Prelims

Half Title Page

The African Context of Business and Society

Endorsements Page

The African Context of Business and Society is an intellectually stimulating volume with interventions that intersect macro- and microeconomic contexts of doing business in Africa. It captures accentuations of gender dynamics, cultural, religion, leadership and management, service delivery, power, information management and ethics of trust as relevant to Africa. The book advances attempts at decolonising the content of teaching about Africa, with indigenised contributions that not only redefine individual and institutional logics of business transactions as underpinned by sociality, but also provides key stakeholders including potential investors, policymakers, financial institutions as well as SMEs with cues to building legitimacy for sustainable business ventures in Africa.

Dr Philip A Oláyokù APD, Chair of West African Transitional Justice Centre, Director, Centre for Research on African Digital Policy and Innovations (CRADPI) Contract, Nigeria

There is a paucity of research which analyses African business within the context of African society. This edited volume has an impressive range of topics designed to fill this vacuum, including: the role of trust, authentic leadership, religion, organisational resilience and the pivotal contribution that women entrepreneurs make to African business and society. The volume is likely to become a key reference work in this important area of research and scholarship.

Professor John Struthers, Director: Centre for African Research on Enterprise and Economic Development, University of the West of Scotland, Scotland

Series Page

NEW FRONTIERS IN AFRICAN BUSINESS AND SOCIETY

Series Editors

• Kingsley Obi Omeihe – Head of Discipline for Business Management at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

• Christian Harrison – Reader in Leadership at the University of the West of Scotland.

The New Frontiers in African Business and Society series provides innovative reflections on the nature of business and society across parts of Africa. Here, distinguished scholars formulate important answers to problems within the continent, with the idea of consolidating and probing conventional knowledge.

Titles in this Series

• The African Context of Business and Society

  Edited by Kingsley Obi Omeihe and Christian Harrison

Title Page

The African Context of Business and Society

EDITED BY

KINGSLEY OBI OMEIHE

University of Aberdeen, UK

AND

CHRISTIAN HARRISON

University of the West of Scotland, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2022

Editorial matter and selection © 2022 Kingsley Obi Omeihe and Christian Harrison.

Individual chapters © 2022 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80117-853-2 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80117-852-5 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80117-854-9 (Epub)

Dedication Page

The book is dedicated to

The great people of Africa

Contents

List of Tables and Figures

List of Abbreviations

About the Editors

Dr Kingsley O. Omeihe is the Head of Discipline (Business Management) at the Business School, University of Aberdeen. He is the Co-founder and Chair of African Studies at the British Academy of Management (BAM). He also serves as Chair of the Entrepreneurship in Minority Groups at the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE). Prior to joining the University of Aberdeen, Kingsley, was the head of the Gradu Apprenticeship Programme at Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School, where he drove the school’s commitment to work-based and work-related learning. His contribution to entrepreneurship studies relies on the use of institutional logics to critically analyse complex entrepreneurial behaviour in society. Much of his work is centrally concerned with understanding how entrepreneurial meaning is interpreted across contexts. Previous projects have focussed on understanding the importance of gender nuances and how cultural dimensions of institutions enable and constrain social behaviour.

Dr Kingsley was awarded in 2020 the ‘Above and beyond’ award by Edinburgh Napier University for Outstanding Teaching. In 2020, he was nominated for the Tallberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize and was recognised by Bright Red Sparks as an Enterprising Educator. In 2019, he received the STAR award from the University of the West of Scotland for Outstanding Teaching. In 2018, he was recognised by the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IOEE) as one of the ‘Enterprise Educators of the Year’. In addition, in 2018, he was recognised for outstanding and dedicated service by the British Academy of Management for his role on the council (2017–2018).

From 2006 until 2016, Kingsley held various managerial positions in Banking at Standard Bank, Access Bank, Zenith Bank and Standard Chartered Bank where he oversaw the growth of the Commercial and Private Banking Portfolio. He has served as an Advisor to organisations, government and businesses.

Dr Kingsley Omeihe received his PhD from the University of the West of Scotland, with a major in Entrepreneurship and Development Economics. He received his MBA from the University of Aberdeen and a Diploma in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge.

Dr Christian Harrison is a Reader in leadership in the School of Business and Creative Industries. He is the Chair of the Staff Forum for Research of the University of the West of Scotland. He graduated with a first-class degree in pharmacy and practised as a pharmacist, assuming managerial positions before moving into the field of Management. Dr Christian Harrison has an MBA and was the Valedictorian of the University of Aberdeen Business school MBA class with a Distinction. In addition, he also possesses a PhD in Leadership and other postgraduate research and teaching qualifications in his repertoire.

Christian is a well-known and recognised scholar in the field of Leadership and works across the globe on research projects. He is also the Leader of a range of modules, namely, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Leading Change, Leadership, Leadership and Professional Development, Leadership Theory and Research and Business Organisation and Ethics. He is involved in delivering these modules to undergraduates and postgraduates including MSc, MBA and DBA students. He is also the Author of numerous published research papers on Entrepreneurial Leadership which is his major research interest and serves as the Director of Studies/First Supervisor of several PhD and DBA students. He has successfully supervised several doctoral students to completion and his current students are working on projects on Crisis Leadership, Entrepreneurial leadership, Servant leadership, Transformational leadership, Ethical leadership, Distributed leadership, etc.

Furthermore, he is an Active Member of several learned organisations. He is the Chair of the Leadership and Leadership Development Special Interest Group of the British Academy of Management. As Chair, Christian fosters more dialogue in the domain of leadership and develops alongside this, uplift in activity and research with the aim of bringing together the academic and practitioner experiences and viewpoints. Dr Christian is the Director of the Social Innovation, Leadership and Management Research group. As a Director, he promotes new insights on social innovation, leadership and management through research and reflection-on-practice. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Business Administration and Knowledge Management (FIBAKM). He is also an Active Member of the Protracted Crisis Research Centre (PCRC), Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE), International Council for Small Business (ICSB), Centre for African Research on Enterprise and Economic Development (CAREED), Higher Education Academy (HEA), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), National Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) and serves on several review panels and committees. He is an External Examiner to other UK universities such as Manchester Metropolitan University, Heriot Watt University and University of Aberdeen. Christian is the Editor of New Frontiers in African Business and Society by Emerald Publishing. He is also the Associate Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Business Research and Management (IJBRM), Associate Editor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (HSS) and Review Editor of Organisational Psychology.

Additionally, he has a good track record of securing grants and research funding and has a very strong external research network and collaborative partnership with organisations. He mentors and develops colleagues on contemporary teaching practice in higher education. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and a Certified Management and Business Educator of the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CMBE). He is also a Fellow Certified Business Administrator (FCBA) and Fellow Certified Knowledge Manager (FCKM) of the Institute of Business Administration and Knowledge Management (IBAKM). He was also instrumental in developing the British Academy of Management (BAM) Education Practice Award which recognises inspiring and impactful management education practice. He is the Founder and Chair of the African Studies Track in the British Academy of Management. The track is committed to fostering dialogue on contemporary African research which directly impacts BAM members and the well-being of the broader academic research community.

Christian works extensively as a Consultant, Speaker and Trainer on entrepreneurial leadership skills development within organisations. He is the Founder of the NGO, The Leadership Mould Initiative International. The NGO supports students and moulds future leaders. He is the Author of the bestselling book entitled ‘Leadership Theory and Research: A Critical Approach to New and Existing Paradigms’, which is published by Palgrave MacMillan. The book was written to enable students (undergraduate and postgraduate), scholars, practitioners, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders to learn more about the concept of leadership. It provides a critical insight into leadership research. Emerging paradigms and theories of new approaches to leadership are identified and addressed.

Christian has also authored several video publications on leadership, namely, Traditional Paradigms of Leadership: A Critical Insight into Established Theories and Concepts; Modern Paradigms of Leadership: A Critical Insight into Contemporary Theories and Concepts; Emerging Paradigms of Leadership: A Critical Insight into Developing Theories; and Making Sense of Leadership: A Critical Insight into Leadership and Management Research. These videos cover established leadership theories providing a nuance conceptualisation of the field and are published by Palgrave Macmillan

About the Contributors

Senyo Agbanyo is a PhD researcher at the Faculty of Business and Law, De Montfort University, UK. His main research areas are SME Performance focussing mainly on SME financial literacy, human capital development and financial capital.

Newman Amaning is a Lecturer and a Former Head of Department of Accountancy, Sunyani Technical University, Ghana. He holds MPhil in Accounting. He is currently pursuing PhD (Accounting Education) at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He has research interests in sustainability/CSR, accounting education and audit quality.

Johnson Kwesi Ameh is a PhD candidate at the Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein, South Africa. His current research interest and expertise is in banking operations, the practice of banking, credit risk management and microfinance institutions in emerging economies (Africa).

Isaac Oduro Amoako is an Associate Professor at the Coventry University, UK. He heads the Teaching and Project Directorate of the International Transformational Entrepreneurship at the International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship. ISAAC’s research interests include entrepreneurship and small business management, African business and entrepreneurship education, and social and diaspora entrepreneurship.

Kwame Oduro Amoako holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Accountancy and Heads the Department of Communications Studies at the Sunyani Technical University, Ghana. His research interests include corporate sustainability practices, CSR and audit quality.

Victor Yawo Atiase is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at the Faculty of Business and Law, De Montfort University, UK. He holds a PhD in Entrepreneurial of Finance and previously held an academic position at Coventry University, UK. His research interest and expertise lie in microfinance, financial capital development and behavioural finance.

Olufunmilola Lola Dada is a Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Lancaster University Management School, UK, where she is also the Director of the PhD Programme. She is a Past Associate Editor for the Journal of Small Business Management. Her research interests are in entrepreneurship and franchising.

Dr Chianu Harmony Dibia is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. His research focusses on human resource management, circular economy, employee relations, lean manufacturing and employee working conditions in organisations operating in Nigeria.

Dr Christian Harrison is a Reader in Leadership in the School of Business and Creative Industries in the University of the West of Scotland. He is the Author of numerous published peer-reviewed papers on Entrepreneurial Leadership which is his major research interest and serves as the Director of Studies of several doctoral students. He is also the Chair of the Leadership and Leadership Development Special Interest Group of the British Academy of Management. He works extensively as a Consultant on leadership development within organisations. He is also the Author of the book entitled Leadership Theory and Research: A Critical Approach to New and Existing Paradigms.

Braye Henry Koroye is a PhD student in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Lancaster University Management School, United Kingdom. Prior to his PhD study, he was a Lecturer in the Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama Bayelsa State in Nigeria.

Ijeoma Jacklyn Okpanum is a Lecturer in the Business School on the Aberdeen – South China Normal University (SCNU) Joint Institute. She received her master’s degree from the University of Dundee (CEPMLP) under the Nigerian PTDF scholarship scheme and a PhD from the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow. Her research interests are institutional logics, leadership and organisational trust.

Obafemi Olekanma leads the DBA programme at Teesside University Business School, UK, and is an Alumnus of the University of Strathclyde Business School, UK. His research interest lies at the intersection of knowledge management, service productivity and human resources management with a bias for sub-Sahara African studies. He is the Author of books, journals and conference papers.

Ibiyemi Omeihe is a Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at the University of West of Scotland. Her PhD thesis focusses on authentic leadership within Africa. She received her MBA from the University of the West of Scotland, where she finished as the valedictorian, achieving a distinction and winning the overall court medal.

Kingsley Obi Omeihe is the Head of Discipline (Business Management) at the Business School. He is the Co-founder and Chair of African Studies at the British Academy of Management (BAM). He also serves as Chair of the Entrepreneurship in Minority Groups at the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE). His research interest in economic sociology examines the role of networks and norms in the emergence of economic institutions and organisations. He is working on an ongoing study of endogenous institutional change focussing on networks and norms of entrepreneurs in West African firms. This includes examining the reflexive basis of reputation in multiplex networks, identifying the sources of trust in low-trust societies, examining networks and their sources of cooperation.

Dr Emeka Smart Oruh is a Lecturer in HRM and Organisational Behaviour (OB) at Brunel University London, UK. His key research examines OB, ER and HRM issues within international business. He has authored several publications in ABS-rated outlets, such as International Journal of HRM, Journal of Managerial Psychology and Employee Relations, among others.

David Sarpong is a Professor in Strategic Management at the Brunel Business School (BBS), and Associate Editor of the Journal of Strategy and Management. A Co-Convenor of the Annual Doctoral Symposium of the British Academy of Management (BAM), he serves on the BAM Council as the Vice Chair of Academic Affairs of Conference and Capacity Building.

Dr James Tuffour is a Fellow of the ACCA-UK and has about two decades industry/academic experience from Ghana and the UK. His research interests cover Sustainability Accounting, Natural Resources Policy and Business History. At the University of East London, James doubled as a Lecturer and Small Enterprises Consultant. He currently lectures at the Department of Accounting, University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

Foreword

Dominic Elliott

As Dean of the School of Business and Creative Industries at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), I have had the pleasure of working alongside my colleague Dr Christian Harrison (UWS) for several years and his co-editor Dr Kingsley Obi Omeihe, once of UWS and currently at the University of Aberdeen. Their extensive networks across Africa with special interests in African Studies and Leadership, respectively, provide the authority in editing this collection.

This welcome addition to the literature exploring the contributions of African economies provides rich insights into the relationship between business and society. Looked at as a whole Africa, has a diverse economy, one evolving rapidly through social and cultural change and shaped by histories reflecting the nature of individual countries, communities and cultures. It is impossible to fully capture the complexity of Africa and its constituent countries and communities. However, this collection of essays provides rich insights into the nature of the relationship between business and society within an African context.

As a historian by training and a prolific author in the field of strategy and crisis management, I applaud the focus of the editors upon interrogating socially constructed practices, assumptions and beliefs which provide meaning for scholarship across Africa. It is a valuable thread running throughout the 10 chapters. The context of African business and society is much richer than usually acknowledged, perhaps reflecting the myopia of western perceptions.

The range of subjects is impressive from women’s entrepreneurial behaviours within a polygamous society to studies of religion as a driver for employee trust in CEOs. Koroye and Dada’s chapter, exploring the effect of culture upon women’s entrepreneurial behaviours identifies outdated views that women are less entrepreneurial and lays bare how perceptions are socially constructed. The context of polygamous family firms is a thought-provoking one, and there are obvious parallels with other societies in which female entrepreneurs may struggle to secure the recognition they deserve. At a prior institution working with scholars within a different context, I recall the impact of a long-term project studying female entrepreneurs in Gujarat. Micro-finance and policy changes provided a mechanism that liberated female entrepreneurs from cultural restraints and empowered them to prosper. This theme, concerning barriers to female entrepreneurs, in this case within the context of trade networks explored by Omeihe, is a persistent one within this collection. It indicates that much work is required to address the gender imbalances.

The studies within this collection will support real impact, through influencing policymakers, providing a road map or benchmark for further studies and in helping to change the lives of entrepreneurs, executives and employees across Africa. For Harrison, consistent policies, good infrastructure and anti-corruption measures implemented by the government will help pharmaceutical entrepreneurs flourish.

This is an inspiring collection of studies, rich in qualitative insights, telling stories within relevant theoretical frameworks. It is through collections such as this that we secure rich new insights into the African context and in so doing, create a new lens from which to reflect on western and other contexts. There is much to learn. The final words of this foreword I reserve for two respondents:

Must they [women] be in every unit? They [women] are culturally obliged to specific positions and jobs [he laughed]. Women are not allowed to hold top positions here. Their brothers and sons are.

Countered by:

I am so shocked that even in this 21st century, women are still held … by ancient cultural practices and norms. Achievements should be gender blind. If women are most qualified, so be it.

Professor Dominic Elliot

Dean of the School of Business and Creative Industries, University of the West of Scotland

Acknowledgements

This book is a result of the imagination and contributions of a great number of people. We take this opportunity to appreciate, all too briefly, everyone who have made the development possible. We acknowledge our major debt to Yemi, Anu, Christian, Jose, Lily, Zara, Tiffany and Neriah, who have helped us persevere to see the beauty and grace in the pursuit of this book. Our dreams will not have been achieved without their support.

Indeed, no list of acknowledegments can be complete. So many people have assisted in this project. Our colleagues over the years from the University of the West of Scotland and University of Aberdeen cannot go without mention. Your support and ideas made this project possible and we owe you all our biggest thanks.

Our sincere gratitude also goes to all the authors who have contributed chapters to this dedication. We would like to record our thanks to Senyo Agbanyo, Johnson Kwesi Ameh, Kwame Oduro Amoako, Isaac Oduro Amoako, Victor Yawo Atiase, Lola Dada, Chianu Harmony Dibia, Braye Henry Koroye, Amaning Newman, Ijeoma Jacklyn Okpanum, Obafemi O. Olekanma, Ibiyemi Omeihe, Emeka Smart Oruh, David Sarpong and James Tuffour.

We also acknowledge our significant debt to the institutions where we work, the University of Aberdeen and University of the West of Scotland. We are appreciative of the contributions of many senior colleagues including Professor Haina Zhang of the University of Aberdeen Business School, Professor Karl Leydecker of the University of Aberdeen, Joanne Maguire COO of Scottish Rail, Professor Milan Radosavljevic, Professor Dominic Elliott of the University of West of Scotland and Professor Craig Mahoney of the University of Law and other colleagues too numerous to mention.

From the wider academic scene, we are particularly indebted to colleagues who have read our manuscripts in a very constructive way. Their numerous instructive comments have proven useful to the design of this work.

Finally, we would like to thank the people of Emerald who helped make this project possible. Special thanks go to Fiona, Aiswarya and Lydia. They provided tremendous support through the writing and production phase of the book.