Using data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey 2016 in Cameroon, we examine the moderation effect of loans as a benefit of networks on the relationship between financial constraints and export performance for SMEs in Cameroon using regression analysis. Our results show that financial constraints negatively affect export performance. The moderation effect was significant but negative, which means the benefit of networks (loans) was not enough to offset the negative effect of financial constraints on export performance. Our research provides some policy and managerial implications to help SME exporting in Cameroon.

Purpose Access to finance and corruption are two major institutional obstacles hindering firm innovation in Africa whose implication on the fit between managerial characteristics and firm innovation has not been examined. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether firms may want to hire managers with a good fit when faced with institutional constraints and the authors suggest managerial level of education and experience within an industry could play a vital role in helping such firms innovate. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data was obtained from the World Bank Enterprise Survey on 17 African countries and a series of hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to achieve the aim of the research. Findings The findings show that while managers with primary and secondary education had a negative relationship with firm innovation (product and process), managers with a university degree had a positive relationship. This relationship was also confirmed when the authors’ split the full sample into two sub-samples (the firms that are institutionally constrained by access to finance and corruption) and therefore confirm the institutional implications of managers fit for firm’s innovation. Originality/value While research on the effect of management characteristics on firm innovation has focused more on large firms and mostly from developed economies testing both direct and mediation effects, little research exists as to whether the institutional obstacles faced by small firms could influence the type of managers required to drive their innovation.

The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between a firm starting operation informally and its future innovation and whether this relation is moderated by institutional support (having access to finance from financial institutions to run their business). Data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey on 30 Eastern European and Central Asian countries were analysed using probit regression analysis. The findings show that there is a positive significant relationship between firms that start operation informally and the firm's innovation and that such effect persists overtime. The study found that this relationship is stronger if the firms can gain access to finance to expand their business activities. Finally, the results show that such a relationship is based on the type of innovation being pursued by the firms. By examining the moderation effect of access to finance on starting a business informally, the study provides an alternative explanation to policymakers on how to deal with informal firms to benefit from their contribution to growth.

Purpose Africa is becoming the fastest-growing continent despite significant challenges to accessing finance and the use of technology. This paper aims to examine the direct effect of mobile money adoption on firm performance and its moderation effect by examining how it moderates the effect of access to finance on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative data were obtained from the World Bank Enterprise Survey for Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were done to test the hypotheses. Findings The main findings show a negative significant relationship between mobile money adoption and firm performance, while access to finance had a positive relationship. The moderation effect though positive was not significant. Research examining the effect of mobile money adoption in Africa on firm performance is limited, and existing studies have focused on the determinants of mobile money usage. By examining the direct and contingency effect on other determinants of firm performance, this research makes both theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, this research shows that not all strategic resources are valuable in improving firm performance. Practically, this research provides insights into how technology could be embedded into business processes for firms to benefit from such technology. Originality/value This research has complemented by the extant literature by assessing the role of mobile money adoption in moderating the influence of access to finance on firm performance.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess the interaction effect of government non-financial support and firms' regulatory compliance on firms' innovativeness. Firms' regulatory compliance with environmental and safety issues has been suggested as one of the reasons why firms innovate. Such compliance provides legitimacy, improves reputation and corporate image, and enhances customer loyalty and competitive advantages, which influence firm innovativeness. However, regulatory compliance is costly and with limited resources, the role of government support is crucial as a moderator, to help firms become more compliant and influence their innovativeness.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses data from the World Bank Enterprise Innovation Survey for seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.FindingsRegulatory compliance has a positive and significant effect on firm innovativeness. Increased use of government non-financial support enhances the level of firm regulatory compliance and the effect of regulatory compliance on firm innovativeness.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature on compliance and firm innovativeness in Africa by showing how the positive effect of regulatory compliance on firm innovativeness is stronger when firms benefit from government non-financial support.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between a firm starting operation informally and its future innovation and whether this relation is moderated by institutional support (having access to finance from financial institutions to run their business). Data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey on 30 Eastern European and South-East Asian countries were analysed using probit regression analysis. The findings show that there is a positive significant relationship between firms that start operations informally and the firms’ innovation and that such effect persists over time. We found that this relationship is stronger if the firms can gain access to finance to expand their business activities. Finally, our result shows that such a relationship is based on the type of innovation being pursued by the firm. By examining the moderation effect of access to finance on starting a business informally, we provide an alternative explanation to policymakers on how to deal with informal firms to benefit from their contribution to growth.

Existing studies on the effect of open innovation (OI) has been contradictory due to empirical and theoretical reasons. Empirically, aside from the dearth of studies on Africa, prior studies have focused on different contexts and different operationalisation of OI. Theoretically, there are contingent factors that could moderate this relationship that has not been given due consideration in existing research. This research, therefore, examines the moderation effects of power outages, corruption and informal competition on the relationship between OI and firm performance in Africa. To this end, we draw on country-level data for 43 African countries from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) to test our hypotheses. The findings suggest a high level of power outages and corruption weakens the effect of foreign licence technology on firm performance and the effect of informal competition was negative but not significant. The above result contributes to the existing literature by developing and testing a framework that examines how the effect of FLT on firm performance could be contingent on some institutional factors and doing so in a context (Africa) where existing studies are limited though highly needed.

The tourism and hospitality sector in Cameroon suffers from a lack of specific government policies for the development of the sector. However, different ministries are developing policies, which have implications for the performance of businesses in the hospitality sector. Nevertheless, little is known about the awareness and usage of policies by women owner-managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the hospitality sector and how usage leads to benefits or challenges for their businesses. This chapter examines this knowledge gap. Through a content analysis of data on fifteen case studies of women-owned SMEs in Cameroon, from the UK Data Archive. The findings suggest that even though some women entrepreneurs were aware of existing directives, not all are using them and for those using them, the benefits have been disproportionate. The reason for the lack of awareness and usage of policies are discussed. This research contributes to the institutional perspective by explaining how institutions could create an enabling environment and a framework that could influence the outcome for businesses in the hospitality sector. Implications to policy and practice and limitations are also discussed.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature on exporting, firm performance, and managerial networking to develop and test a conceptual framework. The framework explores the moderating effect of managerial networking on the export barrier –export performance relationship of small and medium-size (SMEs) cocoa exporters in Cameroon. Moreover, the paper explores the mechanisms through which such effect occur. Design/methodology/approach – To test the framework, a mixed-method approach is used. The quantitative analysis involved 101 SME cocoa exporters using data collected through snowball sampling. The qualitative data involves an interview of 12 managers of SME cocoa exporters who also took part in the quantitative study. Findings - The findings suggest the moderating effect of managerial networking was not significant and results from the interview suggest networking represents an export barrier. It also shows that export barriers have a positive effect on export performance for SME cocoa exporters. These findings are being supported with evidence from the interview of respondents by uncovering some unethical practices within the cocoa sector. Originality/value – Research suggests a mixed result on the effect of export barriers on export performance and the need to explore factors that could moderate or mediate such relationship. With most prominent studies dominated by pure quantitative studies from the West and the need for empirical studies from developing economies, this paper response by adopting a mixed-method approach to explore the moderating effect of managerial networking on the export barrier – export performance relationship for SME cocoa exporters in Cameroon. The paper also examines the mechanisms through which such effect occur which suggest some unethical practices within the cocoa sector.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of the direct and indirect effects (through country and firm's specific advantages) of government policies for export promotion (GPEP) on the export performance of small and medium-size enterprise (SME) Cocoa exporters in Cameroon. Design/methodology/approach To test the proposed model, data were obtained through self-administered questionnaires using snowball sampling technique to 101 SME Cocoa exporters. This was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques to examine both the direct and indirect effects of GPEP on the export performance of SME Cocoa exporters in the South and Centre Regions of Cameroon. Findings The findings suggest that GPEP had both direct and indirect effects on the export performance of SME Cocoa exporters. Direct effect was on the usage of GPEP which reduces operating cost and increase performance. The indirect effects were through the provision of country and firms specific advantages. However, the only significant path was through the provision of export marketing information. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to one country, one sector, and two regions and does not take into consideration other factors that may influence the effect of GPEP, country, and firms specific advantages on export performance. Moreover, the non-significant paths should be interpreted with caution and further testing required in a different context. Practical implications Empirical findings are relevant for the government and SME Cocoa exporters. It informs the government about the effectiveness of GPEP and the need to disseminate marketing information using every possible medium best understood by the SMEs. It suggests an opportunity for engagement of both SMEs and government authorities in accessing the outcome of GPEP which will increase transparency, awareness, usage, and export performance. Originality/value The research has successfully developed and tested a model for analyzing the direct and indirect effects of GPEP on export performance based on the resource-based view and SEM in a context where there is a call for more empirical and theoretical work on export performance due to limited studies. The framework reveals positive effects of GPEP, country, and firms' specific advantages as determinants of export performance.

The research examines the effectiveness of the Cameroonian government policies for export promotion on export performance of SMEs in Cocoa production in the South West and Centre Regions of the Cameroon which are the major production centres. The theoretical contribution of the research is divided into two parts. The first consists of the robustness of existing theory using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model. The second constructs a structural equation model (SEM) based on the testing of the CFA model to test the effectiveness of government policies for export promotion on export performance. 101 questionnaires were collected through snowball sampling and analysed using SEM. The findings on the robustness of existing theories (resource-based view) are that government policies represent an external resource that enables SMEs to overcome the barriers to exporting and improve export performance through the provision country and firms specific advantages. The findings on SEM are that government policies have positive effects on export performance both directly and indirectly through Country and firms specific advantages. However, the positive and significant effects were through the provision of export marketing information. As a result of the analysis, normative policy recommendations are made on the government to improving access and usage of these policies and for SMEs to make concerted efforts in accessing information. The discussion of the reliability and validity of the research, its limitations, and implications for future studies, the theoretical underpinnings of the CFA and SEM models are carefully examined.

A conceptual framework is developed for studying the impact of government policies on the performance of SME cocoa exporters in cocoa-producing African economies. The framework builds on the literature discussing the relationship between government policy and the international activities of exporting SMEs. The proposed framework consists of nine propositions/hypotheses about the direct and indirect effects of government policies on the export performance. In conclusion, measures that can be used to collect and analysis data as a way of testing the hypotheses are discussed.