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Article
Publication date: 5 July 2013

Moses Acquaah, David B. Zoogah and Eileen N. Kwesiga

The purpose of this paper is to review and summarizes the articles that were accepted for the special issue focusing on “Advancing Africa through management knowledge and…

732

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review and summarizes the articles that were accepted for the special issue focusing on “Advancing Africa through management knowledge and practice”. The paper also provides suggestions for future research focus for researchers on management issues in and about Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a conceptual review the distinctiveness of the five articles in the special issue which focus a personal reflection about management research and education in Africa, effective leadership development in Africa and the African diaspora, performance management implementation in the public sector; internationalization process of African businesses with special reference to banks; and strategic factors that could be emphasized by African firms to improve their performance. These papers are synthesized to present a coherent management research framework for Africa.

Findings

African management research requires a strategic choice approach, which asks interesting questions focusing on issues relevant to the growth of African businesses and the development of African national economies. African management research needs an identity that is uniquely African such as the intersection of private and public (including governments) interests; and the blurred nature of the formal and informal sectors.

Originality/value

The paper presents some opportunities and value of conducting management research in and about Africa in the areas of leadership and also followership.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

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Article
Publication date: 5 July 2013

Moses N. Kiggundu

The author was invited to give the 2011 Inaugural Conference address of the Africa Academy of Management (AFAM). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the remarks of the…

635

Abstract

Purpose

The author was invited to give the 2011 Inaugural Conference address of the Africa Academy of Management (AFAM). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the remarks of the author's keynote address, so as to make them more widely available to varied audiences and to stimulate research and discussion about the future of African management.

Design/methodology/approach

It is a personal story of an African pioneer in African management education, research and practice. The author also shares personal thoughts for building business schools in Africa.

Findings

AFAM and its members have a role to play to advance Africa's management, leadership and overall development.

Originality/value

The idea is not for others to replicate the author's journey but to learn from it as they forge their own.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

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Article
Publication date: 5 July 2013

Bernadette Nambi Karuhanga and Amanda Werner

The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges impacting performance management implementation (PMI) in public universities in Uganda.

1763

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges impacting performance management implementation (PMI) in public universities in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

The philosophy underpinning this study was the pragmatic world view. A mixed methods approach was adopted. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used. The phenomenology strategy through interviews conducted with purposively selected top administrators of a selected public university; and a cross‐sectional survey strategy administered to academic staff in four public universities, using a disproportionate stratified random sampling technique, were applied.

Findings

The findings reveal that the major challenges impacting PMI in universities in Uganda could be categorised as: lack of a formal performance management environment; limited employee engagement/communication problems; institutional systems and structural constraints; and institutional governance challenges. Among the enlisted challenges the specific items on which respondents had the highest level of agreement are: limited motivation and staff morale; limited and uneven cash flows; and poor physical infrastructure.

Practical implications

Knowledge of the challenges impacting public universities allows managers to pay close attention to the critical challenges, thereby taking precautionary measures on how to minimize and overcome them.

Originality/value

This study is an empirical contribution to the literature on institutional performance management, specifically with regard to challenges of PMI in public universities in Uganda.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 5 July 2013

Dev Kumar Boojihawon and Kelechi K. Acholonu

Research investigating the internationalisation process of firms from Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) is limited. The purpose of this paper is to draw on extant work on…

795

Abstract

Purpose

Research investigating the internationalisation process of firms from Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) is limited. The purpose of this paper is to draw on extant work on internationalisation theory to propose an integrative framework that investigates the internationalisation process of African banks.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a qualitative, case‐based approach, the study explores the distinct cases of four banks (three in Nigeria and one in Kenya/Mauritius) and explores their internationalisation behaviour and pathways to understand how they have leveraged their ability to internationalise their businesses.

Findings

The findings illustrate how the internationalisation pathways of African banks are shaped by a balancing act of leveraging accumulated global and regional strengths to achieve international growth and expansion.

Research limitations/implications

The study acknowledges that it draws from a limited empirical base on a very important topic and in so doing it provides directions for further research towards understanding the internationalisation process of firms in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) and highlights some policy implications.

Originality/value

The paper adopts a process perspective to explore and understand the internationalisation of African banks. Africa‐specific studies of internationalisation are very limited, and this study provides a critical extension of the Western‐based internationalisation theory to the African context.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

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Article
Publication date: 16 February 2010

Myrtle P. Bell, Eileen N. Kwesiga and Daphne P. Berry

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the invisibility of immigrants in diversity research in the management field.

6327

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the invisibility of immigrants in diversity research in the management field.

Design/methodology/approach

Reasons for the paucity of immigrant research, focusing on discrimination, exploitation, and abuse of low‐skilled Hispanic immigrants in the USA, are examined. Considerations of what can be applied to the study of immigrants from extant diversity research are explored.

Findings

Experiences of Hispanic immigrants to the USA are largely absent from diversity literature even though immigrants are significant contributors to the diversity of the USA. There are clear differences in the employment experiences of native‐born Hispanic‐Americans and those who are immigrants, with the latter, both documented and undocumented, generally faring worse in wages, benefits, and interpersonal treatment when compared with those who are native‐born.

Research limitations/implications

Suggestions for research are provided to increase the inclusion of immigrants in diversity research.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on integrating the experiences of discrimination of low‐skilled Hispanic immigrants, who comprise the bulk of newcomers to the USA, into the mainstream diversity literature in management studies and provides questions to stimulate research in the area.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

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Article
Publication date: 5 July 2013

Obi Berko O. Damoah

As a result of the lack of reliable data, systematic research that informs public policy and practice from Ghana seems to be lacking. Although the World Bank's survey concerning…

867

Abstract

Purpose

As a result of the lack of reliable data, systematic research that informs public policy and practice from Ghana seems to be lacking. Although the World Bank's survey concerning Ghana's manufacturing sub‐sector has been available for some time now, yet little is known as regards firm level research and so policy formulation has been affected exceedingly. The purpose of this paper is to identify the strategic factors which influence firm performance from Ghana (an emerging economy).

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs the World Bank data set relating to a panel of firms within the Ghanaian manufacturing sector from 1991‐2002.

Findings

By pooling the data and setting OLS regression, the results of the study indicate that joint venture (JVs) ownership predicts significant performance compared with similar counterparts that are wholly indigenously owned. Besides, firm size, workforce productivity and the location where a firm operates are strategic drivers of firm performance in a significant way.

Originality/value

The paper shows that alliances with foreign businesses by indigenous firms from Ghana boosts the capacity of the local firms with regard to human and financial capital resources, as well as linking them to international supply and distribution networks that greatly enhance their performance.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 5 July 2013

Terri R. Lituchy, David Ford and Betty Jane Punnett

The purpose of this paper is to consider effective leadership in Africa and the African diaspora. This paper reports the results of emic research in Uganda, Barbados, Canada and…

860

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider effective leadership in Africa and the African diaspora. This paper reports the results of emic research in Uganda, Barbados, Canada and the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

A Delphi technique using open‐ended questions solicited ideas regarding leadership from knowledgeable participants, avoiding researcher bias.

Findings

There were differences among the groups on several attributes that made leaders effective. Ugandans suggested a good leader was “honest and trustworthy”; Canadians and respondents from the USA said “being inspirational/charismatic” Barbadians cited “being a visionary”.

Research limitations/implications

Having data for only one African country and the small sample sizes from all countries limit the generalizability of the findings. The results do, however, provide a base of knowledge on which to build future studies on Africa and the diaspora.

Originality/value

The emic approach overcomes the western bias identified by scholars in most African research. Similarities and differences identified provide evidence of the importance of culture in effective leadership. The results provide a basis for developing further research studies.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

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Article
Publication date: 30 October 2018

Shefali Nandan, Daphne Halkias, Paul W. Thurman, Marcos Komodromos, Baker Ahmad Alserhan, Chris Adendorff, Norashfah Hanim Yaakop Yahaya Alhaj, Alfredo De Massis, Eleanna Galanaki, Norma Juma, Eileen Kwesiga, Anayo D. Nkamnebe and Claire Seaman

The purpose of this paper is to examine affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment in a cross-national context to identify if the effect of…

1821

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment in a cross-national context to identify if the effect of country-specific cultural orientation on organizational commitment of faculty in higher education functions invariably in different countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The work expands on Meyer and Allen’s (1991) three-component model of organizational commitment. It includes relevant literature review on ten countries and the results of a survey of university faculty members, assessing their institutions’ human resources practices and their effect on organizational commitment. Basic descriptive statistics were performed on nominal and interval data, means, medians, and standard deviations were computed, and tests of mean equivalence, including ANOVA tests, were performed. In certain instances, Pearson and Spearman correlations were computed to ascertain correlation, and χ2 tests for randomized response were used, while Cronbach’s α test helped to establish survey instrument validity.

Findings

Though certain differences may exist between different countries and cultures with respect to the three-component model of organizational commitment, there is strong evidence of the existence of invariance and, thus, generalizability of the model across cultures.

Research limitations/implications

Cultural studies have focused on differences in organizational commitment at national levels. Further attempts to identify the universality of factors leading to organizational commitment should account for culture in the study of employee-related globalization issues in higher education institutes. Knowledge of cultural impact is also useful from a managerial perspective, and for the design of relevant strategies.

Practical implications

National context plays a major role in shaping the nature of educational institutions. This study brings out the need for a deeper understanding of invariance in organizational commitment (inter-alia, through the three-component model).

Originality/value

This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between organizational commitment and its various antecedents, including human resources management practices, for faculty in higher education institutes.

Details

EuroMed Journal of Business, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1450-2194

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 March 2017

Diya Das, Eileen Kwesiga, Shruti Sardesmukh and Norma Juma

Immigrant groups often pursue entrepreneurial endeavors in their new home country. Even though both immigrant entrepreneurship and organizational identity have received scholarly…

580

Abstract

Immigrant groups often pursue entrepreneurial endeavors in their new home country. Even though both immigrant entrepreneurship and organizational identity have received scholarly attention, there has been little systematic exploration of identity strategies pursued by immigrant-owned organizations. In this article, we develop a theoretical framework that draws on the concepts of liability of foreignness and social identity theory in the context of immigrant entrepreneurship. Our framework explores how immigrant entrepreneurs may negotiate identities for their firms through the development of specific identity strategies that confirm or underplay their national/ethnic identities in order to survive in their immediate environment. We develop a model that shows how these confirmations or underplaying strategies work both for firms that have an individualistic entrepreneurial orientation, as well as those with a collective/associative entrepreneurial orientation. We also suggest two contextual moderators to this relationship: (1) the image of the founder's country of origin, and (2) the presence of immigrant networks in the host country, which may alter the effectiveness of identity strategies in terms of organizational mortality outcomes.

Details

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1550-333X

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2004

Eileen Kwesiga and Myrtle P. Bell

Although organizational socialization is a powerful phenomenon with numerous long lasting effects on employees, many organizations and employees weather the experience…

1100

Abstract

Although organizational socialization is a powerful phenomenon with numerous long lasting effects on employees, many organizations and employees weather the experience unconsciously, going through the process blindly and unaware of its powerful influences. Though studies have analyzed organizational socialization and the role of newcomers in the process, none have looked at the role of specific socialization tactics and their influence on women’s careers in organization. In this paper we consider the relationship between organizational socialization methods and the advancement of women’s careers in organizations. We develop and discuss a theoretical integrative framework and propositions, and conclude with implications and suggestions for future research to better explain the linkages between organizational socialization tactics and women’s career advancement strategies.

Details

Equal Opportunities International, vol. 23 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0261-0159

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