EFFECT OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP ON THE PERFORMANCE OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN ENUGU STATE

The study evaluated the effect of ethical leadership on the performance of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Enugu State. The specific objectives of the study are to; examine the effect of integrity on the output; and ascertain the effect of fairness on the profitability of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Enugu State. The descriptive survey design was used. The study adopted simple random sampling technique in selecting the sample unit and the sample size for the study which was, 266 academic staff out of a total population of 865 of the study organisations derived with the use of Ferund Williams’s formula. A total of 251 staff returned the questionnaire accurately filled, which gave 94 percent response rate. Data were presented and analyzed using mean score and standard deviation using Sprint Likert Scale. The hypotheses were analyzed using the Pearson correlation (r). The findings indicated that Integrity had significant positive effect on the output, Z (95, n = 251), 6.754 < 9.152 = p. < 0.05 and Fairness had significant positive effect on the profitability of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Enugu State Z (95, n = 251), 5.681 < 9.231 = p. < 0.05. The study concluded that integrity and fairness had significant positive effect on the output and profitability of food and beverage manufacturing firms in Enugu State. The study recommended among others that Leader’s integrity sets the tone for the employees to improve their task performance.