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The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of literatures and previous studies on the relationship between strategic planning and performance and propose conceptual designs and hypotheses using multidimensional constructs to advance the understanding of this relationship, contribute to existing debates in the extant literature and make recommendations.

A semi-systematic literature and previous studies (studied by various groups of researchers within diverse disciplines) review approach has been used in this paper to contribute to the debate on whether strategic planning affects performance and how. Using more recent knowledge about the strategic planning concept, the semi-systematic review looked at how research within strategic planning has progressed over the past five decades and its relationship with performance.

In the past, the strategic planning performance relationship has been treated as a black box and this paper proposes that the conceptualisation of a number of constructs and the inclusion of strategy implementation will help converting the black box into a white box. To strengthen support for the debate regarding the relationship between strategic planning and performance this paper proposes a further conceptual/operational design, mathematical expressions and hypotheses to be tested empirically in further studies. The proposal provides a conceptualisation of the major constructs (strategy development; strategy implementation; and performance), and the use of strategy implementation as a mediator and/or as a moderator in the planning performance relationship.

This study is limited due to fact that the findings have not been tested empirically, it is not a cross-sectional and/or a longitudinal research and only a limited number of dimensions of strategy development and strategy implementation have been used. In addition, the approach used is a semi-systematic review followed by quantitative thinking, which, in turn, typically assumes the relevance of and a warrant mainly from a positivist epistemology.

The proposed design developed in this paper ensures that core issues in planning performance relationships research are addressed. Furthermore, the inclusion of strategy implementation in planning performance relationship studies means that the whole chain of activities in the strategy process is being considered, drawing a complete and comprehensive conclusion on how strategic planning affects an organisation’s performance. In addition, by separating strategy implementation and by not combining it with formulation/formation activities will theoretically and analytically help to evaluate the importance or role of each stage of the strategy process. Moreover, the conceptualisation and operationalisation of the key concepts as multidimensional constructs contribute to past research gaps. Finally, this paper provides some clarity to many contradictory findings concerning the strategic planning and performance relationship.

This paper aims to develop and test a conceptual model of supplier selection decisions in the public sector. The study seeks to determine the relative importance of a broad range of non-economic variables in explaining supplier selection decisions during strategic organizational purchases.

Data were collected from a national sample of 341 senior staff and top management team (TMT) members in 40 public sector organizations in Nigeria by using structured questionnaires.

Results of structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis shows that government policy requirements, social ties of organizational actors, party politics, decision-makers’ experience and the perception of instrumental ethical work climates are the most important determinants of strategic supplier selection decisions, followed in a descending order of importance by the perception of rules ethical work climates, self-enhancement personal values, CEOs’ structural position, self-transcendent personal values and the perception of time pressure. Findings also indicate that the choice of a supplier per se is not an important determinant of organizational performance.

No prior study has brought together, in a single model, the broad range of variables employed in this study with a view to exploring their relative importance in explaining public sector supplier selection decisions in a non-western country context. The findings of this study have implications for Marketing Managers looking to do business with public sector firms in emerging markets.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between ethical work climates (EWCs) and supplier selection decisions (SSDs), and the moderating roles of party politics and personal values on this relationship.

A total of 600 senior-level personnel from 40 Nigerian public organizations were surveyed using structured questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses developed for the study after assessing construct reliability and validity.

Results show that both high and low levels of external political pressures significantly reduce the perception that organizational SSDs are ruled based and pro-social in nature. Furthermore, regardless of the level of perception of instrumental personal values by employees, instrumental ethical climates significantly determine SSDs; principled/cosmopolitan climate and benevolent/cosmopolitan climate only become significant perceptible determinants when there is less room for the accommodation of personal goals during SSD processes.

This study only examined the relationship between ethical climate perceptions and SSDs without controlling for the effects of some important possible intervening variables on this relationship. Therefore, the study encouraged future researcher to enhance the generalizability of the findings by incorporate relevant control variables in the model, as well as examining other decision phases in the public buying process.

This study is original to the extent that only a few studies in the literature are devoted to perceptions of EWCs in African organizations, and no previous studies have examined this phenomenon in relation to SSDs in Nigerian public firms.

The latest research in the field of employer branding highlights a mix of marketing principles and recruitment practices, based on the concept that, just as customers have perceptions of an organisation’s brand, then so do other stakeholders including employees. However, the emphasis has been on organisations, which predominantly operate in developed countries typically with Westernised-individualistic cultures. This paper aims to investigate employer branding for service organisations’ image and attraction as an employer in a non-Western culture.

This study examines the perceptions of human resources’ professionals and practitioners on the role of employer branding in employer attractiveness and talent management, within Mauritian banking sector. The data collection for this qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with senior managers from Mauritian banking organisations, including multinational enterprises, small business unit banks and Mauritian banks.

Analysis of the findings showed that organisations, and banks in this case, are increasingly competing to attract highly skilled personnel in various professional areas; therefore, those organisations that attract the best talent will have a distinct edge in the marketplace. Furthermore, findings from the semi-structured interviews with senior managers suggest that employer branding remains at the embryonic stage within the Mauritian banking sector; therefore, a clear need exists for a more developed strategy.

The outcomes of this study call for re-engineering with regards to managerial collaboration in organisations for the successful design and implementation of the employer branding strategy. The empirical findings from the Mauritian banking sector show that the strategic position occupied by the human resource function is still at an embryonic stage as regards with the competitiveness of banks as service organisations.

The study presents a need for the development and maintenance of long-term collaborative and trust-based relationships between the human resource and marketing functions.

The insights provided through this study addresses the dearth of academic research on employer branding on the African continent while providing invaluable information from a human resource professional perspective.

Foreign market entry is considered as a key strategy to grow and survive over longer period of time for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The decision to enter a foreign market is not a straightforward story. Considering resource limitation, SMEs need to analyse the key barriers to entry in foreign markets very carefully. The purpose of this paper is to identify these barriers for the SMEs in a developing country.

This study has used primary data collected through questionnaires from 212 Bangladeshi SMEs. A mixed method data analysis technique is used to analyse the firms both from micro- and macro-levels. Following the running example-based case study approach, this study has developed and validated a partial least square-based structural model to assess the key barriers to entry in foreign markets.

This study has identified the key socio-economic barriers faced by the SMEs in a developing country to enter in foreign markets. It has successfully framed the socio-economic barriers to enter in foreign markets for Bangladeshi SMEs as a second-order hierarchical model.

It is often believed that foreign market entry is more affected by social barriers as explained by the existing theories including the Uppsala model. This study, however, revealed that the international market expansions of SMEs in developing countries are more sensitive to the economic barriers.

This paper aims to provide insights on the void between the needs and demands of bank finance from female entrepreneurs and the supply, as well as the approaches of banks for that finance. In addition, it creates a conceptual framework recognising a tripartite and dynamic partnership amongst female entrepreneurs, banks and governments as essential to female entrepreneurship-development, based on Zambia as the context.

Concepts and theories are explained to construct a conceptual framework using the lens of multi-polar network theory and stakeholder engagement theory. In-depth discussions are facilitated through a bilateral partnership between each party and tripartite partnerships amongst female entrepreneurs, banks and governments.

The framework presents how female entrepreneurs, banks and governments are interconnected in the network as mutually benefiting stakeholders and shows their collective contribution to female entrepreneurship-development within certain contexts. The findings suggest that the sustainable development of female entrepreneurship depends on a dynamic tripartite partnership amongst female entrepreneurs, banks and governments.

The conceptual framework has important implications when setting up a nation’s enterprise development strategies and policies promoting inclusivity and diversity amongst a nation’s entrepreneurs. The contributions and the dynamic relationship of the three stakeholder groups should be acknowledged and considered to achieve sustainable development in female entrepreneur enterprises. The framework can be generalised to other emerging economies with similar social, economic and cultural profiles to Zambia, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries with patriarchal norms.

This paper extends multi-polar (network) theory and stakeholder management engagement theory, previously explained in homogeneous firms, to more complex and dynamic partnerships amongst heterogeneous organisations, i.e. female entrepreneurs, banks and governments.

Purpose: The purpose of the chapter is to provide an overview of sustainability debates and a rationale for the book.

Method: A literature review was conducted prior to starting this book project, and this literature review is analysed and situated within a debate the book fosters.

Originality/Value: The paper outlines debate in the field of sustainability and provide a rationale for the book focusing on human sustainability, thus contributing towards extending knowledge on the sustainability concept and debates.