The Influence of Strategic Silence on Competitive Advantage of Commercial Banks in Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Abstract
This study examined the influence of strategic silence on competitive advantage of commercial banks in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. A total of 85 branch-level managerial staff from 17 commercial banks in Bayelsa State were surveyed for the research, which used a cross-sectional survey design. A structured, validated, and reliable questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was used to gather data. Four hypotheses were tested using the Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient, and the influence of strategic silence on competitive advantage was examined through multiple regression analysis. From the analysis, the dimensions of strategic silence such as; information withholding, non-reactive silence, disclosure timing, and strategic listening were shown to be positively and significantly related to competitive advantage. The results of the multiple regression showed that strategic silence has strong positive and significant influence on competitive advantage of commercial banks in Bayelsa State. The study concludes that strategic silence has a positive and significant influence on competitive advantage of commercial banks in Bayelsa State. However, it was recommended that the branch-level executives of the commercial banks in Bayelsa State should be intentional and deliberate about information withholding, non-reactive silence, disclosure timing and strategic listening as corporate-wide strategies to sustain bank’s competitive advantage.
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