Knowledge Application and Product Innovation among Multinational Food and Beverage Companies Listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Knowledge management scholarship has established that organizations accumulate substantial knowledge, yet many multinational food and beverage (MNFB) companies operating in Nigeria continue to struggle to convert this knowledge into new products. Existing studies have generally treated Knowledge Application (KA) as one undifferentiated component of the broader knowledge management (KM) process rather than isolating its distinct effect on Product Innovation (PI); this gap is particularly pronounced in the Nigerian MNFB context, where the mechanisms linking KA specifically to PI have rarely been examined empirically. This study therefore examined the effect of Knowledge Application on Product Innovation among MNFB companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX). A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and structured questionnaires were administered to 423 employees drawn from Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Cadbury Nigeria PLC, and Unilever Nigeria PLC using cluster and stratified random sampling; 409 questionnaires were correctly completed and returned, yielding a 96.7% response rate. Reliability of the research instrument was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.84 (KA) and 0.87 (PI). Data were analysed using simple linear regression in SPSS version 26. Findings showed that, among the five KM dimensions examined, Knowledge Application was the strongest predictor of Product Innovation (β = 0.554, t = 15.893, p < 0.001, R² = 0.383), explaining 38.3% of the variance in Product Innovation. The study recommends that MNFB companies formalise knowledge-application procedures, invest in applied innovation training, and that industry stakeholders strengthen support for research and development.
Institution: Olabisi Onabanjo University
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7202139584