Macroeconomic Factors and Profitability: A Study of Selected Multinational Food and Beverages Companies in Nigeria (Published)
Manufacturing, particularly the food and beverage industry, remains critical to every economy around the world, as do the realities in Nigeria. Due to increased population, disposable incomes, changing tastes and products, Nigeria’s food and beverage sector is expected to grow rapidly. However, fluctuating macroeconomic factors threaten the daily operations of Nigeria’s food and beverage industry. This study examined the effect of macroeconomic factors (political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological) on the profitability of selected multinational food and beverages companies in Nigeria using a survey research design with specific reference to Coca-cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Unilever, and Cadbury Nigeria Plc. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data from a sample of 417 employees drawn from five multinational food and beverage companies located in Lagos State, Nigeria. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses formulated. Results indicated that macroeconomic factors (political, economic, and technological) had a significant effect on the profitability of multinational food and beverage companies in Nigeria. The study concluded that macroeconomic factors are vital and have a significant impact on the extent to which enterprises’ operations generate a profit, thus, it was recommended that the management of the multinational food and beverage companies in Lagos State, such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Unilever, and Cadbury, need be aware of the macro-environmental factors influencing their profitability in order to make decisions that will increase the firm’s profit.
Keywords: Nigeria, Profitability, economic factor, food and beverages companies, political factor, technological factor