SUSTAINING CAPACITY UTILIZATION OF SMALL AGRO PROCESSING BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study empirically analyzed the effect of

strategic entrepreneurship knowledge

management on the sustainable capacity

utilization of small agro-processing and

manufacturing businesses in Nigeria, with a

specific focus on knowledge creation, integration,

and application and their individual effects on the

capacity utilization of afro-processing firms in

Nigeria. This study adopted the cross-sectional

and the archival and documentary research

designs, which supported the collection of

quantitative data from the selected sample size of

487 participants, who are owners of small agro

allied businesses spread across Akwa-Ibom,

Delta, and Rivers states, in the south-south region

of Nigeria. Furthermore, the multistage random

sampling techniques were adopted, adopted to

adequately capture the multi-chain aggregate

study groups that formed different clusters

(firms). The reliability test conducted on the

research instrument revealed the internal

consistency of the items within the structure of

this study at a Cronbach alpha value of 0.84.

Data generated for the study were analyzed using

descriptive analytical techniques, while the

formulated hypotheses were tested using multiple

regression analysis. The findings revealed that

strategic entrepreneurship knowledge creation

knowledge

integration,

and knowledge

application can significantly enhance the capacity

utilization of small agro-allied businesses. The

study therefore recommends that small agro

processing businesses should strive to codify and

capture knowledge content to increase efficiency

by giving access and knowledge to workers at all

levels to be part of the continuous process

improvement for optimization of the firm’s

operational capacity