Corporate entrepreneurship and international performance of Nigerian banks

Aim/purpose – This study investigated the effect of corporate entrepreneurship (measured by innovation, risk taking, proactiveness, strategic renewal and corporate venturing) on the international performance (measured by managers’ perceived measures of international business performance) of Nigerian international banks. Design/methodology/approach – Survey research design was used for the study, through the administration of structured questionnaire to management staff in strategy, foreign operations and finance departments. The study employed a census survey, in which the entire 427 management staff of strategy, foreign operation and finance departments of the ten CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) licensed international banks constituted the population and the sample (census survey). The models were estimated using ordinary least square, using STATA 14 software.Finding – The study revealed that corporate entrepreneurship elements (innovation, proactiveness, risk taking, strategic renewal and corporate venturing) all have individual and combined positive and significant effect on banks international performance at 95% confidence level. However, innovation has the most effect on Nigerian banks international performance. Research implications/limitations – The study employed managers’ perceived measures of international business performance to measure Nigerian banks international performance, which is subjective. A measure like revenue from the foreign subsidiary would have been considered but for the paucity of data. This of course can form the basis for further studies and expanded to cover the entire West Africa region. Originality/value/contribution – Studies examining the effect of corporate entrepreneurship on banks’ international performance in Africa are rare. Most Nigerian banks set-up foreign subsidiary in other Africa countries and there has been a debate on the contributions of the foreign subsidiaries to the banks’ bottom line and as well as a form of market expansion. The study expands the frontier of knowledge on Nigerian banks international performance by unbundling corporate entrepreneurship to see how each element will affect performance.