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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on GDP growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with particular emphasis on Chinese FDI. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the growth accounting model, a dynamic GMM estimation is used. To compare the results with previous findings, the paper also uses OLS and fixed effect estimates. Findings – The paper finds that neither FDI net inflows in SSA nor Chinese FDI has a significant effect on economic growth in SSA. By testing other economic growth determinants in SSA countries based on growth accounting theory, the paper finds the change in capital stock per labor has a persistent and significant positive impact on growth in SSA. Originality/value – This study provides new evidence on the influence of Chinese FDI on the growth of the SSA economies. There are very few empirical studies that analyze the growth of the SSA economies from a macroeconomic perspective using a partial equilibrium model. This paper tests the determinants of GDP growth using key macroeconomic variables and provides new insights into the determinants of GDP growth in the SSA countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the scope of sourcing research in Sub-Sahara African (SSA) from scholarly journals published from 1980 to 2013 on sourcing-related issues. The study identifies what is known about sourcing from this region and the implications for managers and researchers in supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach – Totally, 40 scholarly journals (supply chain journals and other journals publishing on diverse business topics) were found relevant and reviewed. Content (all field) search using the names of each SSA countries (e.g. Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, etc.) was carried out in the supply chain journals to filter out articles discussing sourcing-related topics. For other business journals, keyword search was performed (procurement, sourcing, purchasing, outsourcing, supplier relations, supplier selection, supplier development, supply management, offshore, supply chain and logistics). Findings – The literature review suggests that studies discussing sourcing issues in SSA have focussed mainly on challenges of sourcing from SSA, and they provide some insights on implementation of supply chain tools such as total quality management, negotiating and selecting suppliers from SSA, and just-in time purchasing. However, the authors found that there is an under-representation of this region in supply chain management literature. More so, the articles discussing sourcing issues in Africa are limited in scope empirically and theoretically in comparison with the large amount of contributions in other emerging economies of Asia and developed economies. Research limitations/implications – The limited amount of publications and contributions does not allow us to provide an integrated framework for sourcing from SSA. Practical implications – There is a need for future research to explore how the SSA context could enhance theorizing in supply chains. Also, there is need for researchers to extend the sourcing debate from the over emphasis on technology sourcing, knowledge intensive service outsourcing and component sourcing to other lower value-added products such as agricultural products and other raw materials sourced in SSA. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to explore the scope of sourcing in Africa. As the findings suggest, there have been limited amount of papers published about this region. The review provides a perspective for researchers to explore this region and to aid theory development in supply chains. It also provided implications on how to support research publication focussing on this region and how to inform managerial perceptions on sourcing from SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the foreign direct investment (FDI) strategies of manufacturing firms in Ghana using the eclectic model in order to understand how ownership, location and internalization factors impact FDI to developing countries like Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a quantitative methodology in order to statistically explore the relationships between dependent and independent variables. The data comes from a sample of 75 multinational enterprises that invested in the manufacturing sector between 1994 and 2008. Findings – The results reveal that large firm size, extensive international experience and large market size lead to the choice of acquisition mode of entry, while high cultural distance, high country risk, high proprietary assets and incentives lead to the choice of greenfield mode in the context of Ghana. Research limitations/implications – The results imply that the different economic, business and legal (locational) conditions of developing countries create different FDI strategies and paths of companies compared to developed markets. Practical implications – Policy makers in developing countries should make efforts to improve market size, the institutional and regulatory environment, as well as the availability of human capital in order to attract FDI. Originality/value – FDI studies have mainly analysed establishment mode strategies of firms in advanced markets. There is an increasing amount of research on FDI in emerging markets but very little on developing countries and African markets. Therefore, this study enables the authors to develop implications for existing theory and generate practical implications for firms and policy makers related to African and developing country markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Do regional equity market conditions (bear market) affect the financial performance of firms involved in cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M & A)? If so, is there a clear difference between inward and outward M & A in selected regions? The author addresses these questions using a sample of cross-border M & A between 1990 and 2013 in three major geographical regions of the emerging markets: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC), Eastern Europe, and Africa. The author finds that regional equity market conditions – such as bear equity conditions – along with direction of the cross-border M & A (inward vs outward), and differences in economic fundamentals among these regions carry valuable information and have real effects on market reactions to the announcement of cross-border M & A transactions. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Using an empirical approach, the author takes a regional perspective, with emphasis on three regions (BRIC, Eastern Europe, and Africa), and aim to determine the impact of the state of the regional equity market (bear stock market), and direction and duration of the M & A on market reactions to the announcement of cross-border M & A. Findings – The author documents the impact of regional equity market conditions on the financial performance of firms involved in cross-border M & A. The author underlines that differences in economic fundamentals among regions carry valuable information and have real effects on the performance of target firms. Practical implications – On the one hand, merger arbitrage investors are keen to learn how to profit and position their investments accordingly during those periods. Therefore, this study has also put the limelight on the underlying factors that influence the market reaction around the M & A announcement at the regional level and clearly shows the additional benefits of regional market conditions, direction of the transactions, and the timing to highlight the positive gain of those equity investments regarding the emerging markets. On the other hand, as the purpose of the study is to delve into the market reactions to the M & A announcement while taking into consideration some relevant factors such as regional equity market conditions to assist companies’ managers and CEOs to effectively choose the right time. Social implications – By incorporating the result presented in this study, another “family” of mutual funds, beyond just the combination of risky assets and the riskless asset is being introduced. Those investment portfolios which take into account merger and/or any opportunistic strategies are tailored more to the needs of various clienteles. For assisting the analyst and portfolio manager, the intuitive character of the result makes it versatile and easy to use by investment firms as an additional decision tool. Originality/value – To the author knowledge, this is the first study that delves into the market performance of companies involved in cross-border M & A in the emerging markets by taking a regional perspective and aiming to determine the impact of the state of the regional equity market (bear stock market) on the M & A. It offers additional support to those institutional investors who are pursuing international diversification across various countries including emerging markets such that bear equity conditions (recessions in the regional stock markets) have an additional negative impact and a real effect on the performance of target firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to expand knowledge about how middle class consumers in Sub-Saharan African markets behave, focusing on the potential role of social networks and the subsequent interactions that take place between these consumers and firms. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research method approach comprising personal interviews and observations targeted at consumers and business executives was used covering all four countries. Findings – Key findings include identification of middle of the pyramid (MOP) social networks, their impact on consumer behaviour and nature of consumer and firm interactions that take place as a result of the impact of social networks. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was restricted to 80 consumers in each of the four countries. This might limit generalisability. Practical implications – The study provides managers with insights on the potential role of social networks on marketing to the MOP in Africa. Social implications – The study provides managers with insights on the potential opportunities for corporate social responsibility solutions at the MOP. Originality/value – Research into the middle class in markets other than western advanced economies is a relatively new area of study. The majority of studies on the middle class have focused on North America and Europe ignoring the merging middle class in Africa. Hence, this research expands knowledge by providing basis for exploring new insights on the emerging marketing opportunity within the middle class in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The lack of detailed statistics in many developing countries makes it very difficult to assess the effect of export support services on the firm's export performance. Moreover, a fundamental factor that creates confusion is the lack of a straightforward causal relationship between a specific export support activity and changes in actual trade patterns. Despite these difficulties, the purpose of this paper is to show that an assessment of the effectiveness of export promotion and support services can be made on the basis of the perceptions of the manufacturers involved. The method is simple and informative. Design/methodology/approach – This research is based on a survey of 88 footwear and textile manufactures from a small new African country, Eritrea. The sample size accounts for 90 percent of the overall population. Findings – On average, the quality of the export support services is rated as satisfactory. This can be considered as rather low, as the export promotion policy of the government is much more ambitious. The results of the discriminant analysis are in line with the literature and show that small enterprises in Eritrea have less access to export support services than larger firms. This can be considered as a major failure of the policy as in the modern entrepreneurial export economy small firms play a crucial role. Research limitations/implications – Although the sample size accounts for 90 percent of the population, it is relatively small. To verify the results it would be interesting to conduct a comprehensive survey that includes all export manufacturing industries in Eritrea. Practical implications – The findings of this study are useful for export policy makers in developing countries. The presented method shows that it is possible to measure the perception of the manufacturers with regard to the effectiveness of export promotion and support services. It also allows to compare the performance of those services and to identify priorities for the policy agenda. Originality/value – The study develops a simple evaluation tool for the effectiveness of export support services in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]