A comparative analysis of information acquisition, information management capacity and administrators' decision-making effectiveness in tertiary institutions in South-Western Nigeria

Abstract

The study was motivated by the information related problems commonly observed in the administration of Nigerian tertiary institutions. The study investigated the levels of information acquisition, information management capacity and decision-making effectiveness of administrators in 14 tertiary institutions in three out of six states of South-Western Nigeria. It also compared the levels of these three variables among the three types of tertiary institutions – universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. A survey research design was adopted, and a random sample of 1,357 or 75% of a total population of 1,799 administrators in the sampled institutions participated in the study. A Likert-type questionnaire was used to collect data. Findings revealed that although the levels of information acquisition, information management capacity and decision-making effectiveness were rated very high, there were significant differences among the three types of tertiary institutions. Institutions that used computers mostly in processing and storage showed higher scores on the three variables than those which used less of computers. Furthermore, communication and processing facilities were grossly inadequate and methods of processing and storage of information were mostly manual. The study recommends that tertiary institutions should improve their communication facilities as well as modernise their methods of storage and processing of information by computerising their management information systems.

West African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science Vol. 16(2) 2006: 89-99