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This paper aims to examine the influence of corporate social responsibility on financial performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana by using access to capital and firm reputation as mediating variables.

The authors collected primary data from 423 SMEs within the Accra Metropolis. Partial least squares estimation technique was used to analyze the data.

The authors documented evidence for a mechanism through which corporate social responsibility results in financial performance of firms: SMEs with improved corporate social responsibility practices are better positioned to achieve enhanced reputation, which translates into improved financial performance. Even though this study did not document a significant relationship between corporate social responsibility and access to finance by Ghanaian SMEs, the authors contend that looking at the positive relationship between them, SMEs can minimize their capital constraints by embarking on CSR practices, which can eventually translate into financial performance.

The authors recommend that for SMEs to enhance their reputation and increase their access to capital, which will eventually result in enhanced financial performance, corporate social responsibility practices should be a major part of their operations.

It contributes to our knowledge on how CSR practices lead to financial performance of SMEs in developing countries. In addition, this is the first of its kind to establish the relationship between CSR practices and financial performance of SMEs in Ghana by using access to capital and firm reputation as mediating factors.

The paper aims to investigate small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) bank selection and patronage behaviour in the Ghanaian banking sector.

A detailed literature review was used to identify five determinants of bank selection and other patronage factors which were used to survey 503 SMEs randomly selected from the data base of the National Board for Small Scale Industries in Ghana. Exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression and correlation analysis were used for the data analysis.

The study found price competitiveness, credit availability, perceived service quality, staff attributes and bank attributes as determinants of SME bank selection. In addition, loans and overdrafts, cash collection, transfers, bank guarantees, advisory services and training were among the core services patronized by the SMEs.

The study highlights the importance of factors considered important to the SME bank selection and patronage behaviour. It thus provides practical leverage to banks on how to attract, serve and retain SMEs in Ghana.

The study is the first of its kind that investigated both bank selection and patronage behaviour at the same time and provides important insight for banks on how to attract, satisfy and manage SMEs. It also makes a major contribution to the literature on SME banking behaviour especially in a sub-Saharan Africa and responds to the recent call for more studies on SME practices in emerging economies.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between agency factors and the debt level of Ghanaian small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach – Generalized least squares model is used to estimate the regression equation. Findings – The results indicate that managerial ownership is negatively related to debt level. This suggests that SMEs with insider shareholders may prefer lower leverage to reduce the risk of insolvency. The results also show that SMEs with many shareholders are less likely to employ debt finance. Firms with many shareholders are not likely to entertain the fear of loss of control since the firm is seen as group‐owned. Originality/value – The findings of this study generally suggest that managerial ownership is important in explaining the capital structure of Ghanaian SMEs. This study extends our understanding of the agency theory and the capital structure of SMEs from the Ghanaian context.

The nature of international markets and the challenges with respect to the competitiveness of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) makes it imperative to examine government support. This study aims to assess the role and effectiveness of government and the export promotion agencies in supporting exports by non-traditional horticultural SMEs in Ghana.

The study used a qualitative research design, which involved semi-structured interviews with senior managers of six export facilitating institutions to gain an understanding of the services offered to SMEs with respect to exports of non-traditional horticultural products.

The findings reveal inadequate cost-efficient sources of non-traditional horticultural export financing for SMEs. This is a hindrance to the international competitiveness of exporting SMEs in developing countries such as Ghana. In addition, effective and coordinated support from export promotion agencies was found to be critical.

The study highlights the importance of government’s role in policymaking and implementation of export-led programmes for horticultural exporting firms in Ghana. Despite their strategic importance, this area of research has not attracted the attention of researchers, with little or no information on the horticultural international competitiveness of non-traditional horticultural products.

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of debt policy (capital structure) on the financial performance of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana and South Africa. Previous studies, especially on large firms, have shown that capital structure affects firm performance. Though the issue has been widely studied, largely missing from this body of literature is the focus on SMEs.

Panel data analysis is used to investigate the relations between measures of capital structure and financial performance.

Using various measures of performance, the results of this study indicate that capital structure influences financial performance, although not exclusively. By and large, the results indicate that capital structure, especially long‐term and total debt ratios, negatively affect performance of SMEs. This suggests that agency issues may lead to SMEs pursuing very high debt policy, thus resulting in lower performance.

The main value of this paper is the analysis of the effect of debt policy on the performance of SMEs in Ghana and South Africa.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not need only traditional marketing strategies in the dynamic business environment of the manufacturing sector. Entrepreneurial marketing dimension (EMD) is an alternative marketing approach for SMEs. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate whether EMD innovation has a positive and significant effect on SMEs performance on Ghanaian Halal food and beverages.

Correlative descriptive research method was used and 432 questionnaires with five-point Likert scale were distributed among owners-managers of manufacturing sectors of Ghanaian Halal food and beverages SMEs producers were chosen by a simple random sampling method. Structural equations modelling structural equations modelling techniques was used to analyse data.

The result of data analysis indicates a positive and significant effect of EMD on manufacturing SMEs performances of Halal food. Nevertheless, the effect of EMD on the production performance of the aforementioned companies is confirmed positive. The findings also show that production performances of Halal food SMEs result in their financial performance.

The study’s sample is limited to Halal food SMEs manufacturing in Ghana. More research can be done investigating this relationship from different sectors and in Islamic and non-Islamic countries.

This research implies that Halal food SMEs manufacturing producers in a country is imperative in Muslim-minority countries. This study gives a benchmark for the non-Muslim-majority countries which endeavour to embark on the Halal SMEs manufacturing food. Muslim-minority countries that envision to succeed in the global Halal market could emulate Ghana’s approach in branding itself as a recognised non-Muslim-majority country in producing Halal foods. This can be done by implementing innovative, proactive, opportunist, risk-taking and customer-oriented initiatives to achieve better market and innovative performances and higher profits.

This paper fills a knowledge gap by presenting the first comprehensive overview of Halal food SMEs manufacturing performance research that enhances the ongoing discussion in hospitality, entrepreneurship and marketing fields in Islamic and non-Islamic contexts.

The aim of this study is to examine the explanatory link of green supply chain integration (GSCI) between green manufacturing practices (GMPs) and sustainable performance (economic [EP], environmental [EnP] and social [SP] performances) by using data from an emerging country.

An explanatory research design was employed for the study. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 178 Ghanaian manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Hypotheses were formulated and tested using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The results indicate that GMPs have a significant positive effect on sustainable performance (EP, EnP and SP). Again, GMPs have a significant positive effect on GSCI. Additionally, GSCI plays a mediating role between green manufacturing practices and sustainable performance.

In this study, GSCI was compositely measured despite having three dimensions. Generalizing the findings is also not guaranteed since the sample constitutes Ghanaian manufacturing SMEs.

The results provide significant ramifications for managers of manufacturing SMEs within Ghana and those in other sub-Saharan African context. Based on the results, managers of manufacturing firms will have stronger backing to invest in GMPs, while at the same time establish strong ties with eco-oriented supply chain partners so as to achieve their sustainable performance goals.

This study adds to the literature in the area of sustainability and triple bottom line by providing evidence from a fast growing industrialized and emerging country.

The digital divide is supposed to place disadvantaged economies like Ghana in a position where using information and communication technology for development might not be an immediate reality. The purpose of this current study is to argue that the adoption of e‐business practices has benefit for small Ghanaian exporters' organizational improvement, and begin a first‐level investigation in that regard.

This study was exploratory and focused on a sample of active, non‐traditional exporters in Accra. This sample represented the best typology of small export firms in Ghana that had been regular exporters from 2000‐2004. In all, 60 firms responded to questionnaires on e‐business and exporting. Analysis of the data was mainly by means of descriptive statistics.

One‐way ANOVA analysis revealed that the export firm internationalization (measured by export intensity) has no bearing on the level of e‐business involvement or perceptions of the strategic value of e‐business. However, export firms who were more involved in e‐business had a higher perception of the usefulness of e‐business to their export operation. One‐way ANOVA analysis also revealed that for the export firms involved in some e‐business activity, the more internationalized they were, the more importance they attached to e‐business as providing some sort of organizational improvement leverage.

Given the exploratory nature of this study, more research is needed to study internal and external barriers to e‐business adoption by these firms, as well as the relationship between e‐business adoption and performance.

One of the first e‐business studies focusing on export firms on the disadvantaged end of the digital divide.

The study investigates the effect of autocratic, democratic and transformational leadership styles on employees' organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The study further examines the moderating role of leaders' emotional intelligence between leadership styles and OCB.

Questionnaires were used to collect data from 618 small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) employees in Ghana. For this study, both simple random and convenient sampling were adopted in selecting respondents. Regression was used to test the hypotheses in the research model using IBM–Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

The results show that democratic and transformational leadership styles both positively predicted the OCB of SME employees, although transformational leadership has a more significant influence. On the contrary, autocratic leadership style was found to have an insignificant relationship with OCB of SME employees when the interactive effect of the various leadership styles and emotional intelligence were introduced into the model. The results also show that whereas leaders' emotional intelligence positively moderate the relationship between autocratic leadership style and OCB, the relationships between democratic leadership style and OCB and between transformational leadership style and OCB are not significantly moderated by leaders' emotional intelligence.

An examination of other prominent leadership styles (for example, the transactional leadership style and the laissez faire leadership style) could be key areas for future research as it is a potential limitation of this study. Similarly, the use of a Western leadership instrument could also be a potential limitation in the Ghanaian context, although these instruments and scales may be applicable. Future studies could also consider a longitudinal approach to give a more holistic picture of the effect of the leadership styles on OCB.

In general, the findings of the study support the idea that the autocratic leadership style affects SME employees' OCB both directly and indirectly through leaders' emotional intelligence. This study recommends that leaders of SMEs should focus on leadership styles that combine both result-oriented and people-centric behaviors to encourage SMEs' employees to engage in OCB.

This study provides firsthand information on the impact of autocratic leadership style, democratic leadership style and transformational leadership style on an employee's OCB from the Ghanaian SME perspective.