Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

In recent years, Data-Driven Decision Making has emerged as a critical factor shaping decision-making quality across organizations operating in and around Kano State. As institutions grapple with the pressures of globalization, regulatory reform, and shifting stakeholder expectations, understanding how data-driven decision making relates to decision-making quality has become an important area of both scholarly and practical concern.

Kano State presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite a growing body of literature on data-driven decision making, there remains limited consensus on the precise nature of its relationship with decision-making quality, particularly within Kano State. Many organizations continue to make decisions about data-driven decision making without a clear, evidence-based understanding of how those decisions ultimately affect decision-making quality. This gap between practice and empirical understanding is the central problem this study seeks to address.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Data-Driven Decision Making on decision-making quality in Kano State.
2. To assess the extent to which data-driven decision making influences decision-making quality within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with data-driven decision making in relation to decision-making quality.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing data-driven decision making in order to improve decision-making quality.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of data-driven decision making on decision-making quality in Kano State?
2. To what extent does data-driven decision making influence decision-making quality within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with data-driven decision making in relation to decision-making quality?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize data-driven decision making in order to improve decision-making quality?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to a range of stakeholders. For policymakers and regulators, the findings offer evidence to guide the design of frameworks that support healthier outcomes around decision-making quality. For managers and practitioners within Kano State, the study provides practical insight into how data-driven decision making can be better managed. Finally, it contributes to the academic literature on business analysis by extending existing knowledge into a specific empirical context, and offers a reference point for future researchers.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to an examination of Data-Driven Decision Making and its relationship with decision-making quality within the context of Kano State. It reflects a MSc-level scope of analysis and relies on data and perspectives available within that scope; generalizing the findings beyond this specific context should therefore be done with appropriate caution.