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The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of empirical research studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in emerging economies.

This paper employed a systematic literature review using research papers published on CSR in emerging economies from 2010 to 2019.

The findings of this paper show that the principal themes of published research articles on CSR in emerging economies are (1) effects of CSR, (2) drivers of CSR and (3) challenges of CSR. Additionally, publications on CSR in emerging economies have been dominated by studies that used quantitative approach and cross-sectional design. A significant number of studies also employed secondary data sources with most of these studies not being sensitive to sectoral influences

The research is non-empirical.

CSR is an area that can mitigate some of the developmental challenges of emerging economies and also stimulate the economic growth of firms. Thus, governments and organisations must partner to provide suitable conditions that would influence organisations to incorporate CSR in their business plans.

This review is the first of its kind that identifies the principal thematic domains of research on CSR in emerging economies. This review also provides proof of the areas of research that need attention and also provides recommendation on future areas of study on CSR in emerging economies.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible effects of corporate environmental activities on sustainable competitive advantage through the mediation of leadership factors and effective implementation strategies.

The work is essentially non-empirical review of the literature with the development of a conceptual model which can be tested in a later study.

The study proposes that corporate environmental activities can give firms competitive advantage. The studies also propose that stakeholders can act as pressure thereby moderating the relationship between corporate environmental activities and sustainable competitive advantage. Leadership factors and effective implementation affect competitive advantage.

This study has a few limitations that must be considered and could provide guidance for future study; as this study does not address customers point of view, future study could help in the investigation in order to get a holistic view. Moreover, the study is based on the literature, and the conceptual model has not been tested.

The study proposes that good leadership and effectiveness in strategy implementation can make corporate environmental activities lead to sustainable competitive advantage. The findings of the study provide managers of firms with a possible tool in creating sustainable competitive advantage.

Despite the rapid growth in research on environmental issues in corporate world, limited studies have been conducted on how leadership factors and effectiveness of strategy implementation can influence how corporate environmental activities affect competitiveness of firms. This study makes an original contribution by proposing strategies for sustainable competitive advantage through the instrumentality of corporate environmental decisions.

The study explored the relationship between buyer–seller interactions and customer satisfaction in the small apparel fashion enterprises in the emerging markets. The moderating role of COVID-19 protocols implementations on buyer–seller interactions and customer satisfaction was further examined.

Buyer–seller interactions affecting customer satisfaction were divided into three constructs, namely, interactions relating to the overall customers shopping experience, smooth payment process and in-store interactions, and the COVID-19 protocols implementations were used as a moderator. A convenient sampling strategy was adopted to survey 450 customers of apparel fashion enterprises within the four regions in Ghana, of which 397 were validly used for the analysis. Existing questionnaires were adapted to collect data from the respondents. The data collected was therefore analysed using SPSS and SmartPLS programme to ascertain the nature of the relationships among the variables.

The study found that, in-store interactions, shopping experience and smooth payment processes directly influence customer satisfaction. However, the implementation of COVID-19 protocols failed to moderate the relationship between buyer–seller interactions and customer satisfaction.

The limitations of the study involve its context-specific, focusing on the small apparel and fashion market. Also, future researchers can re-examine the model in other geographical jurisdictions, focusing on small apparel owners’ competencies and other variables that position buyer–seller interactions as precursors of customer satisfaction in the small apparel fashion industry. The theoretical and managerial relevance of the findings are also discussed.

The paper extends the domain of buyer–seller interactions and customer satisfaction phenomena within the apparel fashion industry. Its examination of the impact of COVID-19 protocols’ implementation on customer satisfaction provides an insight into managers regarding how the applications can affect customers in a typical shopping environment.

The study examines the intricate interplay between supplier relationship management (SRM), procurement performance, supply chain responsiveness (SCR) and competitive advantage. Additionally, the study examines the mediating role of procurement performance and SCR in the link between SRM and competitive advantage.

A research model grounded in the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory (DCT) was developed and tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were obtained from 122 firms in Ghana.

The study revealed that SRM has a positive and significant effect on procurement performance, SCR and competitive advantage. Additionally, SCR has a positive and significant effect on competitive advantage; however, procurement performance has a negative and insignificant effect on competitive advantage. It was also revealed that SCR partially mediates the relationship between SRM and competitive advantage but fully mediates the relationship between procurement performance and competitive advantage. Also, it was also revealed that procurement performance does not mediate the relationship between SRM and competitive advantage.

The study contributes to literature by highlighting the mediating role of SCR in influencing the effect of SRM and procurement performance on competitive advantage.

Practically, the study findings highlight the need for firms to seek, build and manage meaningful relationships with their suppliers in order to enhance their competency and capability to influence their competitive position in the marketplace.

To the best of the researchers' knowledge, no prior study has examined the effect of SRM on procurement performance and SCR. Additionally, no previous study has examined the mediating role of procurement performance and SCR on the link between SRM and competitive advantage.

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore the connection between green supply chain practices (GSCPs) and sustained business advantage from an emerging market perspective. Research on the phenomenon is limited in developing countries where green supply chain (GSC) concepts are now increasingly gaining ground. The study also attempts a general literature review to examine the mediating role of effective environmental benchmarking and leadership factors on the relationship. It further provides insight on the moderating effect of constructs such as people involvement and customer preferences.

Separate searches were conducted in key academic databases such as Emerald Online Journals, Taylor and Francis Online Journals, JSTOR Online Journals and Elsevier Online Journals. Also, version 7 of the Publish or Perish software was used to search for paper focused on GSCPs and sustainability. In total, 19 articles met the predefined criteria and were used.

The results from the synthesis of the reviewed literature shows that despite the fact that leadership factors mediates the positive relationship between GSCPs and sustained business advantage, research on supply chain (SC) leadership as a construct is limited and requires further empirical research.

Some limitations must be considered and could provide guidance for future study; this study did not collect data to test the proposed model. Moreover the study hypotheses proposed need to be tested to validate the model proposed.

This research by promoting an understanding of how GSCPs impacts the activities of buying and supply organizations in emerging markets. Findings on the leadership factors and people involvement constructs will assist SC operators in emerging markets to tap the tremendous potential inherent in participatory SC approaches to remain competitive and acquire sustained business advantage.

The study offers opportunity for empirical testing of the mediating (effective environmental benchmarking and leadership factors) and moderating (people involvement and customer preferences) variables in an emerging market context as this could provide fresh insights on the complexity of the relationships.

This study seeks to assess the mediating role of financial service branding on investment decisions from the perspective of financial service investors.

Field data were obtained from 403 individuals and corporate investors in financial service institutions who invested savings and pensions funds into short to medium term financial instruments from an emerging market in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Data were analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique (PLS-SEM).

Branding significantly mediates return on investment (ROI) decisions. However, the ROI did not have a significant direct effect on investment decisions. ROI has a significant indirect effect on investment decisions due to branding influence on investors.

Data collected was cross sectional. Future research can use longitudinal data for better long term planning. Study can also be done in other emerging economies to determine how the financial sector characteristics for each country can be a source of difference from branding and investment standpoint.

Although consumer investment decisions are logically influenced largely by ROI, investors place savings and pensions into financial instruments largely managed by reliable corporate brands with solid reputation known as safe havens for hedging lifetime investments.

This study covers the research gap in brand power and the reputation of financial service institutions as well as the investment decisions of financial service investors in emerging Sub-Saharan African.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how relationship marketing practice can lead to customer satisfaction in the current practices in the hotel industry in Ghana. Globally, the hospitality industry ranks as one of the most competitive business sectors with competing organisations relying on a cocktail of strategies such as relationship marketing to stay relevant, and attract and retain customers. This paper examines how relationship marketing impacts on trust, commitment and satisfaction for customers in the Ghanaian hospitality industry.

A positivist methodological framework was used for the collection of data, analysis and theoretical development in this research. The data collection questionnaire was administered to 167 guests of a 3-star hotel in the Accra Metropolis. Structural equation modelling was used to ascertain the significance of the relationship that exists between trust, commitment and customer satisfaction with respect to the relationship marketing practices of hoteliers in Ghana.

Study findings provide insight into the processes and practices of relationship marketing that is based on trust and commitment. The findings show a positive and significant relationship between trust, commitment and customer satisfaction. The study also revealed that commitment partially mediates the association between trust and customer satisfaction.

While this study is limited to a single hospitality and tourism company in Ghana, the findings can have far reaching implications for managers in the hospitality industry in Ghana, it provides a vivid illustration of the impact that customer satisfaction can have on the fortunes of business and a genuine desire to develop trust and be committed to the welfare of business clients can lead to higher customer patronage.

Trust and commitment in the hospitality industry requires innovative business practices that makes the client value all the service experience that he or she may encounter. The findings indicate that customer satisfaction is influenced by trust and commitment in the hospitality industry.

Value to the authors’ knowledge, the relationship between trust and commitment in relationship marketing and customer satisfaction concepts has not previously been investigated using structural equation modelling analysis within the Ghanaian hospitality industry. This implies that both trust and commitment are necessary to attain customer satisfaction.

The purpose of this paper is to understand whether differences also exist between managers and end‐users regarding critical success factors (CSFs) of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems implementation in China as well as among the counterparts in US and Chinese companies.

A pharmaceutical company in China that implemented an ERP system recently, similar to the one identified in Amoako‐Gyampah's study, is identified for this paper. A field survey accompanied by interview was used to collect data on seven CSFs that have been identified in the literature on technology acceptance and diffusion and that are consistent with Amoako‐Gyampah's study for comparison purposes.

The results of this paper confirm the results of Amoako‐Gyampah's study, which demonstrates that significant differences of seven CSFs of the implementation of ERP systems do exist in the perception of managers and end‐users. It further shows that both managers and end‐users of Chinese companies rate all seven factors lower than do their US counterparts. The understanding of these differences reveals the current stage of the progress of ERP implementation in China, namely that ERP implementation is not perceived as positively by Chinese managers and end‐users as it is by their counterparts in the USA

For researchers, this paper provides a foundation for further investigation of the reasons for such differences among different groups and individuals as well as different cultures.

Understanding the differences that exist in the perceptions of different groups within an organization and the nature of these differences can help implementers develop appropriate change management mechanisms – such as training, communication, and others – to improve the chances of successful ERP implementation.

This paper confirms the previous CSFs research findings in a Chinese pharmaceutical company setting that there are significant differences of CSFs in ERP implementation between managers and end‐users. It further compares the differences of these CSFs with their US counterparts.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of research studies on the drivers and consequences of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

This paper used a systematic literature review using research papers published on the drivers and consequence of global CSR from 2010 to 2020.

The findings of this paper show that the principal themes of published research articles on the drivers and consequences of CSR are internal drivers, external drivers and consequences of CSR. Publications on the drivers and consequences of global CSR have been dominated by studies that used quantitative approach and cross-sectional design. A significant number of studies also used secondary data source with most of these studies not being sensitive to sectorial influences. More importantly, this study revealed that the emphasis of CSR on actions that demonstrate social responsibility is more associated with overall financial performance and firm value when contrasted against ethical statements of social responsibility which is associated with weaker firm financial performance and outcomes. Moreover the review indicated that the level of CSR engagement and disclosure has been associated with higher share prices whereas low level of CSR disclosure in sensitive industries results in lower share prices. In addition, employees’ intention has been identified as a critical driver for CSR activities. Furthermore, it was also identified that firms engage in CSR because of internal institutional factors such as ethical corporate culture and top management commitment, whereas external drivers of CSR include socio-political factors, globalisation and environmental accountability.

CSR is an area that can be harnessed to contribute to sustainable solutions to global challenges. It also provides an added advantage of ensuring that the perpetuation of the relationship between businesses and society are more complementary.

This review is one of the few studies focussed on highlighting the drivers and consequences of global CSR. This review also provides proof of the areas of research that need attention and provides recommendation on future areas of study on the drivers and consequences of global CSR.

This study investigates how customer experience mediates the relationship between online innovation and repurchase intention in the hotel industry in Ghana.

Data was collected from 167 clients from a two-star hotel in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationship between the variables.

Results from the analysis indicate that online innovation positively leads to higher repurchase intentions and better customer experience, affirming that customer experience leads to repurchase intentions. Thus, while online innovation leads to repurchase intentions, the strength of this repurchase intention depends on customer experience. Therefore, customer experience mediates the relationship between online innovation and repurchase intention in the hotel industry.

This study addressed only the customer's point of view; future studies could investigate the subject from the managers and other stakeholders' point of view to get a holistic view. Also, the sample size could be improved, and the study could be conducted in other African countries for comparison purposes.

The study shows that online innovation does not automatically lead to increased positive repurchase intention. Hotel managers must, therefore, enforce good customer experience for better profitability.

As far as the researchers know, limited studies have been conducted into how customer experience mediates online innovation and repurchase intention in the hotel industry in Ghana using structural equation modelling. This makes this research unique in Ghana. This study makes an original contribution by measuring the real effect of innovation on repurchase intentions in the hotel industry in Ghana.