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University–industry (UI) collaborations are now a crucial issue as universities explore innovative means to secure industry funding for research and improve the employability content of existing curricula. This paper explores the dynamics of the antecedents of UI collaborations in management education. It further investigates the moderating variables (motivation, national policy and institutional factors) that are likely to influence the positive relationship between the antecedents of collaboration and the intention to collaborate.

A quantitative survey sent to 300 participants in academia and industry in Ghana achieved an 83% response rate. The data was analysed using bivariate and multivariate techniques.

The results revealed a positive relationship between knowledge sharing, trust, communication and motivation for UI collaborations. Motivation did not have a moderating effect on the positive relationship between any of the five independent variables and UI collaborations. Institutional factors were found to moderate the positive relationship between knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Policy to encourage UI collaborations should build on reputational and intrinsic rather than purely financial motivations as academics are motivated by a complex mix of monetary and non-monetary factors.

This paper highlights the need for an intricate alignment of the interests of academia and practitioners to encourage UI collaboration efforts.

Intangible assets are widely considered as key success factors for the growth of businesses in various economies. While the relationship between intangible assets or resources and business growth or performance have been extensively researched in advanced economies, there is limited understanding of the complexity of the phenomenon in developing/emerging markets. In Ghana specifically, there is a dearth of research on the impact of intangible assets on the growth of women businesses. Consequently, this paper aims to investigate how intangible assets available to women entrepreneurs contribute to the performance of their businesses.

Using an exploratory sequential research design (a type of mixed methods design), the data collection was organized into two main phases. The first phase was the qualitative phase where nine respondents were interviewed, and the responses were analysed using thematic analysis. The second phase was the quantitative phase where some 264 questionnaires were collected and analysed using multiple regression analysis.

Specifically, the findings focused on three intangible resources: social capital, human capital and reputational capital. The study found that, social, human and reputational capital all significantly contributed to the growth of women businesses. The study also showed a positive and significant effect of social capital, reputational capital and human capital on business growth.

These findings have implications for women entrepreneurs in Ghana. If they must grow their businesses, then using intangible assets alone may not be able to deliver growth in the required proportions. Serious consideration must be given to the significant impact of intra and extra industry networking and the social competency skills of the entrepreneur. The rationality of this assertion hinges on the findings made from this study that social competence can be effectively used to further enhance the effects of the value of one’s intangible assets.

Policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa and specifically Ghana have accorded high priority to private sector entrepreneurship towards reduction in the dependence of the citizenry on government for jobs. Perhaps, this paper adds to the growing body of knowledge on female entrepreneurship in Ghana to understand how intangible assets available to women entrepreneurs contribute to the performance of their businesses.

Despite the criticality of strategic partnerships to the survival and success of professional service firms (PSF) in emerging markets, there is a dearth of research on the subject matter. Specifically, not much is known concerning the dynamics of partnerships among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the professional services sector of the economy. This paper aims to explore the dynamics of the impact of constructs such as attributes of partnership, communication behaviour and collaborative conflict resolution on partnership success.

A quantitative survey sent to 300 small and medium-sized PSFs achieved a 79% response rate. The data is then analysed using bivariate and multi-variate techniques.

The results revealed a positive relationship between two of the three constituents of attributes of the partnership (i.e. commitment and coordination) and the success of partnerships. Commitment and coordination emerged as the significant attributes of partners that affect the success of the partnership. Contrary to previous studies, trust and information sharing did not have a positive impact on partnership success.

PSFs in emerging markets need concerted efforts to maintain competitive and sustainable partnerships. To make any significant impact, they must develop contemporary skills in collaborative conflict management.

This paper highlights the need for PSFs and SMEs in other service sectors of emerging markets to harness partnerships as a valuable tool to overcome the policy shortcomings of current regulatory frameworks within their respective markets.

This paper aims to investigate the moderating dynamics of social competence in the relationship between intangible resources and the performance of women businesses from an emerging market context. Developed economy literature provides ample evidence of a positive relationship between intangible resources and the performance of women business ventures. Little is known of the complexity of this orthodoxy in developing markets such as Ghana. In particular, this paper investigates the moderating role of social competence in the relationship between intangible resources available to women entrepreneurs and performance.

An exploratory sequential mixed method research design was used. First phase involved qualitative data collected through interviews, and the second phase was quantitative data collected from 264 participants. Content analysis and multiple regression analysis were used.

Social competence is important to the success of women businesses as it influences the outcome of entrepreneurial interactions and communications. Also, it positively moderated the relationship between organisational reputational capital (RC) and women business growth. On the flip side, it negatively moderated the relationship between human capital, social capital, individual RC and women business growth.

To sustainably grow their businesses, women entrepreneurs must ascertain the right level of social competence needed. The utilization of social competence at higher rather than lower levels could mean more costs and more training for which the business may not have immediate use.

This paper advocates the need to improve the content of entrepreneurial training packages to include the reinforcement of social competency skills in terms of relationship management as this may be the key to the facilitation of access to resources for innovation and growth.

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.

Despite the introduction of structural reforms to the students' loan scheme (SLS) in Ghana's higher education sector, patronage is still low. This paper aims to examine the complexity of technological and behavioural factors underpinning the low rate of students' loan adoption in Ghana. It further contributes to the body of knowledge by exploring the moderating role of financial knowledge in the hypothesized relationships.

Using a positivistic research approach, a sample of 700 tertiary students with experience in accessing SLSs were surveyed. An 88% response rate was realized and the data analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Four dimensions of technological factors (relative advantage, trialability, observability and compatibility) and two of behavioural factors (attitude and control behaviour) were positively related to adoption of the SLS. Financial knowledge only moderated the relationship between compatibility, attitude, behavioural control and students' loan adoption.

Financial knowledge plays a critical role in influencing the investment decisions of people. Management of SLSs needs to offer financial education to targeted parents/students to clear misconceptions. It is also imperative that all other technical challenges are addressed to enhance adoption rates for the SLS. Review of guarantor requirements is needed also.

This paper introduces financial knowledge as a moderating variable to investigate the hypothesized relationships. It offers a developing country insight into how technological/behavioural factors and financial knowledge might be impacting adoption of SLSs.

This paper aims to examine the complexity of the relationship between human capital management (HCM) and the performance of community-based health planning and services (CHPS) from an emerging market perspective. It further explores the mediating role of community orientation; institutional intervention and capability of resources in the hypothesized relationship between HCM and the performance of CHPS.

Quantitative data was collected (through a survey) from 210 health volunteers using a systematic random sampling technique. A 95% response rate was realized and the data was analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression.

HCM has a direct relationship with the performance of the CHPS model. It also emerged that institutional intervention and capability of resources partially mediate the relationship between HCM and CHPS performance; while community orientation fully mediates the same relationship.

Capacity building for staff must be wired into the workings of the CHPS model to yield the maximum impact. This points to the need for training packages that focus on building both social and cultural competence for staff working among locals under the CHPS model. Effective planning is, thus, needed to ensure a seamless allocation of adequate resources to boost performance. Also, community engagement is critical to the success of the CHPS model as it could serve as a platform for awareness creation among locals.

This paper introduces community orientation, institutional intervention and capability of resources as mediating variables to investigate the hypothesized relationships. It offers a developing country insight into how HCM-related factors might be impacting the performance of community-based health programs.

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.

This paper investigates the effects of service quality on customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions among customers of the KFC Fast Food Restaurant Chains.

In total, 500 randomly sampled KFC restaurant customers were surveyed using a quantitative research design. The partial least square technique was used for data analysis.

This paper shows that service quality and recovery directly impact customers' repurchase intention. The results further showed that a positive and significant connection exists between customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions.

The study recommends that KFC utilizes service quality dimensions to meet their customers' expectations and elicit repurchase intentions necessary to remain competitive in the fast-food industry.

This paper highlights the impact of service quality in developing loyal customers in the fast-food sector. It offers managers insight into understanding the factors positively impacting repurchase intentions and the nexus between service recovery performance and repurchase intentions from an emerging market perspective.

HARROGATE will be notable as the venue of the Conference in one or two ways that distinctive. The Association Year is now to begin on January 1st and not in September as heretofore; and, in consequence, there will be no election of president or of new council until the end of the year. The Association's annual election is to take place in November, and the advantages of this arrangement must be apparent to everyone who considers the matter. Until now the nominations have been sent out at a time when members have been scattered to all parts of the country on holiday, and committees of the Council have been elected often without the full consideration that could be given in the more suitable winter time. In the circumstances, at Harrogate the Chair will still be occupied by Sir Henry Miers, who has won from all librarians and those interested in libraries a fuller measure of admiration, if that were possible, than he possessed before he undertook the presidency. There will be no presidential address in the ordinary sense, although Sir Henry Miers will make a speech in the nature of an address from the Chair at one of the meetings. What is usually understood by the presidential address will be an inaugural address which it is hoped will be given by Lord Irwin. The new arrangement must bring about a new state of affairs in regard to the inaugural addresses. We take it that in future there will be what will be called a presidential address at the Annual Meeting nine months after the President takes office. He will certainly then be in the position to review the facts of his year with some knowledge of events; he may chronicle as well as prophesy.