AN ASSESSMENT OF THE INNOVATIVENESS OF FIRMS IN NIGERIA’S PETROLEUM SECTOR

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7166/29-4-1881

Keywords:

Organisational innovativeness, measurement of innovativeness, petroleum sector, Nigeria

Abstract

A firm’s level of innovativeness is regarded as an indicator of its creativity, competitiveness, and performance. An understanding of the processes that lead to innovativeness is therefore crucial to scholars and practitioners. This makes innovativeness assessment a necessity, especially for firms. Perplexingly, there are few innovativeness studies on resource-intensive industrial sectors, such as petroleum, in African countries. This paper is a contribution to filling the knowledge gap. The study used item means to analyse data from a cross-sectional survey. The findings show that, while overall the petroleum firms were barely innovative, they performed better in terms of the non-technological aspects of innovativeness.

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Author Biographies

Gordon Monday Bubou, University of Pretoria

Mr. Gordon Monday Bubou is doctoral student of the Department Engineering and Technology Management, Graduate School of Technology Management, University of Pretoria, South Africa. He has earned MSc and BSc (Hons) degrees in technology management from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, another BTech (Hons) degree from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, and a PGDE from the National Open University of Nigeria. Bubou is also an Assistance Chief Research Officer with National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), an agency of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Nigeria. He heads the Department of Science Policy and Innovation Studies at NACETEM’s South-South Zonal Office. Bubou conducts evidence-based policy-related research in science technology and innovation to provide evidence-informed recommendation to government and the private sector; engineering for global development; STI4D, scholarship of teaching & learning in engineering/technology management & engineering education; entrepreneurship development; skills development; ICT4D; technology transfer; renewable energy. He has published in international journals and has also presented at various conferences. One of Bubou’s recent papers, “Developing technically skilled workforce through public procurement: work-based learning for sustainable infrastructural development in Nigeria”, won the 2015 edition of the Nigerian Society of Engineers Best Paper Awards. Bubou is a registered engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria; and he is a member of many professional bodies some of which include –Nigerian Society of Engineers, Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology; African Engineering Education Association; IEEE Technology & Engineering Management Society.; Entrepreneurship Research Society (Founding Scholar, 2013), etc.

Joe E. Amadi-Echendu, University of Pretoria

Prof. Joe E. Amadi-Echendu earned BS and MS degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University of Wyoming, USA, and DPhil in Control Engineering from University of Sussex, UK. Dr Joe currently serves as a Professor of Engineering and Technology Management at University of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa. He is the founding Director of the Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation Management at University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria. Prof Amadi-Echendu commenced his career as an apprentice maintenance technician at a tyre manufacturing plant, and his expertise is underpinned by his doctoral research in digital signal processing, condition monitoring and diagnostic engineering management of physical plants and processes. He has over 12 years industry work experience, as well as 20+ years academic experience in USA, UK, Nigeria and South Africa. His extensive experience and interests cover the broad fields of engineering and technology management with particular emphasis on the management of intellectual assets, engineering technologies, plant, equipment and infrastructure assets. While working in industry, Dr Joe primarily implemented “operational readiness” programmes for green field capital development projects in petrochemical and mining sectors.His current teaching and research activities are focused on engineering asset management and technology commercialisation, as well as supervision, mentoring and coaching to all grades of students and technology-based business start-ups. Prof Amadi-Echendu has published over 150 articles in journals and accredited international conference proceedings. Joe’s involvement in community development, professional and scholarly activities has been recognised through many local, national and international awards such as best paper, distinguished service, excellence, and leadership awards. Joe is registered as a professional engineer in both the UK and South Africa. He continues to provide consulting advice and training to both private business and public sector organisations. In addition to external examination of master and doctoral degree dissertations at local and overseas institutions, and review of manuscripts for a number of journals, Prof Amadi-Echendu’s concurrent roles and scholarly activities include; (i) editor-in-chief for Springer’s Engineering Asset Management Review Series, ii) founding fellow, board member and director of International Society of Engineering Asset Management (ISEAM), iii) member of board of directors of the International Association for the Management of Technology (IAMOT), iv) member of technical panels of long standing international conferences namely, COMADEM, IAMOT, PICMET, and WCEAM, and v) ‘Experienced Researcher’, EU grant funded H2020-MSCA-RISE Sustain Owner Project 645733.

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Published

2018-12-10

How to Cite

Bubou, G. M., & Amadi-Echendu, J. E. (2018). AN ASSESSMENT OF THE INNOVATIVENESS OF FIRMS IN NIGERIA’S PETROLEUM SECTOR. The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 29(4), 65–81. https://doi.org/10.7166/29-4-1881

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 4 (2018)

Section

General Articles

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