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Browsing Human Resource Management by Author "Akanji, Babatunde"
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Item The Bleak Nature Of Hrm Practices In Organisational Management Of Casual Labour Employments(Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, 2016) Akanji, BabatundeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the morbid use of numerical labour flexibility with a specific focus on casual labour employment. Scholarly enquiries into labour casualization have often been assessed from a labourmarket flexibility perspective and/or managerial control of labour. In contrast, this research attempts to add to literature by unveiling the experiences facing these organisational cohort from narrative accounts of employees. In doing so, 20 interviews were conducted with casual staffs employed as security guards, cleaners and shelve stackers at one of the Shoprite supermarket subsidiary operating in Nigeria. The findings exposed ebbing HR practices regulating working conditions of these set of workers based on the low skill nature of their job roles. Consequently, practical implications of the study proposes demands for HR managers to reconceptualise HRM best practices that would accommodate and support casual labourers based on the rising need for firms to remain flexible in response to changing market vagaries.Item A case analysis on the adequacy of work-life balance practices in UK small-and medium-sized enterprises(Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie, 2017) Akanji, BabatundeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether work-life balance (WLB) practices are satisfactorily provided in UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the impact of the availability of these work-life policies on turnover intentions. A review of extant literature reveals scarce knowledge in this area of research and this study presents a rudimentary effort to fill this gap.Research Design & Methods: Using qualitative design, the data set comprised of in-depth interviews with thirty-six employees working in small and medium-sized UK convenience stores and supermarkets with less than ninety employees.Findings: Informal nature of human resource management policies emerged from the findings as one of the constraining forces impeding work-life agendas in SMEs and causing low staff retention in UK. Although other themes were found to contribute to retention challenges, however, these additional reasons were not independent, but all considered integrated.Implications & Recommendations: Consequently, the practical implication of devising ways to overcome WLB and retention deficiencies in this context were also explored.Contribution & Value Added: The originality of this work lies in studying the importance of WLB practices to some of these grass root businesses that make up a large proportion of the economy in the UK. As the limitation of this study is that it is wholly qualitative in nature, it is suggested that future research should rely on quantitative designs that provides more internally valid tests via computational techniques.Item A critical discourse analysis of the link between professional culture and organisational culture(Employee Relations: The International Journal, 2020-02) Adisa, Toyin Ajibade; Oruh, Emeka Smart; Akanji, BabatundePurpose – Despite the fundamental role of culture in an organisational setting, little is known of how organisational culture can be sometime determined/influenced by professional culture, particularly in the global south. Using Nigeria as a research focus, this article uses critical discuss analysis to examine the link between professional and organisational culture. Design/Methodology/Approach – This study uses qualitative research approach to establish the significance of professional culture as a determinant of organisational culture among healthcare organisations. Findings – We found that the medical profession, in Nigeria, is replete with professional duties and responsibilities, such as professional values and beliefs, professional rules and regulations, professional ethics, eagerness to fulfil the Hippocratic Oath, professional language, professional symbols, medicine codes of practice, and societal expectations, all of which conflate to form medical professionals’ values, beliefs, assumptions, and the shared perceptions and practices upon which the medical professional culture is strongly built. Thus, making the medical professional culture stronger and more dominant over the healthcare organisational culture. Research Limitations/Implications – The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample of the research. Practical Implications – The primacy of professional culture over organisational culture may have dysfunctional consequences for HRM, as medical practitioners are obliged to stick to medical professional culture over human resources practices. Hence, human resources departments may struggle to cope with the behavioural issues that arise due to the dominant position taken by the medical practitioners. This is because the cultural system (professional culture), which is the configuration of beliefs, perceived values, code of ethics, practices, etc. shared by medical doctors, subverts the operating system. Therefore, in the case of healthcare organisations, HRM should support and enhance the cultural system (the medical professional culture) by offering compatible operating strategies and practices. Originality/Value – This article provides valuable insights into the link between professional culture and organisational culture. It also enriches debates on organisational culture and professional culture. We therefore contend that a strong professional culture can overwhelm and eventually become an organisational culture.Item Empirical Assessment on Financial Regulations and Banking Sector Performance(De Gruyter Open, 2017-09-26) Igbinosa, S.; Sunday, Ogbeide; Akanji, BabatundeThis study examines financial regulation and banking sector performance in Nigeria. Specifically, the study determines the impact of reforms on banking sector performance and also assesses the nexus between capital adequacy and banking sector performance. Time series data for the period 1993 to 2014 was used. As an analytical tool, the study uses unit root test to determine the stationary state of the variables. We also employed the Johansson co-integration and error correction model (ECM) statistical techniques to establish both short-run and long-run dynamic relationships between the endogenous and exogenous variables. The empirical findings indicate that financial regulation significantly impacts the banking sector performance while financial regulation has both short-run and long-run dynamic relationships with the banking sector performance in Nigeria. It was found that the four-period lag of capital adequacy negatively affects banking sector performance and is not statistically significant. The paper suggests that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should continually make public the impacts that the various financial regulations and reforms have on the performance of Nigerian banks. Majority of the policies on financial regulation by the apex bank (CBN) need to be long-run which can enable confidence of stakeholders, shareholders and the general public in the Nigerian banking industry when critically evaluated.Item Executive Remuneration and the Financial Performance of Quoted Firms: The Nigerian Experience(Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, 2016) Ogbeide, Sunday; Akanji, BabatundeThis study examined executive remuneration and firms’ performance in Nigeria. Specifically, the study seeks to ascertain the nexus between executive remuneration, firm size and board size variables and the performance of quoted companies. The population of the study consists of all the quoted firms as at 31st December, 2014. A sample of sixty (60) companies excluding non- financial firms was selected for the period 2013 and 2014. Summary statistics such as descriptive, correlation and granger causality tests were used. Inferential statistics, using panel Generalized Least Square (EGLS) with fixed effect was used for the purpose of empirical validations. This was after the application of diagnostic test to enhance the study. The study ascertained that executive remuneration has a relationship with firm performance, but negatively impacted on it; though was not statistically significant. Firm size was ascertained not to have significant positive relationship with firms’ performance; though it has a causality relationship with the performance of the firms. Board size was found to negatively affect the performance of firms and is statistically not significant. Premised on this, the study suggests that executive remuneration of quote firms should be pegged constantly in a flexible manner. This will enable shareholders known the causality relationship between what is paid to the executive and how that influence performance.Item The experiences of work-life balance, stress, and coping lifestyles of female professionals: insights from a developing country(Journal of Employee Relations: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020-05-06) Akanji, Babatunde; Mordi, Chima; Ajonbadi, Hakeem AdeniyiPurpose – Given the limiting conditions of the gender roles confronting professional working women and drawing on spillover theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of work-life balance with an emphasis on the causes of the imbalances, perceived stress, and coping techniques experienced by female medical doctors in an African context – Nigeria, a geographical location that is considered under-researched. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative data is based on one-to-one in-depth interviews with 52 Nigerian female medical doctors. Findings – Based on the findings of the thematic analysis, it is clear that time squeeze, as a well-known factor in the medical profession, exacerbates negative work-home interference. However, other themes, such as patriarchal proclivities and task-pay disparity, that affect female doctors but are rarely considered in studies on work-life balance also emerged as sources of stress and work-family conflicts, leaving these doctors to devise individual coping methods as mitigating strategies. Research limitations/implications – The study relies on a limited qualitative sample size, which makes the generalisation of findings difficult. However, the study contributes to the limited literature on the implications of stress and work-family incompatibilities facing women in a society that is not particularly egalitarian, with an extremely pronounced culture of masculine hegemony that is contrary to western cultures. The article unveils the socio-cultural difficulties of the work-life demands facing women specific to the Nigerian society and experienced with a different level of intensity. Originality/value – The majority of the research on work-life balance has been undertaken in western countries and has focused on various professional groups and organisations, including the health sector. Nevertheless, work-life balance is a novel concept within the Nigerian work environment, where female medical doctors, as a professional group, are rarely studied. The article also provides valuable insights into the macrocontextual features influencing the work-life balance of Nigerian professional women.Item An exploratory study of work-life balance in Nigeria: Employees’ perspectives of coping with the role conflicts(International Journal of Research Studies in Management, 2013) Akanji, BabatundeUsing a phenomenological methodology, the purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of work-life conflicts (WLC) in Nigeria. Evidently, work-life research is a social concept originating from the western societies but over the years, advanced management and business studies are beginning to emerge showcasing the relevance, significance and challenges of Work-Life Balance (WLB) practices in developing nations. Against this backdrop, 51 in-depth interviews were conducted with employees working in the Nigerian service industry (ie banks, call center, hotel services and insurance firms) about their cultural perceptions and knowledge of work-life balance. Study findings manifested views alleging the prominence of role conflict situations rather than desired expectations of available social incentives for appropriate management of employees’ work and family affairs. This were attributed to the adverse macro environmental conditions entrenched in so many social-economic upheavals found to be plaguing Nigeria as a whole. Thus, the antecedents of these national issues have necessitated personal coping strategies utilized by participants of current study as moderating buffers against role imbalances encountered. Thus, this paper provides a preliminary study that provides an academic platform for further research into circumstances instigating role conflicts in African societies by presenting major impediments detected to hinder workable WLB practices in Nigeria.Item Exploring cultural values in conflict management: a qualitative study of university heads of departments(Emerald : Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, 2021-05-21) Akanji, Babatunde; Mordi, Chima; Ajonbadi, Hakeem; Adekoya, Olatunji, DavidPurpose In seeking to understand the impact of culture on conflict management (CM), extant organisational management research has, for the most part, confined itself to using the one-dimensional collectivism/individualism model of Hofstede's cultural theory. The purpose of this present study is to extend this knowledge area by adopting the more comprehensive analysis of Hofstede's fourfold dimensional typology – power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/femininity – as a conceptual lens to investigate how national culture impacts the interpersonal CM of those in leadership positions in higher education institutions. Specifically, this article explores the extent to which cultural values influence the CM practices of university heads of departments (HODs). Design/methodology/approach Adopting a qualitative approach, 36 interviews were conducted with heads of different departments across a variety of disciplines in selected Nigerian universities. Findings The study's results conceptualise how underlying cultural norms – promoting paternalism, servility and social relations – influence the conflict-handling strategies adopted by university HODs. It consequently emerged from the thematic analysis that in Nigeria, conflict-handling decisions are shaped by status-based dictates, a normative emphasis on communality, masculine hegemony and religious motivation – as opposed to Western cultures, where these benevolent and integrative values play a far smaller role. Research limitations/implications The study focussed on a small group of research subjects. Although the sample is not a sample that enables generalisation, the findings provide theoretical insights into how cultural ascendancy could frame conflict resolutions. This research is especially relevant as it runs in a culture significantly different from the ones that originally were investigated and in which managerial books and mainstream practices emerged and, thus, can contribute to challenge and enhance theory. Originality/value The study seeks to advance knowledge of the interface between culture and CM in a sub-Saharan African context where literature is scarceItem Exporing business management obscurities encountered by female entrepreenuers in Nigeria: Prospecting an agenda for social change(Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Research Center in Public Administration and Public Management, 2016-12) Akanji, BabatundeThe purpose of this study is to examine difficulties facing Nigerian female entrepreneurs in developing their businesses. The paper addresses the gap in literature on the challenges confronting female entrepreneurs in a non-Western context that tends to obscure any meaningful contribution made by women in this area of work. Using a qualitative methodology, a thematic analysis design was used on the data obtained from semi-structured interviews conducted with 30 women engaged in entrepreneurship retail businesses in two states-Lagos and Oyo States located within the South-West regions of Nigeria. The findings revealed cultural biases, lack of acceptance, inadequate literacy as well as the challenges in accessing funding for their ventures as root causes of business failure. The study results further highlights agendas that are perceived solutions for entrepreneurship development in this context. The practical implication of the study is to draw the attention of policy-makers and scholars of genderthemed research of this nature to begin to focus on probing conditions marginalising industrious females wishing to actively participate at the mainstream.Item The Impact of COVID-19 on the Work-Life Balance of Working Mothers: Evidence from Nigerian Academics(Personnel Review - Emerald Publishing Limited, 2022-03) Akanji, Babatunde; Mordi, Chima; Ajonbadi, Hakeem; Adekoya, OlatunjiPurpose – Given the limiting gender role conditions arising from the prevalence of patriarchy in Nigeria and the shift to workers staying at home due to the deadly spread of COVID-19, this article explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work-life balance of professional mothers using the work-home resources model as a conceptual lens. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative data is based on telephone interviews with 28 married female university academics with children. Findings – Our findings reveal that the confinement policies enforced due to the need to combat the spread of COVID-19 and patriarchal norms deeply embedded in the Nigerian culture have exacerbated stress among women, who have needed to perform significantly more housework and childcare demands alongside working remotely than they did prior to the pandemic. The thematic analysis showed a loss of personal resources (e.g. time, energy, and income) resulting in career stagnation, health concerns, and increased male chauvinism due to the abrupt and drastic changes shaping the ‘new normal’ lifestyle. Research limitations/implications – The study relies on a limited qualitative sample size, which makes the generalisation of findings difficult. However, the study contributes to the emerging global discourse on the profound negative consequences of COVID-19 on the lives and livelihoods of millions, with a focus on the stress and work-family challenges confronting women in a society that is not particularly egalitarian – unlike western cultures. Originality/value – The article provides valuable insights on how the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected professional working mothers in the Sub-Saharan African context, where literature is scarce.Item Impact of leadership styles on employee engagement and conflict management practices in Nigerian universities(Issues in Educational Research, 2018-11-04) Akanji, Babatunde; Mordi, Tonbara; Ajonbadi, Hakeem; Mojeed-Sanni, BashirThis study explores how leadership styles impact work engagement and conflict management practices in Nigerian universities. It utilises a qualitative research design, focusing on 40 semi-structured interviews with senior university management staff comprising Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, Bursars, Deans of Faculties and senior nonteaching staff (i.e. chief librarians) of some selected institutions. The findings reveal cultural values shaping the choice of authoritative, transactional and transformational leadership styles were commonly adopted. Results further indicate how Nigerian academic institutions and processes are considered as being overly bureaucratic and transactional. Additionally, some context-specific norms were found to influence leadership functions impacting work engagement and conflict management practices. In summary, the study suggests practice and policy implications that can enhance the direction and development of effective leadership in this context.Item The impact of work-life balance on the commitment and motivation of Nigerian women employees(Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, 2012-03) Nwagbara, Uzoechi; Akanji, BabatundeThis study borders on motivating female employees in Nigerian organisations in order to widen possibilities for business growth, high performance and organisational commitment. It is also about the impacts of work-life balance (WLB) on the commitment and motivation of women employees in Nigeria. Thus, the main thrust of this paper is to articulate how WLB affects these variables: women’s commitment and motivation in bringing about better organisational performance particularly at the turn of the millennium when organisations are in a constant flux of competition and change precipitated largely by the pressures of ascendancy of women’s involvement in work-related activities, the descent of patriarchy and above all postmodernist pressure. The realities of African (Nigerian) patriarchal society have brought about serious challenges for women employees both at home and in organisations causing them to be pressured, which is largely responsible for the nature of motivation and commitment they bring to work. To this end, this paper will be exploring how to enhance (Nigerian) women employees’ motivation to bring about commitment for better organisational performance, given their perceived interests to get paid employment as precipitated by pressures of work-life imbalance as well as postmodernist burden to be part of providing for their families.Item The Nature and Outcomes of Emotion Work in Customer Service Management(Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti Bulletin, Technical Series, 2015-01) Akanji, Babatunde; Mordi, Chima; Taylor, AgnesThe purpose of this paper is to explore views of call centre employees working in Nigeria on the nature and consequences of emotional labour management during customer service interactions. Literature reveals lack of knowledge of this research area in an African context while a significant number of similar studies exist in Anglo-Saxon countries. Thus, this study was conducted in one of the Nigerian call centres. Using a social constructivist paradigm for the research analysis, semi-structured interviews were carried out among 50 Nigerian call centre agents. Findings revealed differences in terms of how affective delivery experiences was conceptualised and also perceived as a predictor of work stress when emotions are excessively regulated. In addition, organisationally-based solutions that can extenuate the negative after-effects of affective delivery that impairs well-being were suggested. In essence, the implication of the study is to unveil how call centre organisations existing in non-Western regions can better target and improve emotion work intrinsic of these frontline jobsItem Occupational Stress: A Review on Conceptualisations, Causes and Cure.(Economic Insights-Trends & Challenges, 2013-09-01) Akanji, BabatundeGiven the complex nature of the concept - occupational stress (also known as work or job stress), it appears a daunting task reaching a unified definition of work stress because of the acknowledged fact that a singular approach may not be able to encompass the breadth of the phenomenon. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to provide a general review of some of the challenges surrounding the conceptuality of occupational stress in literature. Subsequently, the established knowledge regarding the nature and causes of occupational stress were examined in light of the conceptual typology of Murphy (1995) and Michie (2002) that portrays various sources of workplace stress which has been categorized as emanating from the context and content of work. These stress sources are consequentially known to produce dire organisational and extra-organisational outcomes such as low morale, poor performance, career uncertainty, absenteeism, health problems, work-life conflict, turnover and other reverses that undermine competitive objectives of business. As solutions, stress curative measures are discussed to assist managers to understand the significance of providing effective stress management interventions that can enhance employee well-being and organisational productivity.Item Organisational Stress: Theoretical Reflections and Proposed Directions for Management Research and Practice.(Economic Insights-Trends & Challenges, 2015-10) Akanji, BabatundeThis article critiques the diverse theoretical sentiments accentuated in the field of work stress as well as incidences and impact of work stress within an organisational context. Thus, the purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it is to review the organisational factors increasing employee stress and further reflect on the contentious definition of work stress. Some main theoretical models that have been important in the field of stress research are also critically evaluated. Second, this study further focuses on unveiling promising areas of research that scrutinises stress management interventions that is a terrain where paucity of research is found to still exist. Third, this review concludes by presenting important research and practice implications.Item An Organisational Study on the Effects of Intrinsic Customer Service Demands: A Perspective from Emotional Labour Theory(De Gruyter Open, 2016-08-01) Akanji, BabatundeThe purpose of this research is to examine employees’ views on adverse consequences caused by strict compliance to display rules of intrinsic labour demands as against its appropriate necessities within a call centre context. Using an interpretative phenomenological methodology for the study analysis, 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted with telephone agents working in a call centre outlet in Lagos state, Nigeria. Based on the emotional labour theory, enquires were made about general outcomes experienced from conforming to organisational rules of emotional management during customer service encounters. Findings confirmed that the adversarial impact of affective conformity tends to threaten the positive intentions of these mandatory components of service work. Thus, a proposed theoretical model emerged from the study’s interpretive accounts Based on these significant research findings, detailed practical implications were discussed on ways in which call centre businesses operating in a non-Western context can extenuate poor affective deliveries arising from mismanagement of emotional labour.Item Realities of work life balance in Nigeria: perceptions of role conflict and coping beliefs(Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, 2012) Akanji, BabatundeThe purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Work-Life Balance (WLB) practices in a developing nation of Nigeria. Evidently, on the threshold of widened globalization propensities, work-life research is beginning to spread outside the western context. Thus, a qualitative approach was employed by conducting 61 in-depth interviews with Nigerian employees (41 women and 20 men) working in frontline employments in the banking, telecommunications and insurance sectors about their perceptions of WLB. The findings showed that though conflict situations existed more than work-family enrichment, but under different circumstances due to the long legacy of national challenges facing Nigeria. The apparent role conflicts have generated various coping strategies adapted by participants of study to moderate their perceived work-life conflict and this paper seeks to add to the compendium of WLB discourse on a global scale by examining key barriers detected to hinder its workable practices in Nigeria.Item The Relationship between Culture and Corruption in Nigeria-Prospecting Culture Change in Dealing with this' Big Black Hole'.(Romanian Economic Journal, 2017-03) Akanji, BabatundeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the interface between the national culture and the realities of corruption in Nigeria. Drawing from Hofstede’s culture theory, a qualitative design was used as a framework to explore views of 40 Nigerians on the extent to which social norms, traditions, values, and personal orientations interplay with the magnitude of corruption in Nigeria. The findings provided empirical support for uncertainty avoidance values, patriarchy, and collectivist practices as influencing levels of corruption that is adversely affecting the nation’s economy and human development. Further results revealed the need for a pragmatic approach that places more emphasis on functional education that can raise cultural consciousness which will promote accountability, transparency and moral adherence to anti-corruption values. By implication, the findings offers valuable insights that unveils corruption in Nigeria as more cultural than political. It is therefore argued in this paper that eradicating corruption in Nigeria will practically necessitate the need for a culture change, which can be a slow and difficult process, but not an impossible one.Item Reviewing Gaps in Work-Life Research and Prospecting Conceptual Advancement.(Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti Bulletin, Technical Series, 2015-07) Akanji, Babatunde; Mordi, Chima; Ojo, StellaWithin various organisational, behavioural and management studies, work-life balance is still a discursive subject. Focal themes and implications of most research findings on this social concept often discloses the need for working adults to consolidate efforts in finding the right balance between their work and non-work roles while organisations are scrutinised on implementing a variety of work-life practices and policies that can foster workplace well-being. However, gaps in accentuating its meaning, the dominance of role conflict realities and continuous emphasis on negative work-life outcomes still proliferates studies of this nature. Thus, the modest ambition of this paper is to assess trends in research evidencing gaps in work-life literature and what prospects are available to overcome such hiatus in work-life theory, practice and policy development. This review concludes by stimulating scholarly minds on potential collaborative solutions and proactive changes that human resource managers and employees’ alike can capitalise on for a more sustainable and fulfilling enactment of a win-win work-life situation.Item Stock market development and economic growth of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South African (BRICS) Nations: An empirical research(Accounting, 2018) Ogbeide, Sunday; Akanji, BabatundeBRICS connotes five main emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are particularly distinguished as nations experiencing expanded market opportunities and countries discovered to be at stages of newly advanced economic development. This paper assesses the stock market development and economic growth in these BRICS nations. In doing this, quarterly time series data from 1994 to 2014 was sourced from World Bank Indicators. The Panel Generalized method based on the fixed effect estimation was employed to determine how stock market development affects the economic growth of BRICS. Diagnostic tests were conducted to ascertain the robustness and stability of the regression results after carrying out the unit root calculations. The findings reveal that stock market development exerts significant impact on the economic growth. The study further reveals that there was a positive correlation between stock market development indicators and BRICS’s economic growth. It is therefore proposed that the weaknesses of each of the BRICS member countries should be taken as policy focus and strategies necessary to strengthen them should be swiftly applied by their respective governments.