scholarly journals International business research challenges in Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 188-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdoulkadre Ado ◽  
Roseline Wanjiru
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Business Research ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Challenges ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Observation Method

Purpose This paper aims to explore the challenges researchers in/on Africa face when conducting research on the continent. It examines the reasons behind Africans’ relatively limited contribution to the business literature in the global sphere and why not culturally sensitive and nuanced research on Africa is spreading unchallenged. Design/methodology/approach The study combines knowledge creation and institutional theories to explain why African business scholars struggle in researching the continent and in contributing significantly to global knowledge creation. It also explores the debate about why Africa’s narratives in business seem dominated by not culturally sensitive and nuanced voices and approaches. It uses a participant observation method. Findings The study found that African scholars have not yet contributed significantly to global knowledge creation because of Africa’s institutional weaknesses and lack of government support for research, coupled with challenges at the interviewing, organizational and scholars’ levels. The study points to the specificities of the continent as well as to African interviewees’ particularities and the type of interactions with the researchers. The paper proposes new avenues to address those multilevel challenges and offers key lessons for future studies. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to systematically investigate the fundamental reasons behind business research challenges in/on Africa from knowledge creation and institutional standpoints. This study also contributes to the growing debate on Africans’ meager contribution to business literature as well as the controversy regarding culturally sensitive vs not culturally sensitive knowledge creation on Africa. Finally, it proposes avenues to understanding and overcoming those challenges.

Reflection on the center for digital scholarship in China: a case study on space redesign

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiandong Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Service Center ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries ◽  
Future Design ◽  
Digital Scholarship ◽  
Reservation System ◽  
Usage Analysis ◽  
Observation Method

Purpose Focusing on two particularly challenging issues facing Chinese academic libraries – space constraints and the trending of digital scholarship services, this paper aims to explore which spaces students and faculty wanted and how to leverage low-use spaces and growing digital scholarship services to build the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS) to meet their demands. Design/methodology/approach The participant observation method was used in the launch stage of the space redesign from May 2016 to October 2018. The usage analysis method was used to reveal the use of the renovated spaces and assess the success of the space redesign when CDS was open to users between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018. The usage was gathered from the space reservation system. Findings A hybrid academic service center combining information commons, a collaborative workplace, social spaces and digital scholarship services, the CDS is able to meet the complexity and diversity of users’ needs and fulfill the mission of its university in the context of insufficient funds, space and specialists. While it approaches the goal of the space redesign project, some deficiencies remain to be addressed in the future design and service plan, including separating quiet and noisy areas, flexible arrangements and business process reengineering. Practical implications This study shows a hybrid academic service center can meet the complexity and diversity of users’ needs, despite insufficient funds, space and specialists. To ensure sustainability, digital scholarship services should adapt to local users’ needs and expectations. While the author’s patent service and subject development analysis are local and popular with the users and sectors in his university, they make their services somewhat different from those of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members. Originality/value This is one of the few, recent studies on space redesign incorporating digital scholarship services in a well-known academic library in China.

scholarly journals Entrepreneurial families in business across generations, contexts and cultures

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert James ◽  
Elias Hadjielias ◽  
Maribel Guerrero ◽  
Allan Discua Cruz ◽  
Rodrigo Basco
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Business Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis article is the editorial for the special issue on “Entrepreneurial Families in Business Across Generations, Contexts and Cultures”. We aim to develop a road map that can help academics and practitioners navigate the findings of the articles contained in this special issue. We also suggest future lines of research around the topic of entrepreneurial families in business.Design/methodology/approachWe develop a conceptual model for interpreting and understanding entrepreneurial families in business across contexts and time.FindingsOur conceptual model highlights the importance of context and time when conducting research on entrepreneurial families in business.Practical implicationsThe findings in this special issue will be of relevance for decision makers who tailor policies that embrace different economic and social actors, including entrepreneurial families.Originality/valueThis editorial and the articles that make up this special issue contribute to family business research by contextualising the phenomenon of entrepreneurial families in business. We propose a new holistic perspective to incorporate context and time in the study of entrepreneurial families that own, govern and manage family firms over time.

Deviation of community savings groups from their apparent methodology

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Maliti
Keyword(s):  
Financial Intermediation ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Enforcement Mechanisms ◽  
Observation Method ◽  
The Village ◽  
Weekly Group

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide generalised views on ways in which field practice in Tanzania deviates from the village savings and lending associations (VSLA) methodology. Design/methodology/approach The research applied “participant observation method” involving actual participation in the weekly meetings of the surveyed savings groups. Findings Field practices deviate from the VSLA methodology. Deviations include the tendency for the savings groups to simplify financial intermediation by regressing from using loan guarantors, relying on external enforcement to recover debts from group members (rather than depending on within group enforcement mechanisms), use of social funds to recover loans, limited attendance in weekly group meetings and accumulation of debts towards share-out dates. Research limitations/implications Results from this study are relevant to Ilala district where VSLA groups were sampled from. Cautious reading is therefore necessary when attempting to generalise findings to other areas with different social, economic and institution settings. Practical implications VSLA model needs to consider a number of issues. They include devising means to accommodate field realities; from simplification of financial intermediation activities to the dependence of the savings groups on external enforcement. Social implications Social implications include a possible improved VSLA model based on the findings from this study, to further advance the performance of community-based savings groups. Originality/value By revealing the deviation of the VSLA methodology from the practice, the study adds value to the literature which is largely dominated by economic and poverty impact of savings groups.

Toward a theory on workplaces for smart workers

Facilities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 298-315
Author(s):  
Luisa Errichiello ◽  
Tommasina Pianese
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Innovative Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Type ◽  
Smart Working ◽  
Research Propositions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the main features of smart work centers (SWCs) and show how these innovative offices would support the implementation of smart working and related changes in workspaces (“bricks”), technologies (“bytes”) and organizational practices (“behaviors”). Design/methodology/approach In this study, scientific literature is combined with white papers and business reports and visits to 14 workplaces, including offices designed as SWCs, co-working spaces, one telecenter, one accelerator and one fab lab. Primary data were collected through interviews with managers and users and non-participant observation, whereas secondary data included web-sites, brochures, presentations, press releases and official documents. Findings The authors developed research propositions about how the design of spaces and the availability of technology within SWCs would support the “bricks” and “bytes” levers of smart working. More importantly, the authors assumed that this new type of workplace would sustain changes in employees’ behaviors and managers’ practices, thus helping to overcome several challenges traditionally associated with remote working. Research limitations/implications The exploratory nature of the research only provides preliminary information about the role of SWCs within smart working programs. Additional qualitative and quantitative empirical investigation is required. Practical implications This study provides valuable knowledge about how the design of corporate offices can be leveraged to sustain the implementation of smart working. Originality/value This study advances knowledge on workplaces by focusing on an innovative design of traditional offices (SWC). It also lays the foundations for future investigation aimed at testing the developed propositions.

Information transformation: Some missing links

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-172
Author(s):  
Ivan P. Vaghely ◽  
Pierre-André Julien ◽  
André Cyr
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Human Information Processing ◽  
Process Information ◽  
Information Transformation ◽  
Efficient Information

Using grounded theory along with participant observation and interviews the authors explore how individuals in organizations process information. They build a model of human information processing which links the cognitivist-constructionist perspective to an algorithmic-heuristic continuum. They test this model using non-parametric procedures and find interesting results showing links to efficient information processing outcomes such as contributions to decision-making, knowledge-creation and innovation. They also identify some elements of best practice by efficient human information processing individuals whom they call the “information catalysts”.

scholarly journals Rough diamonds in emerging markets: legacy, competitiveness, and sustained high performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-386
Author(s):  
Seung Ho Park ◽  
Gerardo R. Ungson
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Emerging Markets ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Market Potential ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Institutional Voids ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to uncover the underlying drivers of sustained high performing companies based on a field study of 127 companies in Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese (BRIC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) emerging markets. Understanding these companies provides a complementary way of appraising the growth, development and transformation of emerging markets. The authors synthesize the findings in an overarching framework that covers six strategies for building and sustaining legacy that leads to the succession of intergenerational wealth over time: overcoming institutional voids, inclusive markets, deepening localization, nurturing government support, building core competencies and harnessing human capital. The authors relate these strategies to different levels of development using Prahalad and Hart’s BOP framework. Design/methodology/approach This study examines the underlying drivers of sustained high-performance companies based on field studies from an initial set of 105,260 BRIC companies and close to 500 companies in ASEAN. The methods employed four screening tests to arrive at a selection of the highest-performing firms: 70 firms in the BRIC nations and 58 firms from ASEAN. Following the selection, the authors constructed cases using primary interviews and secondary data, with the assistance of Ernst & Young and with academic colleagues in Manila. These studies were originally conducted in two separate time periods and reported accordingly. This paper synthesizes the findings of these two studies to arrive at an extended integrative framework. Findings From the cases, the authors examine six strategies for building and sustaining legacy that lead to high performance over time: overcoming institutional voids, creating inclusive markets, deepening localization, nurturing government support, building core competencies and harnessing human capital. To address the evolving state of institutional voids in these countries, the authors employ similar methods to hypothesize the placement of these strategies in the context of the world economic pyramid, initially formulated as the “bottom of the pyramid” framework. Originality/value This paper synthesizes and extends the authors’ previous works by proposing the concept of legacy to describe the emergence and succession of local exemplary firms in emerging markets. This study aims to complement extant measures of nation-growth based primarily on GDP. The paper also extends the literature on institutional voids in shifting the focus from the mix of voids to their evolving state. Altogether, the paper provides a complementary narrative on assessing the market potential of emerging markets by adopting several categories of performance.

scholarly journals Dynamic capabilities and marketing capabilities in Portugal

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro Dias ◽  
Pereira Renato
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Marketing Capabilities ◽  
Resource Configuration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transfer Processes ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Construct Dimensions ◽  
Operational Aspects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer an operationalization of an aggregate construct and a decisive contribution to building a dynamic capabilities theory with marketing implications. The authors investigate the influence of dynamic capabilities, specifically routine creation through embedding learning and knowledge, on marketing capabilities and performance in Portugal. The authors examine the direct relationship between dynamic capabilities and marketing capabilities, which is indirectly linked to performance depending on the effectiveness of the resulting new resource configuration. Design/methodology/approach The authors used four construct dimensions: knowledge creation routines, knowledge transfer processes, marketing capabilities, and firm performance. The study was based on an inter-industry random sample of firms selected from a commercial list. During a nine-month period the authors gathered data from a questionnaire delivered in hand to participating firms and collected through in-depth personal interviews. It was filled out by directors of Portuguese firms who agreed to participate in this study. Findings First, dynamic capabilities play an important role in the evolution of marketing capabilities and the maintenance of competitive advantage. Specifically, the authors identified a link between knowledge creation routines and knowledge transfer processes with marketing capabilities. Second, the effect of dynamic capabilities on performance can be considered to be substantially indirect. However, the results also show a direct link between knowledge transfer and performance. Originality/value First, the development of a model establishing the contribution to the evolution of marketing capabilities in order to compete in a changing environment, considering the critical effect of knowledge creation and transfer in a non-static market configuration. Second, the analysis of marketing capabilities from different layers, from strategic to more operational aspects.

Online brand communities as heterogeneous gatherings: a netnographic exploration of Apple users

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuğba Özbölük ◽  
Yunus Dursun
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Opinion Leader ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Online Brand Community

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the different types of members based on their roles within an online brand community dedicated to Apple. Design/methodology/approach Design/methodology/approach Data are drawn from an 18-month netnographic study, including participant and non-participant observation. Findings Findings reveal that members of the online brand community share a common goal but they are heterogeneous in many respects. In this research, five different types of brand community members are identified: learner, pragmatist, activist, opinion leader and evangelist. These findings emphasize the heterogeneity of the brand community or the differences of members and subgroups they form in the community. Practical implications This paper offers some insights for brand managers. There are different sub-tribes in online brand communities and these sub-tribes develop their own meanings of the brand. This means that online brand communities do not form one single homogenous target group and can be segmented into subgroups. Findings also offer a deeper understanding of negative characteristics of online brand community members. The role “activist” found in this study may be crucial for marketers, as activists can represent the negative side of online brand communities. Originality/value The literature on brand communities has focused predominantly on the homogeneity of these communities. This paper extends the literature by demonstrating the heterogeneity in an online brand community. The paper contributes to the brand community literature by substantiating that online brand community members can be segmented into subgroups based on their roles within the community. In addition, the paper extends the existing literature on brand communities that has overlooked the destructive consumer roles.

Leveraging business intelligence systems to enhance management control and business process performance in the public sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Z. Elbashir ◽  
Steve G. Sutton ◽  
Vicky Arnold ◽  
Philip A. Collier
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Process Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

Purpose Recent research and policy reports indicate public sector organizations struggle to leverage information technology-based performance measurement systems and fail to effectively evaluate performance beyond financial metrics. This study aims to focus on organizational factors that influence the assimilation of business intelligence (BI) systems into integrated management control systems and the corollary impact on improving business process performance within public sector organizations. Design/methodology/approach The complete Australian client list was acquired from a leading BI vendor; and the authors surveyed all public sector organizations, receiving 226 individual responses representing 160 public sector organizations in Australia. Using latent construct measurement, structural equation modeling (SEM)-partial least squares is used to test the theoretical model. Findings When top management promotes knowledge creation among the organization’s operational level employees and support their activities with strong BI infrastructure, the same knowledge and infrastructure capabilities that are critical to assimilation in private sector hold in the public sector. However, public sector organizations generally have difficulty retaining staff with expertise in new technologies and attracting new innovative staff that can leverage smart systems to effect major change in performance measurement. When top management effectively manages knowledge importation from external entities to counteract deficiencies, public sector organizations effectively assimilate BI knowledge into performance measurement yielding strong process performance. Research limitations/implications When top management promotes knowledge creation among the organization’s operational level employees and support their activities with strong BI infrastructure, the same knowledge and infrastructure capabilities critical to assimilation in the private sector hold in the public sector. However, public sector organizations generally have difficulty retaining staff with expertise in new technologies and attracting new innovative staff that can leverage smart systems to effect major change in performance measurement. The research extends the theory behind organizational absorptive capacity by highlighting how knowledge importation can be used as an external source facilitating internal knowledge creation. This collaborative knowledge creation leads to affective assimilation of BI technologies and associated performance gains. Practical implications The results provide guidance to public sector organizations that struggle to measure and validate service outcomes under New Public Management regulations and mandates. Originality/value The results reveal that consistent with the philosophies behind New Public Management strategies, private sector measures for increasing organizational absorptive capacity can be applied in the public sector. However, knowledge importation appears to be a major catalyst in the public sector where the resources to retain skilled professionals with an ability to leverage contemporary technologies into service performance are often very limited. Top management team knowledge and skills are critical to effectively leveraging these internal and external knowledge creation mechanisms.

Elucidating technology-based social entrepreneurs’ scale and scope perspectives: a study of environmental and organizational variables

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya
Keyword(s):  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Research Study ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Venture

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to ascertain how social entrepreneurs were required to recognize their new ventures’ scope and scale of operations. The firm boundary was based upon two dimensions, namely, the scope of the offering and its scale. The objective of this research was to ascertain the thinking regarding this of social entrepreneurs engaged through technology-based social entrepreneurship (TBSE). Design/methodology/approach This study conducted an in-depth interview of 26 technology entrepreneurs engaged in social entrepreneurship ventures in India. The interview was carried out based upon a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. This study undertook thematic and relational content analysis to develop a model of technology-based social entrepreneurs’ venture scoping and scaling. Findings This study found that the antecedent variables were the level of support perceived by social entrepreneur from government and at the industry level. Furthermore, the variables’ entrepreneurial and market orientation of social entrepreneurs were found to be the independent variables. These four variables in turn determined the explorative and exploitative horizon of the technology-based social entrepreneurs. Finally, an interplay of these variables ascertained the perspectives of social entrepreneurs engaged in TBSE regarding the notion of their firm’s scope and scale. Research limitations/implications The theoretical insights developed in this research study provided an integrated theoretical perspective accommodating both environmental perspectives (industry support and government support) and organizational perspectives (entrepreneurial and market aspects). This was in context of TBSE. Practical implications The insights from this research study could provide a robust and comprehensive understanding to social entrepreneurs regarding the strategic thinking towards scale and scope for a technology-based social venture. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study was one of the first theoretical works in TBSE towards scaling versus scoping perspectives.

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