Aligning internal market orientation (IMO) with market orientation (MO) to impact performance in the banking sector in Ghana

The study is the first in Sub-Saharan Africa to use the aligned effects of IMO/MO to determine their relationship with employee/customer satisfaction in the financial services industry. The pioneering studies of Lings and Greenley on internal market orientation (IMO) in the 2000s and that of Kohli and Jaworski experience enormous investigation empirically. Although some reasonable amount of studies on the above constructs have been undertaken within the newly developed and developing economies, there have been little attempt at exploring the alignment of the two concepts, in terms of their relationship with organizational performance, particularly in the services sector. To address this research gap, a multidimensional construct describing the five managerial behaviours associated with internal marketing conceptualized as IMO in alignment with market orientation (MO) has been tested to see how their integration relates with employee/customer satisfaction. The first stage involved a qualitative study to gain a deeper and better understanding of the IMO/MO constructs and their implementation in the commercial and universal banking sector in Ghana. The qualitative research findings independently established a strong association between IMO/MO and employee/customer satisfaction. The second stage employed a survey to test a conceptual framework based on the IMO/MO constructs using hypotheses formulated based on reviewed literature. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to analyse the survey responses. The model demonstrated a good fit to the data in terms of face and content validity; convergent, discriminant and nomological validity; reliability and stability; and showing improvement to existing scales. A major contribution of this research was the use of a robust model that explained the application of the five dimensions of the IMO construct and their effect on employee in-role behaviour (IRB) to impact employee satisfaction within the Ghanaian banking sector. These findings were not totally consistent with various previous research works in the IMO literature. However, employee in-role behaviour (IRB) has been seen to drive market orientation, and market orientation has been established as a key driver of performance in terms of customer value and satisfaction. These findings are in support of established theoretical positions in the MO literature. Another contribution of the study to knowledge in managerial decision making is that, a better understanding and implementation of the IMO construct in the strategic planning efforts of the banks and subsequent employment in their business processes, and activities will positively affect employee job satisfaction. Effective staff commitment to duty will drive the banks’ prospects to exploit the vast opportunities in financial intermediation driven by liberalization and deepening of Ghana’s economic development and growth in higher levels of savings, investment, production and poverty alleviation. Again, positive in-role behaviours of the banks’ managers will affect their commitment to their subordinates in their work roles, and this will increase the responsiveness of staff to customers’ needs and wants. This process will create trust among customers to their banks to accept formal banking as a good, safe, convenient and rewarding experience

Perceptions of the rules of business behaviour in the competitive banking environment in Uganda

Business rules shape the behaviour of a business and guide the behaviour of employees when conducting business. Therefore, business rules explain what is allowed and not allowed. It is argued that all organisations have business rules and engage in some form of relationship whether through competition or cooperation with other companies. In today’s business environment, organisations are embedded in relationships with other actors in order to gain access to resources that are needed. Therefore, each organisation’s business rules define their strategies and actions. The type of business rule behaviour which is applied by organisations encourages them to grow by taking market share from rivals or creating new markets. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the rules of business behaviour on perceptions of the competitive banking environment in Uganda and its potential impact on certain outcomes. In this study, a quantitative research approach was adopted, as the study sought to investigate the relationships between variables. This study collected data through the use of a structured self-administered survey questionnaire which was distributed to 233 branches of banks in Uganda, totaling 700 bank employees. The survey yielded 529 usable questionnaires which were analyzed, using several statistical analysis techniques. A hypothetical model and measuring instrument of perceptions of the rules of business behaviour in the competitive banking environment within Uganda was developed. Six null-hypotheses were subjected to statistical analysis. The influence of three independent variables, namely, confrontational business behaviour, co-operational business behaviour and typologies of competition on the intermediate variable, perceptions of the competitive banking environment in Uganda were tested. The impact of these variables on three independent outcome variables, namely, organisational performance and customer loyalty and retention were also tested The empirical findings revealed that the rules of business behaviour have a significant relationship with perceptions of the competitive banking environment in Uganda. These results showed that confrontational behaviour as a rule of business behaviour can be classified as being direct or indirect. The study further revealed that banks should consider competitors as co-partners and not only as aggressors, indicating that co-operational business behaviour is statistically significantly related to perceptions of the competitive business environment in Uganda. The three typologies of competition, namely, defy attack, defense and debase attack are also positively related to perceptions of the competitive business environment in Uganda. The empirical results of the study also indicated that perceptions of the competitive banking environment have a positive relationship with outcomes such as organisational performance, customer retention and customer loyalty. This study contributed to the literature and body of knowledge regarding the impact of rules of business behaviour in the competitive banking environment in Uganda. This study could also assist banks, employees and customers alike to understand the different rules of business behaviour that exist and what strategies banks can employ to improve their position in the market. This study could also be replicated by other banks in other developing countries so as to ensure successful competition and the cooperation of banks as they engage in their activities in the banking industry

Machine Intelligence in Africa: a survey

In the last 5 years, the availability of large audio datasets in African countries has opened unlimited opportunities to build machine intelligence (MI) technologies that are closer to the people and speak, learn, understand, and do businesses in local languages, including for those who cannot read and write. Unfortunately, these audio datasets are not fully exploited by current MI tools, leaving several Africans out of MI business opportunities. Additionally, many state-of-the-art MI models are not culture-aware, and the ethics of their adoption indexes are questionable. The lack thereof is a major drawback in many applications in Africa. This paper summarizes recent developments in machine intelligence in Africa from a multi-layer multiscale and culture-aware ethics perspective, showcasing MI use cases in 54 African countries through 400 articles on MI research, industry, government actions, as well as uses in art, music, the informal economy, and small businesses in Africa. The survey also opens discussions on the reliability of MI rankings and indexes in the African continent as well as algorithmic definitions of unclear terms used in MI.Comment: Accepted and to be presented at DSAI 202

Marketing and performance: a thematic study of firms in the UK and Ghana.

The issue being investigated in this thesis concerns the extent to which marketing practices impact upon business performance and how the competitive environment influences the market orientation-performance relationships in an industrialised nation and a developing economy. This thesis takes as its underlying theoretical framework, the marketing-performance paradigm of marketing strategy theory and practice and involves a thematic study of marketing practices, their relevance in different environmental scenarios and effects on a variety of performance measures. In order to determine the universal importance of marketing principles, the effects of various facets of marketing such as marketing culture, marketing effectiveness and market orientation on both customer-based and financial performance indicators, are investigated in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana. The contribution to knowledge stems from the systematic application of marketing principles to describe the behaviour of firms in a range of businesses and, on the basis of primary data, determine whether firms that engage in sound marketing practices, are characterised by relatively higher performance levels irrespective of the environment. This thesis contains eight empirical papers, one case study and one conceptual article on the U K and Ghana and the findings have been published/scheduled for publication in key internationally refereed journals in the management/ marketing fields. Within the U K context, issues relating to marketing culture, marketing effectiveness and their effects on various performance dimensions are explored. Moreover, the concept of market orientation, its impact upon measures of business effectiveness, efficiency and adaptability, and the extent to which environmental factors influence these relationships are examined. Sectors to which specific marketing constructs could be appropriately applied are selected for survey. These include marketing effectiveness in large organisations (over 500 employees), marketing culture in service firms, and market orientation in the small business (10 to 50 employees) and high technology (biotechnology) sectors. This approach facilitates a comprehensive testing of these different but related constructs in diverse contexts and provides useful conclusions on the efficacy of marketing principles in business practices. In the context of Ghana, the role of marketing is examined against the background of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) structural adjustment policies (SAP). This is followed by a study of the effects of corporate culture on market orientation and a case study on performance of firms which have adapted successfully to the changes taking place in Ghana's liberalised economy through effective implementation of SAP-tailored marketing strategies. In addition, a comparison of the marketing activity-performance association among foreign and domestic firms is undertaken together with an investigation of the market orientation performance link and potential moderators of the relationship. Studying the role and effectiveness of marketing in these different scenarios provides invaluable insights into the relevance of marketing principles in a developing economy. Overall, this thematic approach facilitates a thorough exploration o f the significance of marketing practice in industrialised and developing economies and, more importantly, tackles the research question posed at the outset. Generally, the results indicate that in the UK, sound marketing practices exert a positive impact on performance while in Ghana, foreign firms' marketing practices are found to exert a greater effect on performance than those of domestic firms. Moreover, in the UK, a significant link between market orientation and performance emerges over a shorter period compared with a similar analysis in Ghana. Managerial implications o f the findings are subsequently highlighted and future research directions are identified and discussed

Words that Wound: Rethinking Online Hate Speech in South Africa

Online violence and hate speech in cyberspace have become a major concern among previously disadvantaged groups and human rights activists in South Africa (Cuyler 2011; Ndou 2015). The remarkable expansion of the Internet as a platform for communication has been outdone by hate-based activity in cyberspace and extremist websites. The mobility and anonymity that the Internet provides has made expressions of hate and harassment easy on an abstract platform, which is often outside the remit of conventional security agencies (Lange 2007). By using technological, legal and political frameworks, this paper examines the conundrums involved in regulating hate speech on the Internet. It assesses the complexities inherent in South Africa’s bilateral and/or multilateral partnerships, and challenges of unilateral domestic content legislation to regulate cyberspace. Whereas the state seeks to find common ground upon which to harmonise its approach to regulation, the paper examines how technological innovations can limit the harm triggered by hate speech. The paper recommends that there is the need for a broader mobilisation of citizens in order to reduce the harm often triggered by hate speakers in South Africa

Occupational health and safety for informal sector workers: the case of street traders in Nigeria

This study examined two important types of occupational hazards in the street trading activities in Nigeria which are (i) injuries sustained from road traffic accident and (ii) harassment of traders through indiscriminate arrest, seizure and confiscation of merchandise and occasional incarceration of sellers in police cells without trials. The data for the study was generated from a 2011 national survey of 3,873 street traders in Nigeria which was made possible through a research grant provided by the Covenant University’s Centre for Research and Development. In addition to the descriptive statistics used in profiling the street traders, the binary logistic regression approach was also used to estimate the log of odds of experiencing occupational hazards in street trading activities. The study found out that 25% of the traders have suffered injury, while 49.1% have experienced harassment from public authority officials. Given these findings, policy measures that are capable of enhancing the safety of street traders, and stem urban-ward migration have been proposed

Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent 2020-2030

The new year 2020 marks the beginning of a promising decade for Africa. Through at least the first half of the decade, economic growth across Africa will continue to outperform that of other regions, with the continent continuing to be home to seven of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies. Collective action among African and global policymakers to improve the livelihoods of all under the blueprint of the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063 is representative of the shared energy and excitement around Africa's potential. With business environments improving, regional integration centered around the African Continental Free Trade Agreement progressing, and the transformational technologies of Fourth Industrial Revolution spreading, never before has the region been better primed for trade, investment, and mutually beneficial partnerships. The recent, unprecedented interest of an increasingly diversified group of external partners for engagement with Africa highlights this potential. Despite the continent's promise, though, obstacles to success linger, as job creation still has not caught up with the growing youth labor force, gaps in good and inclusive governance remain, and climate change as well as state fragility threaten to reverse the hard-fought-for gains of recent decades.This special edition of Foresight Africa highlights the triumphs of past years as well as strategies from our experts to tackle forthcoming, but surmountable, obstacles to a prosperous continent by 2030

The adoption of the marketing concept by the United Kingdom and Ghanaian banks.

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