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This paper aims to shed light on an essential role that “female directors” on boards of companies in sub-Saharan Africa play towards corporate financial performance enhancement. The study observes how board gender diversity moderates the relationship between earnings management (EM) and financial performance of firms in sub-Saharan Africa from a dynamic perspective.

The study’s sample comprises 105 companies listed on the respective stock markets of nine sub-Saharan African countries. The data are collected from annual reports over the period 2007–2019, a total of 1,166 firm-year observations. Panel data models are used in the analyses.

The study finds that the performance effect of EM is contingent on board diversity and this finding persists even after controlling for dynamic endogeneity, simultaneity and unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity inherent in the EM and performance relationship.

The findings should be understood within the context that, only available annual reports and audited financial statements that were filed with respective capital markets of the nine surveyed countries are used as source of information.

The current study is unique, in that, it is the first panel multi-cross-country investigation within Africa to introduce gender diversity in the study of the relationship between EM and firm performance. It therefore extends the agency theory by using gender diversity as a moderating variable in the EM–firm performance nexus.

This study aims to assess how employee innovativeness, employee self-efficacy and customer-centricity intervene in the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational competitiveness of insurance firms.

This study was a survey, with data collected using a structured questionnaire. The population was the insurance firms in Ghana, and the target respondents were employees. The sample comprises 218 employees drawn from 19 insurers. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling.

This study concludes that transformational leadership had a direct effect on organizational competitiveness. Employee innovativeness partially mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational competitiveness. Employee self-efficacy moderated the effect of transformational leadership on employee innovativeness. Finally, customer-centricity moderated the effect of employee innovativeness on the organizational competitiveness of insurance firms.

Future studies should pay particular attention to the individual dimensions of transformational leadership (individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence), in combination with the other constructs studied.

Insurance is a service industry, which sells mostly unsolicited products. Customer-centricity is therefore very crucial in achieving organizational competitiveness. Attention should also be paid to transformational leadership and employee self-efficacy, as they enhanced employee innovativeness needed for competitive advantage.

This study contributed to the understanding of the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational competitiveness, by identifying employee innovativeness, employee self-efficacy and customer centricity, as intervening variables.

This study provides the critical masses (thresholds) at which the positive incidence of finance and economic growth will be dampened by the negative effects of income inequality and poverty on energy consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa for policy direction.

The study employed the two steps systems GMM estimator for 41 countries in Africa from 2005–2020.

The study found that for finance to maintain a positive effect on energy consumption per capita, the critical thresholds for the income inequality indicators (Atkinson coefficient, Gini index and the Palma ratio) should not exceed 0.681, 0.582 and 5.991, respectively. Similarly, for economic growth (GDP per capita growth) to maintain a positive effect on energy consumption per capita, the critical thresholds for the income inequality indicators (Atkinson coefficient, Gini index and the Palma ratio) should not exceed 0.669, 0.568 and 6.110, respectively. On the poverty level in Sub-Saharan Africa, the study reports that the poverty headcount ratios (hc$144ppp2011, hc$186ppp2011 and hc$250ppp2005) should not exceed 7.342, 28.278 and 129.332, respectively for financial development to maintain a positive effect on energy consumption per capita. The study also confirms the positive nexus between access to finance (financial development) and energy consumption per capita, with the attending adverse effect on CO₂ emissions inescapable. The findings of this study make it evidently clear, for policy recommendation that finance is at the micro-foundation of economic growth, income inequality and poverty alleviation. However, a maximum threshold of income inequality and poverty headcount ratios as indicated in this study must be maintained to attain the full positive ramifications of financial development and economic growth on energy consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The originality of this study is found in the computation of the threshold and net effects of poverty and income inequality in economic growth through the conditional and unconditional effects of finance.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between green human resource management (GHRM) practices and employee innovative work behaviour in the hospital. Although previous studies have examined the association between GHRM and various organisational outcomes, its nexus with employee innovative work behaviour has been largely unexplored.

This study used a quantitative approach and tested hypotheses. The research design adopted both an explanatory and descriptive approach since there were limited past data or studies to reference. The study population was human resource and administrative managers at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital who have implemented GHRM practices. The sample size consisted of 264 respondents, selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through structured questionnaires.

The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis. The results revealed that green training, green hiring and green compensation were significant predictors of innovative work behaviour among employees.

This study contributes to the understanding of the impact of GHRM practices on employee innovative work behaviour in the healthcare sector. The study recommends that organisations should view their training investments as financial investments and focus on hiring individuals with strong environmental sensibilities. Additionally, effective reward criteria should be developed to promote GHRM practices.

This study aims to examine the relationship between financial inclusion and financial system development in emerging and frontier markets.

Using data across 35 countries over 19 years (2004–2022), the improved GMM estimation technique reveals that financial inclusion significantly contributes to the development of financial systems.

The study uses a segmented approach, dividing financial development indices into subindices: financial depth, financial access and financial efficiency. Indicators of bank financial inclusion show a positive and highly significant relationship with bank depth and access but a negative relationship with bank efficiency. Similarly, indicators of the debt market and stock market financial inclusion demonstrate positive relationships with market depth and access but negative relationships with debt and stock market efficiency. The study further examines composite indexes of financial inclusion for bank, debt and stock market segments, finding strong and highly significant relationships with market development. These results underscore the importance of promoting financial inclusion across all segments of the financial sector to achieve an inclusive financial system.

The implications of this research highlight the need for policymakers and practitioners to implement policies and regulations that enhance financial inclusion and foster the development of robust financial systems. By extending access to mainstream financial instruments and services, financial institutions can stimulate financial intermediation and support, thereby accelerating the development of the banking, debt and stock markets.

The study is robust to the use of several indicators of financial inclusion and financial development, and it forms part of the early studies that examine the close relationship between the two variables.

The authors examine the effect of supply chain resilience (SCR) on supply chain performance (SCP) while considering the moderating effect of supply chain network complexity (SCNC) on the nexus between SCR and SCP of manufacturing firms.

The quantitative research approach and explanatory research design were utilised for this study. A sample of 345 manufacturing firms in the Accra metropolis was drawn. The partial least square structural equation modelling was employed.

Findings from the study revealed that SCR has a significant positive effect on SCP. However, SCNC had a significant negative moderating effect on the relationship between SCR and SCP.

The authors advocate that manufacturing firms are prone to stronger impact from complex networks that mitigate the already existing positive relationship between SCR and SCP and is dependent on the context in which the study is executed, and the extent to which resilience strategies are robust. Thus, the SCNC has an adverse impact on how well partners interact and how well the supply chain functions.

This is the first study that quantitatively investigates the SCR impact on SCP in the presence of SCNC of manufacturing firms in the context of a developing economy. The study redefines SCNC from earlier studies.

The post-pandemic emerging market is competitive and green, which has contributed to the growing pressure on firms to adopt into their business models green strategies with competitive outcomes. Therefore, this paper aims to draw from the natural resource-based view (NRBV) theory to examine how green intellectual capital (IC) can influence green competitive advantage of manufacturing firms in Ghana, by elucidating the mediating role of eco-innovation speed and quality in the relationship.

Cross-sectional survey data were obtained from 212 manufacturing firms in Ghana, using purposive sampling techniques. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the factor structure of the measurement models. Structural equation modelling technique was used to analyse the hypothesized relationships.

The study found that green IC has a positively significant effect on green competitive advantage of manufacturing firms. However, while eco-innovation speed positively mediates the relationship, eco-innovation quality plays a negative mediating role in the effect of green IC on green competitive advantage of manufacturing firms in Ghana.

The framework of this study provides to managers of manufacturing firms, a superior green strategy that is unique, valuable and non-substitutable with the capable to provide green competitive edge to firms in a turbulent sustainability-driven market.

Through the lens of the NRBV theory, this study provided a firstly knowledge on the crucial role of eco-innovation speed and quality in driving firms’ green competitive advantage within a post-covid emerging market.

Despite the economic growth in Ghana, the manufacturing industry faces numerous challenges in their supply chains. The study aims to investigate the mediated-moderated role of supply chain technological innovation (SCTI) in the relationship between supply chain resilience (SCR) and supply chain performance (SCP) of manufacturing firms. By exploring this relationship, the study seeks to provide insights that can help manufacturing firms overcome the challenges they face and improve their overall supply chain performance.

The quantitative research approach and explanatory research design were utilised. A sample of 345 manufacturing firms was drawn from a population of 2495 manufacturing firms in the Accra metropolis. Analysis of this study was performed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM).

It was revealed that SCTI positively mediates the nexus between SCR and SCP. However, we document that SCTI negatively moderates the nexus. It is instructive to advocate that a mere presence of a more enhanced SCTI is not enough to improve upon SCP of manufacturing firms, but should be a channel through which SCR can improve SCP.

This study highlights the need for managers of firms to prioritise investment in technological innovation as a means of enhancing SCR and ultimately improving supply chain performance. By understanding the SCTI mediated-moderated relationship between SCR and SCP, supply chain managers, logistics managers, operation managers, as well as procurement managers can develop more effective strategies to optimise their operations. This study provides valuable insights for managers and policymakers in developing and implementing supply chain resilience strategies that take into account the important role of SCTI.

The originality of the study lies in exploring the mediated-moderated effect of technological innovation on the nexus between resilience and performance of supply chains in developing economies, where firms often face unique challenges such as infrastructure limitations, political instability and economic uncertainty. By investigating the interplay of SCTI between SCR and SCP, researchers can develop new insights and strategies to help navigate these challenges and achieve success.

The purpose of this study is to examine the convergence and determinants of anti-corruption disclosures of extractive firms in Africa.

The study uses an unbalanced panel data of 27 firms operating in 5 African countries covering the period 2006 to 2018. Corporate data is collected from the global reporting initiative (GRI) database. The study uses an index to measure overall disclosure and individual items are coded as binary. The study uses fixed effects, panel logistic and panel-corrected standard error regression, depending on the type of dependent variable used.

The results indicate that the determinants of anti-corruption disclosure are membership in the United Nations global compact (UNGC) and Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, multi-national enterprise status, corruption perception index and human development index (HDI). Specifically, UNGC membership and multi-national status enhance the disclosure on corruption analysis. Countries with a high prevalence of corruption tend to disclose more on corruption analysis. Disclosure on corruption training is high among firms that are UNGC signatories, countries with a high HDI and countries with a high prevalence of corruption. There is a weak effect of firm-level, industry-level and country-level factors on disclosures on corruption response.

The study provides insights on the use of GRI 205: Anti-Corruption, which has relevant implications for practitioners, policymakers and the academic community.

This study is premier in exploring anti-corruption disclosure with a special focus on extractive firms in Africa. It is also unique in providing a test of both beta and sigma convergence among the firms.

Training evaluation is an important part of training programs and evaluating the reactions of trainees is of immense value, but there are few studies on this level of evaluation, as it is a neglected area of research. More so, when trainee reactions to training are poor, human resource managers together with learning and development professionals are able to improve on training programs. Nonetheless, no study has focussed on the aversions of trainees to training, and so this study aims to investigate the aversions of trainees regarding employee training.

This study uses the exploratory research design and obtains data from trainees in an online survey using an open-ended question. Thematic text analyses of the statements of 118 respondents are performed using a two-level coding process.

A total of 15 first-level codes are identified from the texts and categorized into five second-level codes. Further analyses culminate in the identification of two broad themes; trainers’ presentation aversions and organization of training aversions.

Attention must be given to the aversions of trainees in the training evaluation literature. This is because of the considerable amount of information that can be generated and based on that, identify the weaknesses inherent in employee training programs and ultimately improve this critical human resource function within organizations. In attending to the trainee aversions, the least and most reported should be resolved holistically for training objectives to be achieved.

Trainee reaction studies are scarce in the training literature. In addition, most of the existing trainee reaction studies focus on satisfaction while using closed-ended questionnaires. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on the aversions of trainees and which uses an open-ended question.