Olav Jull Sørensen

Internet and Exporting: The Case of Ghana

The aim of this article is to describe and assess the use of the Internet by exporters in a development setting. The findings from two surveys in Ghana reveal that the exporters have reached the e‐mail stage and are moving into the Web site stage. At this stage, the main barriers to an increased use are reported to be training, means to finance equipment and running costs, with access problems coming third. The change from face‐to‐face interaction to digitalized interfaces is also a barrier to the spread of Internet use. The Internet is used for pre‐sales activities and the e‐mail for daily communications. The strategy is reactive with high hopes of being discovered rather than active search of their own. The policy and managerial implications are that training and financial packages must be provided and business associations must be active in creating portals of relevance to the exporters, and pressure put on the government to increase infrastructural investments.

E‐Markets in the Battle Zone Between Relationship and Transaction Marketing!

Buyers are increasingly turning to online applications in their negotiations with suppliers. This means that more and more suppliers are facing the demands to negotiate and trade via e‐markets, auctions and e‐procurement systems etc. Special types of e‐markets are working as transactional forums, increasing competition and resulting in an intense focus on price, whereas other types of e‐markets support collaborative long‐term relationships. From a marketers perspective the two different outcomes of e‐market participation demands special strategies and approaches. This paper describes and analyses the impact of buyers using reverse auctions in their negotiation with suppliers and outlines four potential, strategic possibilities as answers to the competitive landscape created by reverse auction participation. The paper covers the rationale for, and theories of, transactional and relational marketing followed by a company case, finally we discuss potential solutions.

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.

Innovation in virtual networks: evidence from the Chinese online game industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore and highlight the particular innovation characteristics and modes of the Chinese online game industry from a networking perspective.Design/methodology/approach – This research is qualitative. Both primary and secondary data are used, which is collected through desk research on related documents and long‐term participative observation and personal experiences. This paper begins with an overview of the online game industrys innovation process and types; then constructs a framework that contains four innovation modes with different networks to guide the analysis and organization on the empirical findings; finally, the paper proposes some implications for companies and government.Findings – This paper is an attempt to open the black box of the innovation of the Chinese online game industry. Born as an incomplete and virtual product, the innovation modes evolve from closed to a combination of open and networking ones. Producer‐driven Innovation Network Mode sh...

E-Business Triggers: An Exploratory Study of Ghanaian Nontraditional Exporters (NTEs)

This study sought to ascertain what key international and local triggers accelerated or militated against their e-business adoption process in Ghanaian non-traditional export (NTE) firms. The macro international trigger explored was competition from exporters in other countries as well as an ascertainment of the significance of export direction. The macro level trigger explored hinged on the level of infrastructural support available for e-business adoption and deployment. Study focused on active non-traditional exporters in Accra. 60 firms responded to questionnaires on e-business and exporting. Analysis of the data was mainly by means of descriptive statistics. Competition acts as a trigger for e-business adoption even though its relationship to the level of internationalization could not be clearly established. E-business is important for Ghanaian exporters irrespective of where they are exporting to and they seem prepared to go electronic irrespective of the level of infrastructural sophistication within and without their export firms.

Building national innovation platform in China: theoretical exploration and empirical study

Purpose – China has been putting into effect a program of “national innovation platforms (NIPs)” since 2008. Because it is still at an experimental stage, some key issues remain ambiguous. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a theoretical exploration and empirical study on the NIP program to present the theoretical foundation and draw out implications for its future practice.Design/methodology/approach – Based on the literature review of national innovation system (NIS) approach, this paper develops an analytical framework for analyzing the mechanism of NIP. Then an in‐depth case study further validates the framework.Findings – NIP is a practice under the guidance of NIS approach. It effectively accomplishes interaction and cooperation between different actors and encourages flow of innovation resources. Based on NIP of textile industry, managerial and operational implications are drawn out.Research limitations/implications – Investigation of this paper is limited to a single industry. The result of t...

Triple Helix going abroad?: The case of Danish experiences in China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and make sense of the internationalization of the triple helix (TH) model. Design/methodology/approach – As this study is exploitative in nature, an inductive approach is adopted in data collection and data analysis. The Danish THs experiences in China are used as empirical evidences. Primary data are collected from in-depth interviews and discussions, filed observations, and personal experiences. Secondary data such as the government policies and documents, companies’ annual reports, and reliable web sites are also included. Findings – The paper conceptualizes the internationalization of the TH into three stages: pioneering stage, exploration stage, and integration stage. In the pioneering stage, the authors see the establishment of each of the three helix spheres abroad, i.e. internationalization of companies, universities and governments; in the exploration stage, the three spheres start to interact abroad and collaborate with their counterparts ...

E‐business financing: preliminary insights from a developing economy context

Purpose – The deployment and strategic use of e‐business, from basic e‐mail utilization to total enterprise integration, involves the commitment of financial and technical resources. The resources have to be financed. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the views of trade promotion organizations, donors, export associations and banks on e‐business financing in Ghanas non‐traditional export (NTE) sector, with the view to making policy contributions to the e‐business financing phenomenon in a developing economy (DE) context.Design/methodology/approach – The research design is qualitative since this is an exploratory study and deep preliminary insights were sought about a hitherto under‐researched information systems topic from a developing country perspective. Officials from the trade promotion; export association, donor and financial communities were interviewed to generate insights to help understand the phenomenon under investigation.Findings – Some banks find it difficult financing e‐business in ...

INTERNET USE PATTERNS AMONGST INTERNATIONALIZING GHANAIAN EXPORTERS

Export firms are critical to the success of developing economies like Ghana. The Internet presents export firms with organizational improvement options and ways by which their value chain activities can be enhanced. The current study focused on the Internet use patterns amongst internationalizing Ghanaian non‐traditional exporters (NTEs). Out of 150 questionnaires administered, 106 responses were obtained. We employed descriptive statistics in the presentation of results. The general pattern of Internet usage for information search varied among NTEs according to degree of internationalization. The most internationalized NTEs demonstrated a higher usage rate of the Internet for information search purposes, with about a third using the Internet for Public Relations (PR) activities, compared to less than one‐fifth of the least internationalized group using the Internet for PR activities. Use of the Internet as a payment medium (getting paid for exports or paying for raw material inputs they need for operations) was significantly low among all NTEs in this study.

Sentiments that Affect Sociopolitical Legitimation of TNCs in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan: Sustainable Strategic Management from an Institutional Perspective

The study focuses on TNCs’ sociopolitical legitimation in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan with a view to ensuring sustainability in the greater institutional context. Taking an institutional perspective as a theoretical lens, using a grounded theory methodology, and employing nine cases as a methodological tool, the study explores and conceptualizes three types of sentiments. They are abbreviated as “REN-sentiments,” and cause tensions between TNCs and sociopolitical actors in the process of legitimation. The REN-sentiments comprise “religiosity and ideology,“”nationalism and patriotism,” and “ecological balance,” and suggest that tensions stemming from these sentiments can be managed and often turned into opportunities if appropriate strategies are applied. Eight types of strategic choices derived from the nine case studies are presented in order to mitigate, manage, and cash in on the REN-sentiments in South Asian markets. Such strategies include collaboration strategy, local development strategy, strategy of alignment with sociopolitical actors, local name and staffing strategy, hibernation strategy, sentiment-focused strategy, isomorphism strategy, and openness strategy.