How to Do Things With Words

The four Visegrad states — Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia (until 1993 Czechoslovakia) and Hungary — form a compact area between Germany and Austria in the west and the states of the former USSR in the east. They are bounded by the Baltic in the north and the Danube river in the south. They are cut by the Sudeten and Carpathian mountain ranges, which divide Poland off from the other states. Poland is an extension of the North European plain and like the latter is drained by rivers that flow from south to north west — the Oder, the Vlatava and the Elbe, the Vistula and the Bug. The Danube is the great exception, flowing from its source eastward, turning through two 90-degree turns to end up in the Black Sea, forming the barrier and often the political frontier between central Europe and the Balkans. Hungary to the east of the Danube is also an open plain. The region is historically and culturally part of western Europe, but its eastern Marches now represents a vital strategic zone between Germany and the core of the European Union to the west and the Russian zone to the east.

Economy and Society

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

Interpreting qualitative data

Historically, management theory has ignored the constraints imposed by the biophysical (natural) environment. Building upon resource-based theory, this article attempts to fill this void by proposing a natural-resource-based view of the firm—a theory of competitive advantage based upon the firm's relationship to the natural environment. It is composed of three interconnected strategies: pollution prevention, product stewardship, and sustainable development. Propositions are advanced for each of these strategies regarding key resource requirements and their contributions to sustained competitive advantage.

A natural resource-based view of the firm

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges female entrepreneurs face in the development of their business in the context of Nigeria. In so doing, it addresses a gap in the literature on the experiences of female entrepreneurs in a non‐Western context and acknowledges the contribution that women make in this area of work.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on survey data from 274 female entrepreneurs currently engaged in their businesses in three states – Lagos (Nigeria's largest city), Ogun and Oyo within the South West of Nigeria.Findings – Results indicate that female entrepreneurs are generally confident and resourceful and that they enjoy the challenge of entrepreneurial activity. As in the West, they experience difficulties relating to family commitments and access to finance – as well as problems gaining acceptance and accessing networks.Originality/value – It is argued that cultural values specific to the situation mean that these challenges, while common to female e...

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The role of cultural values in understanding the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Nigeria

Purpose – The paper aims to draw on rational choice theory (RCT) to explore factors underpinning the decision by female entrepreneurs in Nigeria to enter self‐employmentDesign/methodology/approach – A survey research design involving the use of questionnaire and structured interviews to obtain primary data was adopted Primary data pertain to 300 female entrepreneurs currently engaged in their businesses in three states within the south‐west of the country A model developed from reviewed literature and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyse dataFindings – Findings suggest the significance of “educational” and “family” capital, an “internal” orientation to social recognition as well as an “external” environment characterised by deregulation of the economy Results broadly conform to RCT theory postulates of rational behaviourResearch limitations/implications – Inter‐regional variances could not be addressed since the data are analysed in aggregate Analysis of disaggregate data a

Motivation to become an entrepreneur: a study of Nigerian women's decisions

Using an exploratory qualitative approach based on in-depth interviews with 38 junior and middle managers, and informed by institutional theory, this article explores how Nigerian managers conceptualise career success. Results indicate that in contrast to some Western-based research, managers prioritise ‘objective’ (e.g. achieving financial stability) over ‘subjective’ (e.g. achieving work–life balance) career outcomes. Results also indicate that the well-applied dichotomy between objective and subjective measures is insufficient to capture the complexities and nuances observed in the Nigeria context. We thus propose four ‘domains’ of career success to include personal and relational dimensions in addition to the subjective/objective criteria. This we argue is a more comprehensive, integrative and contextually sensitive ‘frame’ for the analysis of career outcomes. Our findings suggest that scholars and multinational companies interested in expanding their operations to emerging economies need to incorpora...

Four ‘domains’ of career success: how managers in Nigeria evaluate career outcomes

This study describes an exploratory research of managers' perspective of the concept of work-life balance (WLB) policies and practices in Nigeria. This is done through in-depth case studies of 20 banks in the banking sector. The data set is comprised of responses from 102 middle line managers in the Nigerian banking institutions. A review of the extant literature on WLB initiatives in the banking sector revealed that there is a dearth of knowledge on WLB policies and practices in an African context. In an attempt to fill the gap in the literature, this study examines the range and scope of WLB practices, managers' perception of WLB, and the forces helping or constraining to shape the choices of work life balance practices and policies. The findings reveal that there is diversity in terms of how middle-line managers understand and experience WLB initiatives in Nigeria. Another finding highlights the practice of favoritism in most banks using WLB initiatives. In addition, the study shows that cultural sensitivity affects how WLB is appreciated and utilized. The study suggests some policy implications in the form of support for WLB policies in this context. © 2013 Crown copyright.

An Exploratory Study of Managers' Perspective of Work-Life Balance in Nigeria: A Case Analysis of the Nigerian Banking Sector†

Women's involvement in economic development has been recognized as important especially, in the area
of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship as the centra/force for economic change requires more women to
be involved in its operations. Environmental factors have been identified for having the tendency of
affecting entrepreneurial development. This study is aimed at examining the effect of environmental
factors on women entrepreneurship development (WED) in Lagos State, Nigeria. Primary and secondary
sources were used for the data collection The results revealed that government policy as an
environmental factor has negative correlation with women entrepreneurship development and this affects
other factors. To encourage women's participation in the economic development, the Government should
make policies that will positively enhance the accessibility of women entrepreneurs to the required funds
and other resources.

Chima Mordi

Papers

The role of cultural values in understanding the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Nigeria

Motivation to become an entrepreneur: a study of Nigerian women's decisions

Four ‘domains’ of career success: how managers in Nigeria evaluate career outcomes

An Exploratory Study of Managers' Perspective of Work-Life Balance in Nigeria: A Case Analysis of the Nigerian Banking Sector†

Women Entrepreneurship Development in Nigeria: theEffect of Environmental Factors