GIBS Research
Academic research is extremely specialised. It is systematic, rigorous, and evidence-based investigation, with the purpose of validating existing theories, creating new knowledge and solving complex problems within specific fields. For it to be of real value, however, this academic body of knowledge cannot remain siloed within academia. It needs to be available and accessible to leaders across business, governments and public institutions, as it provides extremely valuable insights around the economic environment and how to solve modern-day challenges.
In this edition of Acumen, we explore five academic papers that provide diverse insights to a range of challenges facing businesses today.
Conscientious Corporate Brands: The Roles of Organisational Culture, Brand Authenticity, and Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Russell Abratt, Emmanuel Silva Quaye and Nicola Kleyn
Journal: Journal of Brand Management
Link: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057/s41262-025-00392-1.pdf (free to read)
GIBS Extraordinary Professor Nicola Kleyn shared insights around the research. She explains that business is under increased pressure to behave ethically and sustainably. The concept of a conscientious corporate brand (CCB) refers to a corporate brand that is seen by its stakeholders as a brand that values ethical behaviour as well as social and environmental sustainability. She says, “While what organisations do is important, it also matters that their stakeholders see them as such.”
Beyond leading ethically and working with stakeholders to drive sustainability, the paper wanted to see if there were other things that would influence stakeholder perceptions of a CCB. Research was conducted in South Africa and the USA and surveys about fictitious companies in the construction industry were distributed.
Key findings:
- Having and communicating a corporate purpose that went beyond financial returns was associated with positive CCB perceptions, especially when organisations backed this up with investments in corporate social responsibility.
- If stakeholders perceived the brand to be authentic, perceptions of a CCB were higher, especially when stakeholders viewed the culture of the organisation as ethical.
Academia into practice
“Building a brand that is seen to value ethics and sustainability starts by having ethical leaders who genuinely stand behind a purpose that is greater than profit. As with any efforts to build brand equity, both behaviour and communication of what matters and how the company is standing behind this is important,” explains Kleyn.
Leaders must remember, stresses Kleyn, that being seen as inauthentic about ethics and sustainability can harm the corporate brand. They need to go beyond statements of intent to ensure that they not only drive ethical behaviour by setting and enforcing ethical standards in their own companies, but that their companies collaborate with stakeholders to contribute to making the world a better place. Kleyn adds, “Investing in corporate social responsibility campaigns can boost a CCB, but only when these build on driving responsible behaviour in the company and across value chains.”
Who should be reading this research?
This research is important for corporate leaders as well as those tasked with building corporate brands and managing stakeholder relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and communities at large.
Factors Influencing Top Management Team Dynamics for Successful Strategy Implementation
Authors: Yoliswa S. Mvubu, Tonderayi Madziva, Motshedisi Mathibe
Journal: South African Journal of Business Management
Link: https://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/sajbm/v56n1/36.pdf (free to view)
Many organisations struggle not because their strategies are flawed, but because they fail to execute them effectively. GIBS Professor Motshedisi Mathibe says, “In today’s complex and fast-changing business environment, strategy implementation depends heavily on how top management teams work together. This research is relevant because it highlights that execution is not only a technical or structural issue – it is deeply social and relational.” The paper investigates how executives communicate, manage emotions, deal with power dynamics, and collaborate, and the impact it has on whether strategy succeeds or fails.
Key findings:
The study identified five key top management team dynamics that significantly influence strategy implementation:
- Social comparison
- Work gratification
- Emotional acumen
- Group characteristics
- Management style
Mathibe says, “What stood out most was the powerful role of emotional and relational factors at the top of organisations. Unchecked rivalry, envy, or poor communication within executive teams can quietly derail strategy, while emotionally intelligent leadership, trust, and accountability can accelerate execution and innovation.”
Academia into practice
The findings encourage leaders to look beyond formal structures and focus on how executive teams function day to day. “Businesses can apply this research by investing in emotionally intelligent leadership, fostering psychological safety, ensuring fair and transparent reward systems, actively managing diversity dynamics, and strengthening communication and accountability at the top,” says Mathibe. She says that strategy implementation improves when executives collaborate around shared goals rather than competing for individual recognition.
Who should be reading this research?
While this research is relevant for CEOs, executive committees, board members, senior managers, and leadership development practitioners, Mathibe believes that it is especially useful for organisations undergoing strategic change, transformation, or growth, where alignment, trust, and execution capability at the top are critical to success.
Strategic Alignment Perspective on Green Export Strategy And Performance: Evidence from Developing-Country Exporters
Authors: Frederick Yinbil Awuni, Nana Dwomoh Osei Bempath, Dominic Essuman, Emmanuel Kwabena Anin
Journal: Wiley Business Strategy and the Environment
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/bse.70144 (free to view)
As global markets emphasise environmentally responsible products and operations, exporters face rising pressure to “go green”. Lecturer in sustainable management at Sheffield University Management School Dominic Essuman says, “For exporters in developing and emerging economies, this pressure comes with a double edge. On the one hand, green sustainability opens doors to new markets and legitimacy abroad. On the other hand, green investments are costly and stretch already limited resources.” As a result, exporters grapple with a fundamental question: does going green pay off, and under what conditions?
Key findings:
- Firms that integrate green considerations into their export strategies tend to perform better in foreign markets. However, the real insight, says Essuman, is that “more green” is not always better.
- Green export strategies deliver the strongest performance gains when firms sell into markets where customers care about environmental issues.
- In contrast, pushing green initiatives in markets with low concern for environmental issues can add costs without clear returns.
Essuman says, “Perhaps the most surprising finding is that high export responsiveness can reduce the benefits of green strategies. Constantly adjusting products and processes to meet changing demands stretches limited organisational resources and dilutes managerial attention, reducing the overall benefits of green export investments.” In short, strong export responsiveness adds extraction costs, lowering the economic reward that implementing a green export strategy offers.
Academia into practice
Essuman stresses that the key lesson is strategic alignment. “Exporters should match their green investments to where they matter most, while avoiding blanket approaches across all regions.” He adds, “It offers a practical reminder that pursuing green sustainability is a strategic choice, not a box-ticking exercise, and that aligning green efforts with market demands and organisational capabilities is what turns green strategies into meaningful business results.”
Who should be reading this research?
This research is especially relevant for CEOs, export managers, sustainability leaders, and policymakers working with exporters, particularly in emerging and developing economies.
The Commercial Meal Experience in Context: An Exploration with Frequent Travellers
Authors: Marc Stierand, Mark Saunders, Anita Eves
Link: https://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/269638299/StierandM2025Commercial_AAM.pdf (free to view)
It is well documented that eating is often more driven by psychology than hunger. This is especially true for business travel and working meals, which form an intrinsic part of professional life. EHL Hospitality Business School Professor of Service Management Marc Stierand and Birmingham University’s Professor Mark Saunders shared their insights around their research on this subject. “We still know relatively little about what people need from these meal experiences in different contexts. Our research shows that meals are not just about food or convenience, but play an important role in emotional regulation, well-being, and feeling ‘at ease’ during work and travel,” they say. This makes this research highly relevant for organisations concerned with performance, health, and employee experience.
Key findings:
- The meaning of a meal shifts markedly depending on context.
- Dining near home is about a sense of comforting familiarity with a touch of novelty.
- Work meals function as a mental break and sometimes as a space for privacy.
- Meals while travelling prioritise safety, convenience, and recognisable forms of authenticity.
- What stood out most was how strongly emotional and bodily needs shaped food choices, often more than culinary interest itself.
Academia into practice
“The key implication is that one-size-fits-all meal solutions rarely work”, Stierand and Saunders say. Employers, hotels, and food-service providers can add real value moving beyond standardised offerings, by tailoring food and dining environments to specific situations. Their paper gives the following examples:
- Near home, emphasise comfort, familiarity, and subtle novelty.
- During work near home, prioritise privacy, health-conscious options, and emotional relief.
- When travelling for work, offer reliable convenience alongside performative authenticity that resonates with local culture.
They add, “Thoughtful meal design can make a tangible difference to well-being, focus, and overall experience.”
Who should be reading this research?
This research has value for anyone involved in employee well-being, including human capital professionals, event coordinators, and travel managers. It will also be of interest to hotel managers, restauranteurs, and service designers seeking to better understand how people experience meals in work and travel settings.
What Happens When Your Hand is in My Pocket: The Foreign Policy Effects of China’s Foreign Direct Investment in Africa
Authors: Hermann Achidi Ndofor, Carla D. Jones and Mengge Li
Journal: Journal of Business Ethics
Link: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10551-024-05794-w.pdf (free to read)
China doesn’t need Africa’s minerals; it need’s Africa’s votes. China is Africa’s largest trading partner and major infrastructure lender. The paper seeks to understand what China is hoping to gain from its foreign direct investment (FDI) and loans in Africa.
The authors argue that China’s FDI gives it significant leverage as it increases costly obligations and resource dependence on the part of many African countries. The paper was researching whether African countries respond to this dependency by countering with a readily available political resource, votes within international organisations. In this context, African countries respond by creating a mutual dependency in reciprocating with vote alignment.
Key findings:
- Investment from China will be positively related to the change in political alignment with China.
- The governance strength of African countries significantly weakens the effects of investments from China on political alignment with China.
- Increasing FDI and loans from China to African countries leads to increasing political alignment with China, while simultaneously leading to decreasing political alignment with the United States (US).
- FDI from the US has no effects on the change or level of political alignment with the US. However, FDI from US does change the level of political alignment with China.
The authors note an interesting insight, “Generally, countries with stronger governance mechanisms are more likely to be aligned politically with China even without any Chinese investment, and more Chinese investment would actually drive these countries away from China. Yet countries with weak governance are susceptible to Chinese investments, and they increase their political alignment with China as the investment increases.”
Implication of the research
The research offers more insight in the Sino-Africa relationship. “This study [explores] China’s economic engagement in Africa. We propose that non-economic factors, particularly institutional forces that shape both macro and micro strategies must be considered to gain a better understanding of the effects of China’s FDI in Africa,” write the authors.
Who must read this research?
This research is essential reading for anyone interested in Sino-Africa relations, including government, as well as public and private leaders. It offers a meaningful understanding of the global power dynamics of influence and the role Africa plays within this.
