RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE OF MANUFACTURING SMES IN BAUCHI STATE; MODERATING ROLE OF JUST IN TIME
Ibrahim Bappah and Mohammed Inuwa
Volume 14 Issue 2
Abstract
This study examined the moderating role of Just-in-Time (JIT) practices on the relationship between operations planning and sustainability performance of manufacturing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Specifically, it examined the effects of Material Requirement Planning (MRP), Inventory Operation (IO), and Production Scheduling (PS) on sustainability performance and the moderating effects of JIT. The study was anchored on Resource-Based View Theory and supported by Contingency Theory. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was adopted. Sample size was determined using G-Power analysis based on the number of predictors, effect size, significance level, and statistical power, with an additional 16% allowance for non-response and unusable questionnaires. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed. A total of 348 questionnaires were administered, 309 were retrieved, and 301 valid responses were analysed, representing an 86.5% usable response rate. Data were collected using a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analysed using PLS-SEM with Smart-PLS 4 and 5,000 bootstrap subsamples. The findings showed that MRP (β = 0.483, t = 11.845, p < 0.001), IO (β = 0.098, t = 2.308, p = 0.021), and PS (β = 0.121, t = 2.300, p = 0.021) significantly and positively influenced sustainability performance. JIT significantly moderated the MRP–sustainability performance relationship (β = 0.084, t = 1.961, p = 0.050), but did not significantly moderate the IO relationship (β = 0.028, t = 0.627, p = 0.531). The reported results also indicated a significant moderating effect of JIT on the PS relationship. The model explained 73.9% of the variance in sustainability performance. The study concludes that effective operations planning contributes to sustainability performance, while JIT's moderating role varies across operational dimensions. It recommends strengthening MRP, inventory control, production scheduling, supplier coordination, and selective JIT integration, alongside technical training and digital production-management support. Keywords: Material Requirement Planning, Inventory Operation, Production Scheduling, Just-in-Time, Sustainability Performance, Manufacturing SMEs, Bauchi State.
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