UNVEILING THE LINK BETWEEN QUALITY INITIATIVES IN CASHEW PRODUCTION AND MARKET SUSTAINABILITY IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIAPages 35-48
Abstract
This study focused on quality initiatives and market sustainability of cashew producers in North Central Nigeria. The study specifically determined the effect of training completion on operational inefficiencies of cashew producers; assessed the effect of response time on financial stability of cashew producers; and explore the effect of adherence to standards on the market opportunities of cashew producers. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The study purposively sampled 127 key cashew producers in Kogi State. Snowball sampling technique was triangulated with the purposive sampling. Content validity was used to ascertain the validity of the instrument. The study gathered and analyzed data using both descriptive and inferential statistics, employing Structural Equation Model as the chosen statistical tool. Results showed that training completion has a statistically significant positive effect on operational efficiency (β= 0.9173; p-value < 0.01); response time significantly improves financial stability (β= 0.5923; p-value < 0.01); and that adherence to standards does not significantly influence market opportunities (β= -0.0101; p-value > 0.05). This study established that training completion and response time can enhance operational efficiency and financial stability, respectively. The study recommended that cashew producers should prioritise and fund extensive workforce training programs in order to improve operational efficiency, and that they can improve their financial stability by putting initiatives in place to streamline their procedures and shorten their response times.
Keywords: Quality Initiatives,
Market Sustainability,
Response Time,
Training Completion,
Operational Efficiencies.
|
Samson Achem, 
PDF 