EFFECT OF GLOBAL MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS MANAGEMENT ON BUSINESS COMPETITIVE POSITION IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

EFFECT OF GLOBAL MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS MANAGEMENT ON BUSINESS COMPETITIVE POSITION IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1             Background of the Study

The history of globalization dates back to the era of mercantilism in the 19^th and 18^th centuries (Ogiji and Irem, 2010). The global effect of manufacturing and materials management has been felt on Nigeria business competitive position from the time of the early influences, to the time of independence and establishment of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 1960 till date. In 1946, the Nigerian Breweries Plc was first established in Nigeria (Nigerian Breweries Plc Report, 2011). This was also the year the first Pre-independence colonial development plan was done; it lasted for ten years till 1956. It was fully funded by the British colonial government. Its objective was to co-ordinate and increases the colonies’ production of primary commodities and raw materials essential to the war effort (Shell Annual Report, 2008).

In the 1950s, the techniques of Operations Research which were developed in 1945 during the second war were applied in materials planning aspects of Linear Programming (Taha, 2008). In 1960 which was also the year of Nigeria’s Economic Independence, the Central Bank of Nigeria was established to regulate banking activities in Nigeria which idea has developed since 1891 and the first Commercial Bank namely the Bank of British West Africa was established in 1894 which metamorphosed to the present First Bank of Nigeria. It is the responsibility of the Central Bank of Nigeria to formulate monetary policy and regulate global banking activities in Nigeria (Adekanye, 2008). Between 1962 and 1985 there were four Post Independence Development Plans but unfortunately none of the plans had the objective of getting a global effect of manufacturing and materials management on Nigeria business competitive position…..

EFFECT OF GLOBAL MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS MANAGEMENT ON BUSINESS COMPETITIVE POSITION IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA