurs.

The research was limited to four cities; a broader geographic sampling to include larger urban and rural areas would better reflect the national profile. The study is limited to four industrial sectors; thus the results cannot be applied to other sectors that were not part of this study.

The study offers practical suggestions on how SMEs can improve growth, performance, and profitability by engaging in proactive export orientation behaviors. The paper also stresses the importance of developing export markets because it enhances growth, performance, and profitability.

The study draws owners'/managers' attention to the fact that proactive export behavior enhances performance, growth, and productivity. It also provides insight into the export orientation and performance issue, which should contribute to the future development of this line of research, particularly in developing countries such as Nigeria. Therefore, the study is of significant value to practitioners and scholars alike.