Dr Olu Aju

This study investigates the impact of country governance mechanisms on carbon emissions performance of private sector organisations, using empirical evidence from 336 top multinational entities (MNEs) over a 15-year period. The results show that, at the aggregate level, Control of Corruption (b = −0.021, p < 0.01) and Voice & Accountability (b = −0.015, p < 0.05) are significantly and negatively associated with carbon emissions rate. While Political Stability (b = 0.007, p < 0.05) and Government Effectiveness (b = 0.018, p < 0.05) have significant positive impact on carbon emissions rate, the impact of Regulatory Quality and Rule of Law is negative but insignificant. Empirical evidence supports the conclusion that the existing institutional environment is not sufficient to deliver the net zero transition. There is a need for more coordination, strategic planning, and delivery monitoring in government institutions to achieve decarbonisation targets. The study contributes to knowledge within the context of the identified research gaps. First, the study adds to the limited literature on the impact of country governance on carbon emissions reduction, particularly with reference to scope 3 emissions. Second, with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set to expire by 2030, the study provides empirical evidence on efforts governments of countries are making in achieving decarbonisation targets through improvement in country governance quality. Third, the study shows that the impact of the country governance on the carbon emissions performance of MNEs is contextual and varies across jurisdictions/geographical regions. Finally, the paper contributes to the debate on the actualisation of Agenda 2030, because presenting empirical evidence on the impact of country governance mechanisms on carbon emissions reduction—particularly scope 3 emissions—is an important discourse in the realisation of the SDGs.

In spite of the fact that public procurement is increasingly becoming a popular technique for small business empowerment, there are various challenges facing SMEs in public procurement. Using Nigeria as a platform, this paper examines barriers that hinder SMEs access to public procurement markets. Data were collected from literature review, analysis of documents and semi-structured interviews. The results show that lack of transparency in tendering often discourages SMEs from getting involved in public procurement in Nigeria. It further highlights the need for actions to address issues facing SMEs at different stages of the procurement process. By integrating research findings into existing knowledge, a taxonomy of techniques for enhancing SMEs access to public procurement is proposed. The taxonomy reveals specific schemes and measures to promote SME participation in public procurement. This will offer guidance to governments, policy makers and procurement experts on the implementation of SME-friendly procurement practices. The study adds to the on-going debates on the significance of public procurement policy on SME development.

Understanding the peculiarities of employees’ social expectations, primarily addressed through Employee-Centred Corporate Social Responsibility (EC-CSR) practices and the attitudinal consequences of fulfilment and breach of these expectations should at least be a key issue for scholars and corporate practitioners. However, this aspect of employment relations appears to be undermined in the knowledge domain. This paper highlights the gap in this area of research, and subsequently posit that psychological contract theory and social exchange theory embodies some theoretical prospects for explaining these phenomena. A conceptual framework as well as methodological directions for considering the nature of employee social expectations and the consequences of its fulfilment and breach were offered.

The aim of this study is to develop an instrument with which to measure the perception of barriers facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in public procurement, based on a sample of 120 SMEs in Nigeria. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), four factors were extracted, namely; information obscurity, incapability, ignorance of procedures and arduous and stringent process. Reliability and item analysis offers support for the internal consistency and the discriminatory power of items that represent the factors. Above all, it was found that information obscurity and incapability have the highest mean scores, signifying that these factors are perceived to be the foremost barriers facing SMEs in public procurement. A key result of this study is that it generates explanatory theories on SME barriers to public procurement and offers factorial hypotheses in a form suitable for subsequent testing.

Purpose Despite an enormous body of literature on conflict management, intra-group conflicts vis-à-vis team performance, there is currently no study investigating the conflict prevention approach to handling innovation-induced conflicts that may hinder smooth implementation of big data technology in project teams. Design/methodology/approach This study uses constructs from conflict theory, and team power relations to develop an explanatory framework. The study proceeded to formulate theoretical hypotheses from task-conflict, process-conflict, relationship and team power conflict. The hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) to understand key preventive measures that can encourage conflict prevention in project teams when implementing big data technology. Findings Results from the structural model validated six out of seven theoretical hypotheses and identified Relationship Conflict Prevention as the most important factor for promoting smooth implementation of Big Data Analytics technology in project teams. This is followed by power-conflict prevention, prevention of task disputes and prevention of Process conflicts respectively. Results also show that relationship and power conflicts interact on the one hand, while task and relationship conflict prevention also interact on the other hand, thus, suggesting the prevention of one of the conflicts could minimise the outbreak of the other. Research limitations/implications The study has been conducted within the context of big data adoption in a project-based work environment and the need to prevent innovation-induced conflicts in teams. Similarly, the research participants examined are stakeholders within UK projected-based organisations. Practical implications The study urges organisations wishing to embrace big data innovation to evolve a multipronged approach for facilitating smooth implementation through prevention of conflicts among project frontlines. This study urges organisations to anticipate both subtle and overt frictions that can undermine relationships and team dynamics, effective task performance, derail processes and create unhealthy rivalry that undermines cooperation and collaboration in the team. Social implications The study also addresses the uncertainty and disruption that big data technology presents to employees in teams and explore conflict prevention measure which can be used to mitigate such in project teams. Originality/value The study proposes a Structural Model for establishing conflict prevention strategies in project teams through a multidimensional framework that combines constructs like team power conflict, process, relationship and task conflicts; to encourage Big Data implementation.

While there are indications that organisations can act ‘irresponsibly’ by not upholding their responsibilities towards their employees, there appears to be a dearth of research on how individual employees perceive organisational support and how they react to the absence of (or inadequate) organisational support. Notably, the neoliberal policies in the Nigerian oil sector appear to be overshadowing socially responsible employee relations practices, as incidences of precarious work arrangements and marginalisation of skilled indigenous workers have spiralled over the years. Yet conventional literature has provided limited insight into issues relating to workplace deprivation in the African context. Consequently, our paper adopts a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews with 25 indigenous skilled workers across four public and private sector organisations in the Nigerian oil industry to understand how employees experience, perceive and react to inadequate EC-CSR in organisations. Our findings suggest that there was pronounced inadequacy in the public organisation's training and employability development, employee engagement, conducive work environment, and employee health insurance. These trends engendered demotivation and chronophobia, which has implications for employee cynicism. In line with the rational norm of reciprocity, inadequate organisational support elicited passive withdrawal behaviour. Nevertheless, our paper showcases how employees who subscribe to Afrocentric indigenous values and denominational orientation exercise positive attributes of tolerance, diligence, and patience in the face of inadequate organisational support. Insights from this study could help managers in the African context understand indigenous psychology when creating strategic interventions aimed at changing dysfunctional organisational aspects that can strain effective employee-organisation relations.

Young people are not just beneficiaries of corporate social responsibility; they are key partners in shaping its future. Putting youth at the centre of CSR creates room for new ideas, strengthens accountability, and supports real progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

In view of the limited consideration for Afrocentric perspectives in organisational ethics literature, we examine Employee-Centred Corporate Social Responsibility (EC-CSR) from the perspective of Afrocentric employees’ social expectations. We posit that Afrocentric employees’ social expectations and the organisational practices for addressing these expectations differ from conventional conceptualisation. By focusing specifically upon the psychological attributes evolving from the fulfilment of employees’ social expectations, we argue that Afrocentric socio-cultural factors could influence perceived organisational support and perceived employee cynicism. We further draw upon social exchange theory to explore rational reciprocity (i.e. attitude and behaviour) evolving from the fulfilment and breach of employees’ social expectations at work. Contrary to the rational norm of reciprocity, we identify a reciprocity norm within which the breach of employees’ social expectations could in fact engender positive reciprocity rooted in esan reciprocity ideology—an ideology that emerged from the ethical tradition of the Yoruba people from Nigeria, West Africa. Overall, our paper elucidates the implications of Afrocentric peculiarities for employees’ social exchange within the African workplace, thus extending the present understanding in this regard.