Suchergebnisse

This article applies social network analysis (SNA) as a methodological tool to investigate University-Industry (U–I) dynamism within the context of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. It examines the roles multiple stakeholders should play in enhancing an up-to-date curriculum in higher education institutions (HEIs). Based on stakeholder theory, participants were categorised into real stakeholders, stakewatchers and stakekeepers. Drawing from documentary evidence and 28 semi-structured interviews, three main themes emerged from thematic content analysis: (1) curriculum dynamism and the need for curriculum modification, (2) tutor-practitioner interaction and (3) issues surrounding U-I dynamism. Findings revealed that the present curriculum is not in tandem with current industry requirements, and the level of interactivity between the industry stakeholders and universities is low, thus having a knock-on effect on the dynamicity of the HEI curriculum. Further tests revealed that industry stakeholders occupy the position of global centrality within the network rather than government who are the regulators; a network density of 0.86 was obtained, mainly consisting of industry stakeholder groups while HEIs largely accounted for the residual unconnectedness (14%) within the network.

This paper undertakes the first stakeholder analysis of the Nigerian oil and gas industry local content development (LCD) policy to gain a better understanding of the extent of stakeholders' interactions and how such interactions align to conditions conducive to local content development. Drawing from policy documents and semi-structured interviews, 15 stakeholder groups are identified, and seven of them categorized as key "players." A social network analysis then reveals that (i) a significant proportion of relationships between key players are unidirectional; (ii) a marginal role is played by higher education institutions within the network; (iii) it is international oil companies rather than indigenous operators that exhibit "global centrality" within the industry network, with the former stakeholder group pivotally determining industry activities. Our findings provide a valuable first step toward the development of a polycentric framework for the appraisal of the Nigerian local content development policy.