Richard Nyuur

Organizations' commitment to and communication of CSR activities: insights from Ghana

– The purpose of this paper is to examine organizations’ commitment and communication of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a developing country’s context. , – The study employed an empirical quantitative approach by surveying 193 managers from multiple organizations in Ghana, and used independent sample t-test as well as descriptive statistics to examine the phenomenon. , – The study established that firms operating in Ghana know about CSR and are committed to it. But the level of understanding of the concept as evidenced by their practices is limited to philanthropic activities. The study further revealed that firms operating in Ghana communicate their CSR activities to stakeholders in many forms. Additionally, organizations employ equally varied channels in communicating their CSR initiatives. , – The study contributes the Ghanaian perspective of CSR to the Sub-Sahara African literature, and by that it enhances our present understanding of the commitment and communication channels of CSR activities by companies operating in Ghana. , – Empirical Literature on CSR communication in developing countries is limited. The paucity of academic enquiry on the issue has stimulated this research, based on the perceptions of managers of firms operating in Ghana about their principles of CSR, their way to disclose these activities and the kind of CSR activities done. Further research directions are also articulated.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Sub-Saharan Africa: Hindering and Supporting Factors.

Purpose - – In recent years, the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained recognition and importance in both business and political settings. While considerable research has been conducted on CSR in developed countries, the extant literature on CSR in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is scant and CSR is seen in terms of philanthropy. This paper aims to examine CSR from a broader perspective and in particular to identify the factors that hinder and promote CSR activities in SSA using the Smit (2009) CSR Value Chain Model. Design/methodology/approach - – This paper is based on data obtained from a survey conducted by GTZ (now GIZ) on factors promoting and hindering CSR in SSA. The study surveyed 85 companies from six countries, namely; South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia. The study essentially examined the internal and external CSR environments of the companies in the participating countries. Findings - – The study revealed that there are nine key promoting and hindering factors of CSR for businesses in SSA. These include: leadership and governance, policy framework, project management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting, stakeholder engagement, staff engagement, government, funding and beneficiation. The study recommends a systemic and context-sensitive approach that relies on the potential of organisations and communities to design and implement their own solution within global frameworks in order to further develop CSR in the region. Research limitations/implications - – There are a number of limitations in this study. First, this study did not include any informants from the responding organisations’ stakeholder groups, but relied mainly on information obtained from single respondents from organisations. Further research should include responses from other stakeholder groups. Practical implications - – To promote or achieve the successful implementation of CSR and broaden its scope within the region beyond its current focus on philanthropy, managers must build bridges with their stakeholders through both formal and informal dialogues and engagement practices. Additionally, firms may enhance and maximise both social and economic value created when managers link their CSR activities to areas that improve firms’ long-term competitive potential by collectively and systematically applying their distinctive strengths to such activities in accordance with the value chain model. Originality/value - – The finding in this study is novel and adds an important contribution to the developing CSR literature in the SSA region.

A question of top talent? The effects of lateral hiring in two emerging economies

Abstract On the basis of a qualitative study in two emerging economies, we advance the literature on lateral hiring by developing an integrated phase model to explain how the effects of lateral hiring unfold to affect the originating firm and its employees. Our work uncovered two types of effects on the originating firm, i.e. first-order and second-order effects. Our stage model elucidates how the psychological and emotional effects are manifest to affect the existing employees. Personnel poaching appear to have triggered the quest for meaning and attempts by the existing employees to enhance their visibility, career adaptability and marketability. We discuss implications for practice, theory and research on lateral hiring.

Developing Strategic International Human Resource Capabilities in Sub-Saharan Africa

Within the context of the global business environment, strategic international human resource (HR) capabilities have become paramount. The chapter attempts to capture empirical and conceptual scholarly work on international strategic management with contextual focus on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Africa’s complex multilayered culture with varied historical backgrounds has influenced the creation of complex and challenging cultural and institutional business environment. While HRM capabilities are needed to ensure that firms understand and manage the performance of African employees, it is increasingly becoming necessary that the capability to identify and develop talent must encompass developing talent with local and global technical, managerial and leadership skills.

SME International innovation and strategic adaptiveness: The role of domestic network density, centrality and informality

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) domestic network structural attributes on their ex post internationalisation strategic innovation and adaptiveness in the host country. Design/methodology/approach The model fit of SME domestic network structural attributes and their ex post international performance was examined using structural equation modelling on data gathered from a sample of 263 SMEs from Croatia, a transition and emerging economy. Hierarchical regression analysis was further performed to test both the direct and moderating effects. Findings The study revealed that domestic network informality (DNF) moderates the link between SME domestic network centrality and their international innovation. Similarly, the findings show that DNF strengthens the negative association between domestic network density and SME international innovation and strategic adaptiveness. Moreover, the study did not find any direct impact of these domestic networks’ structural attributes (density and centrality) on SME international innovation and strategic adaptiveness. Originality/value Scholars have emphasised the importance and urgency for further research attention on the role of networks on SMEs’ internationalisation activities from emerging economies. This study responds to this call, and to the knowledge of the authors, is the first to examine the role of domestic network attributes on SME international performance in emerging economies. The findings provide new insightful contributions to the social network perspective and the international entrepreneurship literatures.

The Moderating Effect of Perceived Effectiveness of SMEs' Marketing Function on the Network Ties - Strategic Adaptiveness Relationship

This study examines the critical role of perceived effectiveness of the Marketing function (MF) in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in leveraging entrepreneurial network ties to improve strategic adaptiveness (SA). The study tests whether a MF perceived as effective by SMEs’ managers/owners moderates the relationship between SMEs network ties and SA required for improved performance. Findings of a moderated regression analysis on a sample of 263 Croatian SMEs indicate that network ties contribute significantly to their SA, and that a MF perceived as effective only moderates the impact of customer and competitor ties on SMEs’ SA. Research and practical implications are discussed.

Review of the literature on board committees: taking stock and looking ahead

Committees on a board of directors are now subject to recommendations by regulations in practically all jurisdictions. At the same time, scholarly work on the topic has escalated since the mid-1990s. In this review article, we examine relevant literature on board committees of audit, compensation and nomination, as part of corporate governance research in general, over the period of 1988 to 2011. We observed an exponential growth in contributions over time, the majority of which can be attributed to management and accounting scholars. The audit committee is the most researched of all three committees, with the nomination committee being the least researched. An analysis of the literature generated a picture that included the following features: 1) the dominance of the agency theory; 2) a lack of other unifying theoretical frameworks; 3) a strong US-centrism; 4) the prevalence of quantitative research methods.

Unlocking the potential barriers on SMEs’ uptake of scenario planning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the value of scenario planning to small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), and further examine the challenges constraining the uptake of scenario planning by SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual review of the literature on scenario planning in SMEs intended to unpack and capture the possible underlying reasons accounting for the limited uptake of scenario planning by managers/owners of SMEs has informed the formulation of this paper. Findings – The study uncovered that SMEs’ managerial mental models, SMEs’ managerial time orientation, severe resource constraints, and industry complexity are some of the salient factors inhibiting the use of scenario planning among managers/owners of SMEs. The author develops a framework of propositions that account for the complexity and challenges of scenario planning by SMEs for future empirical examination and validation. Originality/value – The conventional wisdom is that scenario planning is carried out by...

Drivers of training and talent development: insights from oil and gas MNCs in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The paper examines the main drivers, nature and extent of employee training in oil and gas (O&G) multinational companies (MNCs). Using insights from 16 managers in Nigeria O&G industry, we identified three broad levels of factors driving the training provisions and talent development decisions. The study further develops an integrated model of direct and moderating factors of training. The findings suggest that government regulations, health and safety concerns, industry-education outreach programmes and the general level of industry tend to trigger proactive measures in developing relevant training programmes. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that organizations’ strategies, policies, health and safety concerns and technological changes also influence training decision-making. The practical implications of the study as well as implications for training and development research are discussed.

The History and Development of Brewing and the Beer Industry in Africa

The brewing and beer industry in Africa dates back to ancient times and has gone through numerous changes over the centuries (Haggblade and Holzafel, 2004; Obot, 2013; Willis, 2006). The industry can be defined as the process, types and contexts of beer production, distribution and consumption. Van Wolputte and Fumanti (2010, p.12) noted that beer is not a single drink but implies many things serving as a “general denominator that covers a wide range of beverages, from nutritious gruels to industrial brews.” Beer production and consumption have historically been integral to the fabric of the socio-economic lives of the people in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region (Obot, 2006; WHO, 2014). It is also suggested to have played a vital role in the more recent political past of the African region (Van Wolputte and Fumanti, 2010). Accordingly, beer was produced by women mainly for the senior aged male groups to drink either at home, in groups or at special occasions (Haggblade and Holzafel, 2004; Willis, 2006).