Welcome to the NiBS Institutional Repository
The Nobel International Business University (NiBS) Repository is a digital platform dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing open access to the scholarly output of our students, faculty, and researchers. Here, you will find a rich collection of academic publications, theses, dissertations, conference papers, research articles, and other valuable resources.
Our goal is to promote knowledge sharing, enhance research visibility, and support lifelong learning by making NIBS’ intellectual contributions accessible to the global academic community. Explore our repository to discover new insights, revisit groundbreaking studies, and connect with the vibrant world of business, innovation, and scholarship.
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When does Employee Creativity Matter? Examining the Antecedents and Contingent Effect of Employee Creativity on Counterproductive Work Behavior
(Nobel International Business School, 2021-06) Mantebea Mends, Theodora
Employee creativity is highlighted in most studies as an important contributing factor to organizational performance for competitive advantage. Emerging studies note that there is a dark side to employee creativity, which erodes its intended benefits. Few studies have investigated this dark side of employee creativity and its effect on employee and organizational performance. The study hypothesized a relationship between employee creativity and Counterproductive Work Behaviour (CWB) moderated by the effect of the antecedent of employee creativity while recognizing its influence on organizational performance. The study relied on a multi-scale probability sampling technique to collect data from 359 employees and their supervisors from the advertising industry in Ghana, and the data were analyzed using the Partial Least Square - Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings of this study include those antecedents of employee creativity consisting of personal characteristics (role identity, self-efficacy, learning and performance orientation) and supervisory factors (role ambiguity, transformational leadership, achievement orientation, process, and output controls) had varying effects as some enhanced whilst others hindered employee creativity. In general, while the findings reveal employee creativity significantly affects CWB negatively, it is also the case that the antecedents of employee creativity moderated the relationship between employee creativity and CWB to create conditions in which some hinder CWB while others enhance CWB. This study therefore theoretically gives insight into why some antecedents of employee creativity might provide conditions under which enhancing employee creativity will either enhance or hinder CWB and conditions in which hindering employee creativity will either enhance or hinder CWB. This insight is important for managers to know when employee creativity matters to be able to enjoy its benefits while minimizing its negative effects through counterproductive work behaviours.
Sustainable Procurement Practices and Organizational Performance: The Moderating Effects of Relational Governance and Top Management Commitment in the public sector of Ghana
(Nobel International Business School, 2021-06) Awozum, Swanzy
Sustainable Procurement Practices (SPP) have dominated the global landscape and have been established as an effective means of addressing global sustainability challenges. Experts have emphasized the importance of utilizing procurement activities to address the issues associated with sustainable development. Long-term sustainability as a broad concept is certainly one of the most serious issues of the twenty-first century, as it entails ensuring full economic, environmental, and social growth, as well as the well-being of present and future generations. Sustainable procurement is viewed as a
vital tool for achieving considerable success in implementing sustainability strategies and mechanisms in both the private and governmental sectors. SPP's performance in several jurisdictions provides compelling evidence for its implementation in both developing and developed economies. However, corporations and governments in mature economies are more sustainable than their counterparts in developing ones. Although scholars have focused on sustainability for decades, there is still a lack of consensus regarding the effects of sustainable procurement methods on organizational performance, particularly in the public sector of developing countries. Additionally, studies that have examined the impact of SPP on organizational performance have found inconsistent results — in some circumstances, the association is favorable and significant, while in others, it is not. To address shortcomings in the existing literature, this research examines the effect of underlying sustainable practices on an organization's performance. To contribute to the discourse on sustainable procurement and organizational performance, the study examines the moderating role of relational governance and top management commitment. According to the study, relational governance has the capacity to completely control the relationship between sustainable procurement practices and organizational performance. Relational governance has the potential to boost collaborative performance and increase the Relational Capital of stakeholders within a certain procurement network. Nine (9) hypotheses were evaluated using relational exchange theory, network social capital theory, and institutional theory as theoretical lenses. The study collected and analyzed data using a combination of methods. The data was gathered from key informants inside Ghana's public sector procurement landscape. The primary data was gathered through a web-based survey of a group of people, procurement practitioners with active membership details found on the CIPS Ghana procurement portal's database, and a phone interview with procurement experts, practitioners, and senior managers found on the CIPS Ghana procurement portal's database. The questionnaire and interview guide were designed to elicit data and information from respondents in a targeted manner. Five Hundred and Twenty (520) replies were received in response to the Eight Hundred and Seventy-Seven (877) emails sent, accounting for Five Hundred and Eleven (511) completed questionnaires. Additionally, the interviewees included 25 procurement specialists and experts from public sector entities. The collected data was analyzed for common method bias, construct validity, and reliability. These tests suggest that all constructs under investigation satisfy an acceptable threshold for construct reliability and validity. The
data collected was used to validate the structural model and to further evaluate the study's hypotheses. The study's subsequent findings reveal that some dimensions of the sustainability framework (economic, social, and environmental) have an impact on organizational performance. Economic sustainability, studies indicate, has an effect on organizational performance. However, socially and ecologically responsible buying practices have little effect on the performance of an organization. Surprisingly, relational governance is capable of mitigating the negative impact of environmental sustainability procurement
practices on an organization's performance. Additionally, dedication from senior management moderates the relationship between economically sustainable procurement practices and organizational performance. In summary, the research findings have both theoretical and practical implications. The study's findings contribute to Institutional Theory by emphasizing the importance of both institutional support systems and mechanisms. The commitment of senior management or institutional backing is critical to the transaction and implementation of current technology as well as innovation. It also has implications on how institutional commitment and support shape and modify organizational systems. In a green era, culture and policy take on a sustainability dimension. Additionally, it emphasizes the critical role of network social capital in the performance of the focal firm in an inters-firm alliance. Utilizing network resources has been shown to be advantageous for both focal and peripheral enterprises. Interaction between network players fosters exchanges and strengthens relational trusts, which are critical for the acquisition and transmission of superior knowledge and information via network actors.
Engaging players in a firm-supplier network strengthens the compliance skills of the main company and its associated peripherals. The growing involvement of network participants in sustainability networks enhances procurement officers and entire institutions' skills and competencies. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of relational exchange, relational trust, and relational capital in
organizations' performance, particularly in the public sector. Among network players, relationship exchange is critical for the transfer and dissemination of information and superior knowledge. To improve sustainable procurement practices and its consequence on organizational performance, a network-collaboration model is proposed. The central tenet of this model is to promote inter-departmental and inter-institutional collaboration and cooperation to implement sustainable procurement practices. The model centers on using relational asset for sustainable buying methods. The relational asset of an interorganizational network is believed to influence the performance of both focal and peripheral enterprises. A major feature of this strategy is conflict management. Relationships aside, it also enables resources to be exchanged openly, while at the same time exposing hidden motives. The relational governance model suggested is based on organizational collaboration on the one hand, and network conflict resolution on the other. Establish deliberate partnerships with important suppliers or service providers in the sustainability landscape. Green competence and competences should be used to identify
suppliers or service providers. Sustainable procurement provider is selected and procurement network is established. Resource mobilization and exchanges are facilitated by the formation of a green procurement network. It further impacts the interorganizational asymmetry of power and information. Green procurement network puts green agenda in sync with organizational core strengths and competencies.
Examining the relationship between Intrapreneurship, Institutions, and Perceived Sectoral Growth: A Meso-Level Empirical Study in the Manufacturing Sector
(Nobel International Business School, 2021-06) Omotosho, Sule Ishola
Intrapreneurship study is not a new concept to scholars in the field of strategic management and economics just to mention few. However, what is consistent with the intrapreneurship literature is the ambiguities in its context, antecedents, moderation or mediation, consequences and its synonymity with the concept of corporate entrepreneurship. As wide as the phenomenon of intrapreneurship is, it takes different form of dimensions and contexts to achieve desired performance outcomes. For instance, innovation, corporate venturing, strategic renewal, institutions are widely acceptable dimensions while firm,
industry, region and country are well known contexts of intrapreneurship. However, effects of these dimensions and contexts can easily be interchanged. Of particular interests are; (i) intrapreneurship influence in the context of sectoral economy, (ii) what factors drive and moderate intrapreneurship to grow industries, particularly in the manufacturing sector (iii) the dichotomy of industry and sectoral concepts
of entrepreneurship and (iv) sectoral growth as a perceived performance outcome of intrapreneurship. Thus, the domains of entrepreneurship, institutions, industry agglomeration, and sectoral economic performance are synthesised and critiqued with the objectives of investigating the relationships among these variables and in particular, if both formal and formal institutions moderate the effects of innovation, corporate venturing and strategic renewal on the growth of the Ghanaian manufacturing sector. The main focus is to integrate the associated theories of new institutions, new (endogenous) growth, and externality theory in a unique scholastic platform that is complemented with the concept of indigenous study which debunks that the ontology and epistemology of the western nations’ philosophy as entrenched in most of the entrepreneurship literature fit all issues and gaps of the phenomenon globally. Hence, the peculiarity of culture, traditions, regulatory environment in different countries, differentiate
performance outcomes among the different economies. Framework of sectoral economy and perceived sectoral growth was conceptualised, while the dependent and independent variables were operationalised in the context of sector as a unit of analysis which is distinct from industry view of entrepreneurship. To buttress this conceptual framework, contingent focus was put on the nexus of industry agglomeration externalities and intrapreneurship dimensions on one hand, and on sectoral growth on the Omotosho Intrapreneurship, Institutions and Sectoral Growth other hand. The choice of quantitative analysis methodology design was adopted. In this methodology, stratified sampling was followed by the use of structured questionnaire on a 7-point Likert scale items for all the measurement variables and responses collected from the sampled instrument were analysed using basic statistics and structural equation modelling (SEM) as a comprehensive regression analysis. The main findings from the study include; (i) industry agglomeration externalities of specialisation, diversity, competition and technology spillovers have positive and significant relationships with innovation, new business start-up, industry transformation and the growth of the manufacturing sector of Ghana. (ii) innovation dimension and formal institutional role of regulation are positively and significantly related to the Ghanaian manufacturing sector. These findings answered some of our research questions that point to the effects of industry agglomeration externality, regulation and innovation on the growth of Ghana manufacturing
sector. Therefore, validating the concept of sectoral entrepreneurship. Finally, this study has two implications; its contributions to theories bridging and policy implications for the current industrial policy in Ghana. With some limitations such as the ambiguity of the concept of sectoral entrepreneurship, dichotomy between the concepts of industry and sectoral entrepreneurship, and focusing on a single sector analysis instead of multi-sector analysis of the Ghanaian economy, we suggest some appropriate theoretical and policy recommendations to expand the frontiers of entrepreneurship literature, empirical
investigation and future research.
Collateral Requirement and Access to Loans by Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises in Ghana: The Effects of Information Asymmetry and Moral Hazard
(Nobel International Business School, 2021-05) Amegago, Seth Kwaku
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play critical roles in a country's socio-economic growth by providing business opportunities, creating jobs, and reducing poverty. However, these SMEs face specific challenges in obtaining funds from banks and other financial institutions worldwide, especially in developing countries. The majority of empirical studies on SME financing constraints are conducted in developed economies with limited applicability to developing countries such as Ghana, which have a different level of economic and financial growth. The primary aim of this research was to look at how bank collateral requirements affect SMEs' access to loans in Ghana. This is because in developing countries, banks are the primary source of external funding for SMEs. The research is situated on credit rationing, financing constraint, resource-based and adverse selection theories. The conceptual structure of the study was built on academic works on SME financing. The study looked at and quantified the impact of critical factors to the firm and owner (collateral requirement, information asymmetry and moral hazard) on SMEs' access to bank loans from both SMEs‘ and banks‘ perspectives. The thesis uses a quantitative method approach to examine SME financing constraints using primary data obtained in the form of cross-sectional data from a field survey of SME owners/managers in Ghana. The study's target population was unknown number of SMEs in Accra and Tema which had applied for bank loans. Using purposive sampling, a sample size of 500 SME owners or managers was drawn based on two guidelines and a recommendation in factor analysis from literature. A multiple linear regression model and hypotheses testing were used to analyze the data empirically. The quantitative data were analyzed with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Science Version 23 and Amos version 23, supported by factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) which helped in generating descriptive and inferential statistics. The study discovered that collateral requirement and its associations with information asymmetry and moral hazard were important factors in deciding SME access to bank loans. According to the findings, there is a negative relationship between collateral requirements and SMEs' access to loans in Ghana. Variation in SMEs' access to loans in Ghana can be explained by collateral requirement, the interaction of collateral requirement with information asymmetry, and the interaction of collateral requirement with moral hazard, according to regression analysis. For originality, this is the first comprehensive study in Ghana involving collateral, information asymmetry and moral hazard. The study is novel because it is the first to develop a measurement scale for moral hazard in any SME study. Also, it is the first in studies involving SMEs in the finance and management categories to develop a 2x2 matrix to link all the variables for easy analysis. The introduction of the 2x2 matrix in the study will greatly enhance the main theory underpinning the study, credit rationing theory, as well as the other supporting theories. Practically, SMEs that can provide collateral should continue to do so and those that may not must provide quality information to the banks, using the resource-based theory, to enhance their chances of access to loans. The focus of the banks on a high level of collateral requirement not only restricts credit to SMEs in Ghana, but can penalize the banks as well, as lending to small businesses is seen as a lucrative area of operation globally. Just as the Bank of Ghana has developed collateral policy, they should consider enacting ―Mandatory Information Disclosure‖ policy as well to help mitigate information asymmetry and moral hazard. A limitation in this study is the inability of the researcher to have access to loan lists of SMEs from banks. However, the researcher used some basic criteria (e.g. registered businesses by the Registrar General and SMEs which applied for loans from any universal bank) to determine the target respondents. . The researcher recommends a similar future research on SMEs in Ghana in which information asymmetry will be considered as a mediator and moral hazard as a moderator and perform both moderated mediation and mediated moderation.
Absorptive Capacity and Innovation Generation in Higher Education Institutions: The Mediating Role of Inter-Functional Coordination
(Nobel International Business School, 2021-11) Asiedu, Mercy Asaa
The purpose of this study was to, first, contextualize the absorptive capacity (ACAP) process for generating innovation in the Higher Education Institution (HEI) domain. Secondly, the study sought to theoretically broaden the knowledge-based view (KBV) research to take account of the three theoretical gaps – the conceptualization of ACAP dimensions specifically in HEIs; the organizational mechanism for ACAP in HEIs; and the governance mode for acquiring knowledge in HEIs - to build a more applicable theory of managing knowledge.
Employing the mixed method approach, purposive sampling technique was adopted to select respondents for both the qualitative and quantitative data collection. Ten (10) heads of departments and three hundred and eighty (380) lecturers were selected from twenty (20) HEIs in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Qualitative data were analysed using the general inductive approach to derive the contextual meaning of ACAP and its dimensions in the HEI context. Subsequently, quantitative data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model to test the hypotheses proposed for the study.
Empirical findings revealed three core dimensions of ACAP in HEIs as knowledge search, knowledge accumulation and process transformation. It was also revealed that inter-functional coordination (IFC) is an essential integration mechanism through which knowledge can be acquired, shared and transferred throughout the entire HEI community as it promotes a culture of teamwork for building strong relationships across faculties, departments and units.
The findings advise HEI managers that, for faculty to acquire and share new knowledge to help innovate new products, such as improved curricula, enhanced academic instruction and quality research output, differing functional departments and faculties need to set aside their individual functional interests and accept divergent views from varying perspectives in their quest for acquiring new knowledge for the university. HEIs must invest resources and efforts to build strong relationships that facilitate collaboration, trust and interactions among varying functions to enhance inter-functional knowledge sharing in academia in order to sustain a competitive advantage and continued relevance. The study makes theoretical contributions to the KBV to facilitate building an applicable theory of managing knowledge in HEIs. It also contributes to practice as managers are advised to focus on redesigning HEIs as learning organizations in order to promote knowledge management capabilities.