RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATION AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN THE TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The purpose of this explanatory study was to evaluate the association between Research and Development Integration and Business Performance in the Telecommunication Industry in Nigeria. The investigation relied on a structured questionnaire to elicit data from respondents, which were analyzed by the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Thus the mean and standard deviation of the distribution were determined by the descriptive analyses while the Spearman Rank Order Correlation was used to ascertain the association between Research and Development Integration and the measures of business performance notably sales growth and market share. The statistical outcomes indicate an association between R&D Integration and Business Performance in the Telecommunication Industry in Nigeria. Based on this, the study recommends that the adoption and application of R&D Integration strategy by the managers of the Nigerian Telecommunication firms should be irrevocably sustained and maximized because in the 21st century successes in corporate engineering is centred on the innovativeness of the enterprise. The dynamics of consumer needs and wants, expectations and preferences can only be met by an equally proactive research and development agenda.