Managing Telecommunications for Development: An Analysis of Intellectual Capital in Nigerian Telecommunication Industry

Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj ()
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Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj: School of Communication, Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria

Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), 2016, vol. 15, issue 01, 1-30

Abstract: The study examines the role of intellectual capital (IC) management in explaining the mismatch between performances of the Nigerian telecommunications industry’s annual growth rate (16.3%) and that of the nation’s economic average growth rate (4.3%) over the last two decades (1986–2010). Through a previously published research instrument, data were collected from 320 managers from 29 telecommunication companies using stratified random sampling technique. The major findings of the study as highlighted by the regression analysis (Partial Least Square techniques) of the data, revealed that the sampled telecommunication companies lack the organisational know-how and communication aptitude to leverage their embedded organisational knowledge (Structural capital) into business performance (β=−0.046, ρ>0.05) notwithstanding their knowledge creation and retention strategies. Hence, Knowledge utilisation rather than knowledge creation appears the main challenge of the industry which has made it perform below expectation despite the industry’s tremendous infrastructural investment. The study thereby recommends that policy makers and telecommunication managers should begin to analyse the economic impact and contribution of IC in the sector as a means of boosting the sector’s corporate business performance in the overall aim of accelerating the nation’s economic development. Moreover, as a way of addressing this obvious managerial inadequacy, the study recommends the position of Chief Knowledge Officer to be saddled with responsibility of effectively leveraging knowledge generated in the industry for optimum organisational performance and national development.

Keywords: Nigeria; intellectual capital; national development; business performance; telecommunications companies; partial least square (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1142/S0219649216500106

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