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Article
Publication date: 3 December 2024

Isaac Mensah, Rosemond Boohene and Mavis Serwah Benneh Mensah

This research examined the effects of entrepreneurial networking, operationalised as network isomorphism and network social capital, on the sustainable growth of small enterprises…

45

Abstract

Purpose

This research examined the effects of entrepreneurial networking, operationalised as network isomorphism and network social capital, on the sustainable growth of small enterprises and the role of innovation in the hypothesised relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a survey design and the questionnaire method to collect data from 319 small enterprises which were selected via quota sampling from the membership lists of the Association of Ghana Industries and the Ghana Enterprises Agency. Data were analysed using the covariance-based structural equation modelling (CV SEM-Amos) technique.

Findings

The study found that most small enterprises participate in business networks, followed by social and political networks. Entrepreneurial networking has a significant positive influence on the sustainable growth of small enterprises, and the influence is strongly mediated by innovation. Compared with network isomorphism, the value derived from social networks has a higher significant effect on sustainable enterprise growth.

Practical implications

Small enterprises that tap into valuable network resources to drive internal innovation should experience sustainable growth, whereas those that do not leverage the power of entrepreneurial networking miss the opportunity to access critical resources for innovation and sustainable enterprise growth.

Originality/value

The paper extends beyond the resource-based view by integrating institutional and network-based theories to offer a unique “entrepreneurial network model.” By testing the model, the empirical findings provide unique comprehensive insights into network isomorphism and network social capital as entrepreneurial mechanisms which facilitate access to network resources for innovations and sustainable growth of small enterprises.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

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Article
Publication date: 4 December 2017

Gabriel Nani, Isaac Mensah and Theophilus Adjei-Kumi

A major concern for construction professionals at the rural road agency in Ghana is the problem of fixing contract duration for bridge construction projects in rural areas. The…

409

Abstract

Purpose

A major concern for construction professionals at the rural road agency in Ghana is the problem of fixing contract duration for bridge construction projects in rural areas. The purpose of the study was to develop a tool for construction professionals to forecast duration for bridge projects.

Design/methodology/approach

In all, 100 questionnaires were distributed to professionals at the Department of Feeder Roads to ascertain their views on the work items in a bill of quantities (BOQ) that impact significantly on the duration of bridge construction projects. Historical data for 30 completed bridge projects were also collected from the same Department. The data collected were executed work items in BOQ and actual durations used in completing the works. The qualitative data were analysed using the relative importance index and the quantitative data, processed and analysed using both the stepwise regression method and artificial neural network (ANN) technique.

Findings

The identified predictors, namely, in-situ concrete, weight of prefabricated steel components, gravel sub-base and haulage of aggregates, used as independent variables resulted in the development of a regression model with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 25 per cent and an ANN model with a feed forward back propagation algorithm with an MAPE of 26 per cent at the validation stage. The study has shown that both regression and ANN models are appropriate for predicting the duration of a new bridge construction project.

Research limitations/implications

The predictors used in the developed models are limited to work items in BOQs only of completed bridge construction projects as well as the small sample size.

Practical implications

The study has developed a working tool for practitioners at the agency to forecast contract duration for bridge projects prior to its commencement.

Originality value

The study has quantified the relationship between the work items in BOQs and the duration of bridge construction projects using the stepwise regression method and the ANN techniques.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, vol. 15 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

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Article
Publication date: 19 September 2016

Isaac Mensah, Theophilus Adjei-Kumi and Gabriel Nani

Determining the duration for road construction projects represents a problem for construction professionals in Ghana. The purpose of this paper is to develop an artificial neural…

541

Abstract

Purpose

Determining the duration for road construction projects represents a problem for construction professionals in Ghana. The purpose of this paper is to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model for determining the duration for rural bituminous surfaced road projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for 22 completed bituminous surfaced road projects from the Department of Feeder Roads (rural road agency) were collected and analyzed using the principal component analysis (PCA) and ANN techniques. The data collected were final payment certificates which contained payment bill of quantities (BOQ) of work items executed for the selected completed road projects. The executed quantities in the BOQ were the total quantities of work items for site clearance, earthworks, in-situ concrete, reinforcement, formwork, gravel sub-base/base, bitumen, road line markings and furniture, length of road and actual durations for each of the completed projects. The PCA was first employed to reduce the data in order to identify a smaller number of variables (or significant quantities) that constitute 81.58 percent of the total variance of the collected data. The ANN was then used to develop the network using the identified significant quantities as input variables and the actual durations as output variables.

Findings

The coefficient of correlation (R) and determination (R2) as well as the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) obtained show that construction professionals can use the developed ANN model for determining duration. The study shows that the best neural network is the multi-layer perceptron with a structure 3-38-1 based on a back propagation feed forward algorithm. The developed network produces good results with an MAPE of 17.56 percent or an average accuracy of 82.44 percent.

Research limitations/implications

Apart from the fact that the sample size was small, the developed model does not incorporate the implications of other likely factors that may affect contract duration.

Practical implications

The outcome of this study is to help construction professionals to fix realistic contract duration for road construction projects before signing a contract. Such realistic contract duration would help reduce time overruns as well as the payment of liquidated and ascertained damages by contractors for late completion.

Originality/value

This paper proposes an alternative way of determining the duration for road construction projects using the total quantities of work items in a final payment BOQ. The approach is based on the PCA and ANN model of quantities of work items of completed road projects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 23 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

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Article
Publication date: 7 November 2023

Isaac Mensah and Yaw Brew

Product rebranding is increasingly popular, but brand managers are sceptical about its implications on brand loyalty (BL). Given the limited empirical literature on the subject…

1199

Abstract

Purpose

Product rebranding is increasingly popular, but brand managers are sceptical about its implications on brand loyalty (BL). Given the limited empirical literature on the subject, this study examines the interrelational effect of brand attachment (BA), brand distinctiveness (BD) and consumer attitudes (CA) towards product rebranding on brand loyalty (BL).

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted the quantitative survey design and used questionnaire to gather data from 349 consumers of rebranded water, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. This study integrates psychology theories into brand management research to propose and test a holistic model.

Findings

The study found a significant effect of BA on CA toward product rebranding, and CA toward product rebranding fully mediates the relationship between BA and BL. Furthermore, BD has a significant effect on BL, and further moderates the relationship between BA and BL.

Originality/value

This study offers a fresh theoretical foundation, conceptual clarity and understanding of how rebranding specific brand elements affect the attitudes and BL of consumers who are emotionally connected to a brand. This paper offers practical insights into the implication of product rebranding on CA, BD and BL. It reveals a holistic guidance to brand managers on how to use their unique knowledge about their consumers to create distinctive brands and emotional affection, passion and connections to their brands.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

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Article
Publication date: 30 October 2018

Daniel Quaye and Isaac Mensah

The purpose of this paper is to establish how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in water, beverage, soap, detergent, metal fabrication, wood and furniture manufacturing…

5817

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in water, beverage, soap, detergent, metal fabrication, wood and furniture manufacturing industries can sustain or improve their competitive advantage by integrating specific resources and capabilities. The paper seeks to offer an alternative framework “resource capability-based view (RCBV)” that provides a strategic marketing direction for SMEs regarding how innovative marketing practices and dynamic marketing capabilities integrate to create sustainable market advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

This current paper employed a quantitative survey design with a positivist methodological research paradigm. The paper used a multi-stage stratified and simple random sampling technique to collect data from 591 manufacturing SMEs in Ghana. SMEs in water, beverage, soap, detergent, metal fabrication, wood and furniture manufacturing industries were sampled for the study. A structural equation model was employed to test the study hypotheses to arrive at the findings.

Findings

The study found that product design and packaging innovations, promotion innovations, retail innovations and pricing innovations provide sustainable market advantage for water, beverage, detergent and metal fabrication SMEs. The paper also found that new product designs and packages are the major drivers of sustainable market advantage followed by innovative retail outlets. The paper further originated that integrating marketing competence (marketing resources and marketing capabilities) and innovative marketing activities provides a marginal improvement in competitive advantage. Physical resources may result in market advantage but integrating physical resources with dynamic marketing capabilities provides sufficient competitive sustainability in a competitive market.

Practical implications

SMEs in water, beverage, soap, detergent, metal fabrication, wood and furniture manufacturing industries should prioritise their key marketing resources and capabilities in product designs, promotion, pricing and retailing innovations in order to sustain market advantage. Old products should not be faded from the market but rather SME managers should employ innovative retail strategies, such as eco-friendly advertising, product re-branding and digital platforms (social network sites and websites), which are important to sustaining market performance. Government must develop targeted policies to bridge the information gap between SMEs and research institutions such as universities through regular subsidised entrepreneurial training and creation of semi-annual industry-academic fairs. The main theoretical contribution of this current paper is the development of “RCBV” as a framework which shows how SMEs can integrate specific resources and capabilities to achieve sustainable market advantage. This framework offers an integrative view of conventional resource-based view and dynamic capability theory (DCT) which are independently examined in the literature.

Originality/value

This current study has proposed an integrated and elaborative approach to the conventional resource-based view and DCT which does not provide a composite understanding in the literature. SMEs may lack the needed resources and capabilities to introduce new products or extant product lines but this paper has demonstrated that how SME can sustain market advantage of existing product(s) by synchronously using specific marketing resources and capabilities. The proposed framework offers a guide for SMEs to integrate their physical resources and capabilities to sustain their market advantage.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 57 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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Article
Publication date: 25 November 2022

Chkaif Bouchaib

This paper intends to provide a thematic literature review of the scholarly research articles orbiting the Sino–African education cooperation and exchange, published between 2005…

186

Abstract

Purpose

This paper intends to provide a thematic literature review of the scholarly research articles orbiting the Sino–African education cooperation and exchange, published between 2005 and 2022.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used in this paper is qualitative in nature with a thematic approach. The author used content analysis techniques to spotlight the major themes of the topic studied. The author selected the papers and theses, based on their heuristic capacity, from two major databases for the English and Chinese literature: Web of Science and CNKI. The selection process resulted in 60 high-quality peer-reviewed articles and theses. Another 30 research articles and theses were used as supplementary resources.

Findings

The literature concentrates on six points: the historical development, the nature of the exchange, the frameworks of the cooperation, vocational training and knowledge transfer, African students in China and their experiences, and education cooperation and soft power. However, research tends to be somewhat polemical rather than an academic debate between Chinese researchers and their western peers. Therefore, empirical studies beyond the geopolitical preoccupations and the “YEA” or “NAY” to the Sino–African education exchange are critically needed.

Practical implications

The implications of this study go beyond the east/west or developed/developing world rhetoric and focus more on sustainable educational development on a global scale. Understanding how the literature on the Sino–African education engagement is shaping, provides valuable insights into international education in the global south. It can also be implied to approach educational engagement with other destinations such as India, Türkiye and Brazil.

Originality/value

This thematic literature review concentrates on the educational aspect of Sino–African relations. It compares English and Chinese peer-reviewed scholarly articles and theses on China–Africa educational engagement and has heuristic implications for sustainable educational development globally.

Details

Asian Education and Development Studies, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-3162

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Article
Publication date: 27 September 2023

Josephine Ofosu-Mensah Ababio, Eric B. Yiadom, Emmanuel Sarpong-Kumankoma and Isaac Boadi

This study aims to examine the relationship between financial inclusion and financial system development in emerging and frontier markets.

319

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between financial inclusion and financial system development in emerging and frontier markets.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data across 35 countries over 19 years (2004–2022), the improved GMM estimation technique reveals that financial inclusion significantly contributes to the development of financial systems.

Findings

The study uses a segmented approach, dividing financial development indices into subindices: financial depth, financial access and financial efficiency. Indicators of bank financial inclusion show a positive and highly significant relationship with bank depth and access but a negative relationship with bank efficiency. Similarly, indicators of the debt market and stock market financial inclusion demonstrate positive relationships with market depth and access but negative relationships with debt and stock market efficiency. The study further examines composite indexes of financial inclusion for bank, debt and stock market segments, finding strong and highly significant relationships with market development. These results underscore the importance of promoting financial inclusion across all segments of the financial sector to achieve an inclusive financial system.

Practical implications

The implications of this research highlight the need for policymakers and practitioners to implement policies and regulations that enhance financial inclusion and foster the development of robust financial systems. By extending access to mainstream financial instruments and services, financial institutions can stimulate financial intermediation and support, thereby accelerating the development of the banking, debt and stock markets.

Originality/value

The study is robust to the use of several indicators of financial inclusion and financial development, and it forms part of the early studies that examine the close relationship between the two variables.

Details

Journal of Financial Economic Policy, vol. 15 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-6385

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 October 2020

Geofrey Nkuutu, Joseph Mpeera Ntayi, Isaac Nabeeta Nkote, John Munene and Will Kaberuka

This paper aims to examine the impact of board governance quality (BGQ) and its mechanisms, namely board activity, board independence, board communication and board expertise, on…

2506

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of board governance quality (BGQ) and its mechanisms, namely board activity, board independence, board communication and board expertise, on the level of risk disclosure compliance (RDC) among financial institutions (FIs) in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts a cross-sectional design where data are collected through a questionnaire survey and audited financial statements of 83 FIs. The authors employ partial least square structural equation modeling (SmartPLS32.7) to test hypotheses.

Findings

The authors find that the level of RDC in Ugandan FIs is low. Further, the study finds the positive relation between BGQ and RDC. Moreover, the authors find that RDC is positively and significantly related with board activity, board independence, board communication and board expertise. Furthermore, the authors find that the level of RDC is positively and significantly related to ownership type, firm size and board size, respectively. Nevertheless, industry type, number of branches and firm age are insignificantly related to RDC.

Practical implications

The study provides relevant insights into regulators and policy makers with early symptoms of potential problems regarding weak board governance in FIs. Policy makers may also use these findings as a guideline tool for improving existing board governance frameworks in place and development of new disclosure policies. In addition, the study provides an input into the review and amendments of existing corporate governance codes for the regulators.

Originality/value

This study offers the empirical evidence on the nexus between BGQ and RDC of FIs in Uganda. Moreover, the study also offers evidence on how BGQ mechanisms impact RDC. The study also further adds theoretical foundations to the RDC literature.

Details

Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2515-964X

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Article
Publication date: 1 November 2024

Ernest Sogah, John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, Isaac Ofoeda and Freeman Christian Gborse

The impact of government expenditure on economic performance has been a topic of discussion at both the sectoral and aggregate national levels. Despite its theoretical importance…

87

Abstract

Purpose

The impact of government expenditure on economic performance has been a topic of discussion at both the sectoral and aggregate national levels. Despite its theoretical importance, evidence from literature indicates that this relationship has not been universally accepted across different countries and sectors. Given the significance of agriculture in African economies, particularly in Ghana, and the role of government in this sector, this study examines the impact of government expenditure on agricultural productivity in Ghana from 2000Q1 to 2022Q4.

Design/methodology/approach

Specification of the model was done based on the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration bound test approach.

Findings

The results revealed that the studied variables cointegrated in the long run. Government expenditure was found to induce agriculture production both for the long run and short run within the period of the study, implying that government expenditure matters in inducing agriculture productivity in Ghana.

Originality/value

The study employed the ARDL methodology to investigate government expenditure and agriculture production contagion in Ghana, which has been specifically overlooked by previous studies. It is suggested that the Government of Ghana as well as others in similar environment should increase investment into the agriculture to boost the productivity of the sector.

Details

Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2054-6238

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Article
Publication date: 18 November 2024

Isaac Luke Agonbire Atugeba and Emmanuel Acquah-Sam

This study aims to examine the effect of political conditions on the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance in two sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries…

49

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effect of political conditions on the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance in two sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, Ghana and Kenya.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a panel data methodology, examining data from a sample of 72 companies (Ghana: 25 and Kenya: 47) from 2018 to 2022. This study used panel quantile regression and the Huber M-estimation robust least squares regression methods.

Findings

The research reported that larger boards, diversity and ownership concentration do not affect business performance while board independence improves corporate success in both countries. The findings about chief executive officer (CEO) duality were mixed. In Ghana, CEO duality has a positive effect on firm performance, but in Kenya, the study finds that CEO duality hurts firms’ performance. The results found that higher levels of institutional ownership decreased firm performance in both countries. The research found that Ghana’s political environment had a greater impact on corporate governance and business performance nexus than Kenya’s.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited to Ghana and Kenya. This study emphasises the necessity for governments in both countries to maintain a stable political environment, implement policies that encourage economic and policy continuity and reduce political uncertainty to improve business conditions.

Practical implications

This study emphasises the necessity for governments in both countries to maintain a stable political environment, implement policies that encourage economic and policy continuity, and reduce political uncertainty to improve business conditions.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is unique because it is the first in SSA to address a research gap by investigating a comparative analysis of the relationship between corporate governance, political environments and firm performance in two distinct countries with different political situations.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

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