Ismail Bello and Muhammad Fuad Othman
There are over 263m out-of-school children in the world, and Nigeria is not an exception to the problem facing basic education. Education provides the necessary skills and…
Abstract
Purpose
There are over 263m out-of-school children in the world, and Nigeria is not an exception to the problem facing basic education. Education provides the necessary skills and knowledge needed by people in other to live a better life. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of multinational corporations (MNC) towards basic education development in Nigeria using Etisalat Telecommunication as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative method of data collection and analysis was used for the study. Interviews were conducted with 15 participants. NVivo software was utilized in transcription, coding and analysis of data from the interview conducted.
Findings
Findings from the research revealed that Etisalat has made a significant contribution towards the development of the education sector in Nigeria, particularly basic education. This is evident in “adopt a school” initiative across the country. Etisalat intervention is in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4: quality education, which has led to improved infrastructure, school enrolment and most importantly improved quality of learning.
Practical implications
This study will help educational institutions, government and international organization explore ways of utilizing private funds to develop basic education, not only in Nigeria but other climes around the world.
Originality/value
This study adds to the literature on the role of non-state actors, especially MNC, towards developing the education sector in Nigeria. Previous studies have focussed on MNCs in other sectors; the use of Etisalat Telecommunication opens a new frontier in understanding the role of telecommunications MNCs in developing basic education in Nigeria.
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Anna Izotova and María Teresa Bolívar-Ramos
Due to the constantly increasing competitiveness along with the complexity of knowledge, firms perceive collaboration as a key strategy that preserves firms' radical innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the constantly increasing competitiveness along with the complexity of knowledge, firms perceive collaboration as a key strategy that preserves firms' radical innovation performance. In this context, this paper aims to examine how firms’ partners’ diversity in open innovation activities influences the development of radical innovations, critical for social development. In particular, this study analyzes how the functional and geographical breadth of the firm’s collaboration portfolio affects its radical innovation performance. Furthermore, it also explores the role of firm size as a moderator in the relationships proposed.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employs panel data analysis, using a sample of 4,677 Spanish firms, with data sourced from the PITEC database.
Findings
The results of this study show that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the functional and the geographical breadth of collaborations and the firms’ radical innovation performance. Moreover, this study finds partial support for the moderating role of firm size, in the sense that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large firms vary in their optimal number of diversity of partners.
Originality/value
This research provides a better understanding on how partners’ functional and geographical diversity, along with organizational characteristics such as firm size, affect how firms benefit from collaboration for innovation. This study shows that both SMEs and large firms experience diminishing returns when their collaboration networks become overly diverse in pursuit of radical innovation, due to increased costs. However, in SMEs, the turning point occurs at a later stage, consistent with the idea that small firms need broader functional networks to access complementary and novel resources they usually lack.
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Eugene Amo-Asamoah, De-Graft Owusu-Manu, George Asumadu, Frank Ato Ghansah and David John Edwards
Globally, waste management has been a topical issue in the past few decades due to the continual increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation that is becoming difficult to…
Abstract
Purpose
Globally, waste management has been a topical issue in the past few decades due to the continual increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation that is becoming difficult to handle with conventional waste management techniques. The situation is much more pronounced in economically developing countries where population growth rate and urbanisation are becoming uncontrollable. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential for waste to energy generation in the Kumasi metropolis, the second-largest city in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the objectives of the study, a quantitative research approach, namely, the questionnaire was adopted. The data analysis was done using the statistical package for social sciences version 25, including both descriptive and inferential statistics to give an in-depth meaning to the responses from the participants.
Findings
The results showed that several factors hinder waste to energy technology in Ghana; key among them was high capital cost, high operational cost and lack of governmental support and policy framework. The results also revealed that 1 m3 of biogas generated from MSW in Kumasi could generate 36 MJ of energy, equivalent to 10 kW/h.
Originality/value
The unique contribution made by the paper is that it combines expert opinions, empirical data that included time series data and opinion of key actors in the waste management chain in assessing the potential for waste to energy generation in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana.
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De-Graft Owusu-Manu, E. Amo-Asamoah, Frank Ato Ghansah and George Asumadu
Kumasi Metropolis, the second-largest city in Ghana is known to be bewildered with challenges relating to waste management. As a means of solving the waste management challenge…
Abstract
Purpose
Kumasi Metropolis, the second-largest city in Ghana is known to be bewildered with challenges relating to waste management. As a means of solving the waste management challenge, several suggestions are often made for the establishment of a waste-to-energy plant to manage the disposal of waste and generation of income. There have been no studies conducted to determine how economically viable such plants will be. This study aims to examine the economic viability of waste-to-energy generation in the Kumasi Metropolis to find out how economically viable such an approach will be.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this, a simple debt-equity ratio business model based on discounted cash flow technique was applied to estimate the internal rate of returns (IRR) as a measure of the economic viability and profitability of a modelled 50 MWH waste-energy generation plant in the Kumasi Metropolis. The analysis was performed using the RetScreen Expert Software.
Findings
The results show that the IRR and benefits cost ratio of the facility were 36% and 5.8%, respectively, indicating high levels of profitability and economic viability. The study concludes that waste-to-energy generation will be an economically viable venture in the Kumasi Metropolis.
Practical implications
It is, however, important for users of the findings of this study to take caution of the fact that the various assumptions although based on current knowledge and expert opinion may vary with time; therefore, the sensitive analysis on price and costs should always be considered. Practically, this study will contribute to solving the waste management situation in most cities, as well as generating revenue and helping close the energy deficit most developing countries are grabbling with.
Originality/value
The unique contribution of the study to knowledge is that it has professed an alternative analytical and methodological approach to measuring the financial viability of waste-to-energy plants in situations where there is none in the geographical jurisdiction of the proposed project.
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Min Guo, Naiding Yang, Jingbei Wang, Hui Liu and Fawad Sharif Sayed Muhammad
Previous research has analyzed the consequence of network stability; however, little is known about how partner type diversity influence network stability in R&D network. Based on…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous research has analyzed the consequence of network stability; however, little is known about how partner type diversity influence network stability in R&D network. Based on knowledge-based view and social network theory, the purpose of this paper is to unravel the internal mechanisms between partner type diversity and network stability through the mediating role of knowledge recombination in R&D network.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected an unbalanced panel patent data set from information communication technology industry for the period 1994–2016. Then, the authors tested the different dimensions of partner type variety and its relevance in the R&D network and the mediating role of knowledge recombination through adopting the multiple linear regression.
Findings
Results indicate an inverted U-shaped relationship between partner type diversity (variety and relevance) and network stability, whereas knowledge recombination partially mediate these relationships.
Originality/value
From the perspective of R&D networks, this paper explores that there are the under-researched phenomena the antecedent of network stability through nodal attributes (i.e. partner type variety and partner type relevance). Moreover, this paper empirically examined the mediating role of knowledge recombination in the partner type diversity–network stability relationships. The novel perspective allows focal firm to recognize importance of nodal attributes, which are critical to fully excavate the potential capabilities of cooperating partners in R&D network.
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Fatai Olawale Ismail and Joseph Adepoju Tejumaiye
The purpose of this study is to deconstruct the term “tribalism” for its application to foster context and industry-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to deconstruct the term “tribalism” for its application to foster context and industry-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication system in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
This research used both the qualitative and quantitative research methods of data collection; it is an in-depth survey with multiple data collection settings.
Findings
(1) There is a pattern of CSR communication across the three industries sampled. (2) CSR across three industrial sectors is much about “donation” and “gift”. (3) CSR functions are now in a stand-alone corporate communication department. (4) CSR communication lacks the participatory mechanism to really involve the host communities' concerns. (5) Across the four organizations, CSR communication is often as financial or annual reports. (6) There is a general feeling and understanding that CSR and corporate communication in corporate organizations in n Nigeria require a more participatory mechanism. (7) CSR policy in Nigeria is till much of legal enforcement and efforts to have a national CSR commission has gone beyond legislation process.
Research limitations/implications
This research was only able to collect data from four selected organizations representing just three industrial sectors (freight-forward, banking/finance and insurance) in Nigeria. There was no external funding to capture more organizations.
Practical implications
The first implication of the findings of this study is that, for the practice of CSR and communication by corporate organizations in Nigeria, the system is much a top-down and non-participatory. This means host communities and other stakeholders do not have considerable participation in the organization's CSR and communication process. The companies in this study select or budget for CSR interventions they consider valuable to communities in most cases. This pattern of CSR operation cuts across the four selected organizations in this study. Thus, it could be argued that this pattern is an industrial/national phenomenon because all the respondents indicated that their organizations operate CSR based on what other related companies do in Nigeria. Second, the fact that CSR and communication by corporate organizations in Nigeria are regulatory influenced means many organizations may try to evade CSR activities by not budgeting for it.
Social implications
Meanwhile, in this study, deconstructing the evolutionary perspective which sees tribe as a primitive form of organization and relation characterized by the absence of a centralized collaborative system, it is argued that tribalism can catalyze systemic participation and oneness. In line with this perspective, tribal corporate organizations in Nigeria would model an alliance for CSR and communication system on proximity of operational context, that is, Nigeria. Being part of a tribe, corporate organizations as against the public ones will represent an identity reference for social corporate communication in Nigeria.
Originality/value
Despite the theoretical problematic issues raised by the notion of tribe, it is deconstructed in this study to define modes of social organization, and it reflects native perceptions of a changing collective identity. Thus, it is also argued in this study, that there will be an increase in works on tribalism in organization communication and CSR in Nigeria as emerging business and global market will continue to shape the operation environment.
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Ismail Aliyu Danmaraya, Aminu Hassan Jakada, Suraya Mahmood, Bello Alhaji Ibrahim and Ahmad Umar Ali
The purpose of this paper is to look at the asymmetric effect of oil production on environmental degradation in OPEC member countries from 1970–2019.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to look at the asymmetric effect of oil production on environmental degradation in OPEC member countries from 1970–2019.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors build a nonlinear panel ARDL–PMG model using the Shin et al. (2014) nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach in panel form to assess both the short- and long-run impact of positive and negative oil production movements on CO2 emissions.
Findings
The result demonstrates that the variables are cointegrated. According to the linear long run coefficients, oil production, FDI inflows and economic growth both have a positive and significant relationship with CO2 emissions, implying that they deteriorate environmental quality in OPEC countries, while renewable energy has a negative relationship with CO2, implying that increasing renewable energy improves environmental quality. The asymmetric findings prove that positive and negative shocks of oil production exert a positive effect on carbon emissions in short run and long run.
Research limitations/implications
To begin with, the empirical assessments do not include all OPEC member nations; researchers are advised to resolve this constraint by looking at the economies of other OPEC members. Albeit the lack of data for other energy sources may serve as another constraint of this research, future research is expected to broaden the current framework via other energy sources such as nuclear, electricity, biomass, solar as well as wind.
Originality/value
The research adds to the body of knowledge as many of the prevailing studies in the literature failed to look at the asymmetric effect of oil production on the quality of environment. This is another gap in the literature that the current study is set out to fill. This study adds oil production as an explanatory variable and helps to extend the existing literature for OPEC countries, which could propose a solution to deal with ensuing environmental issues.
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Oscar Malca, Jean Pierre Bolaños, Francisco J. Acedo, Jorge Luis Rubio Donet and Jesus Peña-Vinces
The purpose of this study is to analyse the mediating and moderating effects of relational flexibility norms on relationship building capacities and export performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyse the mediating and moderating effects of relational flexibility norms on relationship building capacities and export performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The study followed a quantitative and cross-sectional approach. The analysis was applied to 95 Peruvian Exporting SMEs which were examined through structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS 24.0 statistical package. The responses were gathered through telephone and personal interviews which were tested using the Mann–Whitney U test, finding no statistically significant differences.
Findings
The main finding of the study is to demonstrate the indirect effect of relational flexibility norms on the export performance of SMEs through relationship-building capabilities. In this way, these capabilities become very important variables in the export management of SMEs, since they directly affect the relationship of the Exporter–Importer dyad.
Research limitations/implications
One of the limitations is the cross-sectional type study that applies to the short-term effects of relational norms. Organizational characteristics and other factors that may affect export performance should also be considered in future research, as well as longitudinal studies should be developed.
Practical implications
The study allows SMEs to focus management efforts on strengthening the relationship – building capabilities, which are very important given SMEs' resource constraints. Therefore, an adequate management of relations with importers can contribute to the reduction of control and coordination costs; and have a positive impact on export performance. Similarly, the study contributes to the management of export promotion by suggesting that one area to be prioritized is the strengthening of the relationship capacities of exporting SMEs.
Originality/value
The study provides the analysis of the mediating effect of the relationship-building capability between relational flexibility and export performance. In this way, it enriches the theoretical analysis and contributes with the empirical evidence of an emerging country like the case of Peru.
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Abdulaziz Ahmad, Weidong Wang, Shi Qiu, Wenjuan Wang, Tian-Yi Wang, Bamaiyi Usman Aliyu, Ying Sun and Abubakar Sadiq Ismail
Unlike previous research that primarily utilized structural equation modelling (SEM) to evaluate safety hazards in subway projects, this research aims to utilize a hybrid approach…
Abstract
Purpose
Unlike previous research that primarily utilized structural equation modelling (SEM) to evaluate safety hazards in subway projects, this research aims to utilize a hybrid approach to investigate and scrutinize the key indicators of safety hazards leading to accidents, thereby hindering the progress of subway projects in China, taking into cognizance the multiple stakeholder’s perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
By administering a survey questionnaire to 373 highly involved stakeholders in subway projects spanning Changsha, Beijing and Qingdao, China, our approach incorporated a four-staged composite amalgamation of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) to develop an optimized model that determines the causal relationships and interactions among safety hazards in subway construction projects.
Findings
The optimized model delineated the influence of individual safety hazards on subway projects. The feasibility and applicability of the model developed was demonstrated on an actual subway project under construction in Changsha city. The outcomes revealed that the progress of subway projects is significantly influenced by risks associated with project management, environmental factors, subterranean conditions and technical hazards. In contrast, risks related to construction and human factors did not exhibit a significant impact on subway construction progress.
Research limitations/implications
While our study provides valuable insights, it is important to acknowledge the limitation of relying on theoretical approaches without empirical validation from experiments or the field. In future research, we plan to address this limitation by assessing the SEM using empirical data. This will involve a comprehensive comparison of outcomes derived from CB-SEM with those obtained through SEM-ANN methods. Such an empirical validation process is crucial for enhancing the overall efficiency and robustness of the proposed methodologies.
Originality/value
The established hybrid model revealed complex non-linear connections among indicators in the intricate project, enabling the recognition of primary hazards and offering direction to improve management of safety in the construction of subways.
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Hisbah is one of the distinguished institutions that had emerged since the early days of the Islamic empire. Based on its cardinal duty to enjoin good and prohibit evil, over…
Abstract
Hisbah is one of the distinguished institutions that had emerged since the early days of the Islamic empire. Based on its cardinal duty to enjoin good and prohibit evil, over time, its functions gradually expanded, and its responsibilities increasingly grew. In light of the contemporary trend in establishing institutional framework for consumer protection, entrusting an agency with multifarious tasks may not be the best and effective way in handling consumer protection issues. Thus, this chapter attempts to explore the new paradigm of hisbah as a consumer protection institution in Malaysia with a special reference to the Islamic consumer credit industry. While utilising the doctrinal legal research methodology, relevant sources of law have been examined and analysed. This research finds that the classical hisbah institution provides a good reference point in establishing regulatory agency and dispute management body. Nevertheless, some modifications are required to remain relevant especially in terms of specialisation of role and function. Likewise, it is viewed that adjustment of the hisbah institution is also necessary regarding the characteristic of the muhtasib (ombudsman).