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    Do mobile device and mobile app innovations trigger lifestylisations? Insights from consumers in developing countries
    (Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 2022) Odoom, R.
    Purpose: The exponential growth of smartphones is complemented by an astronomical development of mobile apps that have been changing ways in which humans interact with each other, as well as how brands and customers interact. This study aims to examine the effect of mobile device and mobile app innovations on user lifestyle among consumers from developing countries. Design/methodology/approach: Through a qualitative approach, data was collected via focus group interviews from 32 participants from across 15 developing countries who were largely emerging cosmopolitans. Findings: Using the thematic analysis technique, the study finds that consumer lifestyles, based on consumption and utilisation of mobile devices and mobile apps hinge on either pre-purchase considerations or post-purchase discoveries that stem from a bouquet of hedonic and/or utilitarian motivations. Two consumer categories are identified, with each category exhibiting unique patterns. Originality/value: The empirical findings provide valuable theoretical contributions to new knowledge as well as practical implications for mobile gadget manufacturers and mobile app developers domiciled, or those aiming to establish their presence in developing economies.
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    Strategic CSR practices, strategic orientation and business value creation among multinational subsidiaries in Ghana
    (Society and Business Review, 2021) Anlesinya, A.; Abugre, J.B.
    Purpose: This study aims to examine the direct influence of strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on business value creation while accounting for the moderating and mediating roles of strategic orientation. Design, methodology, and approach: It used data from 118 CSR-intensive multinational subsidiaries operating in five major different industries in Ghana and applying hierarchical regression and bootstrapping via Hayes’ PROCESS Macro for the analyses. Findings: The results showed that strategic CSR practices comprise strategic CSR planning, strategic CSR implementation and strategic CSR positioning contribute positively and significantly to business value creation of multinational subsidiaries. Moreover, it found that strategic orientation has directly predicted business value creation significantly and further mediated the nexus between business value creation and the three strategic CSR practices. However, it did not moderate the influence of strategic CSR practices on business value creation. Originality/value: The study validates and adds to the knowledge on strategic CSR and business value creation theory by demonstrating that strategic CSR practices of multinational corporation (MNCs) are parallel to their subsidiaries’ commitment to shared growth in host countries. Similarly, it provides a better understanding of the dual roles of MNCs’ strategic orientation on strategic CSR practices and business value creation, thereby offering valuable information about the underlying economic process and context that can affect the strategic business value of firms’ strategic CSR practices.
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    Financial innovation and banks performance in developing countries: Evidence from Ghana
    (John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2023) Damoah, O.B.O.; Nyamekye, K.A.; Okyere, G.A.; et al.
    Abstract Increase in the diffusion of information communication technology in Africa has resulted in the increase of technology-based financial products and processes. The rollout of financially innovative products and processes is being undertaken on both the macro level (by regulators and government agencies) and the micro level (banking institutions). To determine whether or not this capital-intensive investment is worthwhile or otherwise, the study collected firm-level data on banks operating in Ghana, West Africa, to examine the relationship between financial innovation indicators and bank performance. Using a quantitative design, the study employs panel regression to analyse a panel data of 21 banks (both local and foreign-owned). operating in Ghana between 2007 and 2015 The results show that financial innovation, proxied by two industrywide interventions, has a positive and significant impact on bank performance. It is recommended that deposit-taking institutions in developing countries invest in financial innovative services to increase their performance. On the macro level, governments and banking industry regulators in Africa are encouraged to invest in creating and supporting the proliferation of technology-based systems that will improve banking processes.
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    Capacity issues in primary health care implementation: examples from Ghana
    (Health Education, 2022) Appiah-Agyekum, N.N; Kayi, E.A; Appiah-Agyekum, J; Nyanyofio, J.G.T; Otoo, D.D
    Abstract Purpose – Resources as well as the capacity to employ them judiciously may well be the key to the attainment of the SDGs and other related health goals through primary health care (PHC). Within this PHC framework, however, the source of resources for PHC as well as the systems for managing these associated resources remain unclear, complex and lack substantive integration systems of implementing ministries, departments and agencies (both local and international) in Ghana. These issues are addressed by this study. Design/methodology/approach – The framework approach to thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data collected from key PHC managers in Ghana selected purposively from the national, regional and district levels. Data were collected through in-depth interviews specially designed in line with the study objectives. The study was also governed by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research which provided ethical clearance for the study. Findings – As per Alma Ata’s recommendation, PHC in its purest form is a resource dense activity with farreaching implications on individuals and communities. Without adequate resources, PHC implementation remained merely on paper. Findings show that the key capacities required for PHC implementation were finance, human resource, technology and logistics. While significant cases of shortages and inadequacies were evident, management and maintenance of these capacities appeared to be another significant determinant of PHC implementation. Additionally, the poor allocation, distribution and sustainability of these capacities had a negative effect on PHC outcomes with more resources being concentrated in capital towns than in rural areas. Research limitations/implications – This study has significant implications on the way PHC is seen, implemented and assessed not in Ghana but in other developing countries. In addition to examining the nature and extent of capacities required for PHC implementation, it gives significant pathways on how limited resources, when properly managed, may catalyse the attainment of the PHC goals. Subsequently, PHC implementation will profit from stakeholder attention and further research into practical ways of ensuring efficiency in the allocation, distribution and management of resources especially considering the limited resources available and the budding constraints associated with the dependency on external stakeholders for PHC implementation. Originality/value – This study is part of a series on PHC implementation in Ghana. Quite apart from putting core implementation issues into perspective, it presents first-hand information on Ghana’s PHC implementation journey and is thus relevant for researchers, students, practitioners and the wider public. Keywords Developing countries, Community based interventions, Primary health care Paper type Research paper
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    Health informatics and brain drain mitigation in Ghana
    (Association for Information Systems, 2019-08-17) Preko, M.; Boateng, R.; Effah, J.
    Migration of health workers has been a major issue of concern for most developing countries including Ghana. Extant literature has revealed that several attempts have been made from various disciplines to counter this menace in some developing countries. In this paper, the field of Information Systems (IS) tries to uncover how technology can also be used to mitigate brain drain in the health sector of developing countries, using Ghana as a case. This study adopts the theory of affordance, Maslow’s theory of motivation, and Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory to support the development of a conceptual framework. An exploratory research approach using a qualitative research method was adopted. Theoretically, this paper contributes to the IS literature on migration. Practically, the paper presents a basis for more technological adoption within the health sector of Ghana and other developing countries that experience medical brain drain as a challenge.
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    Adoption of mobile pedigree as an anticounterfeiting technology for pharmaceuticals in developing countries
    (Association for Information Systems, 2019-08-17) Anim-Yeboah, S.; Boateng, R.; Kolog, E.A.
    One major challenge facing the pharmaceutical industry is counterfeiting, which is more prevalent in developing countries. Combating counterfeiting requires various technological approaches, and the most hailed technologies, including RFID-based ePedigrees, are too expensive for developing economies. However, mobile pedigree, which utilizes mobile phones and SMS communication, is a highly affordable, readily available, and user-friendly alternative technological approach. This research seeks to explore factors that influence the adoption of the mobile pedigree in the pharmaceutical industry in developing countries and offers a case study of four companies in Ghana using the Technology-Organization-Environmental (TOE) framework. The findings establish influencing factors as relative advantage, complexity, and compatibility; strategic direction and management support; pressures from partners, competitors, associations, and regulator; and legal framework and counterfeiting threat. These factors provide guidelines for research, practice, and policy, while the study could be extended to include consumer views, other industry types and developing countries.
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    An institutional analysis of cloud computing implementation in the educational sector: Evidence from a developing economy
    (Association for Information Systems, 2019-07-17) Mbrokoh, A.S.; Boateng, R.; Banuro, F.
    Previous studies on cloud computing reveal that there exists an acute lack of theoretical framework and empirical evidence to explain the underpinning forces at play in cloud computing implementation. Therefore, through the lens of the institutional theory and applying a conceptual model by Tolbert and Zucker on the component process of institutionalization, this paper reports the findings from a three-year study on the educational sector of a developing country on the implementation of cloud computing. The analysis of the findings revealed that, the need to implement cloud computing in the case university was influenced by coercive, normative and mimetic institutional pressure placed on enhancing educational service delivery by the governing council of the university in response to criticism regarding delivering world-class educational service using information technology (IS innovation) as well as the need to balance what is needed with what is affordable. The contribution of this study lies in its ability to address the dichotomous relationship that exists between technical and institutional environments. Though technology is usually discussed in isolation to the institutional process, the study reveals that to perfectly explain the institutionalization of a technological artifact, it is important for it to be embedded in the practices of the institution.
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    Central bank independence, elections and fiscal policy in Africa: Examining the moderating role of political institutions
    (International Journal of Emerging Markets, 2019-12-02) Agoba, A.M.; Abor, J.Y.; Osei, K.; Sa-Aadu, J.; Amoah, B.; Dzeha, G.C.O.
    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to primarily investigate the ability of independent central banks (central bank independence (CBI)) to improve fiscal performances in Africa, accounting for election years, and also to examine whether the effectiveness of CBI in improving fiscal performance is enhanced by higher political institutional quality. Design/methodology/approach – Using recent CBI data from Garriga (2016) on 48 African countries, 90 other developing countries and 40 developed countries over the period 1970–2012, the authors apply a two stage system GMM with Windmeijer (2005) small sample robust correction estimator to examine the impact of CBI and elections on fiscal policy in Africa, other developing countries and developed countries. Findings – The authors provide evidence that unlike in other developing countries and developed countries, CBI does not significantly improve fiscal performance in Africa. However, the effectiveness of CBI in improving fiscal performance in Africa is enhanced by higher levels of institutional quality. Although elections directly worsen fiscal performance in Africa, institutional quality enhances CBI’s effect on improving fiscal performance in election years across Africa, other developing countries and developed countries. Practical implications – The findings of the study are significant as they provide insight into the benefits of having strong institutions to complement independent central banks in order to control fiscal indiscipline in election years. Originality/value – The study is the first among the studies of CBI-fiscal policy nexus, to measure fiscal policy using net central bank claims on government as a percentage of GDP. In addition to the use of fiscal balance, this study also uses cyclically adjusted fiscal balance as a measure of fiscal policy. This is a critical channel through which independent central banks can constrain govern
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    Transforming agribusiness in developing countries: SDGs and the role of FinTech
    (Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2019-07-16) Hinson, R.; Lensink, R.; Mueller, A.
    Transformation of agribusiness is critical in light of the Agenda for Sustainable Development. FinTech and the integration of FinTech with other (green) technologies as well as with digitized agriculture plays an important role when it comes to, for example, SDG 12, specifically, responsible production, as it can mitigate trade-offs and enhance synergies between environmental and social SDGs, for example, 1 and 15, increasing profitability without additional use of natural resources. Important limitations and risks need to be addressed, however, for developing countries to fully benefit from the potential that FinTech holds in this context. Mitigating factors include massive infrastructure investments and large-scale capacity building. Rigorous research on economic sustainability and cost-effectiveness of newer FinTech models is needed to make sound policy recommendations.
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    Giving sense and changing perceptions in the implementation of the performance management system in public sector organisations in developing countries
    (International Journal of Public Sector Management, 2018-04) Ohemeng, F.L.K.; Amoako Asiedu, E.; Obuobisa-Darko, T.
    Purpose Change in public organisations has become inevitable in modern times. Yet, implementing change continues to be problematic, especially the attempt to introduce performance management (PM) in the sector. The purpose of this paper is to examine how HR managers are using sensegiving processes to attempt to institutionalise PM in public organisations in Ghana PM in public organisations in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The paper utilises the mixed methods approach to examine the process of sensegiving. In using this method, the authors used focus group, as well as individual interview techniques and a quantitative survey of some selected organisations in the public sector. Findings The results of the study show that, four main activities, i.e. workshops, seminars and training, one-on-one communication, and unit meetings are employed in the process. The analysis indicates that these activities have become quite effective in the quest to change perceptions about PM in the sector. Research limitations/implications The research was limited to a few organisations. Hence, it will be necessary to expand it, if possible to the entire public sector to see if the same results will be obtained. Practical implications It shows that reformers must be cognisant of the views of employees in developing and implementing reforms that focus on changing both individual orientations and organisational and culture. Originality/value This is the first time such a study has been done in Ghana. Furthermore, studies on PM institutionalisation and implementation have either been qualitative or quantitative in nature. Studies using the mixed methods approach are rare, with those we know coming mostly from the Western World. Thus, this paper is one of the few to examine this issue using the mixed methods approach and more so from a developing country’s perspective.