Human Resource Management Practices and Organisational Output in Nigerian Manufacturing: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Synthesis with Implications for the BUA Group (2015–2025)

Abstract

Human Resource Management (HRM) is widely examined as a contributor to organisational effectiveness, particularly for large manufacturing firms in developing economies such as Nigeria. This paper presents a systematic review and bibliometric synthesis of research on HRM practices and organisational output in Nigerian manufacturing, with attention to the implications of the findings for the BUA Group of Companies, a major West African conglomerate. Searches of Scopus, Google Scholar, JSTOR, African Journals Online (AJOL), and company reports covering January 2015 to mid-2025 identified 112 records. After removal of 18 duplicates and exclusion of 19 records that did not meet eligibility criteria, 75 documents were retained for analysis: 62 peer-reviewed articles, 8 company reports, and 5 postgraduate theses. The review followed PRISMA 2020 reporting guidance. Of the 75 documents, only 9 (12%) focused specifically on the BUA Group; the remainder examined other named Nigerian firms (notably Dangote Group) or generic multi-firm samples. Across the corpus, training and development was cited in 71 of 75 documents (94.7%), of which 61 (86.3% of those citing the theme) reported a positive association with at least one output measure. Compensation and reward management was cited in 64 documents (85.3%), with 51 (79.1% of those citing the theme) reporting positive associations. Recruitment and selection and employee participation were cited less frequently but also showed predominantly positive reported associations. Overall, 51 of 75 documents (68%) reported a positive statistical or qualitative link between strategic HRM practices and organisational output measures (productivity, quality, profitability, or employee performance). Social-exchange theory and the resource-based view were the most frequently invoked explanatory frameworks. Complementary evidence drawn from an expanded bibliographic inventory (including firm-specific work on casualisation at BUA, channel conflict at BUA Cement Okpella, and strategic analyses of BUA Cement) reinforces the directional pattern while underscoring the continuing scarcity of rigorous, longitudinal BUA-specific tests. The synthesis indicates consistent reported associations between core HRM practices and output indicators in Nigerian manufacturing contexts, yet the limited firm-specific evidence for the BUA Group precludes causal claims about that conglomerate. The paper concludes with a research agenda emphasising primary, longitudinal, and comparative studies of large Nigerian manufacturers.