Joshua Abor

Bio: Joshua Abor is an academic researcher from University of Ghana. The author has contributed to research in topics: Corporate governance & Debt. The author has an hindex of 36, co-authored 143 publications receiving 6268 citations. Previous affiliations of Joshua Abor include Stellenbosch University.

The role of technology as an absorptive capacity in economic growth in emerging economies: A new approach

Abstract: Studies have shown that the effects of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economic growth have not always been direct, especially in developing regions; certain characteristics must exist in the economy for the effects of FDI to be well absorbed. Therefore, this study sought to assess the economic impact of FDI on economic growth in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, factoring in technology as an absorptive capacity. Because of the scarcity of data on a viable proxy for technology in the African context, we measure technology in a novel approach, using annual number of published innovation-related papers as a proxy for technological presence. Data from forty-three Sub-Saharan countries over a 19-year period (from 1990 to 2008) was analyzed. Using a Fixed Effects (FE) regression model, the study found that FDI had a negative and significant effect on GDP, which is our proxy for economic growth. However, when FDI is interacted with technology, the relationship turns positive and significant. This implies that countries with technological presence are more able to absorb from FDI than those with little technology. Furthermore, the study found that countries with high technology were able to absorb more from FDI than those with low technology.

Financial inclusion and economic growth: What roles do institutions and financial regulation play?

Abstract: The extant literature indicates that financial inclusion has a direct influence on economic growth. This has been examined by previous studies by analysing the link between financial inclusion and economic growth. This study uses the two-step system GMM approach to investigate the moderating role of financial regulation and quality of institutions on the linkage between economic growth and financial inclusion in Africa, using balanced panel data of 52 African countries spanning 2002–2019. The findings reveal a number of things; (i) financial inclusion, financial regulation, and all proxies of institutional quality exert strong and significant effects on economic growth; (ii) institutional quality enhances the impact of financial inclusion on economic growth; iii. Financial regulation dampens the effect of financial inclusion on economic growth. Based on these findings, we recommend the following; (i) central, local governments, and policymakers should formulate public policy that promotes inclusive finance. Such policies should aim at removing barriers and constraints such as excessive customer identification requirements that hinder people from gaining access to finance; (ii) central governments and policymakers in Africa should refine policy that promotes the involvement of the citizenry in governance processes, promote accountability of public institutions, ensure effective governance systems, controls corruption, promote rule of law, and political stability and ensure quality legal and regulatory regimes; (iii) African central governments should fine-tune policy aimed at strengthening institutions and the regulatory framework. By implication, strong, independent, and quality institutions coupled with sound financial regulatory framework is required to spur the growth of African countries.

Harvesting the Business Venture Investment

Abstract: By the end of this chapter, you should be able to: • identify the various techniques involved in harvesting • describe the process involved in going public and how investors can use going public to harvest their investment • explain how investors can harvest their investing through acquisitions • show how management buyout can be used as a form of harvesting • describe how employee stock ownership can be used for harvesting • discuss the factors that influence the investors’ harvesting decisions

Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Abstract: NUDGE: IMPROVING DECISIONS ABOUT HEALTH, WEALTH, AND HAPPINESS by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Penguin Books, 2009, 312 pp, ISBN 978-0-14-311526-7This book is best described formally as a general explanation of and advocacy for libertarian paternalism, a term coined by the authors in earlier publications. Informally, it is about how leaders, systems, organizations, and governments can nudge people to do the things the nudgers want and need done for the betterment of the nudgees, or of society. It is paternalism in the sense that "it is legitimate for choice architects to try to influence people's behavior in order to make their lives longer, healthier, and better", (p. 5) It is libertarian in that "people should be free to do what they like - and to opt out of undesirable arrangements if they want to do so", (p. 5) The built-in possibility of opting out or making a different choice preserves freedom of choice even though people's behavior has been influenced by the nature of the presentation of the information or by the structure of the decisionmaking system. I had never heard of libertarian paternalism before reading this book, and I now find it fascinating.Written for a general audience, this book contains mostly social and behavioral science theory and models, but there is considerable discussion of structure and process that has roots in mathematical and quantitative modeling. One of the main applications of this social system is economic choice in investing, selecting and purchasing products and services, systems of taxes, banking (mortgages, borrowing, savings), and retirement systems. Other quantitative social choice systems discussed include environmental effects, health care plans, gambling, and organ donations. Softer issues that are also subject to a nudge-based approach are marriage, education, eating, drinking, smoking, influence, spread of information, and politics. There is something in this book for everyone.The basis for this libertarian paternalism concept is in the social theory called "science of choice", the study of the design and implementation of influence systems on various kinds of people. The terms Econs and Humans, are used to refer to people with either considerable or little rational decision-making talent, respectively. The various libertarian paternalism concepts and systems presented are tested and compared in light of these two types of people. Two foundational issues that this book has in common with another book, Network of Echoes: Imitation, Innovation and Invisible Leaders, that was also reviewed for this issue of the Journal are that 1 ) there are two modes of thinking (or components of the brain) - an automatic (intuitive) process and a reflective (rational) process and 2) the need for conformity and the desire for imitation are powerful forces in human behavior. …

The Human Side of Enterprise.

Abstract: \"What are your assumptions (implicit as well as explicit) about the most effective way to manage people?\" So began Douglas McGregor in this 1960 management classic. It was a seemingly simple question he asked, yet it led to a fundamental revolution in management. Today, with the rise of the global economy, the information revolution, and the growth of knowledge-driven work, McGregor's simple but provocative question continues to resonate-perhaps more powerfully than ever before. Heralded as one of the most important pieces of management literature ever written, a touchstone for scholars and a handbook for practitioners, The Human Side of Enterprise continues to receive the highest accolades nearly half a century after its initial publication. Influencing such major management gurus such as Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, McGregor's revolutionary Theory Y-which contends that individuals are self-motivated and self-directed-and Theory X-in which employees must be commanded and controlled-has been widely taught in business schools, industrial relations schools, psychology departments, and professional development seminars for over four decades. In this special annotated edition of the worldwide management classic, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Senior Research Scientist in MIT's Sloan School of Management and Engineering Systems Division, shows us how today's leaders have successfully incorporated McGregor's methods into modern management styles and practices. The added quotes and commentary bring the content right into today's debates and business models. Now more than ever, the timeless wisdom of Douglas McGregor can light the path towards a management style that nurtures leadership capability, creates effective teams, ensures internal alignment, achieves high performance, and cultivates an authentic, value-driven workplace--lessons we all need to learn as we make our way in this brave new world of the 21st century.