John Kuada

Gender, Social Networks, and Entrepreneurship in Ghana

This article reports the results of an exploratory study on gender-based differences in the motives underlying entrepreneurial activities in Ghana, the barriers and opportunities that the operational environment presents, and the manner in which entrepreneurs leverage resources. The evidence suggests that female entrepreneurs tend to have more difficulties in accessing bank financing but they compensate by cultivating social relationships and using the social capital derived from them as a resource leveraging mechanism. Women also tend to depend more on their social relationships for moral and emotional support during the initial stages of their enterprise development. No other substantial gender-based differences have been noted.

Culture and leadership in Africa: a conceptual model and research agenda

Purpose - The paper aims at identifying the knowledge gaps in the existing African leadership studies and argues in support of further research in the field with a view to establishing the link between African culture and leadership practices and their implications for economic growth on the continent. Design/methodology/approach - It reviews the mainstream perspectives in leadership literature in general and African leadership literature in particular as a basis for the development of an integrated goal-behaviour-performance model. Findings - Previous studies have seen African culture as either defining the uniqueness of leadership on the continent or constraining leadership development. The paper suggests the presence of both types of impact on leadership. It also offers a conceptual framework that integrates the different perspectives on the relationship between culture, leadership and organizational performance. Research limitations/implications - The paper is based mainly on limited empirical investigations into leadership styles and functions in Africa. The scarcity of studies in the field therefore imposes limitations on the generalizability of some of the arguments. Practical implications - The paper encourages research in the field and provides some propositions to guide future empirical investigations. Ideas generated in the paper will guide organizational development strategies and poverty alleviation policies in Africa. Originality/value - It is one of the recent attempts to synthesize existing perspectives on leadership behaviour in Africa and its implications for economic growth and poverty alleviation.

Collaboration between developed and developing country‐based firms: Danish‐Ghanaian experience

This paper presents a conceptual model of partners’ assessment of the performance of their co‐partners in a collaborative relationship. The model’s usefulness has been illustrated through a study of 12 collaborative arrangements between Danish and Ghanaian companies. The results indicate gaps in partners’ expectations and perceived performance of their co‐partners. The perceptual gaps have been explained with reference to differences in motives of collaboration, intensity of interaction, cultural differences as well as the active involvement of a catalyst institution in the development of the relationship. The paper also draws attention to the policy and strategy implications of the empirical evidence.

Entrepreneurship in Africa: a classificatory framework and a research agenda

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to provide a classificatory framework for mapping out entrepreneurs and small businesses with growth potentials in Africa. Design/methodology/approach - – The study undertakes a review of the existing development economics and entrepreneurship literature to determine the need for the framework and how to proceed in developing it. Findings - – The literature review informs that although enterprise-led growth provides a greater promise for absolute poverty reduction, policymakers lack guidelines on how to identify those with highest potentials for job creation and tax revenue generation. Furthermore, African entrepreneurs can purposefully be classified in terms of their motives and degree of innovation. The classification produces a 2×2 matrix that maps out the growth capabilities of businesses found in a given country or community. Research limitations/implications - – The framework provides researchers and policymakers with descriptive categories that can guide their strategies and decisions. Originality/value - – Introducing innovation-imitation dimension into the classificatory framework extends and improves previous typologies of small enterprises available in the literature.

Facilitated inter-firm collaboration in Ghana: The case of Danida's private-sector development projects

Since the mid-1980s, aid agencies have endorsed the need to support the development of private enterprise in low-income countries as an instrument for overall economic development and poverty reduction. Facilitated collaboration between firms in industrialised and developing countries has become one of the most popular forms of assistance in this endeavour. Although such collaborations vary in design, they all involve third-party organisations that identify partners and sponsor the first steps in the establishment of a business platform for the cooperation. This paper discusses the mechanisms involved in such facilitation and assesses the effectiveness of the catalyst institutions in nurturing collaboration between companies in industrialised and developing countries. The discussion is illustrated with case studies drawn from Ghana.

Influencing dynamics of culture and employee factors on retail banks’ performances in a developing country context

PurposeThis paper investigated the influencing dynamics of culture (national and organizational), employee characteristics, employee job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in determining o ...

Modern food retailing buying behaviour in Africa: the case of Tanzania

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore modern food retail buyers’ behaviour in developing economies using the case of Tanzania. This paper provides an insight into the decision-making practice of modern food retail buyers’ behaviour in emerging modern food distribution systems, where the buying task involves balancing the retailer’s commercial interests with more stringent government regulations that shape food business in the region. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study approach was used for the study. The researcher used semi-structured interviews with retailers for data collection and corroborated them with secondary data. Data were thematically analysed. Findings – The study shows that the criteria used by modern food retailers in the selection of local food suppliers are reliability, quality, trade credit and legal certification. The task is further complicated by the overlapping food certification requirements of various government agencies, which impose limitations on the buyers’ decision. Due to the exploratory nature of the study and its focus on the context of a particular geographical marketplace, the findings may not be generalizable to other countries. Originality/value – This is the first academic study of the criteria used by modern food retailers in the selection of local food suppliers in Tanzania.

International firms in Africa’s food retail business-emerging issues and research agenda

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of the retail sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, to point out the lack of information on some critical issues and to raise some questions about relevant topics for researchers and practitioners in the retail area for the African market. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is comprised of a comprehensive review of the literature and integrates the fragmented body of knowledge on the area of retail internationalisation and food marketing. The gaps in the literature identified here may help to understand the sector better and develop academic research agendas on both the growth of the modern food retail sector and the agribusiness sector in Africa. Findings – Four major topics were identified in the urban agri-food retail business in the African continent: large global retailers in Africa’s food sector; the internationalisation of African food retailers; the procurement practices of international retailers; and, the food-buying behaviour of Africa’...

Marketing, economic growth, and competitive strategies of firms in Africa

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of marketing in the economic growth and competitive strategies of Sub-Sahara African firms. It also seeks to offer a backdrop for the papers in the present volume of AJEMS. Design/methodology/approach - – It is based on a review of a selection of literature that highlights past and current perspectives of marketing’s contribution to economic growth and firm performance in developing economies. Findings - – The review suggests that trade liberalization in African countries since the 1980s has changed the competitive landscape of firms located in these countries and has compelled them to develop market-oriented strategies in order to enhance their performance. But the strategies adopted tend to target the growing middle income segments of the population in the urban areas and to ignore the poor. Originality/value - – It provides directions for future research into issues of inclusive marketing policies and strategies – i.e. strategies that embrace the bottom of the pyramid and transforms the production base of African economies.

Economic growth and poverty alleviation in Africa – linking hard and soft economics

Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to provide a quick glance at the dominant issues that have characterized the developing economics debate during the past five decades. It seeks to offer a backdrop for the papers in the present volume of AJEMS. Design/methodology/approach – It is based on a review of a selection of literature that highlights the dominant perspectives in development economics. Findings – It draws a distinction between soft and hard economics, arguing that economic growth must be converted into social change that benefits poor for it to be described as development-oriented. Originality/value – It provides a direction for future research into issues of economic growth and poverty alleviation in Sub-Sahara Africa.