Reference no: EM131272518

APPROVED DISSERTATION TOPIC: TECHNOLOGY/KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER THROUGH JOINT VENTURE PARTNERSHIPS: HOW EFFECTIVE IN THE NIGERIAN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE DISSERTATION
Nigeria remains prominent oil producing member country of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and in the Gulf of Guinea. The country's economy is heavily dependent on the oil and gas sector for her earnings which accounts for about 90% of her export earnings (Ozigbo, 2008). However, after four decades of oil and gas production through multiple Joint Venture Partnerships with International Oil Companies (IOCs) such as Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil Total and Agip, the Nigerian oil and gas industry still continue to depend on the technology and expertise of these oil companies for her exploration and production activities in the upstream sector( Turner, 1976).

Recently, the government enacted the 'the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010" to legally force technology transfer and human capacity development in the industry (Atsegbua, 2012). The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGIC) Act (2010), seeks to promote indigenous participation in the Nigerian oil & gas sector by prescribing a minimum threshold for the use of local services and materials and to promote the transfer of technology and skill to Nigerians in the industry.

To actualize this, a Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring board (The Board) have been established and vested with the responsibility of implementing the provisions of the Act, making procedural guidelines and monitoring compliance by operators within the industry. The NCDMB is also to assist local contractors and Nigerian companies in developing their capabilities and capacities. Training and employment of Nigerians;

• Facilitate establishment of critical facilities such as pipe mills, docking and marine facilities, pipe coating facilities;

• Promoting indigenous ownership of marine vessels, offshore drilling rigs, etc;

• Integration of indigenes and businesses residing in oil producing areas into mainstream of industry economic activity;

• Promoting services which support industry activities such as banking, insurance, legal, etc.

The aim of the dissertation is to find the main reasonswhy Nigeria is still dependent on the technology and expertise of Joint Venture partners for her exploration and production activities in the Nigerian oil and gas upstream sector since 2010 after the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGIC) Act (2010) and to answer to the following questions:

PROBLEM STATEMENT
The study addresses the problem of identifying the underlying factors why Nigeria is still dependent on the technology and expertise of Joint Venture partners for her exploration and production activities in the Nigerian oil and gas upstream sector since 2010, despite the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGIC) Act (2010) aimed at promoting local technology. Aniche (2014) has argued that, in reality, despite the enactment of the (NOGIC) Act since 2010, the law has not been able to adequately promote technology transfer thereby unable to contribute largely to the development of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research questions will focus on the following:
• What has been Nigeria's experience regarding technology/Knowledge Transfer from 2010 till date?

• What are the achievements of the board in enforcing technology transfer since the enactment of the (NOGIC) Act till date?

• What efforts have been made by the IOCs to promote technology/Knowledge Transfer since 2010?

• What are the challenges encountered by Nigeria and the IOCs in implementing the (NOGIC) Act since 2010?

2. LITERATURE REVIEW - HOW MY WORK FITS EXISTING PUBLISHED WORK

The Nigerian economy is, to a large extent, is reliant on the performance of its oil and gas industry. The importance of joint ventures as means of knowledge and technology transfer in the Nigerian oil and gas industry has been considered as an aspect of paramount importance. Joint ventures between domestic and multinational companies often provide opportunity for the indigenous companies to flourish technologically and from the perspective of knowledge-gathering such business venture has been proved beneficial. It is to support this argument that facts must be collected, and in the quest of fact-collection, it has become essential to review some specific articles relevant to the research topic of concern. I do agree with the arguments and findings of each of the articles reviewed below except - Onyeaso (2016) andAniche, E.T. (2014).

The arguments made in the article and the evidence provided to support the arguments are all tilted towards promoting joint venture as a vehicle for technology transfer in the Nigerian oil and gas industry which will enhance this author's work in the course of developing the body of research work on the selected topic. This author intends to build on existing knowledge base by updating the knowledge base with up to date data and collection of primary data from only relevant and directs sources in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. However, this author may challenge any of the conventionally accepted ideas that have been written on this topic in whole or in any part based on analysis of up to date data on the topic in line with current realities.

On the other hand, the author disagrees with the articles by- Onyeaso (2016) andAniche, E.T. (2014) because the author has imagined where would the Nigerian oil and gas industry be without Joint Venture and the (NOGICD) Act in terms of technology transfer. This is one huge area this research needs to find out.
To explore the benefits of joint venture and to ascertain its efficacy as mode of knowledge dispersion the article, "Effective Knowledge Transfer and Knowledge Acquisition in International Joint Ventures" has been selected for reviewing. In the article, Hajidimitriou and Rotsios (2009) have pointed out how international joint ventures can prove their efficacy in terms of enriching the knowledge base of both the parties to the venture.

The article has been chosen as it is relevant to the research topic of concern, and it has been chosen primarily so that new insight into the effectiveness of joint ventures can be gained. Hajidimitriou and Rotsios (2009) have suggested that joint ventures are effective means of business expansion, and that, the success of international joint ventures, to a large extent, relies on the degree of appropriateness of the process of knowledge exchange between the partners. The authors have argued that international joint ventures contribute to the enrichment of knowledge and other resources which eventually help the parties to the joint venture in gaining competitive advantage (2009).

In this regard it must be noted that whenever a company from a developed nation is entering in a joint venture contract with a company belonging to a developing nation, the flow of information and the dispersion of knowledge from the developed nation's company to the developing nation's company eventually enrich the latter while ensuring profitability to the former. Hence, if the Nigerian oil and gas industry, with the help of the government of Nigeria, can properly indulge in setting up joint ventures with foreign multinationals, then its future perspectives would seem better.

Nigeria's oil and gas industry needs to flourish more so that its prosperity can help the government in the process of boosting the economy. Nigeria's oil and gas industry needs joint ventures among domestic players. This can be a booster to the Nigerian economy. It has already been mentioned that there is a dearth of linkage between the prosperity enjoyed by Nigeria's oil and gas industry and the economic development of the nation. It is in order to bridge this gap that joint ventures must be promoted more on indigenous basis. In this respect the efficacy of the governmental policy of content must be highlighted.

In the article, "Nigerian Local Content: Challenges and Prospects," Balouga (2012) has suggested that the local content policy adopted by the federal government of Nigeria must be considered an effective means for enhancing the economic prosperity of the oil and gas sector and the prosperity of the nation's economy as a whole. Balouga (2012) has suggested that proper implementation of the local content policy would ensure that indigenous key players are participating in collaboration, ensuring the safeguarding of domestic resources and ensuring proper knowledge-exchange among them. Balouga (2012) has also suggested that to usher technological development in every sector of the Nigerian economy, the local content policy should be properly implemented in the oil and gas sector because it would not only pave the way for the establishment of more joint ventures but would also ensure that key Nigerian companies are committing themselves to the overall development of the Nigerian economy.

And that is the reason why Balouga has opined that the local content policy of Nigeria should be transformed into a nation-wide policy having the potential to trigger more joint ventures and more indigenous partnerships which can eventually link the economic prosperity of the oil and gas sector to the overall economic development of Nigeria.

But despite observing the need of encouraging more indigenous joint ventures in Nigeria's oil and gas sector, the past effects of joint ventures on the sector have to be analyzed in order to determine the pros and cons of establishment of joint ventures in the concerned sector. In the article, "Production Sharing Contract in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Sector," Onyeaso (2016) has emphasized the negative impacts that joint ventures did render on the Nigerian oil and gas sector in the past. The relevance of the article lies in the fact that it has provided information for helping the readers to determine by themselves if joint venture is actually needed for the growth and prosperity of the oil and gas sector of Nigeria. Onyeaso (2016) has stated that joint venture agreements in the oil and gas sector of Nigeria, in the past, resulted in reduction in oil operation and in loss of revenue due the imbalance in the financial potential of the joint venture partners.

The author has also suggested that in place of joint ventures, Production Sharing Contract (PSC) must be brought and such an arrangement must be promoted because since its inception the policy has remained rewarding for both Nigeria and the contractors (Onyeaso, 2016). And considering the efficacy of the PSC, the need of joint ventures in the oil and gas sector of Nigeria and their potential to bring about positive changes in the economic sphere of Nigeria needs to be re-evaluated.

In the article, "A Critical Appraisal of Enforcement of Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010," Aniche (2014) has tried to ascertain the degree of efficacy of the Nigerian local content policy in the context of the nation's economic development. Challenging the prevalent view that the local content policy has been an overall success for the Nigerian economy, Aniche (2014) has argued that, in reality, despite much investment and spending in the course of developing the local content policy (in respect of rejuvenating the Nigerian oil and gas industry through local participations), the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) has not been able to contribute largely to the development of the oil and gas sector in a radical way.

Aniche (2014) has tried to find if the local content policy really has been useful contributor to the development of Nigeria's indigenous industries, and in the course of such exploration he has found that despite the development of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in 2010, still today Nigeria's local key players have very little share of the massive oil and gas business. The importance of this article lies in the fact that it will provide this author with some specific views, from the critical perspectives, on the efficacy of the local content policy which has rendered much influence on the present condition of joint venture partnerships in Nigeria.

In the working paper, "Technology Transfer and Acquisition in the Oil Sector and Government Policy in Nigeria," Chima, Owioduokit, and Ogoh (2002) have pointed out how technology transfer serves as a major factor in the course of development of oil and gas companies in the context of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The authors have argued that for the overall development of the indigenous oil and gas industry in Nigeria, it is imperative for the Nigerian federal government to pave the way for the transfer of technological knowledge that can act as the basis of development and growth of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. This information would be very much beneficial for constructing my argument in the research paper supporting the need of promoting joint ventures in the context of the overall development of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

In the article, "Knowledge Sharing and Innovation as it affects the Local Content in the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria," Jegede et al. (2013) have argued that, in Nigeria, the primary hindrance in the way of innovation within the oil and gas industry is high costs accompanied with the void of skilled personnel and poor research and development efforts (attributed with poor funding). The authors raised the question if innovation can actually be initiated by joint venture partnerships, and they eventually did find that there are ways in which, in a joint venture partnership, a firm can bring about innovation with the help of the knowledge gained from the operations of the parent firm, competitors, clients, customers, and suppliers (Jegede et al., 2013).

The research article can be of much use for my research paper primarily because; the arguments that have been proved by the authors apply largely to the context of bringing about innovation in Nigerian oil and gas industry through the establishment of joint venture partnerships. The concerned research article is a pointer to the fact that joint ventures pave the way for knowledge sharing and technology sharing, which, in turn, provides opportunities to a firm to bring about innovations.

In the article, "The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010: an examination of its regulatory framework," Lawrence (2012) has emphasized the importance of Nigerian local content bill. The author has argued that, in line of Venezuela and Kuwait, Nigerian industries will also be empowered and developed by the local content policy. The primary research question, as it seems, has been regarding the efficacy of the Nigerian local content law in motivating indigenous key players to participate in the process of boosting the nation's economy in an appropriate manner (Lawrence, 2012). The author, providing sufficient evidence, which suggested that the pivotal objective of the local content legislation has been to increase indigenous participation by outlining the minimum thresholds for the employment of local services (Lawrence, 2012).

The author has also argued that the local content law will definitely enhance the rate of employment of Nigerian employees in key industries including oil and gas industry (Lawrence, 2012). Moreover, the Lawrence (Lawrence, 2012) has also pointed out that the concentration of indigenous players only in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, in the past, had prevented the participation of indigenous key players in other industries within Nigeria, and hence, the author has considered the local content law to be an antidote having the potential to change the scenario. The arguments made in the article and the evidence provided to support the arguments - all will be helpful for me in the course of developing the body of research work on the selected topic, and that is the reason why the arguments and the research question seem important.

In the article, "How international oil and gas companies respond to local content policies in petroleum-producing developing countries: a narrative enquiry," Ngoasong (2014) has argued that the Nigerian local content policy has been rendering a positive impact on the business strategies of those international oil companies that operate in Nigeria. The author has supported the argument by citing the fact that the local content policy (particularly in the sphere of the Nigerian oil and gas industry) has forced the international oil companies, operating in Nigeria, to ponder over the need of establishment of joint ventures and partnerships in such a way that benefits the Nigerian economy along with appeasing their own profit-making objectives (Ngoasong, 2014).

Ngoasong (2014) has raised the question if the local content policy really has the potential to initiate international and national partnerships in the sphere of the Nigerian oil and gas industry, and in the course of the study the author has found an affirmative answer. The importance of the article, in the context of my selected topic of research lies in the fact that the information given in the article will help me in determining how the local content policy may determine the course of joint venture partnerships in the realm of the Nigerian oil and gas industry in the long-run.

In the report titled, "The upstream petroleum industry and local industrial development: a comparative study," Nordas, Vatne, and Heum (2003) have discussed about the problems that are faced by some specific nations in terms of developing their oil and gas industry into a more sustainable industry which is environment friendly. The authors have argued that, if a nation is willing to make its oil and gas industry environmentally sustainable and socially responsible then it has to pave the way for technological exchanges between its indigenous oil and gas companies and international oil and gas companies (Nordas, Vatne & Heum, 2003).

The research question seems to be related to the importance of partnerships as a means of enhancing the sustainability of the oil and gas industry through the process of knowledge and technology exchange. Nordas, Vatne, and Heum (2003) have pointed out that business expansion policies like partnerships and joint ventures can be of immense importance in the content of enhancing the sustainability of the oil and gas industry in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and Norway.

But the article's importance lies in the fact that the points that have been highlighted in the context of developing the indigenous oil and gas industry in the aforesaid countries can be linked with the developmental processes meant for enhancing the sustainability of the indigenous oil and gas companies in Nigeria. The information extracted from this article can be used in my research work to support the need of establishment of more joint ventures in the sphere of the Nigerian oil and gas industry as a source of economic and technological development.

In the research article, "Two Refineries: a comparative study of technology transfer the Nigerian refining industry," Turner (1977) has emphasized the need of business partnerships as a means of developing the technological base of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. Thought the date of publication of the article has been old, the arguments made in the article still has got currency in terms of their application to the process of enhancing the indigenous oil and gas companies in Nigeria. Turner (1977) has argued that business partnerships are often the most important means for technology and knowledge exchange and such exchanges is the key to development and success.

The apparent research question that has been addressed in the article seems to be related with the potential of joint venture partnerships in enhancing companies in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The article, though have been published in 1977, is still important in the context of developing the indigenous oil and gas companies in Nigeria in 2016. This is primarily because; Turner (1977) has suggested how joint ventures and other types of partnerships can contribute to the flow of information, technology and knowledge from an international firm to a national firm, and how such ascending flow of information is essential to develop an indigenous industry both technologically and economically.

The findings of this paper hope to include observations and conclusions to enable the author elaborate and extend on the information provided by the authors above.

3. METHODOLOGY
Research Philosophy:
The author's research philosophy would be based on a social constructivist epistemological stance. As a constructionist approach is linked to qualitative research method which assumes that "there is no absolute truth, and that the job of the researcher should be to illuminate different truths and to establish how various claims for truth and reality become constructed in everyday life" Easterby, Thorpe and Jackson, (2012, p.48).

It is concerned with how knowledge is constructed and understood while accepting that there is an objective reality. This approach is presumably the most appropriate to the proposed research due to the diverse perceptions on the research topic by potential respondents and also given its aims and objectives of the study which tie the method to the use of questionnaires for data collection Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Jackson (2012).

Primary Data collection sources
The Primary data collection would take the form of invitation to participate in an online, anonymous questionnaire survey which will be posted to members of staff of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The Ministry have a staff strength of 1,200 which would form a random sample set composed of male and female workforce within the age bracket of 23 to 59 while the authors aims to use a minimum of 240 respondents (20%) to gather new and fresh information on the study. The author has already obtained a letter of consent to distribute the online questionnaires from the Ministry.

The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources was chosen primarily because it is the hub of the Nigerian petroleum Industry. These data collected for a qualitative research will lead the author to find the answers to why Nigeria is still dependent on the technology and expertise of Joint Venture partners for her exploration and production activities in the Nigerian oil and gas upstream sector since 2010 after the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGIC) Act (2010).

Qualitative methods
The author intends to use qualitative method of analysis which falls in line with the author's social constructivist epistemological stance. It is the aim of the author to explore the diverse opinions of respondents, their underlying reasons, their experiences and perspective on the subject (Tuli (2010)). It is an inductive methodology seeking to clarify the various perceptions, behaviours, values, attitude and beliefs of members of staff of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources in the Nigerian oil and gas industry Kumar (2011).

Sampling methods/tools /Relevance to my proposed work
The author has adopted the use of questionnaires to obtain primary data as the research requires the author to collect standardized and comparable information from a large number of people as against conducting individual interview. In order to maximize return rates, this author intend to design questionnaires that would be as simple and clear as possible, with targeted sections and questions. The online questionnaires would be sent through bulk email to the targeted population size of 1,200 workforce of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

The use of questionnaires is the preferred tool as it would allow this author to distribute large number of questionnaires to a large number of respondents all at once and it is also a more cost effective tool compared to one on one interviews. The questionnaire can be tested for validity and reliability if not obtained from an established source. Islam and Alam (2012). The author intends to use tables, diagrams and charts where necessary to create better analysis of responses on the subject while the use of descriptive method is also considered in presenting the results of the analysis. These could be done in a systematic manner that guarantees structured, logical and transparent analysis of the results. The significance of the primary data collection method in this research lies in its criticality for the study to improve validity and credibility of the result in analyzes of the current Nigerian oil and gas industry (Rubin & Babbie, 2009).

Secondary data sources and information
The author intends to supplement the primary data with secondary data gathered from relevant literature from several descriptive sources such as peer reviewed articles, journal and books from the University of Liverpool Online Library, news articles, published literature, authentic web-sources, periodicals etc.

The secondary data information is historical and could also be assessed by other researchers (Overmars, Verburg & Veldkamp, 2007). The significance of the secondary data collection method in this research lies in its ability to provide justification and evidence of presented results. For the evaluation and analysis of collected data, this author intends to use triangulation method in analyzing the sourced data which combines both primary and secondary data (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2009).

Triangulation
In order to ensure the validity of the study, the author intends to use data Triangulation to minimize bias by combining two sources of information i.e management and staff sample of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. At the stage of analyzing responses to the questionnaires, those of the managers and staff would be compared to determine areas of agreement as well as areas of divergence. Kennedy (2009).

Reliability and Validity
This author's view is that the results would be reached through the access granted the author by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources to collect data through the administration of online questionnaires in a transparent manner which makes the results valid, reliable, truthful and believable. The author believes the results would be reliable as the results could still be reproduced under a similar methodology Golafshani (2003).

In line with the views expressed by Golafshani (2003) on the issue of validity, the author believes and would work to ensure that the study truly measures that which it was intended to measure and ensure truthful research results. The use of questionnaires combined with secondary sources as research instruments could allow the author hit the research object by asking a series of questions, and look for the answers in the research of others to determine the validity of the study.

Ethics and Confidentiality
In addressing the ethics and confidentiality challenges in carrying out this study, the author intends to get familiar with existing toolkits of the University of Liverpool and universal guidelines for conducting ethical research mostly by adhering to the following as pointed out by Stanley,(2010).

1. Informed consent - The author intend to obtain informed consent from participants before they take part. This means that they should know exactly what they are being asked to do, and what the risks are, before they agree to take part. An Information Sheet may be used to provide potential participants with information about the study.

2. No Participation Pressure - This author does not intend to put any one under any form of pressure to participate or offer any kind of incentive to encourage participation.

3. Respect individual autonomy - This author intends to respect individual autonomy in participating in the study. Autonomy means the freedom to decide what to do. Even when someone has signed a Consent Form, they must be made aware that they are free to withdraw from the study at any time, without giving a reason. They must also be able to request that the data they have given be removed from the study. The author is aware and prepared for this possibility, and has plans for how to remove the data already given, if this is requested.

4. Maintain anonymity and confidentiality - The author intends to take more than the basic step to protect a participant's identity by taking as many precautions as possible to protect anonymity, and only promise the level of anonymity that could be realistically provide. ‘Confidentiality' relates to the protection of the data collected. Where the aim of the research is specifically to access private feelings, stories, and concerns as in this case therefore this author would be clear about how the confidentiality of that data will be respected.

4. WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS TOPIC
There are three key reasons for choosing this topic:

Personal Interest: As an industry player, it is the author's personal interest to find answers to why Nigeria is still dependent on the technology and expertise of Joint Venture partners for her exploration and production activities in the Nigerian oil and gas upstream sector since 2010 after the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGIC) Act (2010).

Business Interest: My Company is desirous to find out if it is going to lose businesses to indigenous Exploration and Production companies resulting from full technology and knowledge transfer which may eventually lead to their exit from the country. To this end, this research work may add value in providing some answers to their quest.

Opportunity: Considering that the author has worked in the Nigerian oil and gas industry for about a decade and has built professional relationships across the length and breadth of the industry, which makes it easy to access required information and relevant contacts in building better quality primary data than most researchers may have gathered in the past, there is the opportunity that the quality of this research work would be good enough for publication.Bottom of Form

5. Timing mileposts

Milestone	Description	Due date	Remarks
1	Stage 1: Area of interest identified		Completed
2	Stage 2: Specific topic selected		Completed
3	Stage 3: Topic refined to develop dissertation proposal		Completed
4	Stage 4: Proposal written and submitted		Completed
5	Stage 5: Collection of data and information
6	Stage 6: Analysis and interpretation of collected data/information
7	Stage 7: Writing up
8	Stage 8: Final draft prepared- submission of dissertation
9	Final Deadline-9 months from module start date.

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