OBOM Otonye1 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
HARCOURT Horsfall2 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
NWULU, Chinyere Stella3
123Department of Faculty of Administration and Management Sciences
Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keywords:<\/strong> Market leadership, operational efficiency, operational flexibility, responsiveness, supplier rationalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abstract<\/strong>
This study examined of the interplay between supplier rationalization and competitiveness of indigenous shipping firms in Nigeria. The study adopted an explanatory research design and collected primary data in a cross-sectional survey. 3,608 registered indigenous shipping firms constituted the population of the study. The Krejcie and Morgan (1970) Table for sample size determination was relied upon to derive a sample size of 351. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. The reliability of the instrument was confirmed via the Cronbach\u2019s alpha test. The Spearman\u2019s rank order correlation served as test statistic; and was facilitated by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. The study found that supplier rationalization relates to competitiveness of indigenous shipping firms. This is because supplier rationalization showed positive and statistically significant relationship with all the proxies of competitiveness. The study concludes that supplier rationalization relates to competitiveness; and that competitiveness of indigenous shipping firms in terms of responsiveness, operational flexibility, operational efficiency and market leadership depend on supplier rationalization. Hence, the study recommends that indigenous shipping firms in Nigeria that desire improved competitiveness should cultivate and nurture mutually satisfying partnerships with selected suppliers to enjoy relational equity and efficiency. This must however, be consistent with company goals and resources with observed and expected market and marketing trends and opportunities<\/p>\n\n\n\n