UNILAG Journal of Business

ENTREPRENEURSHIP FINANCING: A SHIFT TO CROWDFUNDING AS ENABLER OF STARTUP AND BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY

A. O. ADESANYA — 2025-07-07

Entrepreneurship remains one of the most studied topics in the literature because of its assumed impact on generating employment, poverty alleviation and contribution to economic growth worldwide. Despite the assumed benefits, access to financial resources continues to be a major factor hampering startups, connectivity of entrepreneurial firms to global networks and competitiveness. The objective of this paper is to explore the role of the crowdfunding financing model, generally viewed as a modern financing option, in startups and venture sustainability. It critically examines whether crowdfunding is a viable alternative to the traditional methods of financing entrepreneurial businesses and its effect on business sustainability. A literature review approach was adopted to identify the effect of two crowdfunding options, crowd-equity and peer-to-peer, on startups and entrepreneurial firms’ sustainability. Findings reveal a positive influence of crowdfunding on financing startups, and on entrepreneurial sustainability as it covers the financing gap of traditional sources such as bank loans, business angels and venture capitalists. The study suggests that there is a need for more emphasis on crowdfunding as a strategic option for promoting and sustaining entrepreneurship. The introduction of regulatory framework aimed at protecting crowd-funders from losing their investments will enhance crowdfunding outcome.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND ITS EFFECT ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF FINTECH ENTERPRISES IN NIGERIA

A. ADEYEMI — 2025-07-07

It is important secure the confidence of all stakeholders in any business in order to guarantee the performance and sustainability of enterprises within the context of globalisation and internationalization. These objectives can only be achieved within an organisational culture and environment founded on honesty, transparency, and accountability. A firm whose behaviors are grounded in ethical ideals. This research aims to determine the relationship between corporate governance and sustainable performance in the context of Fintech businesses in Nigeria. A sample of 30 respondents from the Nigerian fintech startup Unified Payments (UP) was selected through a multi-stage sampling technique. The data was examined utilizing descriptive statistics. This study's findings provide novel insights into corporate governance and performance, grounded in the corporate governance architecture of Unified Payments Services Limited. The findings of this study reveal that Board Structure has statistically significant effect on the Financial Performance of fintech firms in Nigeria, since at the overall level, board structure can bring significant effect to the financial performance. Specifically, the major finding show that for Nigeria Fintech companies to be above board, Corporate Governance framework elements like Transparency and Disclosure, Ethics and Compliance as well as Regulatory Framework and Compliance are required to entrench strong ethical practice for all licensed fintech companies.

THE ROLE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN DECISION MAKING: A STUDY OF FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA

Olufemi Akintunde — 2025-07-08

Emotional intelligence (EI) significantly influences decision-making by allowing individuals to understand and manage their own emotions as well as those of others. This emotional awareness enhances judgment, strengthens interpersonal relationships, and leads to more effective and empathetic decisions in both personal and professional contexts. The objectives of this study are to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence among management on the quality of decisions, strategic decision-making, team performance, and leadership practices. Data for the study were collected using a self-designed questionnaire, developed through an extensive literature review. The questionnaire underwent validation and a pilot test to ensure reliability, which was confirmed to be consistent. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods were employed to analyze the collected data. The findings demonstrated a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and the quality of decision-making by managers (r=0.760, p=0.00<0.05). Similarly, a positive and significant relationship was found between emotional intelligence and strategic decision-making by managers (r=0.658, p=0.00<0.05), as well as between emotional intelligence and team performance (r=0.541, p=0.00<0.05). The study recommends that management within the bank prioritize the development of an effective emotional resilience program. This initiative aims to cultivate a healthier and more emotionally intelligent leadership team, ultimately enhancing overall organizational performance.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT PEDAGOGY, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: COROLLARY ON GRADUATES ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS

A. F. OJAPINWA — 2025-08-19

The widening gap between the poor and the non-poor, sharp decline in living standards, slow pace of job creation, and the seemingly intractable unemployment problems which have characterized the development process in Nigeria, provide some perspectives on the development challenges facing social and economic progress of the nation, despite the introduction of entrepreneurship development course into the Nigerian higher institutions curriculum 25 years ago, in other to enhance skills acquisition and reduce unemployment. Based on this fact, this study explored the corollary of entrepreneurship development pedagogy and emotional intelligence on entrepreneurial intentions of graduate students that served in three selected states (Lagos, Ogun and Ondo) in south-west Nigeria. The descriptive survey research design was adopted. The participants were 403 corp members selected via convenient sampling technique. Data were collected through standardised questionnaires. The hypothesis proposed was tested using multiple regression with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Result showed a significant influence of entrepreneurship development pedagogy and emotional intelligence on entrepreneurial intentions of the participants (F (2, 400) = 26.8, p<.05), with R² of .118. This study recommends that, there should be a robust and stimulating pedagogical approach to teaching entrepreneurship development courses in our various institutions in order to promote and increase acquisition of skill (emotional intelligence) needed to be an employer of labour and for students to learn its importance early in their academic programmes as a means of solving unemployment problem in Nigeria.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING CULTURE: A STUDY OF OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA

O Akinleye — 2025-08-29

This study investigated the effect of strategic leadership on organizational learning culture, focusing on how different leadership styles influence the development of a learning-oriented environment within organizations to help the organization achieve its long-term goal. The research specifically explored transformational, transactional, autocratic, laissez-faire, and democratic leadership styles, assessing their effects on employee engagement in learning activities and their contribution to fostering a culture of continuous learning. Using a mixed method of combining quantitative data collected via structured questionnaires with qualitative insights from in-depth interviews, purposive and convenience sampling techniques were employed to draw the sample for the study. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics while the formulated hypotheses were tested using Regression analysis and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) Coefficient at 0.05 level of significance. The study’s findings revealed that strategic leadership significantly affects organizational learning, as shown by a correlation analysis (r = .655, p < 0.05), demonstrating a strong link between leadership practices and employee engagement in learning activities. In addition to the quantitative analysis, qualitative findings from participants emphasized the importance of visionary leadership in embedding a learning culture. Many respondents highlighted the need for strategic leaders who not only set clear organizational goals but also encourage innovation and knowledge sharing across all levels. This insight underscores the pivotal role of leadership in fostering an environment that supports continuous learning and development. Overall, the study concludes that strategic leadership plays a vital role in developing and sustaining an organizational learning culture. Leadership practices that emphasize inspiration, motivation, and structured reward systems are most effective in promoting employee engagement in learning, thereby contributing to the organization's overall success and adaptability in a competitive environment.

ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS AS DETERMINANTS OF TALENT EXPATRIATION AMONG SELECTED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) FIRMS IN NIGERIA

T. O. Raji — 2025-08-29

In recent years, the rate of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) talent emigration from Nigeria has been a major concern to most ICT firms. Companies are doing everything possible to retain their talents and maintain their competitive edge. Unfortunately, the more they try to retain them, the more the experts emigrate. This study examines the factors responsible for talent expatriation at the micro organisational level.. Three micro-level factors of higher compensation, organisational culture and management support are considered. The study adopted a quantitative method with a population of 350, a sample size of 187 and 142 copies of the questionnaire were returned, representing a 76% questionnaire response rate. The impact of these determinants is tested individually and as a group to establish their respective effects on talent expatriation using correlation and regression analysis. The study confirmed that all three factors have a strong, positive relationship with talent expatriation among selected ICT firms; however, management support, combined organisational factors, and organisational culture are the top three factors contributing to talent expatriation in the ICT industry. The paper recommends that ICT firms’ management should enhance Compensation Packages, Strengthen Management Support Structures, promote flexible work arrangements and partner with government agencies to create an enabling environment that supports talent retention.