EFFECT OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES ON CORPORATE PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIAN BOTTLING

Background of the Study

The impact of these improvements represents a step change in practice and performance. Continuous improvement adopts an approach to improvement that assumes a never-ending series of small incremental improvement steps (Tecce & Pisano, 1994), for example reducing a machine changeover time or within a service setting dealing with a customer complaint in real time. Continuous improvement is not concerned with promoting small improvements per se, but it does see small improvements as having one significant advantage over larger ones, they can be followed relatively painlessly by others. It is not the rate of improvement which is important; it is the momentum of improvement. Continuous improvement is defined as a “systematic effort to seek out and apply new ways of doing work i.e. actively and repeatedly making process improvements”, (Anand et al., 2009, p 444 ) and “process improvements are defined as enhancements in operational processes” where the ability to consistently improve current processes and learn new ones is termed continuous improvement capability (Ittner and Larcker, 1997)

Continuous improvement as the name suggests is an ongoing effort to improve processes, services, and products through continuous incremental improvements (Asq.org, 2017).

• A continuous stream of incremental improvements in all processes for a better business performance involving everyone in the organization (Ljungström and Klefsjö, 2002).
• Continuous improvement means that improvement activities never end (Liker and Meier, 2013).

By the above definitions and from the perspectives of researchers, it is evident that continuous improvement is not something which is a onetime project but it is a never-ending cycle that requires an understanding of the processes, teamwork, and commitment on regular basis to optimize productivity

EXECUTIVE SUCCESSION AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN SELECTED TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE/INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Change is endemic in all organizations. One area of organizational change is executive succession.All organizations,including business organizations, that have historical pasts, experience executive changes at one time or the otherbecause while individuals come and go, the organizations in which they have found themselves, in whatever capacity, remain. Unlike the start-up companies that have only experienced initial selection of top management staff and have no history of succession and succession planning, all companies that are going concerns do the selection of their top management staff within the context of choosing a successor. However, one of the things that should actually be of interest to one with a discerning mindas these changes take place is to examine the mode of entry of new and exit of old top management staff; the reason being that some of such successions have been done in smooth seamless transition, while others have been quite schismic, cataclysmic and catastrophic. Besides, as the business organizations are going concerns that are expected to make profits and satisfy their stakeholders, it has become an area of research interest to assess how organizational performance is affected whenever such executive changes take place in them. Also, in view of the fact that the top management is charged with strategic thinking, and it is at that level that organizations are given strategic directions, the interest in the performance effect of executive successions in these companies is not out of place(Colley, Doyle, Logan and Stettinus, 2003:91-98).

To be specific, thefocus of this work is to assess how executive successionin the transnational companies operating in Southern Nigeriaaffects organizational performance. However, our approach to the issue of executive succession and organizational performance in this study is not whether executive succession in the transnational companieshas an effect on organizational performance in Southern Nigeria per se. Rather our position is to establish the extent to which these executive changes occurring in the transnational companies affect the stakeholders in the Region (Boyne, James and Petrovsky, 2009:1). Hitherto, executive succession in those companies was an internal affair; but nowadays, other stakeholders, who are not necessarily shareholders in these organizations, are becoming interested in how executive changes in these organizations are carried out, and how they affect them. Simply put, apart from the shareholders and employees who are closer to the organizations, the customers, the suppliers of raw materials, the funds suppliers, environmentalists, non-governmental organizations, governments and their agencies, and the society at large, have developed interest in the executive changes in these organizations around them. Interestingly, each of these stakeholders assesses the success or failure of these organizations from how these changes have met his or her personal interests. This is noticeable in the increasing incidence of youth restiveness, resulting in high profile kidnappingsin the Region, which include foreigners, due to the high rate of youth unemployment (Hambrick, 1989:5-6; Broeker, 1992: 400-402; Grube, 1995:42-43; Plitch, 2003: B-3F).

Over time managing the process and consequences of top management turnover and succession has become a challenge to organizations; for whether the exit is voluntary or forced, or whether the succession is done internally or externally, there is usually a reaction, negative or positive, from the stakeholders. Recent literature on strategic management succession, has tried to focus attention on these challenges which organizations face in the event of top management turnover or succession (Kesner and Sabora, 1994:327-329; Khurana, 2001: 91-95; Khurana, 2002 cited in Cao, Maruping and Takeuchi, 2006:563-566; Huson, Malatesta and Parino, 2004:237-239; Cao, Maruping and Takeuchi, 2006:563-566). As organizational managers, the top management teams (TMTs) of organizations have become so influential and powerful that they cannot be ignored in the process of examining the performance or non-performance of such organizations (Hambrick, 1981:263-265; Boeker, 1992:400-402; Pettigrew, 1992:163-168).

To properly focus this study in a historical perspective, it is imperative that we trace the growth of management theory from early influences to the era of the industrial revolution, the Scientific Management Movement, to the modern era typified by the Japanese and American management thoughts.

ENVRIONMENT AND WORKERS PERFORMANCE IN A PUBLIC ORGANIZATION IN NIGERIA; A STUDY OF PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AGENEY (PRODA) ENUGU   

ABSTRACT

The topic of this study is impact of environmental factors on workers performance in public Organization in Nigeria, (A case study of project Development Agency (PRODA), Enugu. Environmental Factors are of two kinds: internal and external. They both influence the worker’s performance; therefore there is the need to find out how PRODA management are able to cope with the problems caused by the environmental factors. To carry out the study the researcher used both primary and secondary sources of data. The main instrument used to gather relevant data was the questionnaire. Harvard style of reference was used. Five research questions were drawn for the analysis. The simple statistical method of frequency and percentages were used the population size was 155 while the sample size was 113 the figure used for the analysis was 90 respondents. The validity and reliability of the instrument were tested. The researchers made some findings they include:  To a very large extent Government fiscal and tax policies affect the performance of workers in the organization. Political and legal activities of government play significant roles in the administration of the organization. Technology as a factor affect workers performance. The researcher recommended that the management of the organization should study Government Fiscal and tax policies so that it can be properly guided. The management should study government activities and take advantage of it and that it has to endeavour to abide by the laws guiding public service. The values of technology must be embraced by the management. In other words it must provide funds to buy necessary tools, equipment, etc.