ETHICAL SUPPLY CHAIN PRACTICES AND MARKETING PERFORMANCE IN A DEREGULATED NIGERIAN ECONOMY

Abstract

This study examined the effect of ethical supply chain practices on the marketing performance of petroleum companies in Nigeria. Specifically, the study assessed the influence of green procurement, ethical distribution, information transparency, and ethical sourcing on marketing performance. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. A sample size of 322 respondents was determined using the Yamane (1967) sample size determination formula. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to select management-level employees and retail outlet supervisors from the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) operating in Lagos and Port Harcourt. Primary data were collected from 316 valid respondents using a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis in SPSS. The regression model was statistically significant (F = 356.705, p < 0.001) and explained 62.1 percent of the variation in marketing performance (R² = 0.621). Green procurement emerged as the strongest predictor of marketing performance (β = 0.766, p < 0.001), followed by information transparency (β = 0.433, p < 0.001), ethical sourcing (β = 0.335, p < 0.001), and ethical distribution (β = 0.220, p < 0.001). The findings indicate that ethical supply chain practices significantly enhance the marketing performance of petroleum companies in Nigeria. The study concludes that strengthening ethical supply chain practices is critical for improving marketing performance in the deregulated petroleum sector. Accordingly, petroleum marketing companies should strengthen green procurement initiatives, improve information transparency, reinforce ethical distribution processes, and institutionalize ethical sourcing practices to enhance market share, customer retention, and brand equity.