Business Directory Research Articles

Linear Programming and Product Mix of Paint Manufacturing Firms in Port Harcourt

This study examined the relationship between linear programming and product mix of paint manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt. This study adopted a correlational survey research design. The population of the study was 10 selected paint manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt as retrieved from Nigerian business directory (2024). 3 managers were selected from each firm multiplied by 10 firms gives us a total of 30 respondents. Structured questionnaire was used in data collection. The result of the Cronbach's Alpha reliability test indicates .804 which is above .70 which implies that the items are reliable. Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the hypotheses using SPSS (statistical package social sciences). The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between Ellipsoid Linear Programming and Product Mix of paint manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt. There is a significant relationship between Graphical method Linear Programming and Product Mix of paint manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt. There is a significant relationship between Simplex Linear Programming and Product Mix of paint manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt. In conclusion, Linear programming is a powerful mathematical tool that can be effectively utilized by paint manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt to optimize their product mix and maximize profits. The paint manufacturing firms should conduct a thorough analysis of market demand for different types of paint products to identify profitable opportunities for product mix optimization.

Hybrid strategy and its effect on the market performance of family-business SMEs: the mediating role of innovation

Purpose For this paper, the authors focus on Porter’s competitive advantage. Hybrid strategy refers to how a firm creates value vis-à-vis competitors by simultaneously relying on lower costs and greater differentiation to achieve a competitive advantage. This strategy emphasises both and aims to provide much more monetary value to customers through the combination of reduced cost and a higher rate of differentiation. In addition, this research focuses on family small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), because they have particularities arising from the incorporation of family members both as owners of the SME and in managerial positions. The porpose of this study is to analyse whether the existing differences produced by the role of the family in strategic decision-making and the concentration of family power have a higher impact on performance and innovation than non-family SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modelling was used to analyse Spanish firms with fewer than 250 employees. This study randomly selected SMEs operating in Spain from the Spanish Central Business Directory (2021) database. The overall sample design was based on stratified sampling. Findings SMEs are facing new challenges, and this has led to the emergence of new competitive strategies. Companies have started to combine differentiation strategies with cost strategies to achieve superior performance and better adapt to these changes. This study confirms a positive relationship between the adoption of hybrid strategies and market performance in SMEs. In addition, hybrid strategy reinforces innovation, which has a mediating role between hybrid strategy and market performance. Finally, the findings indicate that family SMEs achieve a greater impact of hybrid strategy on innovation than non-family SMEs. Moreover, innovation plays a mediating role only in the case of family firms, which enhances the relationship between hybrid strategy and market performance. Originality/value For SMEs to survive in turbulent environments, this study proposes the adoption of hybrid strategies instead of pure strategies. The novel model links hybrid strategy (as opposed to “stuck in the middle”), innovation and market performance. The research is valuable for owners and managers of family SMEs because this study finds differences in the relationships studied compared to non-family SMEs.

Corporate Entrepreneurship and Firm Performance of Construction Companies in Port Harcourt

Purpose: This study examined the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance of construction companies in Port Harcourt. Competitive aggressiveness and autonomy were used as proxies for corporate entrepreneurship as independent variables while firm performance was proxied with productivity and delivery performance as dependent variables. Methodology: Four hypotheses guided the study which adopted a cross-sectional research design with purposive sampling technique used to select a sample size of 130 general managers, marketing managers, human resource managers and project managers in 26 construction companies in Port Harcourt registered with the FINELIB Nigeria Business Directory. Structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data and the responses were collated on a five-point Likert scale. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and the hypotheses were evaluated using the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient with SPSS version 23.0. Findings: The findings showed that corporate entrepreneurship had a strong and significant relationship with firm performance of construction companies in Port Harcourt. In particular, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy had strong and positive linear associations with both productivity and delivery performance when tested at 0.05 level of confidence. It concluded therefore that it is important that construction companies in Port Harcourt should adopt corporate entrepreneurship in the areas of competitive aggressiveness and autonomy in order to improve their performance. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: It is recommended that construction companies in Port Harcourt should compete aggressively and improve upon the autonomy in their decision-making if they are to achieve higher levels of firm performance

Global Supply Chain Management and The Performance of Multi-National Companies in Rivers State of Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between global supply chain management and the performance of multi-national companies in rivers state of Nigeria. This study adopted a correlational research design. The population of the study consisted of 10 multinational companies operating in Rivers State as retrieved from Nigerian business directory search engine. The study adopted a census study, 3 respondents were selected from each firm multiplied by 10 firms give us a total of 30 respondents. Structured questionnaire instrument title” Global supply chain management and performance questionnaire was developed on five point likert scale. The result of the Cronbach's Alpha reliability test indicates .800 which is above .70 which implies that the items are reliable. Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the hypotheses using SPSS (statistical package social sciences). The study revealed that there is a significance relationship between global sourcing and profitability of multi-national companies in Rivers State of Nigeria. There is a significance relationship between outsourcing and operational7process efficiency of multi-national companies in Rivers State of Nigeria. There is a significance relationship between global production and distribution and customer satisfaction of multi-national companies in Rivers State of Nigeria. In conclusion, global supply chain management is a critical aspect of business operations for multi-national companies in Rivers State of Nigeria. By investing in infrastructure, building strong relationships with local partners, implementing effective communication and coordination processes, and utilizing technology, MNCs can improve the performance of their supply chains and gain a competitive advantage in the region. The study recommended that MNCs should consider investing in the development of infrastructure in Rivers State, including transportation and logistics systems, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their supply chains.

Digitalization of Local Business Information and Job Opportunities Platform: A Proposal for a Mobile-Based Business Directory Application

In the digital era, the transformation of local business information and job opportunities into online formats is a promising development. The digitalization process has become a big factor to elevate the local workforce competitiveness by equipping them with digital skills and competencies that meet global standards thus fostering digital innovation and entrepreneurship. On the other hand, online business directory plays an essential role in the local economy because it assists consumers in discovering local businesses and understanding the services available. However, many consumers still encounter challenges when seeking out establishments in less familiar locations, particularly in Surigao City. The absence of a local digital directory means lack of visibility especially for Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) owners who may experience difficulty in attracting the customer base. It is for this reason that this study was conducted to address the gap. An explanatory research methodology has been applied on determining and examining the data that were gathered from the related literature and conducted survey questionnaire. Based on findings collected from 52 respondents of the survey questionnaires, majority of them have agreed that the identified challenges are valid in terms of identifying business establishments as well as the difficulty on contacting the business and comparing products and services among competition. Meanwhile, business owners, particularly those of start-ups, strongly agreed the difficulties in promoting their businesses locally and acquiring customers in the absences of an accessible platform. With the proposed digitalization of business information via a mobile-based application could significantly improve customer experience and bolster local businesses in the city. This means that the application is expected to address the challenges identified by customers and business owners. It also can also potentially create new job opportunities and contribute to the city's economic growth. The study has offered valuable insights and recommendations for the application's development, underscoring the need for ongoing feedback and enhancements to ensure its success and user adoption.

The Making of an Data Pipeline

This paper details the development and implementation of a data engineering pipeline designed for the extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) of data from a web-based directory. The project involves using asynchronous web scraping techniques to gather user details from a local business directory, transforming the data into a structured format, and loading it into a storage solution. The pipeline utilises Python, the HTTPX library for asynchronous HTTP requests, BeautifulSoup for HTML parsing, and Amazon S3 for data storage. By leveraging these technologies, the pipeline demonstrates an efficient approach to handling large-scale web data extraction and processing, significantly reducing the time required to gather and organise data from multiple web pages. This paper provides insights into the architecture, implementation, and performance of the ETL pipeline, highlighting the benefits and challenges of using asynchronous programming in data engineering.

Can hybrid strategy improve SME performance? The role of innovation and adaptive capacity

PurposeThis article focusses on the hybrid strategy, a simultaneous combination of cost leadership and differentiation strategy. The study aims to examine the impact of hybrid strategy on firm performance through its anticipated positive effects on process and product innovation. In addition, we study the moderating role of adaptive capacity in the direct relationships of hybrid strategy with process and product innovation.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modelling was used to analyse 1,842 Spanish firms with fewer than 250 employees. We randomly selected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Spain from the Spanish Central Business Directory (2021) database. The overall sample design was based on stratified sampling.FindingsWe found that hybrid strategy is positively related to firm performance and to process and product innovation. Additionally, in firms implementing hybrid strategies, process innovation fostered firm performance. Finally, adaptive capacity strengthened the relationships of hybrid strategy with process and product innovation. This sheds light on how and when hybrid strategy is most effective in fostering SME performance.Practical implicationsWe highlight that SMEs need to establish strategies that use diverse resources and capabilities and not just generate competitive advantage using one strategy (cost leadership or differentiation strategy). This requires an agile and flexible systems and structures.Originality/valueOur research provides novel results by proposing the adoption of hybrid strategies instead of pure strategies (cost leadership and differentiation strategy) as a way for SMEs to survive during crises. Unlike “stuck in the middle” strategies, our study demonstrates the importance of hybrid strategies in a comprehensive model that links them to innovation and firm performance, with adaptive capacity being a determining factor.

Prices for veterinary care of dogs, cats and horses in selected countries in Europe.

In recent years, prices for veterinary care have received considerable attention in mainstream media, yet scientific literature has not delved into actual figures. This study aims to elucidate veterinary care costs for dogs, cats, and horses across five countries [Sweden (SE), Norway (NO), Denmark (DK), United Kingdom (UK), and Ireland (IR, with limited data)] through web searches. Utilising online business directories, we located URLs featuring veterinary care prices in autumn 2022, and repeated tri-monthly five times. Vetpris.se (VP), a price comparison site for SE, NO, and DK, emerged from the search. Additionally, we sought to compare price data from veterinary clinics (ranging from animal hospitals to small private clinics) using a similar approach to VP. We targeted elective procedures (e.g., gonadectomy, GDY) and common procedures (e.g., pyometra surgery in dogs). Comparing data from the same clinics' websites and from VP within extraction from autumn 2022 to winter 2023/2024, median prices for dog and cat GDY were largely consistent. By October 2023, median prices for male cat GDY ranged from €72 (SE) to €230 (DK), and €130 (SE) to €361 (DK) for females; for dog GDY from €390 (SE) to €599 (DK) for males, and €461 (UK) to €1015 (DK) for females. Across sources, median prices for cat and dog GDY increased by 2-24% over a year for procedures with at least 10 clinics per extraction. Equine GDY (per sedation and local analgaesia) in SE saw a 64% increase by year-end, with a median price of €492. Emergency surgeries during regular-hours (e.g., pyometra and caesarean section) in SE were approximately €2,300 at the last extraction, marking a 27% increase for pyometra surgery during regular-hours and 15% after-hours compared to the previous year. Variability existed within and across countries and diagnoses/procedures. Cross-validation suggested VP generally provided reliable information, though data points for emergencies were limited. Our web searching tool necessitated extensive manual verification, indicating room for further development. We recommend enhancing price transparency for animal owners to become better informed about the cost of veterinary care and be able to make informed choices.

Effect of social media agility on performance of small and medium enterprises: moderating roles of firm size and environmental dynamism

Purpose Despite the increasing numbers of research studies about social media business, the concept of social media agility is still an emerging topic that has been understudied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social media agility on business performance by using a sample of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand. Moreover, this study explored whether the effect of social media agility on business performance could be moderated by the characteristic of firm in terms of size, as well as the characteristic of market environment in terms of environmental dynamism. Design/methodology/approach The sample of 337 firms was obtained from the business directory using the simple random sampling method, and the model assessment was performed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The data analysis indicated that social media agility positively affected the business performance of SMEs. Moreover, the moderating effect analysis showed that smaller firms tended to gain higher business performance from social media agility than larger firms. In addition, social media agility positively affected business performance to a greater extent when firms operated under low environmental dynamism than when they operated under high environmental dynamism. Practical implications Because SMEs are the key driving of economic development and economic growth, the recommendations from this study could be helpful for the government sector responsible for the competency development of SMEs to offer a development program that might enable entrepreneurial firms to develop social media marketing competencies and enhance their potential to be successful in the digital transformation. Originality/value The authors found new evidence showing that the degree to which social media agility affected business performance depended significantly on the firm characteristics in terms of firm size, as well as the environmental factor in terms of environmental dynamism. These findings provide valuable contributions to the existing literature that still lacks evidence about the moderating conditions that could increase or reduce the benefits that firms obtain from social media agility.

The Relationship Between Sensor Technology and Performance of Shipping Lines in Kenya: The Moderating Effect of International Maritime Regulations

Over time, firms have adopted various measures to enable them to improve their performance; one such measure is the adoption of technology. Shipping lines’ performance, just like any other organisation’s performance, is highly pegged on proper implementation and use of the right technology. The need for technology adoption arises from the fact that Kenya’s shipping sector has been characterised by low logistics efficiency due to high transportation costs, delayed delivery, clearance at the port, the influx of substandard goods into the country as well as poor tracking and tracing. If well utilised, the sensor technology can help solve these problems. The objective of this study, therefore, was to assess the relationship between sensor technology and the performance of shipping lines in Kenya and the moderating effect of international maritime regulations. The main theory of the study was the technology acceptance model supported by the task technology fit theory, institutional theory and theory of the firm. The positivist research philosophy and explanatory survey research design were utilised in this study. The target population was all the 2835 respondents who are logistics, IT, sales and marketing and finance staff of the 53 shipping lines listed in Kenya business directory 2021. The study sample size was 438 respondents who were staff from four departments and was determined by the use of the Yamane formula. A random stratified sampling design was utilised to arrive at specific respondents. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to the respondents. A pilot study was conducted in Mombasa from six shipping lines using 10% of the sample size; 50 questionnaires, but only 44 were filled and returned. The questionnaire was tested for both validity and reliability. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha index at 0.7, while the use of factor analysis ascertained validity. Quantitative data was appropriately coded and entered into SPSS version 20 for analysis to generate descriptive statistics (minimum, maximum, mean, standard deviation kurtosis and Skewness) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple linear regression and hierarchical regression model), which was then be presented in frequency tables and graphs. Results showed that there was a significant and positive relationship between sensor technology and the performance of shipping lines in Kenya. Also, international maritime regulations had a statistically significant moderating effect on the relationship between sensor technology and the performance of shipping lines in Kenya. It was concluded that shipping lines in Kenya utilised localisation technology to help in locating cargo during transportation, forecasting lead time accurately, mapping the route, eliminating delay, checking route deviation and tracking vessels. The study recommends that in order to enhance the shipping line's performance through efficient operations, the managers of these companies need to adopt and make use of the sensor technology.

Effects of improvisational behavior on entrepreneurial activities and firm performance: the moderating roles of firm size and business experience

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the effect of entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior on business risk-taking and opportunity recognition, as well as to analyze its subsequent impact on firm performance. Moreover, this study examined whether the effect of entrepreneurs’ improvisational behavior on business risk-taking and opportunity recognition could be moderated by firm size and the business experience of entrepreneurs.Design/methodology/approachOnline survey data were collected from 304 firms in Thailand that were randomly selected from a business directory. The data were assessed using partial least squares structural modeling.FindingsThe results confirmed that entrepreneurs who exhibited high levels of improvisational behavior tended to report that their firms engaged more actively in risk-taking and opportunity recognition. Moreover, risk-taking and opportunity recognition played a chain mediating effect in explaining the association between the improvisational behavior of entrepreneurs and firm performance. Regarding the moderating effects, this paper found that firm size negatively moderated the effect of improvisational behavior on risk-taking and opportunity recognition, while business experience of entrepreneurs only positively moderated the effect of improvisational behavior on risk-taking.Originality/valueThis study provided new knowledge by showing that improvisational behavior of entrepreneurs should be integrated with other firm advantages determined by firm size and the business experience of entrepreneurs to strengthen the ability to be more effective at risk-taking and opportunity recognition.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepali Enterprises

The purpose of this study is to assess the scenario of Covid-19 outbreak in Nepali firms and suggest policy-related issues for the survival and growth of small medium enterprises in Nepal. To carry out this research, the firms were identified based on the list published by the business directory, and a total of 500 questionnaires were distributed to these businesses, 404 responses were received. Responses, analyzed under descriptive research design, show that the majority of the small medium enterprises are highly affected by the pandemic and they have faced several difficulties such as decrease in demand, loss of profit, financial problem, etc. The analysis also shows that the number of business activities have been limited, and small and medium-sized businesses, in particular, are at high risk. The paper recommends the government should announce a special plan for businesses in order for them to survive the pandemic and return to normalcy gradually. The evidence shows that in this difficult situation, a company's internal profits can be low and bankers may be reluctant to lend money. As such, the company should actively consider using cash from existing investors.

Venture Capital and Growth of Small and Medium- Sized Enterprises in Kiambu County, Kenya

Purpose: The goal of the study was to look into the impact of Venture Capital financing on the growth of SMEs in Kenya's Kiambu County. The specific objectives included to assess the influence of Venture Capital financial support, Venture Capital managerial support, Venture Capital technical support and attracting other sources of Venture Capital financing on growth of SMEs in Kiambu County.
 Methodology: To achieve the goals, the study used a descriptive research approach. The target demographic included all 889SMEs in Kiambu County that are listed in the Kiambu Business Directory-(2021). The study used questionnaires and secondary data sheet as the data collection tools. The data collected was coded, quantified, processed and synthesized quantitatively and qualitatively.
 Findings: The study found that financial support, managerial support, technical support and Venture Capital monitoring affects the growth of SMEs in Kiambu County. The study found that in overall Venture Capital affects the growth of SMEs in Kiambu County to a great extent. The study concludes that financial support offers essential paths for increasing the pool of trained labor, increasing the output of goods and services, creating jobs and providing opportunity to develop entrepreneurial and management abilities. Through Venture Capital managerial support, creative skills, research skills, and strategic technologies are provided which are positively associated with firm growth. Venture Capital monitoring frameworks are responsible for observation of business operations, standard of measurements are crucial in preventing business failures, and vibrant transparency and accountability measures are important in directing enterprises development endeavors. From the inferential analysis, an increase in the Venture Capital financing aspects leads to growth of SMEs in Kiambu County.
 Unique Contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommends the SMEs in the County to partner with Venture Capitalists to benefit from financial support for greater successes. Venture Capital firms and SMEs to work together to form a friendly relationship through multi-party cooperation which will pave way for monitoring of the inputs and outputs of the Venture Capital.

Implementation of Digital Marketing with SEO on Gogalas Website for Business Directory Listing

Gogalas is a website-based application that serves as a directory listing for services and products of small and medium enterprises in the village. The implementation of digital marketing with search engine optimization (SEO) has been applied to improve the visibility and searchability of the website. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of implementing digital marketing with SEO in improving the website's search engine rankings and visibility. The research method used in this study is descriptive quantitative research with data collection techniques through observation and documentation. The research data was analyzed using a comparative descriptive analysis technique to compare the website's search engine rankings and visibility before and after implementing digital marketing with SEO. The study results showed a significant improvement in the website's search engine rankings and visibility after implementing digital marketing with SEO. The website's visibility increased by 76,59% visitor bounce ratio in line with organic search in the search engine results page (SERP). This proves that implementing digital marketing with SEO is an effective method for improving and visibility of the Gogalas website.

Deep Learning-Based Imputation Method to Enhance Crowdsourced Data on Online Business Directory Platforms for Improved Services

ABSTRACT Popular online business directory (OBD) platforms, such as Yelp and TripAdvisor, depend on voluntarily user-submitted data about various businesses to assist consumers in finding appropriate options for transactions. Yet the crowdsourced nature of such data restricts the availability of attribute values for many businesses on the platform. Crowdsourced data often suffer serious completeness and timeliness constraints, with negative implications for key stakeholders such as users, businesses, and the platform. We thus develop a novel, deep learning–based imputation method, premised in institutional theory, to estimate missing attribute values of individual businesses on an OBD platform. The proposed method leverages a deep model architecture and considers both inter-business and inter-attribute relationships for imputations. An application to a Yelp data set reveals our method’s greater imputation effectiveness relative to prevalent methods. To illustrate the method’s practical utilities and values, we further examine the efficacy of business recommendations empowered by its imputed business attribute values, in comparison with those enabled by data imputed by benchmark methods. The results affirm that the proposed method substantially outperforms benchmarks for imputing missing attribute values and empowers more effective business recommendations. This study addresses crucial, prominent completeness and timeliness constraints in crowdsourced data on OBD platforms and offers insights for downstream applications that can improve user experiences, firm performance, and platform services.

Expectations of industrial enterprises towards suppliers related to management of quality, environment and occupational health and safety systems

The aim of the article is to present the expectations of industrial enterprises towards suppliers related to quality, envi-ronment, occupational health and safety management systems (QEOH &SMS). The article presents the results of empiri-cal research conducted in 151 companies operating on the Polish B2B market. The study was commissioned to a spe-cialised research agency that conducted a targeted selection of companies registered in the Bisnode database, which is a business directory search platform. The expectations of production companies towards their suppliers regarding the implementation of QEOH&SMS were assigned a rank on a scale from one (the least important criterion) to five (the most significant). The methodological apparatus in this study was set so that it was possible to fulfil the research goal based on empirical data. A questionnaire was used to verify the characteristics of the operational process after the implementation of particular managerial systems. This article examines the relationship between the requirements for suppliers and the implementation of management systems by manufacturing companies. The results of the conducted research indicate that expectations of industrial enterprises towards suppliers related to QEOH&SMS are strongly focused on their development. Research shows that companies that adhere to the requirements of standardised man-agement systems have a greater requirement for suppliers than companies that do not implement QEOH & SM require-ments. In particular, the implementation of quality and environmental management systems by the surveyed organisa-tions translates into increased requirements for suppliers. The article contributes to the existing scientific literature by analysing the impact of the implementation of individual management systems on the expectations towards suppliers. This study shows which of the 18 examined aspects are particularly important for manufacturing companies. Addition-ally, the expectations towards suppliers were classified into four groups (Corrective, Preventive, Improvement, Innova-tion).

Sociolinguistics of Names of Hotels in Accra

In recent times, the language in public spaces (as seen in street names, school names, names of buildings, names of metro stations, names of tourist attractions, and commercial signs) has attracted scholarly attention in onomastics, with the focus on how it reflects the linguistic situation of urban landscapes and how it can be used to construct several identities. The present study aimed to investigate names of hotels in Accra – the capital city of Ghana, with considerable financial, cultural, and industrial significance – using Landry & Bouris’s (1997) Linguistic Landscape as a theory. The data comprises 160 hotel names accessed from the website of Yello Ghana, a well-known business directory. The analysis revealed, first, that most of the hotels deployed English monolingual names, with a few utilising bilingual names. Closely allied to this finding is the trend towards globalisation, as captured in some names of hotels. These key findings have implications for the scholarship in onomastics, urban landscape, language policy and planning, and further research.

Supply Chain Management Practices and Marketing Performance of Boutiques in Port Harcourt

Due to the globalization of markets world over, supply chain management practices have become conduits for high marketing performance for business organizations. This study examined the influence of supply chain management practices on marketing performance of Boutiques in Port Harcourt. A quantitative and causal research design was adopted to take on board the four (4) hypotheses formulated for the study. The population of this study consists of eight hundred and eighty-nine (889) registered Boutiques in Port Harcourt, whose authentic list was derived from the Business Directory of the Rivers State Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and sample size of two hundred and sixty-nine (269) was attained with the Krejcie and Morgan table. A self-structured questionnaire designed in the five-point Likert scale was used to obtained primary data from five hundred and thirty-eight (538) respondents (key informants; sales representatives and customer relationship managers), purposely chosen from the selected two hundred and sixty-nine (269) Boutiques, through a cross-sectional survey. The face validity of the questionnaire was established by professionals consisting of scholars and business practitioners with adequate knowledge of the subject matter. The construct and content validity were confirmed from previous researchers who used it, with slight adjustments. The research hypotheses were tested with the simple regression technique with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. The results show that strategic supplier partnership has a very strong, significant and positive influence on customer patronage and brand awareness, and information sharing has a strong, significant and positive influence on customer patronage and brand awareness. The study therefore concludes that supply chain management practices positively and significantly influence marketing performance of Boutiques in Port Harcourt. Therefore, the study recommends that the management of Boutiques in Port Harcourt should scrutinize their supply chain management practices and ensure incessant modernization of strategic supplier partnership and information sharing in order to enhance their marketing performance.

American Warsaw: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Polish ChicagoPoles in Illinois

American Warsaw: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Polish ChicagoPoles in Illinois

Towards Social Networks Integrated Domain-Specific Business Directories: A Design Science Approach

This research work relates to the paradigm of business pages hosted on social networking sites, as they are increasingly gaining attention among business organizations as a potential source of their community outreach. However, the social networking sites whilst offering several necessary community services, are currently lacking the support for the domain specific features of specific types of organizations such as research and innovation laboratories, educational and training institutes and many others. Undertaking a design science research approach, we investigate the stated problem in more detail in a specific type of organizations termed as Innovation Laboratories. As a result, we propose designing domain specific business directories while simultaneously integrating them with the business pages hosted on existing social networking sites. We demonstrate the feasibility and application of our proposed model through a web-based tool named as “SIDIL - Social networks Integrated Directory of Innovation Laboratories”. The tool has been evaluated by the experts running Innovation Laboratories and found effective in achieving its objectives. As a conclusion, we present a motivation towards designing next generation of online and integrated business networking platforms.