Environmental scanning strategy of manufacturing companies in southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the environmental scanning strategy of manufacturing companies in southwestern Nigeria against the background that manufacturing companies in Nigeria exist in a challenging environment characterised by high import dependency, inappropriate policies, lack of transparent governance and weak industrial capabilities. Empirical data was collected with a questionnaire from a sample of 84 manufacturing firms in southwestern Nigeria. It was observed that generally companies in the industry actively engage in systematic gathering, analyses and assimilation of information about the business environment as strategic input into planning. The main objective of firms’ search was to obtain information required to initiate or support strategies for competing in the domestic market. Central among the factors determining the companies’ level of intrusiveness into the environment are companies’ capacity to interpret changes in the environment, available channels of information and quality of information.

Keywords:

• business environment
• environmental scanning
• environmental analysability
• environmental uncertainty
• manufacturing
• strategy
• technology
• capabilities