Supply Chain Orientation, Environmental Uncertainty, and Competitive Performance: An Empirical Study of Food and Beverage Companies in Rivers and Bayelsa States

This study empirically examines the relationships among supply chain orientation, environmental uncertainty, and competitive performance in food and beverage companies in Rivers and Bayelsa States, South South Nigeria. Supply chain orientation, defined as a firm's disposition to integrate, coordinate, and align its supply chain activities with strategic goals, has been associated in international literature with competitive advantage. However, the moderating role of environmental uncertainty, including market volatility, regulatory unpredictability, and logistics infrastructure instability, in this relationship has been insufficiently explored in sub-Saharan African industry contexts. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, structured questionnaires were administered to 160 supply chain, operations, and marketing managers in 32 food and beverage companies in both states. Supply chain orientation is measured through customer focus, total cost minimisation emphasis, long-term supplier relationships, and cross-functional integration. Environmental uncertainty is assessed through demand volatility, supply market turbulence, and regulatory instability perceptions. Competitive performance is operationalised through market share growth, cost leadership, and product availability consistency. Moderated regression analysis is employed. The study draws on contingency theory and supply chain orientation literature. Findings are expected to reveal that supply chain orientation has a stronger positive effect on competitiveness in low-to-moderate uncertainty environments, with strategic adaptations needed in highly volatile contexts. Recommendations are addressed to firm management and industry associations on tailoring supply chain strategies to the specific uncertainty profiles of the Niger Delta operating environment. Keywords: supply chain orientation, environmental uncertainty, competitive performance, food and beverage, South South Nigeria.