Open Journal of Business and Management 

About: Open Journal of Business and Management is an academic journal published by Scientific Research Publishing. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Computer science & Population. It has an ISSN identifier of 2329-3284. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 962 publications have been published receiving 3230 citations. The journal is also known as: OJBM.

The Impact of Brand Image on Consumer Behavior: A Literature Review

Abstract: The concept “brand image” has drawn significant attention from academics and practitioners since it was put forward, because it played an important role in marketing activities Although brand image was recognized as the driving force of brand asset and brand performance, few studies have elaborated on the relationship between brand image and brand equity Based on the brand image theories, this study reviewed extant studies about the impact of brand image on consumer from perspective of customer equity It also presented the shortcomings of current research and pointed out the trends for future study

Gender Differences in Technology Usage—A Literature Review

Abstract: The usage of Information Technology has expanded dramatically in today’s homes, business organizations and Government departments Technology has become an inevitable part of human life. Researchers have come up with various models and theories to investigate factors that influence the extent to which humans use computers and its applications. Unified Theory of Adoption and Use of Technology (UTAUT) is the latest model which has been conceived to understand the nature of technology usage and has been applied in various domains like education, banking, health care etc. Gender has been attributed as a significant variable in explaining the technology acceptance behaviour of humans. The objective of this study is to review the existing literature on the technology usage and intention to use technology from the gender perspective. It has been observed from the review that in few contexts, gender plays a significant role in determining the intention of accepting new technology and there are cases where gender differences cannot be discerned.

A Framework for Stakeholder Identification and Classification in Construction Projects

Abstract: Current construction is implemented in highly demanding and complex built environments where projects are executed by coalitions of multiple stakeholders that have divergent interests, objectives, and socio-cultural backgrounds. These projects face challenges in not only identifying and managing stakeholders but also satisfying their requirements. This paper introduces a framework that is developed to assist project managers in facilitating stakeholder management and requirement engineering, especially in the project initiation phase. The framework optimizes the value creation of the project through stakeholder identification, classification, and requirement engineering. The framework is also applied in two construction projects.

Good Corporate Governance Structures: A Must for Family Businesses

Abstract: Corporate governance refers to the structures and processes for the direction and control of businesses and the relationships among the management, board of directors, controlling shareholders, minority shareholders and other stakeholders. Since good corporate governance contributes to sustainable economic development by enhancing the performance of companies, it is imperative that companies adopts good corporate governance structures to enable them grow. Family businesses are an often overlooked form of business ownership in today’s world, yet they constitute a majority of the businesses. This means that families own a significant share of businesses and can influence important decisions in today’s business world. However, according to Neubauer and Lank, until recently, the study of corporate governance in family business has been a largely neglected area of research [1]. As family businesses are an important component of every economy and play a critical role in promoting growth of a country’s economy, as they grow, they face same challenges and pressures as any major corporation. To succeed, they must remain ahead of the competition, adopt good corporate governance practices and skillfully navigate through market changes. This paper is an empirical study from the current authors’ previous work on the topic “Corporate Governances in Ghanaian Family Businesses: A Conceptual Framework” [2]. It examines the state of corporate governance environment and the nature of the governance system employed by family businesses using Ghanaian family businesses as a case study. The paper underlines why it is important for family businesses to adopt good corporate governance structures and attempts to understand the point of view from the subjects’ perspective, due to the complex social situations that exist in the family businesses.

Bridging the SME Financing Gap in Ghana: The Role of Microfinance Institutions

Abstract: Financing Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to achieve the desirable growth and expansion has been topical for governments, policymakers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), financial and non-financial institutions. The recent upsurge in the interest of finding ways of bridging the financing gap faced by SMEs by these stakeholders have been necessitated by the enormous contributions of SMEs to the economic development and growth of countries in areas of job creation, GDP and entrepreneurial skill development. This research therefore sought to access the role of one of the stakeholders, microfinance institutions (MFIs) in helping to bridge the financing gap faced by SMEs in Ghana. The research established that there was indeed the existence of SME financing gap in the country as most of them were denied access to credit by commercial banks and other financial institutions. The research revealed that the operations of microfinance institutions (MFIs) are having positive impact on SMEs. The study also revealed some risk mitigation tools used by MFIs in granting loans to SMEs which included provision of collateral security in the form of land or any other valuable asset, business records, credit history among others. The research concluded with some recommendations on how the SME financing gap can further be bridged by MFIs and other stakeholders which included provision of support services to SMEs by MFIs such as training services in credit management as well as the need for MFIs to improve service delivery such as faster loan approval times.