Burning issues: Unraveling the nexus between dysfunctional institutions and counterfeiting in developing countries

Counterfeit and substandard products continue to bedevil public health in developing countries across the global South. Despite the growing recognition of the importance of this issue, there remains a critical gap in the scholarly discourse on how dysfunctional institutions in developing countries can create conditions that lead to the detrimental public health effects of counterfeiting. Drawing on insights from key stakeholders in Ghana, this research illuminates the mechanisms through which institutional deficiencies shape the detrimental effects of counterfeiting. The study led to the identification of three sequential and interconnected unfolding effects of counterfeiting, encompassing: tracing the growth and spread of deceptive counterfeiting to factors such as inadequate inspection and authentication of products, as well as the phenomenon of mixing counterfeit and second-hand products (Phase 1); highlighting the potential health and fire hazards stemming from policy and regulatory gaps (Phase 2); and then illuminating stakeholder mobilization and interventions (Phase 3). By exploring the linkages between these three phases, the study advances a more holistic view of the proliferation of counterfeit products, encapsulating the interconnected nature of its origins linked to the evolution of other phenomena, such as the growth of second-hand products in developing countries, and its impacts on society and public health

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

Sustainable futures: Toward institutionalizing green industrial policy

Although there have been substantial accomplishments in understanding environmental sustainability policy, there remains a paucity of research categorizing the mechanisms through which firm ownership architectures can be harnessed to advance green industrial policy (GIP). The purpose of this study is to examine how different types of ownership structures can be utilized as mechanisms for capitalizing on and championing GIP. By integrating the fragmented streams of research, this study advances a four‐cell typology of GIP‐firm ownership dimensions (privately‐owned enterprises (POEs)/state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) × intra‐country/inter‐country GIP), which sheds much‐needed light on the long‐term energy transition (ETs) pathway through institutional and industrial challenges. The analysis further enhances researchers' understanding of leveraging SOEs and POEs to neutralize uncertainties inherent in scaling up renewables and addressing the “pollution haven hypothesis.” Directions for future research pertaining to ETs are outlined

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

An integrated perspective on foreign ethical divestment

Much of the existing literature on foreign ethical divestment has been developed in isolation and scattered across multiple disciplines. This paper reviews the existing literature on foreign ethical divestment to extract emerging themes and outline new directions for future research. Our review uncovered that foreign ethical divestment decisions can be attributed to macro, firm and individual level factors. We therefore develop an integrated model to link the dynamics of ethical foreign divestment. The study identified a number of unanswered questions and implications 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

COVID‐19 pandemic and Innovation Activities in The Global Airline Industry: A Review

Despite the valuable contributions of scholars to the COVID-19 pandemic, limited scholarly attention has been paid to the opportunities unleashed by the crisis. As many industries have been turned upside down and markets rendered uncertain, the crisis is also propelling waves of innovation activities. In this paper, we developed the concept of “CoviNovation” to denote the firm’s innovation emerging from, rooted in or accelerated by the crisis. Our analysis yielded insights on innovations inspired by COVID-19 across the global airline industry, including inflight social distancing, utilizing touchless technologies at airports, disinfecting aircraft with UV, open-middle-seat policy, accelerated use of biometrics in check-in and COVID-19 insurance. The theoretical and practical implications of the COVID-19-inspired innovations examined