The Nature of Sustainable Leadership: Pitfalls, Insights and New Model

This review aims to identify pitfalls and insights into the nature of sustainable leadership frameworks and propose a new framework for organisational longevity and the sustenance of society and the environment. A background literature review was conducted to purposively select seminal and influential frameworks of sustainable leadership. Pitfalls and insights in these frameworks were delineated and developed into broader categories using open coding and constant comparison. The findings reveal that the pitfalls of sustainable leadership at the individual level include a lack of accurate sustainability self-awareness, failure to realise the diversity of strategic thinking competencies and a shaky foundation of sustainability literacy. In contrast, ethical competence and system literacy constitute vital insights. At the organisational level, it is revealed that lack of sustainability human resources, absence of a sustainable organisational culture model and lack of clarity on the value of social capital are pitfalls of sustainable leadership. Organisational-level insights in sustainable leadership hinge on stakeholder centricity, the complexity of driving sustainability innovation and managing the complexity of internal and external interdependencies. A new integrative model of sustainable leadership is proposed with various dimensions for leaders to significantly propagate and model sustainable leadership in the organisation

EFFECT OF ECOLOGICAL MARKETING ON SURVIVAL OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA.

The state of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) is deteriorating, and the environment is irrational in a way that has led to many businesses, especially SMEs, collapsing early in their existence. In this study, the survival of SMEs in the state of Anambra was examined in relation to ecological marketing. Descriptive survey methodology was used in the study.  All SMEs in Anambra State make up the study's population, and 384 people were chosen for the sample through the use of a purposive sampling technique. As a result, respondents were asked to complete a structured questionnaire. Data analysis techniques used included multiple regression analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and Pearson's correlation. Technology, sociocultural factors, and economic factors all had a positive and significant impact on the study's findings regarding the survival of SMEs. However, in Anambra State, political factors have a significant and detrimental impact on SMEs' ability to survive. In light of this, the study came to the conclusion that ecological marketing significantly affects SMEs' ability to survive in Anambra State, Nigeria. Additionally, it claimed that businesses are on the verge of extinction if they don't recognise and act quickly on the new trends and problems in their environment. However, this study recommended strengthening the regulatory framework as well as providing adequate infrastructure facilities for SMEs to survive in Nigeria

Conveniencing the family in agri-based processing enterprise : a grounded theory study of strategic leaders' cultural assumptions and strategising activities

As leaders of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), strategic leaders are responsible for strategising, the approach to which is influenced by their cultural paradigm. The effects of this strategising are manifested in the day-to-day activities of these leaders. This study aims to build an understanding of the shared cultural assumptions of strategic leaders in agri-based processing SMEs and how these assumptions affect the strategising activities that are adopted when addressing critical incidents related to the internal integration and external adaptation of the SME. Using Strauss and Corbin‟s (1990) grounded theory method, this study develops a theory titled Conveniencing the Family in Business, which is induced from critical incidents. A sample of critical incidents was gathered from 44 qualitative interviews conducted with strategic leaders of various agri-based processing SMEs operating in Malawi. This study found that strategic leaders display persistent and stable pragmatic business survival mind sets, but dynamic cultural assumptions about relationships with organisation members. The cultural influence of these assumptions is manifested in two distinctive and alternative processes making up the theory of conveniencing the family in business. These are the humanising and commodifying of relationships with organisation members, and they are evident in hostile and friendly business environments, respectively. Humanising of relationships with all members of the organisation builds and capitalises on inclusive, organisation-wide social capital that secures the future of the business. On the other hand, commodifying of relationships with non-family organisation members weakens collective support, which becomes mainly dependent on family and friendship ties. Thus, commodifying of relationships serves to perpetuate the close integration of business activity and family requirements to ultimately convenience the family in business, and represents the desired modus operandi of strategic leaders. As strategic leaders of SMEs have not yet conceptualised this, providing them with the conceptual theory developed here may be helpful towards a consistent re-orientation of the internal organisational support in a way that does not exclude but rather harnesses the wider solidarity of organisation members. The process explained by this theory is iterative, dynamic and distinguishes patterns of relationships amongst organisation members, which either enhances or compromises their collective support for the leaders and the enterprise. This by implication affects the performance of the enterprise. The results of this study are discussed from the perspective of social exchange and social capital theory, thereby contributing to the understanding of the strategising activities of strategic leaders, as well as the processes of building or destroying social capital in this type of enterprise

Effect of Cyber Security on Business Sustainability of Listed Microfinance Banks in Nigeria

In Nigeria, microfinance banks (MFB) face the burden of investing in cyber security to protect their databases, prevent monetary losses, maintain customer trust, and remain afloat in a competitive business environment. However, there are incessant cyber risks and attacks by criminals who gain undue access to the cyber-space of MFB and cause financial and non-financial loss. The objective of this quantitative study was to examine the effect of cyber security on the business sustainability of three listed, and most valued MFBs in Nigeria. The population of the study was 315 senior, medium and junior employees of three MFBs in Nigeria. As the target population was manageable, the research adopted a census. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, and the formulated hypothesis was analysed using multiple regression. The study found that cyber security has a significant and positive impact on the sustainability of MFB in Nigeria. Data availability account for the largest contribution to the sustainability of MFBs, followed by data confidentiality and data integrity. Employees in a MFB uphold that data availability, confidentiality, and integrity are pivotal elements of cyber security that influence the sustainability of their organisations in Nigeria. Given these results from the viewpoint of employees, MFBs are implored to regularly review and strengthen their risk management strategy and adopt a more integrative approach of human-centric cybersecurity, which brings technology and human elements together to address current and future cyber risks and build and sustain consumer trust in digital financial transactions. The implication of the study and areas for future research are highlighted

Effect of Cyber Security on Business Sustainability of Listed Microfinance Banks in Nigeria

Purpose: In Nigeria, microfinance banks (MFB) face the burden of investing in cyber security to protect their databases, prevent monetary losses, maintain customer trust, and remain afloat in a competitive business environment. However, there are incessant cyber risks and attacks by criminals who gain undue access to the cyber-space of MFB and cause financial and non-financial loss. Design/methodology/approach: The objective of this quantitative study was to examine the effect of cyber security on the business sustainability of three listed, and most valued MFBs in Nigeria. The population of the study was 315 senior, medium and junior employees of three MFBs in Nigeria. As the target population was manageable, the research adopted a census. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, and the formulated hypothesis was analysed using multiple regression. Findings: The study found that cyber security has a significant and positive impact on the sustainability of MFB in Nigeria. Data availability account for the largest contribution to the sustainability of MFBs, followed by data confidentiality and data integrity. Employees in a MFB uphold that data availability, confidentiality, and integrity are pivotal elements of cyber security that influence the sustainability of their organisations in Nigeria. Given these results from the viewpoint of employees, MFBs are implored to regularly review and strengthen their risk management strategy and adopt a more integrative approach of human-centric cybersecurity, which brings technology and human elements together to address current and future cyber risks and build and sustain consumer trust in digital financial transactions. The implication of the study and areas for future research are highlighted. Paper type: Research pape

Shaping the organizational architecture for SME survival : a case of nascent small restaurants in Durban

This study explores how planning, leading and organising activities shaped the organisational architecture of the nascent small restaurants that survived the first five years of operating in Durban in South Africa. Twelve owners of nascent small restaurants in Durban were selected using purposive sampling and interviewed to gather data. Themes of how planning, leading and organizing shaped the components of the Mc Kinsey 7-S model in the restaurant were delineated using thematic analysis. The study reveal that the organisational architecture of the nascent restaurant relied on emergent and entrepreneurial planning in the creative use of staff and skills to exploit opportunities and contain disruptions to service. Engaging employees to model the desired values but also using them as an instrument to achieve specific goals depicted an ambidextrous style of leadership. Multiskilling of staff enhanced resilience to operational and customer changes while the empowerment of employees was undermined by trust deficit in the organisational architecture of the restaurant. Critical changes are imperative to re-align the organisational architecture of the restaurant and ensure that it enhances survival.http://www.ajhtl.comam2020Marketing Managemen

Communication channels in the host community market adopted by Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs

Orientation: There is a growing prevalence of entrepreneurial activity by immigrant entrepreneurs in different sectors of various economies across the world. Immigrant entrepreneurs seek to identify opportunities to grow and sustain their businesses in hostile business markets. Immigrant entrepreneurs use an array of channels of communication to gain insight of the opportunities in the market. Research purpose: The study sought to investigate the communication channels used by Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs to identify opportunities in the host community market. Motivation for the study: The study was undertaken given the dearth of research on the role of communication channels in enabling the identification of opportunities by immigrant entrepreneurs. Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research design was adopted in which purposive and snowball sampling were adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs operating small businesses in the South African context. Main findings: The results indicate that the immigrant entrepreneurs identified opportunities in the business environment through establishing channels of communication that manifested as networks with family members, customers, local employees and competitors. Building relationships through networks was key for the process of identifying opportunities. Practical/managerial implications: The study provides evidence that information about opportunities in the market is identified through dynamic channels of communication characterised by networks with different stakeholders. Contribution/value-add: Communication channels are pivotal in enabling the identification of opportunities in the business environment. Immigrant entrepreneurs actively create and sustain their relationships with various stakeholders in the business environment to be able to identify opportunities in the business environment

Entrepreneurial marketing: Exploring its place in social enterprises

The activities of social enterprises have been neglected despite the efforts of the government, individuals, and other supportive agencies. Much of this neglect could be attributed to the failure to adopt suitable business model/entrepreneurial marketing (EM) models that address the many challenges these enterprises face. This paper aims to evaluate extant literature and models on EM to propose a new and comprehensive model for social enterprises. In this pursuit, a background literature review on EM was conducted in several peer-reviewed journals. Eight core dimensions were adapted from existing models: social innovativeness, social proactiveness, socially calculated risk-taking, social resources leveraging, social customer intensity, social value creation, social market sense, and social alliance. Based on these dimensions, a new and all-inclusive model of SEM is proposed. This paper concludes that applying these EM dimensions to social enterprises would significantly promote innovative and sustainable success

Effect of Sustainable Marketing Strategies on Consumption of Beer Brands in Anambra State

This study examined the effect of sustainable marketing strategies on the consumption of beer brands in Anambra State. The study used a positivistic paradigm and survey research design. The study's sample was Anambra State beer brand consumers. Using Cochran's formula, a sample size of 384 branded beer consumers in Anambra State was determined. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using regression analysis to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. The results of this study reveal that sustainable products, followed by sustainable price, sustainable distribution and sustainable promotion, have a significant and positive effect on the consumption of beer brands in Anambra State. The study conclude that sustainable marketing mix strategies significantly and positively affect the consumption of beer brands. However, beer brewing companies in Nigeria are implored to employ a more nuanced and re-conceptualised marketing mix strategies to better balance social, economic, and environmental factors throughout the product life cycle. Creating eco-friendly products that comply with environmental standards, using recyclable and reusable packaging to reduce pollution, and promoting water and energy efficiency are vital to enhancing the effect of sustainable marketing on beer consumption. Implications and future research direction for sustainable marketing of beer are highlighted

Market Orientation and Survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

The adoption of a market orientation (MO) model for effective management of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria and beyond has drawn diverse views. Extant studies conducted in Nigeria in the past decades have leveraged on the existing entrepreneurial marketing model that has not significantly contributed to the survival of SMEs in Nigeria. The objective of this quantitative study is to investigate the effects of MO on the survival of manufacturing SMEs in Nigeria. The study adopted a positivistic ontology and descriptive survey design. The study randomly selected 387 owner-managers of manufacturing SMEs in Nigeria. The results show that MO significantly contributed to the survival of SMEs in Nigeria. Based on the results, the study recommends that integrative Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) should be adopted by both the owners and managers of SMEs as this would help reduce the rate of business failure in Nigeria