STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA: THE MODERATING ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMISM

This study examined the effect of strategic management practices on the sustainable competitive advantage among manufacturing firms in Adamawa state, Nigeria, and assessed the moderating role of environmental dynamism. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The study population comprised 854 employees across five registered manufacturing firms. Using Taro Yamane’s formula and a 20% increase in the calculated sample, 326 copies of questionnaire were administered. A total of 294 usable responses were obtained through proportionate stratified sampling. Data were analysed using ordinary least squares regression and hierarchical moderated regression with SPSS 27. The findings revealed that strategic planning exerted a statistically significant positive effect on operational excellence (β=.642,p<.05), innovation strategy significantly enhanced product differentiation advantage (β=.689,p<.05), and environmental dynamism significantly and positively moderated the relationship between strategic management practices and sustainable competitive advantage (β=.214,p<.05). The study concluded that strategic management practices are critical structural drivers of industrial resilience whose competitive payoff is magnified by market turbulence. It recommended that manufacturing firms institutionalise continuous scenario-based planning, aggressively invest in localized product innovations, and establish early-warning environmental intelligence units to turn market volatility into durable competitive advantages