5th Biennial Conference of the Africa Academy of Management
Hosted by: Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Nigeria
January 8-11, 2020
(Includes pre-conference sessions, conference activities, and excursions)
Conference Theme
Globalization, Pan Africanism, and the African Business Climate
KEY DATES
Paper and PDW/Symposia/Caucus Submission: 30th January to 31st May 2019
Notification of Acceptances: 1st – 30th July 2019
Conference Registration Deadline: 15th October 2019
We are pleased to announce that the fifth biennial conference of the African Academy of Management (AFAM) will take place from January 8-11, 2020 at Lagos Business School in Lagos, Nigeria. Our conference theme is designed to look at two aspects of the 'new' emerging business environment in Africa: 1) how external actors invest, relocate, and interact with indigenous African businesses and 2) how internal African businesses move across national boundaries and explore the Pan-African environment.
Our conference theme is meant to encourage dialogue and debate regarding one of the most pressing issues that face the continent: As African economies grow, how are resources and business opportunities best and shepherded for the benefit of Africans in a way that facilitates sustainability and access to life for citizens? What is the role of foreign direct investment, regional trade associations, and regulatory frameworks in ensuring and maximizing resources? How can the public and not-for-profit 'third sector' help to manage and to benefit from the inevitable challenges and changes? What are the responsibilities of investors, both those in Africa and those from outside Africa, in ensuring a sustainable and healthy environmental footprint in African businesses and economies?
Our location, Lagos, Nigeria, is ideal for exploring these issues. Nigeria is not only the largest economy in Africa but also the largest oil producer in Africa, the 11th largest in the world, and has a long history of FDI. As new oil deposits continue to be discovered throughout the continent, we may ask ourselves if oil (and the other critical resources so prevalent in Africa) are a cure or a curse? How might African countries rich in natural resources best manage this wealth for the benefit of their populations?
Prospective contributors are encouraged to submit conceptual or empirical papers, symposia and professional development workshops that explore the issues relevant to the conference theme and beyond. Topics relevant to the theme include, but are not limited to the following:
- How can foreign direct investment be best managed in the African context?
- How can African regional actors compete with international firms?
- How can local firms be encouraged to globalize, and/or expand across the African continent?
- What frameworks might be employed to manage natural resources on the continent?
- What formal institutional factors facilitate or impede the creation of African organizations that can compete in the global economy?
- How might resources be better managed for the benefit of Africans?
- How might entrepreneurship be promoted to encourage indigenous resource development?
- What are effective incentives and frameworks for CSR and social entrepreneurship?
- What strategies should African businesses implement in their local markets to enable them to prosper both at home and in the competitive global environment?
- What factors could facilitate (or impede) the emergence of African multinationals?
- What is the role of African indigenous knowledge systems in contributing to management theory development?
- To what extent can informal institutional factors, such as culture, , and the role of the extended family system facilitate or impede the creation of entrepreneurial businesses in Africa?
- What human resources management practices can facilitate the creation of high-performing organizations?
Submission Tracks
Track 1: Entrepreneurship and Small Business Chair: Brett Anitra Gilbert, American University, USA (bgilbert@american.edu)
The entrepreneurship and SME track welcomes both empirical and conceptual papers examining issues relating to emergence, growth, and sustainability in both entrepreneurial, family, and small business research in Africa and a comparative analysis of the African context with other parts of the world.
Track 2: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management Chair: Bella Galperin, University of Tampa, USA (bgalperin@ut.edu)
This track welcomes conceptual and empirical papers including all aspects of both organizational behavior and human resource management, preferably in an African context, and a comparative analysis of the African contexts with other parts of the world.
Track 3: Public Policy, Administration and Non-Governmental Organizations Chair: Jean Kabongo, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, USA (jkabongo@sar.usf.edu)
This track encourages conceptual and empirical papers that investigate any aspect of public and non-governmental organizations. The papers may address topics related to any of the following: public governance; public service quality including health administration and management; public management; E-government; public administration and policy; educational leadership; non-governmental organizations; stakeholder engagement; and public-private partnerships. 3
Track 4: Strategy and International Management Chairs: Tahiru Liedong, University of Bath, UK (T.A.Liedong@bath.ac.uk)
The Strategy and International Management track conceptual and empirical papers that focus on all areas of strategy and international management in an African context both in the private and public sector; and a comparative analysis of the African environment with other contexts of the world. Papers focusing on supply chain management and technology strategy should also be submitted to this track.
Track 5: Social Issues in Management Chair: Augustine Lado, Clarkson University, USA (Alado@clarkson.edu)
The Social Issues in management track explores the extent to which management research can be used to address social issues, such as poverty, healthcare, armed conflict, disputes, sustainable development, and child labor in the African context. This track examines how management can play an important role in helping to address these issues. We also examine how social issues can integrate the management of 'unrealistic' expectations from different social groups including unions, students and teachers.
Track 6: Sustainability and Green Management Chair: Chris Ogbechie, Lagos Business School, Nigeria (cogbechie@lbs.edu.ng)
The Sustainability and Green Management track welcomes conceptual and empirical papers that focus on all areas of sustainability – economic, social, and environmental – in an African context both in the private and public sector. Studies that compare the African context with other contexts of the world are also welcome.
Track 7: PDW/Caucus/Symposia Chair: Hamid Kazeroony, Walden University, USA (hamid.kazeroony@mail.waldenu.edu)
Entries can be either a proposal for a structured discussion on a topic of common or for a workshop. Proposals should be aimed at helping fellow attendees by providing a forum through which they can each other. PDW sessions will not appear in the proceedings. Submissions should describe the activities, goals and time/equipment required.
Track 8: Management Practice
Chair: Olayinka David-West, Lagos Business School, Nigeria (ydavid-west@lbs.edu.ng)
This track welcomes papers that focus on the intersection of research and practice, practitioner engagement with organizations, and management consulting. Studies that focus on issues of interest to practitioners in management in the African context, and between the African and other environments are also welcome.
Track 9: Doctoral Consortium & Junior Faculty Consortium Chairs: Hermann Ndofor, Indiana University, USA (hndofor@iu.edu;
Amanuel Tekleab, Wayne State University ( atekleab@wayne.edu)
These consortia are designed to provide ideas, tools, and strategies to be successful by drawing upon the experiences of senior faculty colleagues. Research in the early stages of development will also be considered to assist members in improving their works for publication. Sessions will be structured as roundtable discussions to facilitate additional development and coaching. This is an excellent way for doctoral students to become involved in AFAM. These sessions will not appear in the proceedings. Queries about the consortium should be sent to Hermann Ndofor (hndofor@iu.edu) or application Amanuel Tekleab (atekleab@wayne.edu). 4
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Proceedings Editor(s): Sam Aryee, University of Surrey, UK (s.aryee@surrey.ac.uk)
Accepted papers may be published in the Best Paper Proceedings of the Conference. There will be paper award in each track. Winners will receive a certificate and the paper will be highlighted in the conference program. Best papers will also be considered for publication in the Africa Journal of Management (AJOM) subject to the journal's blind review process.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Please follow these guidelines and formatting instructions to prepare your paper. Please read the instructions with great care before making any submissions.
1. Each paper can only be submitted to ONE track. If a proposed idea does not seem to fit any of the tracks described above, authors should contact the Program Chairs: Benson Honig (bhonig@mcmaster.ca) or Moses Acquaah (acquaah@uncg.edu). Your submission will be directed to the most appropriate track.
3. Submitted papers must NOT have been previously published and if under review, must NOT appear in print before AFAM 2018 Conference.
4. Paper submissions will be blind reviewed; thus, authors should remove all author-identifying information, including from the text, and document properties.
5. The paper (title page, abstract, main text, figures, tables, references, etc.) must be in one document created in a PDF format.
6. The maximum length of a paper must be 40 pages (including tables, appendices references). The paper format should follow the Africa Journal of Management's style guide (APA Style Guide 6th Edition).
7. Use Times New Roman 12-pitch font, double spaced, and 1-inch (2.5 cm) margin all around.
8. Number all the pages of the paper.
9. No changes in the paper title, abstract, authorship, and actual paper can occur after the submission deadline.
10. Check that the PDF File of your paper prints correctly and ensure that the file is virus-free.
11. Submissions will be done on the AFAM 2018 conference website, from 30 to 31 MAY 2019.
12. Only submissions in English shall be accepted for review.
13. Once a submission is accepted, all panelists in a PDW/Caucus and Symposia, and at least one author in each co-authored paper must register for the conference by 15 October 2019. If authors/panelists do not register by the deadline, their submissions will not be included in the Conference Program or Proceedings.
14. RULE OF 3: A participants may be listed as an author or co-author on up to 3 submitted papers.
15. Those submitting work to the conference are expected to serve as reviewers and are invited to register as both an author and reviewer on the conference website.
NOTE: Papers that do not follow these formatting instructions WILL NOT be sent out for review.
If you have questions, you may contact any of the Program Co-Chairs or the Local Organizing Committee (Lagos Business School):
Program Co-Chairs:
Professor Benson Honig (McMaster University/Canada; email: bhonig@mcmaster.ca)
Professor Moses Acquaah ( of North Carolina at Greensboro/USA, e-mail: acquaah@uncg.edu)
Local Organizing Committee (Lagos Business School):
Professor Chris Ogbechie (email: cogbechie@lbs.edu.ng)
Mr. Omotayo Muritala (omuritala@lbs.edu.ng)