Emanuel Gomes

HRM issues and outcomes in African mergers and acquisitions: a study of the Nigerian banking sector

Despite the increasing number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) taking place in Africa, research of this phenomenon, particularly in this continent, is extremely scarce. There is also growing awareness amongst researchers of the importance of human resource management (HRM) practices in general throughout the merger process. This makes an enquiry into its role in this context opportune. By analysing the recent M&A wave in the Nigerian banking sector, this paper explores HRM practices throughout the M&A process. Through interviews of key informants in each merging bank, key HRM practices are identified and conclusions drawn about their contribution to overall M&A outcomes. Implications for theory and practice are discussed and future research directions offered.

How communication approaches impact mergers and acquisitions outcomes

Communication is generally viewed as a critical component in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) performance, yet surprisingly little research has examined the link between different communication approaches and M&A outcomes. This paper provides a systematic empirical study to evaluate the link between communication approaches and M&As outcome. Specifically, a typology is created to examine interaction between the process and content of communication and M&A outcomes, in terms of employee commitment to merged organization strategy and M&A survival. Using data drawn from a single clearly defined M&A wave in the Nigerian banking sector, different communication practices are related to M&A outcomes. The findings are the first to show the effects of communications practices in African M&A and answer the calls for extending M&A research beyond western developed countries. They confirm the importance of communication practices in M&A, extend earlier findings on the importance of post-acquisition integration communication in US and European contexts and show the importance of communicating throughout the whole M&A process.

A comparison of international HRM practices by Indian and European MNEs: evidence from Africa

By comparing the HRM practices in Indian and European MNE subsidiaries located in four of the Southern African Development Community countries, this paper tests the relevance of the country-of-origin effect and analyses the strength of institutional and firm-level influences. Examining data from 865 MNE subsidiaries obtained from the World Bank enterprise survey data, the paper finds that Indian MNEs have higher labour costs in relation to total sales than their European counterparts, that Indian MNEs make more use of temporary labour than their European counterparts, that Indian MNEs invest in less training than their European counterparts. No support is found for the hypothesis that Indian MNEs have a lower ratio of skilled workers in comparison to European-owned subsidiaries. The study shows that country-of-origin effects are weakened if they are not consistent with host country ideology and that as economies evolve so too do their expectations of HR policy and practices.

Product–service innovation and performance: the role of collaborative partnerships and R&D intensity

Treating the intersection of the strategic partnerships, R&D intensity and servitisation literatures, this study explores empirically whether external collaborative service development and provision and industrial R&D intensity help to unpack the complex relation between product–service innovation (servitisation) and performance. We argue that manufacturing firms implementing services benefit from strategic partnerships with Knowledge-Intensive Business Service (KIBS) firms. KIBS partnering provides opportunities for downsizing, externalising risks and sharing knowledge. Additionally, manufacturers in R&D-intensive industries are more likely to benefit from implementing service provision than firms in other sectors because of industry dynamics and reduced customer uncertainty. The study surveys executives in 370 large manufacturers worldwide. Results reinforce the importance of concentric strategic partnerships to successful product–service innovation in high R&D industries.

Ambidextrous leadership, paradox and contingency: evidence from Angola

Abstract The study departs from two assumptions. First, it considers that organizations, their leaders and the HRM function are inherently paradoxical and that, in that sense, dealing with paradox is a necessary component of the leadership process which requires ambidexterity capabilities. Second, it explores whether the paradoxes of leadership may manifest differently in different contexts. We explore the emergence of paradox in the leadership of Angolan organizations. Angola is an economy transitioning from a centrally planned to a market mode, and this makes it a rich site for understanding the specificities of ambidextrous paradoxical processes in an under-researched, ‘rest of the world’, context. The findings of our inductive study led to the emergence of four interrelated paradoxes and highlight the importance of ambidextrous paradoxical work as a HRM contingency.

Testing the self-selection theory in high corruption environments

Purpose: Whilst substantial evidence from low corruption, developed market environments supports the view that more productive firms are more likely to export, there has been little research into analysing the link between productivity and exports in high corruption, developing market environments. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to test the premise of self-selection theory whether the association between productivity and export is maintained in high corruption environments, and second to identify other variables explaining export activity in high corruption contexts, including cluster networks and firms’ competences. Design/methodology/approach: The authors draw on the World Bank Enterprise survey to undertake a cross-section analysis including 1,233 SMEs located in nine African countries. The advantage of this database is that it contains information about the level of perceived corruption at firm-level. Logistic regressions are performed for the full sample and for subsamples of firms in high and low corruption environments. Findings: The findings demonstrate that the self-selection theory only applies to low corruption environments, whereas in high corruption environments, alternative factors such as cluster networks and outward looking competences, exert a stronger influence on the exporting activity of African SMEs. Research implications/limitations: This research contributes to theory as it provides evidence that contradicts the validity of self-selection theory in high corruption environments. Our findings would benefit from further longitudinal investigation. Practical implications: African SMEs need to consider cluster networks and outward looking competences as important strategic factors that might enhance their international competitiveness. Originality/value: Our criticism of the self-selection theory is distinctive in the literature and has important implications for future research. We show that the contextualisation of existing theories matters and this opens a research avenue for further more sensitive contextualisation of existing theories in developing economies.

Antecedents and implications of territorial servitization

ABSTRACT This paper examines the key antecedents and implications of territorial servitization in Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Territorial servitization is analyzed using 17 Spanish and 38 German NUTS-2 regions during the period 2010–14. The results indicate that, in terms of market size and economic activity, territorial servitization is significantly higher in regions with more knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) deepening and where air and maritime transport have positive effects on territorial servitization. Interestingly, while the results confirm a positive relationship between patents and territorial servitization, patents show decreasing returns. Important implications for research, firms and policy-makers are discussed.

Product-service innovation and performance: unveiling the complexities

The purpose of this paper is to unveil the existing complexities in the relationship between Product-Service Innovation (PSI) –or servitization– and firm performance that arise from the mismatch between theoretical predictions and empirical evidence. Whilst theoretical work suggests that there are a number of advantages for implementing PSI, quantitative firmlevel evidence is not conclusive about the positive effects of this type of innovation on firm performance. By reviewing the relevant publications dealing with the PSI-performance relationship, their methodological approach, the novel constructs validated, and the role of mediators/moderators found in the servitization literature, we argue that further contextualization is needed to solve this puzzle. Additionally, this work systematically organises the different methods and variables used to assess the PSI-performance link, guiding scholars on the choice between different methods and measures. This work enumerates various streams of future research to discover unexplored fields to better ground this relationship, including the development of solid configurational theories, appropriate fit between theory and measurement techniques, and new sampling strategies for performing longitudinal studies.