Artificial Intelligence Applications in Supply Chain Decision-Making and Their Adoption Barriers in Nigerian Industry: An Institutional and Technology Acceptance Analysis

This dissertation investigates artificial intelligence (AI) applications in supply chain decision-making and the institutional and firm-level barriers to their adoption in Nigerian industry, generating original theory and empirical evidence from manufacturing, logistics, and retail sectors. AI-enabled supply chain decision tools, including demand forecasting algorithms, supplier risk scoring systems, route optimisation engines, and predictive maintenance platforms, are rapidly transforming supply chain management in advanced economies. However, systematic empirical evidence on the adoption trajectory, institutional context, and firm-level constraints governing AI supply chain adoption in Nigeria is absent from the literature. Drawing on institutional theory, the Technology Acceptance Model, and AI adoption literature, the dissertation constructs an original Institutional-Firm AI Adoption Model that incorporates macro-level institutional voids, industry-level normative pressures, and firm-level capability and cultural variables as determinants of AI adoption in supply chain contexts. Using a multi-sector quantitative design, structured questionnaires are administered to 280 supply chain directors, IT managers, and operations executives across manufacturing, logistics, and retail firms in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt. Partial least squares structural equation modelling with multi-group analysis across sectors is employed. The dissertation introduces the AI Supply Chain Adoption Readiness Scale as an original validated instrument and the Institutional-Firm AI Adoption Model as a theoretically integrated framework. Findings are expected to reveal that digital infrastructure inadequacy and data governance deficiency are the dominant institutional barriers, while perceived complexity is the strongest firm-level barrier. Recommendations address policymakers, AI technology providers, and supply chain industry associations on creating enabling conditions for AI adoption in Nigerian supply chains. Keywords: artificial intelligence, supply chain decision-making, adoption barriers, Nigeria, institutional theory.