Journal of Applied Economics, Social Dynamics, and Business

Managers and level of satisfaction of business information by different categories of small and medium scale entrepreneurs in Zaria and Kaduna

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated managers and level of satisfaction of business information by different categories of small and medium scale entrepreneurs in Zaria and Kaduna. The research method adopted was the survey method and population consisted of 376 and 370 entrepreneurs in Zaria and Kaduna respectively. Three research questions guided the study. Questionnaires were used for data collection. Percentages were used for data analysis. Results showed that most of the small and medium entrepreneurs are sole traders. Entrepreneurs and sales personnel manage the business information and this has made their level of satisfaction to be low. The study recommended that collaborative efforts be encouraged between Librarians especially those in public libraries, Industrial Development Centres (IDC) to be involved in social entrepreneurship, schools of librarianship should offer practical, goal-oriented courses, awareness campaign should be organized by information scientists. The study concludes that information managers be used to increase the level of business information satisfaction

Microcredit Participation and Welfare Outcomes for Small and Microbusinesses in Ekiti State, Nigeria: Evidence of Users and Non-Users

Abimbola Oluwaseun Oladipo, Ignatius Okoye Machi, Joshua Benjamin Yabanat — Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the effects of microcredit participation on welfare outcomes of small and micro enterprises (SMEs) in Ekiti, Southwest Nigeria. The study used primary data which included 638 respondents who were divided into two groups of 441 microcredit users and 197 non-users. The various statistical methods used in analyzing the factors which affected participation and the resulting economic and social outcomes include descriptive statistics, independent sample mean difference tests through t-test and Mann–Whitney U tests, chi-square tests and logistic regression. Users of microcredit programs showed higher income generation, employment creation, business expansion and access to basic services when compared to non-users. The mean difference tests demonstrate moderate to large effect sizes which exceeded Cohen's d range of 0.42 to 0.73, thus confirming the statistical strength of the differences. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that microcredit participation positively impacts income generation, employment creation, business expansion and access to basic services. The Hosmer–Lemeshow test confirms a good model fit (χ² = 7.82, df = 8, p = 0.55), with the model explaining 75% of variations in welfare outcomes (Nagelkerke R² = 0.75). To enhance its effectiveness, policymakers need to develop strategies which will expand microcredit access while providing financial literacy education and customized support programs that will empower women to manage their funding and build their businesses effectively

Influence of Institutional Quality on the Financial Development and Economic Growth Nexus in Sub-Saharan African Countries

Cyprain S. Anyalagbu, Ekene Ekemezie, Chibuike R. Oguanobi — Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In Sub Saharan Africa, the struggle for sustainable economic prosperity still is the challenge of converting financial expansion into sustainable economic prosperity. The banking sector has been expanded, with financial activity following suit, in many countries in the region, but the benefits of growth are not always realized because of poor governance, corruption and weak legal systems. The above implies that financial development is not an isolated process, but also involves the effectiveness of the institutional environment. This study's analysis was based on the augmented Mankiw-Romer-Weil model where the human capital and financial factors were added to the production function. The study employed a 2-step System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) approach to overcome the endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity issues faced by twenty Sub-Saharan African countries during the period 2007–2024. To examine the moderating role of institutional quality on finance-growth relationship, multiplicative interaction terms were included. The robust approach to estimating the inequalities was realized by using Random Effects and thorough diagnostic analysis (Bond and Hansen tests) and complex econometric packages were used to estimate the inequalities. The results showed mixed relationship between the variables and weak correlation between financial development indicators, namely FIA (−0.0838), FIE (0.1778) and FMD (−0.0915) with real GDP growth. The Bond (2002) test confirmed that the lagged dependent variable (LDV) had different FE (0.4279) and OLS (−0.6244) estimates, thus supporting the use of the System GMM estimator. The cross-sectional dependence tests were significant, with Pesaran FE and Friedman FE giving a p=0.0000 and 0.0000 respectively. The results of system GMM revealed that FIA had a negative effect on growth (−0.6329; p<0.05) and institutional quality and FIA had a positive effect on growth (0.2182; p<0.01). Model validation was done by diagnostic tests and was validated for model validity with AR(2) (0.074) and Hansen (0.165). The study found that development of financial services without an accompanying strengthening of governance does not seem to have any economic pay-off. Thus, a key priority for policy makers is to bring about institutional changes, particularly in the area of regulatory integrity and corruption control, to enable financial systems to play a role in effectively channeling capital into productive investments

The International Financial Reporting Standard (IRS) and merger and acquisition in Nigeria

Juliet Chika Ekwugha , Bonaventure Chukwu — Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The study seeks to examine the International Financial Reporting Standard (IRS) and merger and acquisition in Nigeria. The objective of the study is to determine the impact of international accounting standard in merger and acquisition in the development of the Nigerian economy, and investigate the effects of merger and acquisition on the confidence of the serving public, as well examined factors that hinder international accounting practice in merger and acquisition in Nigeria. The Researchers used expo-factor research design to conduct the research involving primary and secondary data collected from the central bank of Nigeria (CBN) 2013/2014 and 2015 to 2022 statistical bulletin. The analysis was presented and analyzed with the aid of students’ T-test statistical tools and regression analysis using SPSS software which yielded a mixed result, with a higher positive result on international financial accounting practice in merger and acquisition. The researchers discovered that the Nigerian Accounting Standards Board have been replaced with the Financial Reporting Council Act 2011, they also discovered that institutions find it difficult to embark on voluntary merger until the CBN recommend for merger and acquisition. The researchers recommends that institutions considering merger should follow the international financial reporting standard (IRS) Banks and institutions should embark on voluntary consolidation instead of waiting for the CBN forced merger and acquisition.