scholarly journals Gender composition of ownership and management of firms and the gender digital divide in Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Orkoh ◽  
Wilma Viviers
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Gender Composition ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Employment Of Women ◽  
And Gender

Purpose: This study analysed the determinants of firms’ adoption and utilisation of digital technologies in Africa, with specific attention to the gender structure of firms’ ownership and management, in the interest of closing the gender digital divide.Design/methodology/approach: Logistic and Poisson regression techniques were used to analyse firm-level data from the World Bank’s Enterprise Survey in 48 African countries for the period 2006–2019.Findings/results: (1) Representation: The descriptive analysis shows very low representation of women in the ownership and management of firms in Africa. Whilst just over a quarter of the firms were partly women-owned, less than 10% are majority- or all-women-owned and only 12% have women as a top manager. The results are a comparison of firms according to gender composition. (2) Adoption: The regression estimates suggest that firms that are partly women-owned are more likely to adopt digital technologies, but all-women-owned and firms with women as top managers are less likely to adopt digital technologies for their business activities. These results on the adoption of digital technologies remained consistent with the results on utilisation of digital technologies for business activities. (3) Utilisation: Partly women-owned or women-led firms are less likely to use digital technologies for business activities such as using the Internet for research and placing orders. However, these firms are more likely to use e-mail for business communication. Partly women-owned firms are more likely to use digital technologies more intensively, whilst the opposite was observed for majority- or fully women-owned and women-led firms.Practical implications: This study highlights the need for initiatives focussed on developing women in Africa’s knowledge and use of digital technologies in business. Based on the results, women are urged to enhance their skills in this domain. This may present greater opportunities in terms of employment of women to increase women’s representation.Originality/value: The article contributes to knowledge on the nexus between gender digital divide and gender inequality in ownership and management of firms. The results may also inform initiatives to narrow the digital divide in Africa.

Gender disparity in speakers at a major academic emergency medicine conference

2020 ◽  
pp. emermed-2019-208865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Partiali ◽  
Sandra Oska ◽  
Ross Benjamin Touriel ◽  
Anthony Delise ◽  
Antonio Barbat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medicine ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Gender Composition ◽  
Substantial Portion ◽  
Emergency Physicians ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
The World ◽  
And Gender

BackgroundAlthough women make up a substantial portion of the workforce in emergency medicine, they remain under-represented in academia.MethodsThis study investigates trends in the representation of female speakers at the American College of Emergency Physicians scientific assembly—the largest academic emergency medicine conference in the world. Publication profiles, speaking duration and gender composition of speakers were collected and compared over a 3-year period.ResultsThe authors described increased representation of female speakers at the conference from 2016 to 2018, as well as an upward trend in women’s actual speaking time.ConclusionThis upward trend in women’s representation may translate to more opportunities for female engagement in academic emergency medicine. Despite the increasing representation of women, male speakers outnumbered female speakers all 3 years, demonstrating that a speaker gender gap persists in academic emergency medicine.

scholarly journals Financial constraint, trust, and export performances: firm-level evidence from Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Maty Konte ◽  
Gideon Ndubuisi
Keyword(s):  
Financial Constraints ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Financial Constraint ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Enterprise Surveys

Abstract Several existing studies have documented a negative relationship between firm financial constraint and export activities but do not attempt to examine factors that could attenuate this relationship in Africa. In this paper, we examine the effect of financial constraint on exports in Africa and explore how the level of trust in countries where firms are located shapes this relationship. We combine the World Bank Enterprise Surveys with different measures of country-level personal and interpersonal trust computed from the Afrobarometer surveys of 19 African countries. Our results show that financial constraints negatively affect export activities. However, this negative effect is attenuated for firms that are located in trust-intensive societies. These findings are robust to different specifications. Interestingly, we find that small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa are more likely to be affected by financial constraints but also more likely to benefit from a higher level of both personal and interpersonal trust, while for larger firms only interpersonal trust matters.

scholarly journals Stakeholders’ Understandings of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Rapid Qualitative Systematic Review

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 496
Author(s):  
Caroline Deignan ◽  
Alison Swartz ◽  
Sara Cooper ◽  
Christopher J. Colvin
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Human Papillomavirus ◽  
Hpv Vaccine ◽  
Hpv Vaccination ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Qualitative Systematic Review ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Gender

Cervical cancer rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are amongst the highest worldwide. All three of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines (9-valent, quadrivalent and bivalent HPV vaccine) provide primary protection against the most common cancer-causing strains of HPV (types 16 and 18) that are known to cause 70% of cervical cancers. Over the last five years, there has been an increase in Sub-Saharan African countries that have introduced the HPV vaccine. The majority of research has been conducted on supply-side barriers and facilitators to HPV vaccination uptake in SSA, yet little research has been conducted on demand-side or end-user perspectives of, and decisions around, HPV vaccination. In order to complement existing research, and inform current and future HPV vaccination implementation approaches, this qualitative systematic review explored Stakeholders’ understandings of HPV vaccination in SSA. This review searched the following databases: Embase (via Scopus), Scopus, MEDLINE (via PubMed), PubMed, EBSCOhost, Academic Search Premier, Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL) and found a total of 259 articles. Thirty-one studies were found eligible for inclusion and were analyzed thematically using Braun and Clarke’s methods for conducting a thematic analysis. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Three major themes emerged from this analysis; knowledge of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer is intertwined with misinformation; fear has shaped contradictory perceptions about HPV vaccination and gender dynamics are relevant in how stakeholders understand HPV vaccination in SSA.

Effects of CEO and COO overconfidence on the firm's inventory leanness

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bowon Kim ◽  
Jaeseog Na
Keyword(s):  
Inventory Management ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Stock Option ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Managerial Overconfidence

PurposeThis study examines whether the behavioral attributes, such as overconfidence, of chief executive officers (CEO) and chief operating officers (COO) affect firm's inventory leanness. If they do, how are they interacting with each other? Moreover, incorporating market competition into the analysis, this study explores how the competition moderates the relationship between managerial overconfidence and inventory leanness.Design/methodology/approachUsing a large panel data of US manufacturing firms between 1998 and 2015, this study measures top managers' overconfident characteristics using stock option information. Then, a panel regression analysis is adopted to test the effects of managerial overconfidence on inventory leanness. Moreover, a moderation model is applied to investigate the interaction effects of market competition.FindingsFirms with overconfident COOs (CEOs), other circumstances being equal, increase (decrease) the inventory leanness as the market becomes more competitive.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that firms should understand top managers' behavioral characteristics to manage inventory efficiently. Collectively, CEOs (COOs) tend to increase (decrease) inventory levels due to their overconfidence as the market gets competitive. Firms should establish a systematic process to be reviewed by diverse stakeholders to deal with managerial overconfidence.Originality/valueThis study is an exploratory study that examines whether and how top management's behavioral attribute relates to a firm's operations performance. It underlines that CEO and COO's overconfident characteristics determine the inventory leanness when market competition is considered. Numerous studies on firm-level strategies emphasized the top managers' overconfidence as a key factor. However, behavioral characteristics at the top management level have rarely been studied in operations management fields. Based on the results, scholars could compare and understand the effects of CEO and COO overconfidence to provide insights into inventory management.

Pre-Entry Experience, Postentry Adaptations, and Internationalization in the African Mobile Telecommunications Industry

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jahanbakht ◽  
Romel Mostafa ◽  
Francisco Veloso
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Telecommunications Industry ◽  
Mobile Telecommunications ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Operational Conditions ◽  
Adaptive Capabilities ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
Mobile Telecommunications Industry

We study the evolution of the African mobile telecommunications industry from its effective beginning and explore the sources of ownership advantages among indigenous firms, by assembling historical qualitative and quantitative firm-level data. Our historical qualitative findings suggest that a few start-ups gained industry-specific knowledge through their pre-entry experience, directed their postentry development of capabilities toward adaptations to challenging market and operational conditions, and leveraged their adaptive capabilities to enter and compete in other African countries. Using our quantitative panel data, we show that these firms successfully internationalized across the continent. In particular, compared with other start-ups, they had higher rates of foreign entry in African countries that had relatively weaker rule of law, and greater market reach in African countries that had relatively larger low-income consumer segments. These patterns corroborate that their capabilities for overcoming the industry’s challenging market and operational conditions were their key ownership advantages. Through our triangulated analysis, we show that inherited industry knowledge provides a foundation for postentry capability development, and entrepreneurial leadership guides this process to create ownership advantages for regional internationalization.

Gender Differences in the Psychology of Competition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin J. Hanek
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Role Theory ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Gender Composition ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Social Role Theory ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Competitive Environments ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Gender

Drawing primarily on the literature in experimental economics and social psychology, this article reviews key findings on gender differences for two aspects of competitiveness and competition: entry preferences and performance. Although women, relative to men, have been shown to shy away from competition and underperform in competitive environments, this article also discusses boundary conditions for these effects, such as the nature of the task or gender composition of the group, and highlights manifestations of these effects in applied domains, including in negotiations, the labor market, educational settings, and sports. Adopting social psychological frameworks of prescriptive norms and stereotypes, particularly social role theory, this article examines ways in which gender-incongruencies may underpin gender gaps in competition and gender-congruencies may alleviate them. Finally, this article considers implications for individuals and institutions as well as future directions in the field to continue finding ways to close gaps.

The interplay between digital transformation and governance mechanisms in supply chains: evidence from the Italian automotive industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Paolucci ◽  
Elena Pessot ◽  
Riccardo Ricci
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Development Effort ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Relational Governance ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Digital Interface ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Automotive Suppliers ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the effect of specific subsets of digital technologies and governance mechanisms (i.e. relational and contractual) on the efficiency of the automotive supply chain (SC).Design/methodology/approachBuilding on the Transaction Costs Economic (TCE) theory, and on the literatures on the governance and Digital Transformation of SCs, the research employs a multi-respondent survey on a sample of 101 Italian automotive suppliers. It analyses the interplay between investments in network and physical–digital interface technologies and buyer–supplier relationship governance models in a joint product development effort. The related effects on costs, from the automotive suppliers' perspective, are considered.FindingsThe results confirm the TCE assumptions on governance mechanisms being appropriate to enhance cost performance, but in particular show that digital technologies shape the governance of buyer–supplier relationships with different patterns. The features of synchronisation and accessibility, as ensured by network technologies, are found to strengthen the impact of contractual governance, while the adoption of physical–digital interface technologies, and their enhanced features of virtualisation and traceability, further enhance the impact of relational governance on the efficiency improvements of suppliers.Practical implicationsSC actors need to recognise the importance of long-term collaboration and superior coordination through investments in specific subsets of digital technologies, to ensure a higher product and production data codifiability, transparency and thus integration at both an intra- and an inter-firm level.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to have considered Digital Transformation in SCs from the suppliers' perspective and its implications on the efficiency of relationship governance with buyers.

scholarly journals THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT AND WOMEN’S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION: AN ANALYSIS OF WOMEN’S EXPERIENCE IN FORMAL POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN TURKEY FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

2021 ◽  
pp. 118-129
Author(s):  
Ayşe GÖNÜLLÜ ATAKAN
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Women And Gender ◽  
Gender Perspective ◽  
Economic Dimension ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Women And Gender Studies ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Developed Countries

Today, the necessity of addressing development not only with its economic dimension but also with its social and environmental dimensions has been accepted by the international community. Alternative Women and Development approaches that emerged in the 1970s also emphasized that the idea of development without women would not be possible, and that the main development is possible with the empowerment of women as important actors of development. It is a dominant view that is agreed in the literature on women and gender studies that one of the most important tools for achieving empowerment, which is conceptualized as “gaining the ability of women to make strategic life choices”, is their participation in decision-making mechanisms. In this context, it is vital for women to participate in formal politics with their own perspective in order to solve their own problems based on their own gendered experiences. In this study, inadequate political representation of women in Turkey, as a candidate to be among the developed countries, is discussed from a gender perspective in terms of reasons, results and solutions. Keywords: Political participation, gender, women and development, empowerment.

scholarly journals The Beliefs and Aesthetics of Isaan Heritage Trees

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Surasak Sornsena ◽  
Preechawut Apirating ◽  
Sipp Suksamran
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The People ◽  
Study Results ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Art Elements ◽  
Heritage Trees ◽  
Heritage Tree

This article is a part of a Doctoral Thesis titled “Isaan Heritage Tree: From the Belief and the Aesthetic to the Creation of Visual Arts,” with the objectives of studying the belief and the aesthetic that exist in the Isaan Heritage Tree using the qualitative method. The study’s target groups can be divided into three following groups: the experts, the practitioners, and the related people. The area of study is in the Isaan region. The region is divided into upper Isaan, mid-Isaan, and lower Isaan. The research tools consist of surveys, non-participatory observation, and structured and non-structured interviews. The data collected from documents and field data was analyzed using Aesthetic Theory and Symbolic Interactionism Theory and presented using descriptive analysis.  The study results show that Isaan has a long history and development both in geography, the administration, society, the culture, and the migration of people who came to settle in the area from Luang Phrabang, Vientiane, and Champasak. This had caused the people and nation’s coming together and led to social management, which consists of regulations, religion, and belief. The beliefs of the Isaan people are connected to forest spirits, household spirits, or tree spirits. Five following characteristics of the Heritage Trees were also found: 1) The traditional beliefs related to the Heritage Trees of Isaan. 2) The new belief. 3) The beliefs that are connected to the locations. 4) The beliefs in the tree spirits whose identity and gender cannot be identified. 5) Auspicious and inauspicious beliefs. There are three aspects for the aesthetics: Aesthetic elements are the feeling of amazement due to the gigantic size filled with astonishment, mystery, and the fear of power. The interesting aspects of Art elements are the unity and relationship to the seasons, such as the Fall season, Rainy Season, and the blooming of flowers that contribute to the changes in the aesthetics changes. The visual art elements consist of six following components; bodies and shapes, lines, colors, textures, light and shadows, and area. It was found that the gigantic size and height cause amazements to the viewers. The physical lines of the Isaan Heritage trees were the lines along the trunks, the lines on the branches, and the lines that go along the leaves and flowers. There are different colors of the trunk, the leaves, and the flowers. The texture was rough, harsh, and the cracks follow the same directions as the trunk. There are botanical differences in the light and shadows of the heritage trees. As for the area, there are differences between the area of the heritage trees and the surrounding areas, as well as the differences within the Isaan Heritage Trees area.   Received: 25 January 2021 / Accepted: 31 March 2021 / Published: 10 May 2021

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