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Two AUN Graduate students jointly presented two well received research papers at the 10th CBER-MEC International Conference on Business and Economic Development (ICBED) 10-12 June 2021. The virtual conference was co-hosted by the Center for Business and Economic Research and Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, USA.

Ms. Ndifreke Clinton-Etim and Theoneste Manishimwe, Master's degree students in the Department of Business Administration, School of Business Administration, presented papers on 'Vertical Integration and Financial Performance in African Emerging Economies: A Case Study of Olam Nigeria Limited, Nigeria', and 'Investigating the Level of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Desire for Self-employment of Students in Selected Tertiary Institutions, North-East Nigeria'.

The students presented their findings on vertical integration in the session on Entrepreneurship in Emerging & Developing Economies which was chaired by Professor Zafar Ahmad, Principal, Hailey College of Commerce, University of the Punjab, Pakistan. Relying on empirical evidence drawn from the company's financial record and questionnaires to employees, the researchers identified "a positive impact between the components of vertical integration and financial performance measures in Olam Nigeria Limited.”

In "Investigating the Level of Entrepreneurial Orientation… ", Manishimwe Theoneste and Ndifreke Clinton-Etim investigated the level of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of students in Yola against the background of the Boko Haram insurgency. The researchers examined the difference between the level of entrepreneurial orientations of students before (BEO) and after taking entrepreneurship modules (AEO) while relying on primary data collected from three different tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The study recommends solutions for improving and developing an effective entrepreneurial orientation strategy in tertiary institutions.

Mr. Theoneste Manishimwe described the research as the first of such relevant study in the North-East Region of Nigeria. "We were motivated in this study in anticipation of the national and global need for sustainable development through entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions and vertical integration strategy in the fast-growing global market competition,”. He added that creating and grooming more entrepreneurs is critical in Nigeria, and the education system is indispensable in achieving this feat. Therefore, there is a need for evaluating the implementation of 2006 Nigerian Presidential directives to introduce entrepreneurship education into curricula and examine its impacts on employment.

Ms. Ndifreke commended the AUN Graduate program for promoting research aligned with the University's development philosophy and for linking community development imperatives to the global entrepreneurship scholarship.

Reported by Our Staff