Harrison Esam Awuh and Marleen Dekker
Building on the limitations of the efforts of aid agencies and non-governmental organisations to pull the poor out of poverty in low- and middle-income countries and declining…
Abstract
Purpose
Building on the limitations of the efforts of aid agencies and non-governmental organisations to pull the poor out of poverty in low- and middle-income countries and declining opportunities for market expansion in high-income countries, microfranchising is being promoted as a pro-poor business model, which promotes entrepreneurship. Sub-Saharan Africa has become a fertile ground for the propagation of this model. However, contemporary studies on microfranchising have not sufficiently explored what motivates people to turn to this method of doing business.
Design/methodology/approach
Through the case of a microfranchise in Ghana (FanMilk), the purpose of this paper is to use qualitative methods to study motivations for engaging in entrepreneurship ventures in a microfranchise.
Findings
The findings reveal whether motivations for becoming microfranchise entrepreneurs change over time or are varied, and these changes are moderated by changing opportunities, challenges and demographic factors.
Originality/value
These findings contribute to knowledge on microfranchising in terms of theory, policy and practice. The findings also seek to stimulate further inquiry into microfranchising and its ability to create value for multiple parties when operating in emerging markets such as Africa.
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Keywords
Lenka van Riemsdijk, Paul T.M. Ingenbleek, Marleen Houthuijs and Hans C.M. van Trijp
Next to organic food products, an assortment of ethical products is emerging in the supermarket that targets the large market segment of consumers that are open for ethical…
Abstract
Purpose
Next to organic food products, an assortment of ethical products is emerging in the supermarket that targets the large market segment of consumers that are open for ethical product choices but do not restrict themselves to them. The purpose of this paper is to examine the positioning strategies that marketers use to persuade consumers in this segment to buy animal-friendly products (AFPs).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors approach product positioning from a consumption values perspective from which they examine strategies that make animal welfare (AW) personally relevant to the buyer because they reinforce AW with suitable consumption value (functional, emotional, social, sensory, epistemic and/or ethical). Using data from 129 AFPs from a Dutch supermarket, the authors explore the positioning strategies of these products.
Findings
The results identified four different strategies used to position AFPs in a Dutch supermarket. They respectively call upon consumers’ emotions, functional or sensory perceptions, curiosity and sense of public welfare. The findings also show substantial category differences, with fresh products relying predominantly on emotional value and processed food on functional value.
Originality/value
This study is the first to empirically explore positioning strategies of AFPs on the basis of their consumption values. The study offers a novel perspective to understand how companies try to extend the market for AFPs, thus providing a basis for a new research agenda.
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Angel Eustorgio Rivera, Lucía Rodríguez-Aceves and Barbara I. Mojarro-Duran
This study aims to generate additional insights into the relationship between knowledge sharing (KS) and psychological safety (PS) in an inter-organisational arrangement through…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to generate additional insights into the relationship between knowledge sharing (KS) and psychological safety (PS) in an inter-organisational arrangement through the lens of the knowledge-based view and PS theory.
Design/methodology/approach
A relational data survey was designed to collect systematic information from key actors in two manufacturing organisations. The questionnaire assessed KS as the dependent variable and four independent variables – three behavioural (respect, tolerance, trust) and one contextual (suitable working environment) – as proxies of PS. The multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure was used to analyse the effect of PS on KS.
Findings
This paper strengthens the findings of previous studies that identify PS as a relevant antecedent of KS in organisations. Additionally, the paper also suggests that a relational approach is more relevant to understand PS as a group concept measured through networks of respect, tolerance, trust and suitable working environments.
Practical implications
This study may help managers identify ways in which they can strengthen the work-related relationships when such behavioural and contextual variables occur in inter-organisational arrangements, and thus obtaining additional relational rents based on an increase in KS.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on how KS in organisations is driven by behavioural and contextual variables that can be operationalised as PS. Moreover, this study expands the understanding of previous research on PS by taking a relational approach to its conceptualisation and measurement within a Latin American context.