Newly independent nations and large engineering projects: the case of the Volta River Project

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explicate how newly independent nations combined local and international resources to plan and build large engineering projects aimed at enhancing economic development. It discusses the key factors and issues related to the planning and building of the Akosombo dam and related townships from 1962 to 1967. Design/methodology/approach: Archival information from the Volta River Authority (VRA) together with other archival government data and interview transcripts before, during and after the completion (from the 1950s to the 1960s) of the Volta River Project (VRP) Findings: The paper presents insights from the Volta River Project in newly independent Ghana and demonstrates how multiple international firms combine with host country stakeholders to usher in one of the most important engineering projects in post-colonial Africa. It also highlights how poor bargaining power and weak integration of projects to future development objectives, with negligence by succeeding political actors could inhibit the full achievement of intended long-term project outcomes. Research Limitations/implications: Most of the conclusions are drawn from a single project within one country and would need to be supported by additional multi-country research. The study also presents an opportunity to explore how lessons learnt could influence policymaking in new large and complex infrastructure projects. Originality/value: The paper reviews antecedents, processes and outcomes of a major post-independence infrastructure project in a sub-Saharan African country

Leveraging business failure to drive eco‐innovation adoption: An integrated conceptual framework

Despite a growing body of research on business failure and eco-innovation, these two streams of research have developed in isolation, thus lacking an organizing framework to account for how businesses can utilize peer companies' failures as a source of eco-innovation. This study addresses this gap in the current literature by advancing an integrated conceptual framework that illuminates failure as a catalyst for learning and the mechanisms through which organizations can enhance their environmental innovation efforts and competitiveness. The study proposes a multidimensional 2 × 2 typology encompassing dimensions of process and product eco-innovation, alongside two underlying factors of business failure. These factors further elucidate the mechanisms through which organizations can learn from others' failures, ultimately becoming more resilient and adaptable in the face of new challenges. The implications of this analysis for future research and practice will be further examined, shedding light on promising domains for learning from failure and fostering innovation

Business Failures around the World: Emerging Trends and New Research Agenda

In a twenty-first century shaped by increasing market competition, business failures are inevitable for many firms, yet capturing and utilizing insights from failures and alleviating unnecessary business failure remain major obstacles. In this paper, we present an overview of the literature on business failure and attempt to clarify some key issues on the subject. We also present an introduction to the Special Issue on ‘Business Failures around the World’ and highlight several novel ideas, emerging trends and uncharted terrains for future research

Stepping Up and Stepping Out of COVID-19: New Challenges for Environmental Sustainability Policies in the Global Airline Industry

The allure for businesses to jettison short-term costly processes, regulatory demands and green business practices (GBPs) in the turbulent times of COVID-19 remains sky high. Although GBPs and eco-friendly policies deliver results in the long term in terms of market competitiveness (MC), in many industries firms have sought to jettison well-rooted practices in the face of the existential threats stemming from COVID-19. In this paper, we examine the new contemporary challenges of adopting and implementing environmental sustainability policies in the global airline industry in the wake of COVID-19. The analysis sheds light on firms’ level sustainability initiatives such as upgrading to environmentally friendly aircraft and offsetting emission footprint, and institutional initiatives such as the European Union Emissions Trading System and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for Aviation. Our analysis demonstrates that some airlines and industrial bodies sought to sidestep environmentally friendly commitments and practices to overcome new challenges such as cost pressures, survival threat and deprioritising environmental sustainability initiatives. We establish and examine the implications of the analysis

Opening Editorial: Multinational enterprises and business failures: A new research agenda.

This editorial advance a new research agenda on studying international business failures and failures of multinational enterprises’ subsidiaries to help in enriching understanding of strategy. By learning from the constraints and liabilities that make such firms vulnerable to market competition, organizations would be better positioned to develop resilient business models, capacity and expertise needed to decrease the risk of failure. This source of learning is not only essential in helping to enhance the market competitiveness of domestic firms but also helping them to transform into MNEs

Africa’s single aviation market: The progress so far

To promote the development of air transport at the continental level, several policies were introduced, leading to the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) in late 1999, which had the liberalisation of the intra-African aviation spaces as its main objective. Even though notable progress has been achieved towards more market-oriented aviation policies, at the pan-African level some markets are still restrictive and inconsistent with the YD, particularly with respect to the granting of 5th freedom rights. This paper aims to examine recent developments in the aviation sector in Africa, with a focus on the implementation of the YD. The obstacles to liberalisation are discussed and several measures for facilitating Africa’s move towards multilateral open skies are investigated. These include, among others, a greater collaboration and co-operation among African airlines, as well as between African airlines and foreign ones; redefinition of the role and responsibilities of different institutions which are instrumental in implementing the YD and some further issues such as ownership guidelines

Explanations for strategic persistence in the wake of others’ failures

Purpose – Although strategic persistence remains a key issue in change management and strategy literature, our understanding of strategic persistence in the face of other businesses’ failure remains limited. This article examines factors that determine strategic persistence in the face of other businesses’ failures. Design/methodology/approach – Through a review and synthesis of the multiple streams of research, we provide a number of explanations for strategic persistence. The study complements the analysis with illustrative cases of failed companies. These led to development of an integrated framework of explanations for strategic persistence in the wake of other businesses’ failures. Findings – The analysis led to identification of individual, firm-specific and environmental factors rooted in past events (i.e. past successes, prior commitment and decisions by the top-management team), present circumstances (i.e. nature of the failure) and future outlook (i.e. paradox of success, looming threats and opportunities), which foster strategic persistence. We uncovered that persistence may also stem from factors such as “paradox of success” and “too much invested to quit”. Research limitation/implications – We suggest that organisations can learn from others’ failures without compromising their values by drawing on the expertise released by failed firms. The study also identified various mechanisms through which organisations can learn from the failure of others and factors that constrain them from doing so. Originality/value – Our theorisation and conceptualisation of the literature accommodates the multiple and contrasting perspectives of the subject such as the environmental buffers and paradox of success