PurposeThis study investigates and contextualises the Igbo Traditional Business School (ITBS) and planned entrepreneurial behaviour across Nigerian higher education sector in a period of crisis occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a quantitative survey of undergraduate students on ITBS, and the data were analysed using the SmartPLS structural equation modelling (SEM).FindingsThe study finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has had negative influence on attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control (PBC) and entrepreneurial intention (EI) of students, but these negative influences are mediated/moderated by the ITBS.Practical implicationsThe study presents some practical and managerial implications that will be of interest to ITBS administrators, the government and other stakeholder groups.Originality/valueWhile research has increasingly explored the role of the ITBS in promoting entrepreneurial activities, not much has been linked to coping mechanisms for students in crisis times. The study unearths the “positive” influence of the pandemic on entrepreneurship and how the ITBS mediates the “negative” aspects of COVID-19 on entrepreneurial vocation.

The study focuses on effect of corporate branding on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria. The objective of the study is to: determine the effect of brand awareness on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria; ascertain the nature of the relationship between brand associations and sales performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria and determine the influence of perceived quality on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria. The population size was 1168 out of which a sample size of 369 was realized using Cochran’s sample size at 5% error tolerance and 95% level of confidence. Instruments used for data collection were primarily questionnaire and interview. Out of 369 copies of the questionnaire that were distributed, 385 copies were returned while 11 were not returned. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient t and Simple Linear Regression Statistical tools. The findings indicate that brand awareness significantly affect performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0.864; t = 33.536; p < 0.05). That there is a positive relationship between brand associations and performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0. 812, p < .05). That perceived quality significantly influences performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0.883; t = 36.848; p < 0.05). The study concluded that branding enable customers to distinguish between different products and services and recognize what they perceive satisfies their needs the most. The study recommended that manufacturing firms should adopt brand awareness so as to ensure that customers’ recall and recognize the brand as reflected by their ability and to identify the brand under different conditions which will promote firms’ performance. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0859/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

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The COVID-19 disruption of supply chains has motivated manufacturing companies in Nigeria to build and maintain supply chain visibility, robustness, and resilience to remain third-party logistics providers. It is vital to have an adequate understanding of third-party logistics performance drivers. Most studies have concentrated on third-party logistics capability, while few others explored the impact of relational governance structures on performance. However, studies examining the synergy between third-party logistics capability and relationship management are scarce. The purpose of this study is to investigate the stimulators of third-party logistics performance in the Nigerian manufacturing industry. A descriptive survey, e-mail questionnaire, and PLS-SEM approach was used to collect and analyze the data from a sample of 364 manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The findings indicated that relationship management has a significant positive association with third-party logistics capability (β= 0.785, t = 3.457, p &amp;lt; 0.001); relationship management has a significant negative association with supply chain risk (β= –0.209, t = 4.149, p &amp;lt; 0.001); third-party logistics capability has a significant negative association with supply chain risk (β = –0.620, t = 3.199, p &amp;lt; 0.001); supply chain risk has a significant negative association with logistics performance (β= –0.695 t = 5.396, p &amp;lt; 0.001). Hence, relationship management, third-party logistics capability, and supply chain risk are drivers of third-party logistics performance. Therefore, supply chain partners should manage their relationships to strengthen third-party logistics capability and reduce all kinds of uncertainties and risks.

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