Research Articles (Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS))

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/51279

The University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) is a leading business school in the heart of Illovo, Johannesburg, close to the Sandton business hub. Academic programmes as well as a wide range of executive courses are availble and can be custom-designed to suit specific company needs.

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The dark side of customer interactions : exploring the predictive power of Dark Triad traits on Jay Customer behavior in service industries
Widmier, Scott; Gala, Prachi; Koufodontis, Nikolaos Iason; Serkedakis, Michael (Emerald, 2025-10)
PURPOSE : This study aims to introduce a predictive, trait-based framework to understand Jay Customer behavior in service industries. Building on Social Exchange Theory (SET), it explores how antisocial personality traits – collectively known as the Dark Triad (Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy) – predict deviant customer behavior and how contextual moderators shape this relationship. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : A large-scale survey (n = 830) was conducted using validated scales to measure Dark Triad traits, Jay Customer behavior and situational moderators, including boredom, sensation seeking, stress and service context (business vs leisure). Hypotheses were tested using regression analysis. FINDINGS : Dark Triad traits strongly predict Jay Customer behavior across verbal, physical and financial misconduct. This relationship is significantly moderated by boredom, sensation seeking and leisure service contexts. Contrary to expectations, stress has a direct effect on misbehavior but does not moderate the trait-behavior relationship. The model explains over 63% of the variance in Jay Customer behavior. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : This study advances SET by introducing the concept of conditional SET compliance, demonstrating that individuals with antisocial traits strategically violate reciprocity norms, especially under low-cost, high-stimulation conditions. It contributes a novel integration of personality psychology into the service marketing domain. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : Findings offer actionable strategies for frontline service management, including personality-informed customer profiling, context-specific service design and early behavioral flagging. Recommendations are offered for employee training and policy customization in leisure versus business environments. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS : Proactively managing disruptive behavior can reduce psychological strain on service employees and enhance service environments for all customers, contributing to improved well-being and operational sustainability. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to apply the Dark Triad framework to predict Jay Customer behavior, shifting the focus from descriptive typologies to a proactive, trait-based model. It extends SET through the concept of conditional compliance and offers practical strategies for managing customer deviance – particularly relevant in the post-pandemic service landscape.
The regulatory, normative and cultural-cognitive dimensions of the returnee opportunity and returnee liability : how institutional migration creates the two sides of the same coin
Mreji, Pamela Adhiambo; Chrysostome, Elie Virgile; Barnard, Helena (Elsevier, 2026-08)
Why do some scholars emphasize the benefits realized by returnee entrepreneurs, whereas others highlight the returnee liability? By analyzing interviews with twenty Kenyan returnee entrepreneurs, we make three contributions to scholarship on returnee entrepreneurship. First, we reconcile two well-developed but separate and almost-contradictory bodies of the extant literature by showing that the returnee opportunity / returnee liability is a duality that all returnee entrepreneurs can expect and must manage, even if their ventures are successful. Returnees might see opportunities in the institutional differences between their home and host countries, but to realize those opportunities as entrepreneurial ventures, they must navigate their homeland’s de-familiarized regulatory, normative and cultural-cognitive macro-level institutional pillars. We show how returnee entrepreneurs navigate these macro-institutions as individuals, leading to our second contribution: Where people are mobile across borders, macro-institutions affect not only organizational processes, but also individuals directly. The theory of individual institutional migration suggests institutional migrants seek to regain personal control vis-à-vis a new institutional domain either by transposing knowledge from the previous institutional environment, or by internalizing the new institutional rules. Our third contribution is to advance that theory by suggesting that returnee entrepreneurs strategically seek to do both: Where they recognize opportunities in the new institutional environment (i.e. returnee opportunity), they transpose knowledge by starting innovative new ventures, but at the same time, the different macro-institutional environment imposes a burden (i.e. returnee liability) that they need to manage to gain acceptance of their ventures. HIGHLIGHTS • Returnee entrepreneurs are institutional migrants. • They carry the rules from one institutional environment to another. • They navigate macro institutions as individuals. • This results in a duality – both returnee opportunities and a returnee liability. • The duality functions across regulatory, normative and cultural-cognitive pillars.
Migrant livelihoods and the power of social ties : evidence from Johannesburg's informal sector
Naicker, Dishan; Fourie, Alicia; Claassen, Carike (Routledge, 2026)
This study investigates the characteristics of informal immigrant entrepreneurship within the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It pays special attention to how social capital facilitates immigrant entrepreneurship success. Given the complex operational and economic environment, the study also sought to understand how immigrant entrepreneurs handle the challenges associated with access to resources, which they face daily. Drawing on twenty qualitative interviews, the findings show that social capital offers support mechanisms that compensate for structural exclusion from formal systems. In the context of growing tensions and competition in the informal economy, the research underscores the need for more inclusive network-building between immigrant and local entrepreneurs to foster social cohesion and shared economic benefit. The findings have implications for policy interventions targeting informal trade, migrant inclusion, and local development in South African urban economies
Prospects and determinants of willingness to pay for sustainable restoration of rangelands among smallholder cattle producers in North West Province, South Africa
Mapiye, Obvious; Makombe, Godswill; Molotsi, Annelin; Dzama, Kennedy; Mapiye, Cletos (Springer, 2026-02)
The degradation and mismanagement of rangeland ecosystems continue to threaten environmental sustainability and livestock-based livelihoods in arid and semi-arid regions. Market-based environmental conservation instruments, such as payment for ecosystem services (PES) and willingness to pay (WTP), serve as effective mechanisms for promoting sustainable land management. This study investigates the WTP of smallholder cattle producers for rangeland restoration in South Africa’s North West Province, integrating socioeconomic and ecological dimensions to inform policy and practice. A double-bounded contingent valuation method was applied to data from 101 smallholder cattle producers, revealing that over 70% of them were willing to pay a higher bid of USD 11.50 ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, with a mean WTP of USD 17.00 ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Logistic regression analysis revealed that education level (p = 0.012), preferred cattle breed (p = 0.039), farming experience (p = 0.026), goat ownership (p = 0.022), ecoregion (p = 0.079), and cattle-derived income (p = 0.048) were significant predictors of WTP. These findings strongly support rangeland restoration and management within smallholder systems and reflect how socioeconomic and ecological factors shape land-use management choices. This study provides evidence to inform the development of participatory, equity-sensitive conservation frameworks and support the development of incentive-based PES programmes, aligning with sustainable land management policies and resilience-building in pastoral systems.
Mapping customer value propositions for retirement housing facilities in South Africa
Berndt, Adele; Tesnear, Sumari (Adonis & Abbey, 2026-03)
The South African retirement housing market is expanding to meet increasing demand from retirees. Facility managers develop customer value propositions to inform retirees of the expected value. Given the growth in this sector and the lack of academic research into customer value proposition design, this study explores the components of customer value propositions in South African retirement housing facilities using customer value proposition mapping. Using an interpretivist approach, data (118 web posts) were collected from a senior citizens’ retirement housing website and analysed through content analysis. The key findings identified gain creators (such as medical and leisure services), pain relievers (such as security services), and relevant products (such as meal offerings) included in the propositions, with a primary focus on gain creators. This study underscores the necessity of aligning facility management with the nuanced requirements of retirees, providing a strategic framework for decision-making within a traditionally under-researched sector.
Willingness to switch to cultured meat : insights from UAE Muslim consumers
Sia, Joseph Kee-Ming; Wood, Bronwyn P.; Ng, Poh Yen; Ling, Alvin Han Ming (Emerald, 2026)
PURPOSE : The purpose of this paper, which is focused on a Muslim consumer sample’s willingness to switch from natural to cultured meat, is threefold: (1) To investigate the internal environmental locus of control (INELOC) “types” as antecedents on perceived benefits; (2) To examine the impact of perceived benefits on Muslim consumers’ willingness to switch (MCWS) to cultured meat; and (3) To explore perceived benefits as a mediator between INELOC (green consumers, environmental activists, environmental advocates and recyclers) and MCWS to cultured meat. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : The study collected survey responses from 241 Emirati consumers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and analysed them using the partial least squares method and structural equation modelling. FINDINGS : The authors found that three INELOC “types” – (i.e. environmental activists, environmental advocates and recyclers) – personal responsibility factors predict perceived benefits. The results also showed that perceived benefits positively influence MCWS to cultured meat. Finally, perceived benefits mediate between three INELOC “types” – (i.e. environmental activists, environmental advocates and recyclers) – and MCWS to cultured meat. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : The study provides theoretical insights on how INELOC influences MCWS to cultured meat in the UAE. Furthermore, the study offers important implications for meat alternative companies in their marketing strategies in shaping Muslim consumers’ decision to switch and consume cultured meat, as well as for policymakers in designing parameters for importation, consumption and creation of cultured meat products in the country. Further, it has implications for exporters of halal meat and for food security in the UAE and other drylands. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : Using INELOC and Stimulus-Organism-Response theories, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to empirically investigate Muslim consumers’ willingness to transition to cultured meat in the UAE. Moreover, this study serves as an early attempt to evaluate perceived benefits as a moderator between INELOC and MCWS to cultured meat.
Gender and power : financial independence and women's relational empowerment in the Global South
Hosanoo, Zuberia Aminah; Rughoobur-seetah, Soujata; Soupramanien, Loga Devi Balla; Doargajudhur, Melina; Lichy, Jessica; Wheatley, Daniel (Wiley, 2026)
This study adopts a positive and contextually grounded representation of married women in Global South (GS) countries through the theory of gender and power (TGP) and Kabeer's empowerment framework, to examine factors driving financial independence (FI) and empowerment among women in Mauritius and Zimbabwe. Drawing on 55 in-depth interviews with married women (28 in Mauritius and 27 in Zimbabwe), findings indicate that gendered power relations and institutional forces are pivotal in shaping empowerment for married women. Three interconnected themes emerged: “societal and institutional factors,” “context-embedded financial independence and autonomy,” and “women's relational empowerment.” Theoretically, we intersect Kabeer's empowerment framework with the TGP to illustrate how FI operates at the nexus of resources, agency, gendered power relations, and structural constraints, both aligning with and challenging universalized assumptions in gender, development, and empowerment research. Empirically, the paper advances scholarship by providing nuanced insights into empowerment processes within under-researched GS contexts.
Entrepreneurial resilience in the digital era : the role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and passion
Tantawy, Ahmed Adel; Abdalla, Samar; Ng, Poh Yen; Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph (Taylor and Francis, 2026)
Although digitalization has garnered a growing body of research, our understanding of when and how the adoption of digital technologies leads to more resilient entrepreneurial outcomes is limited. We draw on social cognitive theory to develop a moderated mediation model in which digital technologies indirectly promote entrepreneurial resilience through self-efficacy. We further propose that entrepreneurial passion serves as a key boundary condition that influences the strength of this indirect effect. Using data obtained from 300 SME owners/managers in the UK, the results suggest that entrepreneurial self-efficacy mediates the digitalization-resilience nexus, while entrepreneurial passion moderates this mediated relationship. We contribute to the entrepreneurship literature by highlighting that digitalization alone is insufficient to help entrepreneurs sustain their ventures in challenging conditions. Our results have significant implications for both practitioners and policymakers.
A postcolonial feminist reading of entrepreneurial leadership
Scheepers, Caren Brenda (Wiley, 2026)
This paper applies the researcher's reflexivity and challenges researchers to acknowledge our positioning and to acknowledge that we perpetuate the gender order and Western knowledge in the ways we produce knowledge. The approach includes a literature review of postcolonial feminist epistemology, in particular, as well as citing examples of challenges and opportunities in fieldwork on women's entrepreneurial leadership in sub-Saharan Africa. It demonstrates the need for postcolonial feminist epistemological approaches in studying women's entrepreneurial leadership in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings highlight the lack of consideration of the intersection of gender with race, ethnicity, and class in Western entrepreneurial leadership studies and specifically advance postcolonial and decolonial feminist scholarship. This paper contributes to decolonizing knowledge on entrepreneurship, opening up postcolonial feminist discourse by contributing the Ubuntu-centric entrepreneurial leadership approach and surfacing tensions and possibilities for the domain.
Reflections on editorial leadership : looking back…moving forward
Den Hond, Frank; Painter, Mollie (Cambridge University Press, 2025-10)
We take the opportunity in this editorial that marks the end of our tenure, to offer some reflections on our experiences. It is an occasion for looking back, for reflection on the scholarship and practice of business ethics, and for celebrating some of the outstanding work that is being done in and for the journal.
Attributional sense-making of distrust in professional service firms : working in a coopetitive paradox
Abgeller, Neve; Saunders, Mark N.K.; Donnelly, Rory; Dobbins, Tony (Wiley, 2026-03)
Distrust is an inevitable yet often overlooked feature of relationships in professional service firms (PSFs), where simultaneous demands to collaborate and compete produce a coopetitive paradox shaping everyday organizational life. Drawing on 50 in-depth qualitative interviews using the critical incident technique, we examine how professionals attribute meaning to the development of distrust in their working relationships. The analysis identifies three recurring loci—readings of character and conduct (internal), signals from structures, processes, and cultures (external), and interactional cues in day-to-day exchanges (relational)—which often braid together into compound explanations for distrust that travel and endure. In high pressure, identity-sensitive PSFs, coopetition heightens this braiding, making small ambiguities easier to read as self-interest and harder to reverse. The study clarifies how distrust functions as an active, socially embedded process of meaning-making and why it proves so durable in coopetitive settings. PRACTIONER POINTS • Distrust often stems from how employees interpret colleagues' personal traits and motives, with perceived insecurity, self-interest, and ethical lapses driving negative attributions. • Competitive and ambiguous organizational environments in PSFs can amplify distrust, as structural and cultural pressures encourage self-protective behaviours. • Communication breakdowns, inconsistent information flows, and intuitive judgements about the intentions of colleagues can entrench distrust in working relationships. • Addressing distrust requires interventions at both relational and structural levels—balancing performance demands with transparency, collaboration, and consistent policy adherence. • Understanding that conflict is a structural feature of work relations, rather than being deviant or abnormal, should be the starting point for practitioners in understanding causes of distrust.
Opening the black box of disaster recovery in SMEs : unpacking the antecedent roles of anticipation capabilities, risk management culture and supply chain agility
Acquah, Innocent Senyo Kwasi; Arhin, Michael; Tchouchu, Emmanuel; Botwe-Koomson, Allswell (Emerald, 2026)
PURPOSE : This study examines how risk management culture fosters disaster recovery and analyses the serial mediation roles of anticipation capabilities and supply chain agility, while assessing opportunities to improve risk management culture, anticipation capabilities and supply chain agility to enhance disaster recovery. Further, the study examines the necessity of risk management culture, anticipation capabilities and supply chain agility for disaster recovery. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : We combined Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling, Importance-Performance Map Analysis and Necessary Condition Analysis to explore the sufficient and necessary roles of risk management culture, anticipation capabilities and supply chain agility in enhancing or enabling disaster recovery among a sample of 357 Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. FINDINGS : The findings suggest that risk management culture and supply chain agility, but not anticipation capabilities, have a positive influence on disaster recovery. Moreover, anticipation capabilities and supply chain agility serially mediate the positive nexus between risk management culture and disaster recovery. Furthermore, the findings indicate that risk management culture and supply chain agility, rather than anticipation capabilities, are necessary for effective disaster recovery. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : We present one of the first attempts to broaden our understanding of the drivers of disaster recovery among SMEs, while also providing managers with actionable insights regarding the sufficient and necessary antecedents of disaster recovery.
Nampak – strategic turnaround leadership
Lew, Charlene (Emerald, 2026)
This case study focuses on the strategic turnaround priorities of Phil Roux, Nampak™s CEO, during and after a turnaround process. The case is set in 2025, as Roux is handing over responsibilities to the successor CEO. Remaining in his role as CEO, Roux questions what his priorities should be in the final phase of his tenure as CEO before retiring. The case uncovers the turnaround situation that has led to the decline of this leading African packaging company. The case focuses on Roux, a seasoned turnaround strategist and leader. It covers not only the leadership styles and relationships of the leader, but also the interrelated steps taken to turn the company around. The purpose of the case is to provide students with insights into successful leadership of a corporate turnaround, how the strategic turnaround process evolves, and approaches and priorities that can be followed for continued strategic renewal.
Editorial to the special issue on decoupling and environmental sustainability
Ryding, Daniella; Lichy, Jessica; Africa, South; Ritch, Elaine (Elsevier, 2026-02)
No abstract available.
Beyond privacy : longitudinal ZMET analysis of thoughts and feelings
Sinha, Mona; Ramey, Rachel; Gala, Prachi; Wilkerson, Aaliyah Wanya (Emerald, 2026-03-20)
PURPOSE : Consumers increasingly reveal more than they intend online yet clamor for privacy protection, saddling businesses with costly strategic and legal challenges. This study aims to reveal what drives consumers’ thoughts and feelings about privacy, and what has changed over a decade. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : This study used the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) to conduct qualitative interviews in 2008 and 2019 and identified the deep metaphors revealing consumers’ thoughts and feelings about their privacy concerns (PCs). FINDINGS : Metaphor analysis revealed organizational justice theory (OJT) as the overarching theoretical framework. A two-timepoint comparison showed that consumers who once wanted balance in their relationship with firms now want control over their own resource (information) in response to the unmet need for fairness reflected in increasing PCs. The three OJT dimensions – distributive, procedural and interactional justice emerge as a framework for the data and helps develop privacy-related subdimensions. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : This study extends OJT beyond employee–organization settings to consumer-firm relationships and develops privacy-specific OJT dimensions and subdimensions as a theoretical baseline for future comparative and empirical testing. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : Managers should widen their narrow focus on PCs to encompass consumers’ entire information-related experiences, ensuring equitable value exchange, just procedures and respectful interactions to mitigate resistance to information acquisition/use. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS : By reframing privacy as fairness, the study highlights pathways to restore consumer confidence, reduce anxiety and inform policy debates around equitable data practices. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : A longitudinal ZMET provides rare insight into evolving thoughts and feelings about privacy, offering a novel, justice-based framework for understanding and addressing PCs.
From beats to business : African creative industries and the re-emergence of Commonwealth trade relations
Madichie, Nnamdi O.; Mathibe, Motshedisi Sina; Dangazele, Nobulali (Routledge, 2026)
The rise of Afrobeats and Amapiano is more than a trend; it represents Africa’s strategic entry into the global creative economy, connecting urban African stories with global audiences and offering high cultural and commercial value. This article explores the creative industries in three Commonwealth countries in the Global South - Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa - highlighting their growing cultural and economic significance. Often overlooked in the literature, African music is gaining global traction through genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano. The United Kingdom, with its sizable African diaspora and platforms such as BBC 1Xtra and Boiler Room, serves as a gateway for African music. Enhanced cultural diplomacy - via trade missions, artist exchanges and Commonwealth ties - can amplify this momentum. However, equitable participation across Africa requires overcoming challenges such as industry fragmentation, under-investment and weak branding which remain roadblocks that need navigating.
Hybrid work and HRM practice in a global south context : a job demands-resources perspective
Doargajudhur, Melina; Lichy, Jessica; Hardin-Ramanan, Sarita; Brodie, Jacqueline; Huzooree, Geshwaree; Dutot, Vincent; Hosanoo, Zuberia (Emerald, 2026)
PURPOSE : This study explores how hybrid work is implemented and experienced in a Global South (GS) context, with a focus on Mauritius, a small island developing state (SIDS) where remote work was virtually non-existent before the COVID-19 pandemic. It investigates how hybrid arrangements reshape job demands, resources and employee outcomes. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and a practice-oriented lens on Human Resource Management (HRM), the study examines hybrid work through two focus groups comprising professionals from 14 organisations across IT, finance, education and creative industries. Thematic analysis was used to identify key patterns in the data. FINDINGS : Four interrelated themes emerged: technological enablers of performance, autonomy and flexibility, tensions in virtual collaboration and inequalities in hybrid work. The findings reveal how job resources such as autonomy, digital infrastructure and supportive leadership buffer demands such as technostress, role ambiguity and over-monitoring. Human resource (HR) professionals play a key role in mediating these dynamics through both formal and informal practices. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : The study has limitations due to the focus on professionals in Mauritius, a SIDS, which limits the generalisability of its findings to other GS contexts with varying technological and cultural landscapes. The qualitative design, relying on a limited number of focus groups, further restricts the breadth and empirical generalisability of the insights. Additionally, the reliance on self-reported data, particularly from managerial-level participants, introduces a potential for social desirability bias. Finally, the exclusive theoretical grounding in the JD-R model may have inadvertently constrained the emergence of other relevant constructs beyond its framework. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : The study offers actionable insights for HR practitioners and organisational leaders designing hybrid work systems in digitally uneven environments. Emphasis is placed on the need to address equity in access, enhance virtual collaboration and support employee autonomy through tailored HRM practices. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS : The findings highlight that hybrid work exacerbates social inequalities and strains. HR must address the uneven distribution of job demands and resources across demographic lines. Older employees often struggle with digital tools, while younger staff face heightened monitoring and blurred work-life boundaries. The loss of informal connections and spontaneous interactions also risks social isolation and reduces organisational cohesion. Inclusive HRM practices are essential to mitigate these socio-technical divides and ensure sustainable transformation. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : This study extends the JD-R model to an under-researched GS setting and contributes to understanding how hybrid work evolves in contexts lacking a pre-existing culture of remote working, adding depth to theory and informing inclusive practice. A conceptual model is proposed to illustrate how hybrid work experiences are shaped by the interaction between structural enablers, job characteristics and HRM practices.
Strategic alignment perspective on green export strategy and performance : evidence from developing-country exporters
Awuni, Frederick Yinbil; Bempah, Nana Dwomoh Osei; Essuman, Dominic; Anin, Emmanuel Kwabena (Wiley, 2025-12)
Green export strategy is essential for developing-country exporters to meet environmental sustainability demands in foreign markets, but it also has cost and inefficiency implications and could undermine export performance, especially if it does not align with internal and external contextual conditions. This study applies the strategic alignment perspective to detail and clarify these complexities characterizing the green export strategy–performance link. The study's hypotheses are tested on survey data from 260 export manufacturers in Ghana using moderated regression analysis. The findings support the hypothesis that green export strategy enhances export performance, especially in foreign markets where customers prioritize green issues. However, contrary to the study's hypothesis, the findings indicate that a greater condition of export responsiveness weakens the export performance benefit of green export strategy. The article presents the implications of these findings for research and practice, emphasizing the importance of a strategic alignment perspective of green strategies.
Opportunities or threats : impact of digital engagement on marginalized women entrepreneurs
James, Imaobong; Ibukun, Tolulope; Ng, Poh Yen (Wiley, 2026-01)
The paper explores the experiences of social marginalization and discrimination faced by women entrepreneurs, as well as their adoption of digital resources to address these disadvantages. This study employs an interpretive approach; semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 women entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Findings reveal the discrimination and social marginalization faced by women entrepreneurs, which include market restrictions, difficulty to thrive, gendered expectations, sexual advancement, and the “other groups” segregation. The study further highlights how digital engagement helped women entrepreneurs overcome marginalization by expanding their market reach, transforming their businesses and creating supportive networks. However, digitalization and online presence expose them to the risk of fraud and perpetuate gender discrimination in the digital space.
Continental shift : operations and supply chain management research from an African perspective
Essuman, Dominic; Essien, Aniekan; Roehrich, Jens K.; Lam, Hugo K.S.; Schleper, Martin C.; Blome, Constantin (Emerald, 2026-12)
PURPOSE : Africa is attracting growing research interest in operations and supply chain management (OSCM). However, the implications of Africa's contexts are understudied and need to be explored to refine and elaborate existing OSCM theories and concepts or develop new ones. This paper addresses these limitations while introducing IJOPM's Africa Initiative (AfIn), which seeks to provide a platform and support for Africa-based researchers and the broader OSCM community to advance OSCM research on and from Africa. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : This paper draws on multiple streams of literature to disentangle and better understand African contexts and discuss how the continent's idiosyncrasies can enrich OSCM research. It then details the AfIn, including its motivation and objectives, the review process, and support mechanisms for researchers. FINDINGS : The paper sheds light on seven contextual factors that may influence OSCM research in Africa: (1) informal economy and organizations, (2) socio-cultural diversity and complexity, (3) traditional and survival-oriented cultures, (4) weak formal institutions with strong informal institutions, (5) population growth potential, (6) abundant resources with low outcomes and (7) high environmental constraints. Additionally, the paper provides insights into how these contextual factors underpin five OSCM themes through which future research can advance and shape OSCM theory and practice. These themes include: (1) serving consumer markets, (2) managing resources, (3) managing factor market rivalry, (4) managing environmental hostility and (5) managing institutions. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : The paper provides a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of Africa's contextual idiosyncrasies and their implications for OSCM theory and practice. In doing so, it reveals intriguing, yet underexplored, OSCM phenomena about the continent while laying out actionable pathways through which research using African data can make novel theoretical contributions.

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