The concept of strategic leadership in the development and improvement of higher education in the Republic of Benin : a qualitative case study of an African university

This study explored the appropriateness of the concept of strategic leadership in the development and improvement of higber education in an African university called, for the purposes of tbis study, the AU3. It examined whether strategic leadership as it emerged in Western countries-had any resonance and relevance for the AU3, and explored the ways in which strategic leaders (SLs) interpreted and gave meanings to their roles. The study adopted a phenomenological approach with a qualitative case study design. A purposive sample of 20 strategic leaders was selected. The data collection instrument was semi-structured interviews. The research findings suggested that to enact strategic leadership the individual in the role should: be able to provide clarification of what helshe does and be able to understand the context in which he/she operates. The study contended that: strategic leadership requires three characteristics: elucidation - the ability to identify with their roles and responsibilities and link these to the strategic goals and mission of AU3; externalisation - the ability to consolidate their role tasks, provide evidence, and evaluate job tasks; and realisation - the ability to understand the complexity of their roles. The study further argued that SLs develop a distinctive shape of values and beliefs which impacted on the decisions they made. The study concluded with three types of leader: the 'emollient leader', who is concerned with 'hanging on in there', making the situation calmer in the hope of averting confrontation; the 'hypochondriac leader', who assumes constantly that something is wrong with their approach in performing their role, who is distracted by the environment and its constituencies; and the 'mirroring leader', who cannot see beyond their technical expertise. This study aims to help policy makers and those in charge of SLs' recruitment, selection, and development to better understand what competences are required to lead the university

Restraining forces and drivers of supply chain collaboration: evidence from an emerging market

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate how restraining forces and driving forces impact supply chain collaboration in the context of Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative approach was adopted. Using semi-structured interviews, data was obtained from manufacturers and third-party logistics providers in Nigeria's food and beverage sector. The data was analysed using the thematic analysis method. Findings - Interesting findings were revealed regarding how some underlying forces impact supply chain collaboration. These findings were categorised into internal, supply chain, and external environment level factors. However, certain forces were also identified at these distinct levels which can sustain the collaboration between supply chain partners in emerging markets like Nigeria. Originality/value - Many studies on SCM have wholly focused their attention on developed countries, often neglecting emerging markets like Nigeria in the discourse. Although supply chain collaboration has been well researched, our study attempts to shift the attention to the most populous country in Africa. With the help of the force field theory, this research reveals new insights on the restraining forces and drivers of supply chain collaboration, offering the foundation for a new line of research on this subject in emerging markets. Practical implications - This research aids managerial understanding of the restraining forces and drivers of supply chain collaboration in an emerging market. Our research also provides new insights on how to manage supply chain collaboration in emerging markets. Research limitations/implications - The issues highlighted in this paper create opportunities for future studies to dig deeper into the concept of supply chain collaboration in emerging markets. Future studies may find other unique contextual factors which may influence supply chain collaboration asides those identified in this paper

The contribution of human resource development managers to organisational branding in the hotel industry in India and South East Asia (ISEA): a dynamic capabilities perspective

Purpose-This research explores the significant contribution of human resource development (HRD) managers in building organisational brands in the hotel industry through the lenses of dynamic capabilities for sustaining competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach-Using a qualitative case study design, this study deployed a semi-structured interview research method. It used a purposive sample of 20 HRD managers across twenty different hotels in India and South East Asia (ISEA) to explore their contribution to organisational brands. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings-The findings show the significance of HRD in building organisational brands. From a dynamic capabilities perspective, it was found that HRD has an impact on fostering brand awareness culture; HRD functional branding enhances the creation and sustaining of quality service culture; functional branding of HRD helps differentiate the brand and quality service, for product development and innovation by linking talent development and growth of key competencies and capabilities; brand training and behavioural training directly influence the right behaviour knowledge and effective communication that is translated into the enhancement of guest experience; and finally, organisational branding through branding culture and employer branding creates organisational wealth. Originality/value-The authors propose a new conceptual framework for the branding of the Heroes to reclaim the HRD's splendour in the realm of other functions in the hotel industry in ISEA contexts. While the authors do not claim an external generalisability, we believe that an analytical application of this framework could be relevant in similar environments. The study also claims that HRD practitioners could use parallel literature repertoires from brand management discourse to value their strategic contributions in building and maintaining their reputational position at the board level. Practical implications and further research are discussed

The role of fairness in multi-tier sustainable supply chains

Fairness is an important topic that forms part of an organisation’s sustainability practice and agenda, particularly from a social dimension. However, past studies have rarely considered the role of fairness as a driver of sustainability in multi-tier supply chains. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it examines the impact of fairness perceptions on the relationship between multi-tier supply chain partners. Second, it investigates the dynamics of on-going fairness formations in different stages of the vibrant multi-tier supply chain relationship development process. These gaps have been addressed by reporting the findings of qualitative research. Primary data were obtained from 18 procurement and supply practitioners of buying firms and their top tier-1 & 2 suppliers. Findings show that fairness perceptions have an impact on collaborative activities between multi-tier supply chain partners. These collaborative responses such as information sharing, joint relationship effort, and dedicated investment can also impact critical aspects of the multi-tier supply chain relationship such as trust, commitment, satisfaction, and conflict resolution. The findings show that multi-tier supply chain partners have different expectations but usually evaluate fairness at the review phase of the relationship development process. These considerations offer theoretical and practical guidance towards the advancement of sustainable multi-tier supply chain relationships

Eco-environmental footprint and value chains of technology multinational enterprises operating in emerging economies

Drawing from signaling theory and the multinational global value chain (GVC) literature, this study examines a critical question “does the adoption of eco-friendly technology improve firm value?”. In addressing this question, we test a panel dataset for 633 technology multinational enterprises (TMNEs) operating in 15 emerging economies and covering 10 years from 2009 to 2019. This paper provides new insight into the increasing CO2 emission concerns, especially from the emerging economies and household consumption perspectives. Our study reveals that the adoption of eco-friendly technology by TMNE's GVC operations will increase firm value and increase total environmental spending. Consequently, CO2 footprints in emerging countries will be reduced. Our findings are robust, controlling for several firm-level and country-level variables in our analysis. The practical, managerial, and policy implications of our study are discussed

Restraining forces and drivers of supply chain collaboration: evidence from an emerging market

Purpose-This paper aims to investigate how restraining forces and driving forces impact SC collaboration in the context of Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach-A qualitative approach was adopted. Using semi-structured interviews, data was obtained from manufacturers and third-party logistics providers in Nigeria's food and beverage sector. The data was analysed using the thematic analysis method. Findings-Interesting findings were revealed regarding how some underlying forces impact SC collaboration. These findings were categorised into internal, SC and external environment level factors. However, certain forces were also identified at these distinct levels which can sustain the collaboration between SC partners in emerging markets such as Nigeria. Research limitations/implications-The issues highlighted in this paper create opportunities for future studies to dig deeper into the concept of SC collaboration in emerging markets. Future studies may find other unique contextual factors which may influence SC collaboration asides from those identified in this paper. Practical implications-This research aids managerial understanding of the restraining forces and drivers of SC collaboration in an emerging market. The research also provides new insights on how to manage SC collaboration in emerging markets. Originality/value-Many studies on supply chain management have wholly focussed their attention on developed countries, often neglecting emerging markets such as Nigeria in the discourse. Although SC collaboration has been well researched, the study attempts to shift the attention to the most populous country in Africa. With the help of the force field theory, this research reveals new insights on the restraining forces and drivers of SC collaboration, offering the foundation for a new line of research on this subject in emerging markets

Restraining forces and drivers of supply chain collaboration: evidence from an emerging market

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate how restraining forces and driving forces impact supply chain collaboration in the context of Nigeria.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was adopted. Using semi-structured interviews, data was obtained from manufacturers and third-party logistics providers in Nigeria's food and beverage sector. The data was analysed using the thematic analysis method.Findings - Interesting findings were revealed regarding how some underlying forces impact supply chain collaboration. These findings were categorised into internal, supply chain, and external environment level factors. However, certain forces were also identified at these distinct levels which can sustain the collaboration between supply chain partners in emerging markets like Nigeria.Originality/value - Many studies on SCM have wholly focused their attention on developed countries, often neglecting emerging markets like Nigeria in the discourse. Although supply chain collaboration has been well researched, our study attempts to shift the attention to the most populous country in Africa. With the help of the force field theory, this research reveals new insights on the restraining forces and drivers of supply chain collaboration, offering the foundation for a new line of research on this subject in emerging markets.Practical implications - This research aids managerial understanding of the restraining forces and drivers of supply chain collaboration in an emerging market. Our research also provides new insights on how to manage supply chain collaboration in emerging markets.Research limitations/implications - The issues highlighted in this paper create opportunities for future studies to dig deeper into the concept of supply chain collaboration in emerging markets. Future studies may find other unique contextual factors which may influence supply chain collaboration asides those identified in this paper