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This article reports a comparative study of the key motives underlying corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of foreign and local firms operating in Ghana and the societal as well as business outcomes of these practices. The results show that while the CSR decisions of foreign firms are mainly guided by legal prescriptions, those of their local counterparts are guided mostly by discretionary and social considerations. The socially oriented CSR practices of the local firms are consistent with cultural expectations in Ghana that those with extra resources should support the less privileged members of the society. But the difference in the degree of importance that the two groups of firms attach to discretionary motives for their CSR practices is not statistically significant. The article also discusses the policy, strategy, and research implications of the findings. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Purpose -The paper aims at identifying the knowledge gaps in the existing African leadership studies and argues in support of further research in the field with a view to establishing the link between African culture and leadership practices and their implications for economic growth on the continent. Design/methodology/approach -It reviews the mainstream perspectives in leadership literature in general and African leadership literature in particular as a basis for the development of an integrated goal-behaviour-performance model. Findings -Previous studies have seen African culture as either defining the uniqueness of leadership on the continent or constraining leadership development. The paper suggests the presence of both types of impact on leadership. It also offers a conceptual framework that integrates the different perspectives on the relationship between culture, leadership and organizational performance. Research limitations/implications -The paper is based mainly on limited empirical investigations into leadership styles and functions in Africa. The scarcity of studies in the field therefore imposes limitations on the generalizability of some of the arguments. Practical implications -The paper encourages research in the field and provides some propositions to guide future empirical investigations. Ideas generated in the paper will guide organizational development strategies and poverty alleviation policies in Africa. Originality/value -It is one of the recent attempts to synthesize existing perspectives on leadership behaviour in Africa and its implications for economic growth and poverty alleviation.

The work of Jaworski and Kohli (1993) has inspired a substantial body of literature on market orientation, but most replications of their original framework have been in developed countries. This article reports the results of a Ghanaian study that revisits Jaworski and Kohli's framework, and the authors compare the findings with a similar study that was conducted in the Ivory Coast. The authors provide evidence in support of the robustness of the framework and draw attention to the possible variations in the interpretation of the constituent constructs in the original framework. The variations are attributable to cultural differences that affect management practices in different societies.