George Acheampong

The nature of entrepreneurship in bottom of the pyramid markets

This study explored entrepreneurship in BOP markets in Ghana. The study used a quantitative approach with data collected using returned questionnaires from micro entrepreneurs in BOP markets in Ghana. The data was analysed using inferential statistics (mainly exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis). The study found a significant relationship between the antecedents of entrepreneurship and the market characteristics while a significant relationship exists between the BOP market characteristics and the entrepreneurial benefits was observed. Again, a significant relationship was found between the antecedent factors and the entrepreneurial benefits. The study concludes that BOP market psychodynamic factors are more critical than trait factors.

Network ties and survival: A study of small commercial poultry farms in Ghana

Poultry farming has been touted as one of the major ways by which poverty can be reduced in low-income economies like Ghana. Yet, anecdotally there is a high failure rate among these poultry farms. This current study seeks to understand the relationship between network ties and survival chances of small commercial poultry farms (SCPFs). We utilize data from a 2-year network survey of SCPFs in rural Ghana. The survival of these poultry farms are modelled using a lagged probit model of farms that persisted from 2014 into 2015. We find that network ties are important to the survival chances of the SCPFs in Ghana. Distribution ties are associated with negative survival chances and this is not even reversed if the human capital of the owner increases although managers with higher human capital and higher distribution ties experience positive effects. Industry ties are associated with positive ties but this probability reduces as the number of industry ties increases but moderation with dynamic capability of the firm reverses this trend. Our findings show that not all network ties aid survival and therefore small commercial poultry farmers need to be circumspect in the network ties they cultivate and develop.

International retail firm acceptance: beware of the flattery

The study explored the effectiveness of ingratiation theory methods in achieving acceptance within the institutional contexts of emerging markets. The study reviewed literature on ingratiation theory, retail internationalisation and institutional to develop a conceptual model for testing. Data was collected using a systematic sampling procedure from Ghana using structured questionnaires and analysed by means of factor and regression analysis. The study found that ingratiation methods are not effective in overcoming institutional pressures in retailing sector in developing countries. Thus international retail firms should be careful in adopting these methods. This study contributes to internationalisation literature among retail firms in the developing and emerging economies by cautioning firms on the use of ingratiation theory methods.

Antecedents of social media usage and performance benefits in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Despite the blossoming nature of social media marketing, the nuances and implications among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) appear to be under-researched in literature. The purpose of this paper is to progress knowledge and offer extended understanding of the motivations and performance benefits of social media accrued by SMEs with an empirical study from an emerging economy.,Based on past research, the study hypothesizes that interactivity, compatibility and cost effectiveness are motivations germane to social media usage, which consequently offer performance benefits. Data from 210 SMEs (having Facebook and/or Twitter accounts) are employed to investigate the proposed conceptual model using structural equation modeling with sub-group analysis.,Finding from this study demonstrate that the interdependencies of social media motivations, as well as effects of social media usage are positive but erratic across product-based and service-based SMEs. Moreover, SMEs who offer physical products are more likely to employ social media based on cost-effective motives while service SMEs are more likely to consider interactivity as a key motivation. Additionally, findings from the study data suggest that in a tale of two sites, Facebook proved to edge Twitter in terms of engendering performance benefits among SME users.,The findings provide evidence to issues of potential research and managerial interest, offering insightful implications to the academic and practitioner communities. Evidently, irrespective of some usage bottlenecks, SMEs in emerging markets appears to be reaping enhanced social media benefits by deploying their marketing campaigns via multiple platforms.

Impact of Demographic Factors on Technological Orientations of BOP Entrepreneurs in Ghana

The study explores relationship between technological orientations and demographics of bottom of the pyramid (BOP) entrepreneurs in Ghana. The study reviewed literature on the BOP concept. Based on the reviewed literature, hypotheses were developed for testing. Data was collected from 287 micro-entrepreneurs using a structured questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis. The study found some relationships between technology acceptance, connectivity to networks and entrepreneurial demographics. This provides the information necessary for information communications technology (ICT) and technology companies seeking to expand to these new markets as top of the pyramid markets saturate.

Foreign participation and internationalization intensity of African enterprises

The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between foreign participation in enterprises in Africa, their internationalization intensity and the associated moderating conditions.,The study utilized data from the World Bank enterprise surveys in 46 African countries across seven years. The hypothesized relationships are estimated using the Heckman two-stage pooled cross-sectional model to correct for selection bias.,The findings show that foreign participation in enterprises has a positive effect on internationalization intensity in Africa. While we observe this positive effect, we also found that there is a lot of heterogeneity that accompanies this effect based on enterprise size, financial performance and local market competition.,The study contributes to the internationalization literature by showing that foreign participation in local enterprises can have a positive effect on the internationalization propensities of these enterprises. It also shows that the main effect is heterogeneous as it is moderated by other enterprise and environmental factors.,Enterprises should recognize the positive effect that foreign participation in them can have on internationalization intensity. Managers of African enterprises need to look beyond the investments into enterprises that foreign owners offer and take advantage of their foreign market knowledge and legitimacy. Discrimination in local markets could be considered as a push factor to internationalize.,While the study is not the first to explore the relationship between foreign ownership and internationalizing behavior, it is one of the earliest to show that the relationship is heterogeneous, and it provides some key moderators.

Export promotion programmes and export performance: A study of selected SMEs in the manufacturing sector of Ghana

Purpose Many nations now engage in economic promotion of their countries in foreign countries. One major aspect of this activity is export promotions. This paper aims to understand the relationship between export promotional activity participation and export performance by Ghanaian manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach The list of manufacturing exporters was obtained from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, and the convenience and snowballing approach was used to reach and administer research instrument. The relationship between export promotion and performance was estimated using a multiple regression. Findings The results of this study indicate that exporters should implement specific export promotion programmes if they want to enhance export performance and become successful. The findings of this study show that the programmes that have a strong positive relationship with export performance are trade fairs, foreign offices and tax and financial incentives. Originality/value The results of this study contribute to the international entrepreneurship literature in several ways. First, findings from this study contribute to the limited literature on exports in developing countries such as Ghana. Again, the study framework provides assistance to assess and monitor emerging trends in export promotion strategies. Also, export promotion, as a whole, provides a framework in which firms formulate strategies, allocates resources and seeks opportunities in a coordinated way. Finally, in the international marketplace, firms need to maintain their competitive edge, and it is important to operate efficiently and effectively using an appropriate export promotional strategy.

Brokering: Africa’s Unique Brand of Entrepreneurship

The concept of brokering has attracted intense scholarly and practitioner attention resulting in the proliferation of diverse forms of brokering. We examine the current state of literature in an attempt to identify possible link between brokering and entrepreneurship towards establishing brokering as a new form of entrepreneurship. After an evaluation of brokering and the entrepreneurship literature, there was a revelation of muted reception by scholars attempting to leverage on relational ties/or informal connections to bridge structural holes which could lead to revenue generation. The purpose of this chapter is to contribute significantly to existing literature in entrepreneurship by introducing yet another concept in entrepreneurship dubbed “brokering entrepreneurship” which is premised on informal connections to bridge structural holes. This concept is in its embryonic state; therefore, we recommend scholars to embrace the concept and advance future research in other jurisdictions since contexts play significant roles towards understanding the concept.

Theorizing Cities as Sources of Firm Competitive Advantage: Accra in Comparative Perspective

In this chapter the competitiveness of Accra, Ghana, is compared to cities in other regions of the world. Integrating the resource-based view of the firm with other perspectives, the study theorizes the city as a bundle of resources including knowledge and capabilities that can confer some advantages on firms located within it. The study utilizes data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys to validate the arguments, bringing to the fore issues of resource advantages within specific locations, especially cities. In doing so, it makes a significant contribution, establishing a link between location theory (agglomeration and industrial complexes), the new economic geography, the new growth theory and resource-based theory (including capabilities).

Benefitting from alter resources: network diffusion and SME survival

This study examines the usefulness of alter resources for the survival of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. We utilize data from two rounds of poultry SME network surveys and accompanying SME attributes between 2014 and 2015. We focused on the resources that diffuse to SMEs from alters and the mechanism through which these resources diffuse. We observed that alter markets and technological resources are significant for the survival of SMEs in our sample. We also explored the effect of variations in alter resources along the lines of the type of resource being diffused and found that market resource spill overs have a positive effect while technological resource variations have a negative effect, but these do not rise to significance. Finally, we assessed the impact of the mechanism through which the resources are diffused and found that both direct and indirect tie mechanisms have a positive effect on survival but the effect of direct ties was higher than that of indirect ties.