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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the pressures to adhere to sustainability practices in an oil company in Sudan and its response to these pressures. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study research was conducted through interviews with the case company’s managers and various external stakeholders. The interviews were complemented by several informal conversations, observations and documentary materials. Findings – There were external and internal pressures exerted on the company to adopt sustainability practices. However, the coercive pressures did not necessarily bring about a real change in the organisation. The forces of change were mainly the foreign partner’s audit pressure and the non-governmental organisation (NGO) allegations, which were given serious attention, due to the importance of reputation as an asset to the company. Practical implications – Clear regulatory frameworks, more direct engagement with NGOs and meeting the expectations of the local communities were considered as crucial factors to ensure there is a pathway for sustainability in the oil and gas industry of developing countries. Originality/value – Most previous studies on the motivation for corporate sustainability practices focussed on external pressures. This study examined the specific types of stakeholders’ group, among the internal and external stakeholders, that has most influence on the organisation’s sustainability practices, in the context of a developing country with weak regulatory governance.

The objective of this study is to examine the role of strategic capabilities in achieving academic performance in Sudanese private universities. Based on a literature search, an accurate questionnaire was used to collect the needed data.198 questionnaires were collected from Sudanese private universities using the two-stage cluster sampling. For data analysis, multiple regression model was conducted. The findings indicated that the constructs of strategic capabilities including human resources and physical resources are significantly and positively associated with performance. The research concluded that strategic capabilities are the factors of achieving academic performance in private universities in Sudanese context. Moreover, there are a few studies in such field, and there are only few empirical studies that have examined resources’ characteristics. This research will expand the body of knowledge of both scholars and practitioners in the area of strategic responses among private universities establishments, as well as identify areas that could be further studied.

This paper aims to understand the challenges of performance measurement implementation in higher education sector in Sudan. A qualitative case study approach is used in this study in which 23 semi-structured interviews with both internal and external administrators and directors were conducted. Documentary materials and observations are also employed to support the data generated from the interviews. The case findings reveal that several performance measurement practices in the University are adopted in a ceremonial way, which are driven by external pressure. An absence of clear strategies and plans to translate its mission and vision into workable programmes, the resistance to changes in an already established system of administration, insufficient governmental funding, and the lack of competent personnel in the field of quality and self-evaluation are the major challenges of performance measurement in the case University. Hence, the management of the University should work more closely with the concerned governmental authorities to control and overcome these challenges for successful implementation of performance measurement systems.

Oil and gas industry has been considered as one of the leading industries in supporting corporate social responsibility (CSR), however, this industry is also known for being big emitters and polluters of the environment. Oil and gas industry in Sudan is of no exception of their counterparts around the world. This paper aims to investigate whether the regulatory frameworks in Sudan might drive oil and gas companies to be environmentally and socially responsible. The main findings of the paper are as follows. The legal frameworks in this area are not updated and many emerging items needed to be covered, such as those pertaining to environmental issues resulting from offshore exploration(s). Moreover, there is a lack of coordination and cooperation between the concerned governmental institutions that might be due to the confusions over their respective responsibilities. These institutions are under-employed and lack the capacity building to perform their responsibilities effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, there is a limited participation of the local community in the decision making process of petroleum development in Sudan. Finally, it was found that the big sizes of the concession blocks in Sudan make it difficult for the authorities to control and monitor the operations of the companies in terms of their effects to the environment and the local community.