173 research outputs found
Norms and trust-shaping relationships among food-exporting SMEs in Ghana
There is a marked paucity of empirically rigorous research that focuses on the impact that indigenous institutional influences can have on the internationalization strategies of entrepreneurs operating in developing countries. This study therefore explores the complex processes through which owner-managers of food-exporting SMEs in Ghana draw on cultural norms to build networks that enable internationalization, in the absence of formal institutional support. The results facilitate a better understanding of the hybridization of indigenous and global norms that underpin SME internationalization in Ghana and other developing economies, particularly in Africa. The study contributes to the theory and practice of interorganizational relationships and to international entrepreneurship in an African context
Taxing the Informal Economy: The Current State of Knowledge and Agendas for Future Research
This paper reviews the literature on taxation of the informal economy, taking stock of key debates
and drawing attention to recent innovations. Conventionally, the debate on whether to tax has frequently focused
on the limited revenue potential, high cost of collection, and potentially adverse impact on small firms. Recent
arguments have increasingly emphasised the more indirect benefits of informal taxation in relation to economic
growth, broader tax compliance, and governance. More research is needed, we argue, into the relevant costs and
benefits for all, including quasi-voluntary compliance, political and administrative incentives for reform, and
citizen-state bargaining over taxation
Pecking order theory versus trade-off theory : are service SMEs’ capital structure decisions different?
This paper seeks to analyse if the capital structure decisions of service
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are different from those of other types of firm. To do so, we consider four research samples: (i) 610 service SMEs; (ii) 126
service large firms; (iii) 679 manufacturing and construction SMEs; and (iv) 132
manufacturing and construction large firms. Using the two-step estimation method,
the empirical evidence obtained in this study shows that the capital structure
decisions of service SMEs are different from those of other types of firm. Service
SMEs’ capital structure decisions are closer to the assumptions of Pecking Order
Theory and further removed from those of Trade-Off Theory compared with the
case of other types of firm
How intra-familial decision-making affects women’s access to, and use of maternal healthcare services in Ghana: a qualitative study
Financing and Performance of Female-Owned Firms in Middle Eastern and African Economies
Measuring women's perceived ability to overcome barriers to healthcare seeking in Burkina Faso
Basic Formal Education Quality, Information Technology and Inclusive Human Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
This study assesses the relevance of basic formal education in information technology for inclusive human development in 49 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2000-2012. The question it aims to answer is the following: what is the relevance of basic formal education in the effect of mobile phone penetration on inclusive human development in sub-Saharan Africa when initial levels of inclusive human development are taken into account? The empirical evidence is based on instrumental quantile regressions. Poor primary education dampens the positive effect of mobile phone penetration on inclusive human development. This main finding should be understood in the perspective that, the education quality indicator represents a policy syndrome because of the way it is computed, notably: the ratio of pupils to teachers. Hence, an increasing ratio indicates decreasing quality of education. It follows that decreasing quality of education dampens the positive effect of mobile phone on inclusive development. This tendency is consistent throughout the conditional distribution of inclusive human development. Policy implications for sustainable development are discussed
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