Francis Kwaw Andoh, Emmanuel Attobrah, Alexander Opoku, Mark Kojo Armah and Isaac Dasmani
The question of what level of public debt can increase inequality has become crucial in Africa. In this study, the authors examine the effect of public debt on inequality in…
Abstract
Purpose
The question of what level of public debt can increase inequality has become crucial in Africa. In this study, the authors examine the effect of public debt on inequality in Africa and estimate the debt-inequality threshold. The authors then examine the moderating role of tax burdens and corruption in the relationship between public debt and inequality.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from the period 2005 to 2019 in 38 African countries, the generalized method of moment and the dynamic panel threshold regression techniques were employed to achieve the purpose of the study.
Findings
The results reveal that a 1% increase in public debt leads to a rise in inequality by about 0.17%. However, the effects doubles when the public debt ratio hits 57.47%. Tax burden worses the effect of public debt by about 2.9 percentage points, while control of corruption reduces debt effect on inequality by 61 percentage points.
Research limitations/implications
Owing to data availability, the study period was restricted to 2005 to 2019. Moreover, the study could not consider the disagreggation of inequality into different income groups due to pausty of data. While this could narrow the scope of the study, the results provide an important insight for policy makers.
Originality/value
This contributes to the scant literature on the effect of public debt on income inequality in African countries. This study is a novelty because its provides the level of public debt which worsens inequality in Africa, as well as the moderating effects of tax burden and corruption control.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-08-2022-0581
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Oluseyi Julius Adebowale and Justus Ngala Agumba
A significant amount of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons is emitted during the production of building materials. With the world population expected to increase by 21.3% from…
Abstract
Purpose
A significant amount of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons is emitted during the production of building materials. With the world population expected to increase by 21.3% from 2030 to 2050, the demand for construction materials is set to rise, necessitating a shift toward eco-friendly options to preserve the ecosystem. Bamboo emerges as a promising solution to meet sustainable construction goals. This study aims to investigate bamboo’s potential as a sustainable construction material, evaluating its impact on construction productivity and safety.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was conducted, using relevant keywords to retrieve journal articles from the Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Articles were screened, and only those meeting the inclusion criteria were reviewed.
Findings
Bamboo offers numerous advantages as a construction material, including cost-effectiveness, abundance and strength, making it a viable alternative to traditional building materials with a reduced environmental impact. However, its widespread acceptance encounters significant challenges. The use of bamboo in construction can both positively and negatively affect productivity and safety in construction organizations.
Practical implications
This study proposes a framework for improvement that construction stakeholders can adopt to enhance bamboo’s utilization in construction while maintaining high productivity and safety standards.
Originality/value
While previous studies have advocated for increased bamboo utilization in construction, this study goes further to explore the implications for productivity and safety in construction.
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Yewande Adewunmi, Prisca Simbanegavi and Malcolm Weaich
Informal settlements are frequently located in hazardous areas with a high risk of natural disasters. Upgrading informal settlements can be difficult due to the time and expense…
Abstract
Informal settlements are frequently located in hazardous areas with a high risk of natural disasters. Upgrading informal settlements can be difficult due to the time and expense needed to complete the process. This chapter advocates using a management framework of public services in informal settlements. In doing so, it addresses 17 of the 17 UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). The study reviewed the literature to investigate current ways of managing environmental enterprises in informal settlements in South Africa. Thereafter, the challenges of managing public services were explored, and a conceptual framework for managing public services by social enterprises in such communities was developed. The chapter found that environmental enterprises are classified as ‘green spaces’ and infrastructure, water and sanitation services, energy systems, and recycling initiatives. Essential aspects of sustainable community-based facilities management (SCbFM) for managing public services are maintenance, governance, community project management, environment service delivery, service performance, governance, community project management, environment service delivery, service performance, well-being and health and safety, disaster management, and finance. Some of the problems of managing public services in informal settlements include the limited skills of managers, the focus of government on new projects rather than managing existing projects, not choosing the right indicators to measure service performance, and limited guidelines for the health and safety of managers and disaster management. Thus, a new conceptual framework was needed and developed based on the principles of social capital and capability for managing services in informal settlements in South Africa.
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Kwame Oduro Amoako, Keith Dixon, Isaac Oduro Amoako, Emmanuel Opoku Marfo, James Tuffour and Beverley Rae Lord
With the recent increasing relevance of sustainability, multinational enterprises are faced with divergent stakeholder demands and persistently shifting priorities. This study…
Abstract
Purpose
With the recent increasing relevance of sustainability, multinational enterprises are faced with divergent stakeholder demands and persistently shifting priorities. This study aims to examine stakeholders’ perceptions of the sustainability performance of a gold mining subsidiary in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a purposive sampling technique, the authors interviewed managers and employees of the case enterprise, officials of regulatory institutions and host community members on their perceptions of the case enterprise’s sustainability performance. The authors triangulated the opinions expressed by these stakeholders with data from annual reports. The data were analysed through the lens of stakeholder theory.
Findings
The authors found that while members of the host community and the regulatory institutions were keenly interested in the case enterprise’s social and environmental activities, they perceived their performance as unimpressive, considering the economic benefits derived from the mining operations. On the contrary, the managers and employees of the case enterprise were satisfied with their environmental compliance and social intervention programmes, even though the company’s economic position had declined. The authors submit that the variations in the sustainability performance perceptions among the stakeholders are due to the lack of a deeper understanding of the other stakeholders’ expectations.
Practical implications
To equitably satisfy diverse stakeholder expectations, the study highlights the role of stakeholder collaborations in understanding the expectations of more salient stakeholder groups such as community members and employees, as well as the lesser salient groups such as academics. It also demonstrates the fluidity of sustainability and its benefits in designing a consensual sustainable management strategy. This implies that managers of the case mining enterprise make the necessary efforts to meet the diverse stakeholder needs while attaining their primary objective of creating wealth for shareholders.
Originality/value
Compared to advanced economies, studies on sustainability performance in emerging economies are limited. Nonetheless, these limited studies leave out stakeholder perceptions, focusing more on quantitative performance indicators. Using thematic and content analyses, the authors investigate stakeholder perceptions on the sustainability performance of a case mining subsidiary operating in Ghana. The study focused on Ghana because it is ranked with South Africa as the top two producers of gold in Africa. Nonetheless, unlike South Africa, Ghana faces more sustainability challenges from the mining sector due to weak institutions in enforcing sustainability standards.
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George Papageorgiou, Vasilios Loulis, Andreas Efstathiades and Alexander N. Ness
The decision to buy a holiday home depends on a number of social, cultural, economic and demographic factors. These factors are related to home and environmental characteristics…
Abstract
Purpose
The decision to buy a holiday home depends on a number of social, cultural, economic and demographic factors. These factors are related to home and environmental characteristics as well as demographic characteristics of buyers. The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors that shape the decision to purchase a holiday home in Greece.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the results of a survey, involving a representative sample of potential buyers of holiday homes in Greece.
Findings
According to the research results, buying a holiday home in Greece is mainly an investment decision for the future and is determined by the value and characteristics of the house, the hidden costs and the factors that shape the external economic environment. (1) Further, the analysis has shown that there is a limited use of electronic channels in the real estate market in Greece with further potential of development.
Originality/value
The investigation focuses on the characteristics of the house, the variables of the external environment, (2) considering any obstacles or catalysts, such as the use of electronic channels. Even though similar studies have been conducted worldwide on the topic, very few have been carried out in Greece which lately has gone through major market changes.
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Kwame Oduro Amoako, Isaac Oduro Amoako, James Tuffour and Emmanuel Opoku Marfo
Using a subsidiary of a multinational mining company in Ghana as a case, the purpose of this study is to examine the formal and informal forms and channels of sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
Using a subsidiary of a multinational mining company in Ghana as a case, the purpose of this study is to examine the formal and informal forms and channels of sustainability reporting in the emerging economy’s context.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted amongst managers and employees of the mining company and members of their host community. Based on the interview themes, archival data were extracted from the 2020 Integrated Annual Report of the case company to corroborate the results from the interviews.
Findings
The authors found that most of the stakeholders from the host community interviewed were not aware and, to an extent, not interested in formal sustainability reports. In place of that, the management of the mining subsidiary uses informal channels of communication, including meetings and durbars, to verbally engage the local community and their representatives on sustainability matters. Whilst the formal sustainability reports met the internal requirements set by the parent company, the informal engagements were critical for gaining external legitimacy from the host community and other interest groups. Hence, the authors argue that mining companies and their subsidiaries, particularly in developing economies, need to consider informal forms of sustainability reporting alongside the formal channels to engage local communities to address sustainability issues and avert disruptions to their operations.
Originality/value
Sustainability reporting studies have focussed mainly on annual reports published in print or corporate websites, ignoring informal forms of sustainability reporting. This study sheds light on the informal forms of sustainability reporting. This is important as formal forms of sustainability reporting may be less useful for engaging local mining communities in developing economy contexts.
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Omoleye Ojuri, Grant R.W. Mills and Alex Opoku
This work aims to understand how social value is created and delivered using community-based water supply projects. It examines social value creation given the enabling concepts �…
Abstract
Purpose
This work aims to understand how social value is created and delivered using community-based water supply projects. It examines social value creation given the enabling concepts – value co-creation and service ecosystems as business models for infrastructure.
Design/methodology/approach
Inductive reasoning, including qualitative research design, was applied to two water supply projects. The qualitative stage created social value co-creation features using the purposive sampling of 72 semi-structured interviews.
Findings
The qualitative analysis features social value co-creation, which includes a sense of social unity, end-user empowerment, Behavioural transformation, and knowledge transfer. Although value destruction also emerged while examining social value co-creation, the research identifies the “red flags” and value contradictions that must be avoided.
Research limitations/implications
The enablers of sustainable infrastructure projects should include social value, service ecosystems and value co-creation.
Practical implications
There is a need for the government and non-governmental organisations to create enabling platforms that involve a planned dialogical communication process supporting the development and enhancement of relationships of stakeholders to maximise social value from infrastructure projects.
Originality/value
The work offers a widened perspective of social value creation and a new framework called “Social value co-creation/destruction” (SVCC/SVCD) as the business model for sustainable infrastructure projects. It is the first attempt to illustrate social value creation in construction from service ecosystems and value co-creation perspectives.
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Hai T. T. Ngo and Paul Agu Igwe
This chapter explores the context of global ventures, gives an overview of an entrepreneur’s motivations, and discusses literature on internationalization strategies of firms…
Abstract
This chapter explores the context of global ventures, gives an overview of an entrepreneur’s motivations, and discusses literature on internationalization strategies of firms. Entrepreneurs innovate and find new ways to create or discover new opportunities, start a new venture, or grow an existing venture. Indeed, firms grow through sustainable and innovative process considering economic, social, and environmental protection (the three pillars of sustainability). Indeed, entrepreneurial motivations to take business globally can be because of “push” or “pull” forces such as the creation of global products and services, access to global market, access to strategic resources, and access to global sourcing. However, the capability to internationalize is dependent on the interaction between entrepreneurs’ internal resources and external constraints. These constraints are explained by the Ghemawat’s CAGE Distance Framework, including “cultural,” “administrative,” “geographic,” and “economic” challenges.
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Greta Keliuotytė-Staniulėnienė and Joana Mačėnaitė
Purpose: This study quantitatively assesses the impact of ESG profile on equity value and risk, as well as identifies potential differences occurring in different sectors, based…
Abstract
Purpose: This study quantitatively assesses the impact of ESG profile on equity value and risk, as well as identifies potential differences occurring in different sectors, based on the data of the Nasdaq Nordic market.
Methodology: To reach this purpose, (i) the stock return and volatility analysis is being conducted (using the methods of paired sample t-test, correlation, etc.), and (ii) panel data models with constant, fixed and random effects are being constructed. The analysis is based not only on the company’s ESG performance but also on a cross-sectoral approach.
Findings: The results revealed that although ESG factors appeared to have a significant impact in most of the constructed models, the impact of these factors varies depending on the sector.
Implications: This research provides a comprehensive and comparative approach to the importance of the ESG profile for investment performance and therefore can be useful both for impact investors making investment decisions in dynamic global financial markets and for companies developing or reforming their ESG strategies.
Limitations: Due to the problem of data availability, the cross-sectoral comparison was performed based on the limited number of sectors. In addition, the limited availability of ESG data in the analysed market did not allow the use of additional methods to assess the impact of ESG.
Future Research: Expanding the data sample and assessing the impact of a company’s ESG profile not only in different sectors but also in different phases of the economic cycle might be the direction for future research.
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Kwame Oduro Amoako, Isaac Oduro Amoako, James Tuffour, Gilbert Zana Naab and Kofi Owiredu-Ghorman
Drawing on both the stakeholder theory and Carroll’s Corporate Social Responsibility Pyramid, this chapter explores sustainability practice challenges of a gold minning…
Abstract
Drawing on both the stakeholder theory and Carroll’s Corporate Social Responsibility Pyramid, this chapter explores sustainability practice challenges of a gold minning multinational enterprise in Ghana. Primary data was collected through observation and the interviewing of multi-stakeholder groups. We found that internal stakeholders perceive sustainability expenditure as costly. However, while employees of the case enterprise see the cost as depleting shareholders’ wealth, managers view them as investment with possible long-term benefits. Meanwhile, the external stakeholders perceive the gold mining enterprise’s sustainability expenditure as meagre and that beneficiary communities are not economically empowered to sustain those investments. Again, we found that government’s inability to clamp down illegal gold mining threatens economic and environmental sustainability. Additionally, members of the host community identify the lack of adequate employment opportunities within the entity as a hindrance to their economic empowerment. We submit that the resolution of the sustainability challenges would contribute to the balancing of stakeholders’ expectations: the conduct of ethical business through compliance to environmental laws; promotion of host communities’ social well-being; and improved economic returns for shareholders. By meeting the needs of stakeholders, gold mining enterprises could gain acceptance in their host communities and boost corporate reputation.