International Journal of Accounting and Public Sector Management

Blue Ocean Strategy and Competitive Performance of Selected Aluminum Extrusion Firms in South-South and South-East Nigeria

2025-07-02T05:26:25+00:00

In recent time, the declining performance of the Aluminum extrusion firms and Manufacturing in general is a matter of concern to the government and private sector industrialists in Nigeria. The study examines the relationship between the Blue Ocean Strategy and the Performance of selected Aluminum Extrusion Firms in South-South and South-East Nigeria. The study was anchored on the Resource Based View Theory (RBV). Dynamic capabilities theory. A survey research design was employed. The population of the study was made up of 509 out of which 260 was the population of the Aluminum Firms and 249 was the population of the Aluminum dealers respectively. The descriptive statistic tools included tables, percentages, mean scores and standard deviation to reduce the data into comprehensible form. The parametric instrument used to test the hypotheses formulated for the study was linear regression. Upon the test of the hypotheses, the study found a significant positive relationship between value innovation and product quality (r=0.879, P-value < 0.05), cost leadership and customer satisfaction (r= 0.917, P-value < 0.05); product differentiation and customer loyalty (r= 0.867, P-value < 0.05. In conclusion, the study was able to establish a nexus between Blue Ocean Strategy and the Performance of Aluminum Extrusion Firms in the South-South and South-East region in particular. This is because Blue Ocean Strategy can drive performance and recommended that Aluminum Extrusion Firms should invest in up-to-date production equipment that will deliver high quality products at low cost.

Harnessing Microcredit for Sustainable Poverty Alleviation in the Arid Regions of Kitui County, Kenya

2025-07-21T05:21:00+00:00

Arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) face low access to formal financial services, food insecurity and low rainfall which collectively hinder economic resilience and development. These has continued over the years irrespective of policy frameworks such as Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda and Vision 2030. This study explores the role of microcredit as an enabler for sustainable livelihoods in the arid regions of Kitui County, Kenya. Grounded on the theory of Sustainable Livelihoods and Financial Inclusion, the study examines how access to microcredit enhances Income Growth Rate, Livelihood Diversification Score, Savings and Financial Resilience Index, Social Empowerment Score and Household Welfare Improvement Ratio. Using a mixed-methods approach and convergent parallel design the study combines quantitative data collected from 3500 microcredit beneficiaries and qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, including microfinance institutions, local leaders and community-based organizations. The sample size was 357 obtained via Yamane (1967) formula and purposive sampling technique was used to collect views from stakeholders. Findings reveal that access to microcredit significantly enhances asset acquisition, boosts microenterprise development and strengthens food security at the household level. Furthermore, microcredit was found to promote social inclusion by empowering marginalized groups who are often excluded from conventional banking systems. The research concludes that when effectively structured and accompanied by enabling policies, microcredit can be a vital instrument in achieving inclusive and sustainable development in arid regions.