The role of cultural values in understanding the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Nigeria

This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here (http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/4036). Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Purpose: This paper examines the challenges female entrepreneurs face in the development of their business in the context of Nigeria. In so doing, it addresses a gap in the literature on the experiences of female entrepreneurs in a non-Western context and acknowledges the contribution that women make in this area of work. Design: It draws on survey data from 274 female entrepreneurs currently engaged in their businesses in three states—Lagos (Nigeria’s largest city), Ogun, and Oyo within the south west of Nigeria. Findings: Results indicate that female entrepreneurs are generally confident and resourceful and that they enjoy the challenge of entrepreneurial activity. As in the West, they experience difficulties relating to family commitments and access to finance – as well as problems gaining acceptance and accessing networks. Originality: It is argued that cultural values specific to the situation mean that these challenges, while common to female entrepreneurs in other national contexts, ‘play out’ differentially and that they are experienced with different levels of depth and ‘intensity’. It is also argued that future research might uncover at a deeper level and drawing on qualitative methodology how some of the factors identified are experienced in women’s day to day lives. The paper suggests some policy implications in the form of support for female entrepreneurs in this context

Annual league tables of mortality in neonatal intensive care units: longitudinal study. International Neonatal Network and the Scottish Neonatal Consultants and Nurses Collaborative Study Group.[see comment]

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether crude league tables of mortality and league tables of risk adjusted mortality accurately reflect the performance of hospitals. DESIGN: Longitudinal study of mortality occurring in hospital. SETTING: 9 neonatal intensive care units in the United Kingdom. SUBJECTS: 2671 very low birth weight or preterm infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units between 1988 and 1994. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Crude hospital mortality and hospital mortality adjusted using the clinical risk index for babies (CRIB) score. RESULTS: Hospitals had wide and overlapping confidence intervals when ranked by mortality in annual league tables; this made it impossible to discriminate between hospitals reliably. In most years there was no significant difference between hospitals, only random variation. The apparent performance of individual hospitals fluctuated substantially from year to year. CONCLUSIONS: Annual league tables are not reliable indicators of performance or best practice; they do not reflect consistent differences between hospitals. Any action prompted by the annual league tables would have been equally likely to have been beneficial, detrimental, or irrelevant. Mortality should be compared between groups of hospitals using specific criteria-such as differences in the volume of patients, staffing policy, training of staff, or aspects of clinical practice-after adjusting for risk. This will produce more reliable estimates with narrower confidence intervals, and more reliable and rapid conclusions

The involvement of free radicals in the mechanism of -Carotene Degradation

-Carotene, a pro-vitamin A carotenoid, was reacted with oxygen in benzeneas solvent, in the dark. The products of oxidation were characterised by HPLC with aUV photodiode detector and LC-MS, EI mode. The products identified were oxygencontainingcompounds of the type epoxides, aldehydes and ketones. ESR study ofretinyl- and ionyl-derivatives revealed that the secondary sites C7 and C9 were the mostreactive towards radical generation. Both the results of product analysis and the ESRstudy enabled us to propose that the products of -carotene autoxidation were obtainedby a free radical mechanism involving initial formation of a biradical during the transto-cis isomerisation at the 15,15' bond and attack by oxygen.Keywords: Carotene, Carotenoids, Apo-carotenoids, ESR, Degradation, Autoxidation,Free radicals

Cultural intelligence and managerial relational performance: a resource advantage perspective

Purpose – Since managerial rationality is often bounded; managers use their cognitive capabilities and social interaction to manage their operational cultural and environmental differences. Drawing on the resource-advantage theory, we theorize that import manager’s cultural intelligence (CQ) is an intangible but valuable human capital capable of diminishing the effect of their foreign counterpart’s psychic distance and ultimately, their relational performance. Design/methodology/approach – Our measure of CQ in this study comprises metacognitive and motivational CQs to examine the relations between metacognitive and motivational CQs on psychic distance and its ultimate effect on relational performance. Survey data collected from 228 Nigerian automobile import managers were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to examine the relationship among the study variables. Findings – Our study revealed that metacognitive CQ reduces the effect of psychic distance in the exchange relationship. Moreover, in the presence of a low-level psychic distance, relational performance increases. This finding confirms the intervening role of CQ on performance relationship. The study offers insights into the under-researched area of CQ in international business research. It highlights the role of CQ and its influence on psychic distance in the success or failure of relational exchanges in the international market. Originality/value – We present the concept of CQ as human capital that has the potential to improve managerial relational performance. We go further to advance the potential significance and relevance of CQ in improving international buyer-seller exchanges

Employment Discrimination against Indigenous People with Tribal Marks in Nigeria: The Painful face of Stigma

Drawing from in-depth qualitative interviews (N=32), this article examines the impact of indigenous tribal marks on employment chances in southwest Nigeria. It employs indigenous standpoint theory to frame the argument around what constitutes stigma and in what context. The results of our thematic analysis indicate that tribally marked job applicants and employees face significant social rejection, stigmatization, and discrimination, and can suffer from severe mental illnesses and even suicidal ideation. We explain how these tribally marked individuals navigate the changing contours of tradition and modernity in Nigeria. Tribal marks, although once largely perceived as signals of beauty and high social status, are now increasingly viewed as a significant liability in the labor market. This paper makes a unique and original contribution to the study of stigma and employment discrimination by eschewing the prevailing Western ethnocentrism in the extant research and instead placing the indigenous standpoint at center stage

Freedom and Flexibility: The Work-Family Balance of Single Female Entrepreneurs in Nigeria

Purpose – Work-family research has mainly focused on nuclear families, neglecting other types of families, such as single self-employed parents. To what extent does the freedom and flexibility attached to being single and self-employed hinder or enhance single parents’ work family balance? Using role theory as a theoretical lens, this study examines single self-employed parents’ work-family balance. Methodology – Drawing on the accounts of 25 single self-employed parents in Nigeria, the article uses semi-structured interviews to examine how this group achieves work-family balance. Findings – We found that the freedom and flexibility associated with being single and self-employed form a double-edged sword that increases the spate of singlehood and intensifies commitments to work, altogether preventing the participants in the study from achieving work-family balance. The findings also indicate that singlehood and a lack of spousal support cause and exacerbate work-family imbalance for this group. The findings further indicate that the reconstruction of functions, and the recreation of the traditional masculine gender role overwhelm single self-employed women in their entrepreneurial activities, thereby causing a lack of time and the energy required to function well in a family role, thus creating imbalance between the different spheres of life. Research limitations – The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited sample and scope of the research. Practical implications – While literature espouses freedom and flexibility as important ingredients needed to achieve work-family balance, this study shows that they enhance inter-role role conflict. The study suggests creation of private or family time, devoid of work or entrepreneurial engagements, for single female entrepreneurs. This will ensure quality time and energy for the family and for fresh relationship – all of which will impact business positively. Originality/value – Rather than enhancing work-family balance, the freedom and flexibility attached to being single and self-employed remain the main source of work-family imbalance for Nigerian single self-employed parents

Electron spin resonance study of free radicals generated from retinyl- and ionyl-derivatives

Free radicals generated from α- and β-ionyl bromides gave well resolved ESR spectra, but retinyl bromide and chloride gave only broad signals. Delocalised radicals were also spectrosopically observed on hydrogen abstraction from α-ionane, α-ionyltrimethylsilylether and buten-3-ynyl-2,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexene. Retinyl and β-ionyl radicals, derived from the corresponding xanthates, were successfully spin trapped with nitrosodurene. The results suggested that the secondary sites C(7) and C(9) were the most reactive in the β-ionyl radicaland that the secondary sites C(7) and C(11) and probably the primary site C(15) were the most reactive in the retinyl radical

In Search of Perfect Boundaries? Entrepreneurs’ Work-Life Balance

Purpose – Does the self-employed nature of entrepreneurs’ business ventures mean that they have perfect boundaries between their work and nonwork lives? Drawing on border theory, this study examines entrepreneurs’ work-life balance (WLB) in terms of how they construct and manage the borders between their work and nonwork lives. Design/Methodology/Approach – A qualitative research approach is adopted to enhance understanding of entrepreneurs’ WLB using border theory. The study benefits from its empirical focus on Nigerian migrants in London who represent a distinct minority group living in urban areas in the developed world. Data for the study was collected over a three-month period, utilising semi-structured interviews as the primary method of data collection. Findings – Our findings indicate that entrepreneurs prioritise ‘work’ over ‘life’ and reveal that entrepreneurs have little desire for boundaries as they work everywhere, which makes long working hours prevalent among them. Furthermore, the findings bring to the fore a prevalent social variance of these entrepreneurs preferring to be unmarried, single, and even divorced as a result of or associated with the entrepreneurs’ boundaries creation and management. Research Limitations/Implications – The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample of the research. Theoretical Implications – The article highlights the fluidity and permeability of the boundaries between entrepreneurs’ work/nonwork domains and the frequency of border crossing, which is almost uncontrollable, especially from the work domain to the nonwork domain. We describe this as work/nonwork border blurring. Practical Implications – Research on human resource management (HRM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or businesses in which entrepreneurs operate is evolving. The issue of the size and the nature of an organisation (i.e. labour or product market influences, ownership structures, etc.) have profound implications for human resources (HR) structures, policies, and practices and the quality of the WLB of entrepreneurs. As research on HRM and entrepreneurship is still developing, HRM practice in entrepreneurial business ventures is often organisationally fluid and adhoc. The main implication is that there may be little structure in HRM policies and processes in place to support self-employed entrepreneurs in comprehensively managing border crossing and achieving WLB. Originality/Value – This article provides valuable insights into entrepreneurs’ work/nonwork boundaries, which are hugely influenced by the commodification of time and money. It also enriches work-life border theory and its social constructionist perspective

The influence of blockchains and internet of things on global value chain

Despite the increasing proliferation of deploying the Internet of Things (IoT) in global value chain (GVC), several challenges might lead to a lack of trust among value chain partners, e.g., technical challenges (i.e., confidentiality, authenticity, and privacy); and security challenges (i.e., counterfeiting, physical tempering, and data theft). In this study, we argue that Blockchain technology, when combined with the IoT ecosystem, will strengthen GVC and enhance value creation and capture among value chain partners. Thus, we examine the impact of Blockchain technology when combined with the IoT ecosystem and how it can be utilized to enhance value creation and capture among value chain partners. We collected data through an online survey, and 265 UK Agri-food retailers completed the survey. Our data were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Our finding reveals that Blockchain technology enhances GVC by improving IoT scalability, security, and traceability when combined with the IoT ecosystem. Which, in turn, strengthens GVC and creates more value for value chain partners – which serves as a competitive advantage. Finally, our research outlines the theoretical and practical contribution of combining Blockchain technology and the IoT ecosystem