Corporate parenting and corporate-level strategy in integrated oil and gas industry : (a case study of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation)

Corporate parenting and corporate-level strategy concepts are about value creation and gaining corporate advantage. This study will identify the successful world-class practices or ideals inherent in the literature, benchmark them with the currently embedded corporate parenting and corporate-level strategy practices in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and highlight any gaps arising. To close the gaps, the study will suggest adoption of any identified non-existent ideals and effective practice of those currently present. Five research questions are explored in this study, namely: what world-class corporate parenting ideals are being practised in the corporate centre of the NNPC? What world-class corporate parenting ideals are nonexistent in the corporate centre’s management of the NNPC? What are the evidences that suggest that the strategic business units (SBUs) and corporate services units (CSUs) play their roles within the corporate parenting framework? What effects do the ideal corporate parenting practices bear on the corporate design of the NNPC? And what effect does government control over the NNPC have on its current corporate parenting and corporate-level strategies? The case study research strategy and subjectivistic research approach were deployed. An actual sample size of 181 respondents and two interviewees were deployed for the study. The research instruments used for the data collection were the semi-structured, self-completed questionnaire and semi-structured personal interview guides. The results showed that 73 ideals were being practised or present and 44 ideals were not being practised or existent in the corporate centre of the NNPC, the SBUs and CSUs were playing their roles within the corporate parenting framework and that corporate parenting practices had bearing on the corporate design of the NNPC. Also, that government’s control of the NNPC was impacting negatively on current corporate parenting and corporate-level strategies. To apply the utilities of corporate parenting and corporate-level strategy in the corporation, a number of recommendations were made, which suggest the steps the corporation can take to create added value and gain parenting advantage to perform better than rival organizations in the oil and gas industry. The research findings can create awareness amongst staff and management of the corporation on the value potentials to be exploited through adoption of the tools embedded in the concepts. The Nigerian government can also appreciate the value its hands-on influence had destroyed in the corporate management of the NNPC. The findings led to further development of the existing corporate-level strategy framework as well as two models for the oil and gas industry. These, hopefully, can contribute to the literature on corporate parenting and corporate-level strategy and can also enhance best practices and policy formulation. The study can further serve as a reference document for operators in the oil and gas industry and academic researchers alike.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral Thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Abertay Dundee

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Ololo, Isokari

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Branine, Mohamed

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

oai:rke.abertay.ac.uk:studenttheses/02b172a9-5edf-4cf8-9a49-5a801d1d8173

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rke.abertay.ac.uk:studenttheses/02b172a9-5edf-4cf8-9a49-5a801d1d8173