Sustainability and global value chains in Africa: Introduction to the Special Issue

IF 1.2 Q4 MANAGEMENT

Africa Journal of Management Pub Date : 2022-01-02 DOI:10.1080/23322373.2021.2018220

Joerg S. Hofstetter, A. McGahan, B. Silverman, B. Zoogah

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引用次数: 3

Abstract

ABSTRACT The challenges and opportunities facing African organizations reflect a long history of tensions, tragedies, triumphs, and accomplishments in relationships across continental boundaries. For example, Africa has long been a source of critical minerals and other raw materials that are integral to a wide range of global industries, but scholars of management have not integrated an understanding of Africa's role in global commerce fully in research on international exchange. Perhaps most importantly, scholarship in the field of management has not addressed the extensive opportunities for the development of innovative ideas, capabilities, capacities, inventions, and breakthroughs that would be made possible by international investments in human development and human capital on the continent. Resolving African problems and pursuing African opportunity requires renewed commitment by management scholars to this agenda. In this introductory article, we focus particularly on the structure of relationships across continental boundaries through global value chains (GVCs) and the role political and corporate sustainability conversations and initiatives play. We also seek to explore their implications especially for African organizations that simultaneously pursue economic growth and constructive social and environmental impact. We conclude with a framework for further study by management scholars on these important issues.

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非洲的可持续性和全球价值链：特刊简介

摘要非洲组织面临的挑战和机遇反映了长期以来在跨大陆关系中的紧张、悲剧、胜利和成就。例如，非洲长期以来一直是重要矿产和其他原材料的来源地，这些矿产和原材料是广泛的全球产业不可或缺的一部分，但管理学学者尚未将对非洲在全球商业中作用的理解完全纳入国际交流研究中。也许最重要的是，管理领域的学术研究并没有解决非洲大陆人力发展和人力资本方面的国际投资可能带来的创新思想、能力、能力、发明和突破的广泛发展机会。解决非洲问题和寻求非洲机遇需要管理学者重新致力于这一议程。在这篇介绍性文章中，我们特别关注通过全球价值链（GVC）跨越大陆边界的关系结构，以及政治和企业可持续性对话和倡议所发挥的作用。我们还寻求探讨它们的影响，特别是对同时追求经济增长和建设性社会和环境影响的非洲组织的影响。最后，我们提出了一个框架，供管理学者进一步研究这些重要问题。

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来源期刊

Africa Journal of Management Business, Management and Accounting-Business and International Management

CiteScore

2.80

自引率

15.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： The beginning of the Twenty First Century has witnessed Africa’s rise and progress as one of the fastest growing and most promising regions of the world. At the same time, serious challenges remain. To sustain and speed up momentum, avoid reversal, and deal effectively with emerging challenges and opportunities, Africa needs better management scholarship, education and practice. The purpose of the Africa Journal of Management (AJOM) is to advance management theory, research, education, practice and service in Africa by promoting the production and dissemination of high quality and relevant manuscripts. AJOM is committed to publishing original, rigorous, scholarly empirical and theoretical research papers, which demonstrate clear understanding of the management literature and draw on Africa’s local indigenous knowledge, wisdom and current realities. As the first scholarly journal of the Africa Academy of Management (AFAM), AJOM gives voice to all those who are committed to advancing management scholarship, education and practice in or about Africa, for the benefit of all of Africa. AJOM welcomes manuscripts that develop, test, replicate or validate management theories, tools and methods with Africa as the starting point. The journal is open to a wide range of quality, evidence-based methodological approaches and methods that “link” “Western” management theories with Africa’s indigenous knowledge systems, methods and practice. We are particularly interested in manuscripts which address Africa’s most important development needs, challenges and opportunities as well as the big management questions of the day. We are interested in research papers which address issues of ethical conduct in different African settings.